SLU Honors Alumni Merit, Pioneer Award Winners

George Brill (Parks ’85)

Brill, a member of the Parks College Advisory Board and the University’s Board of Trustees, is founder and CEO of Talisen Technologies, Inc, formerly AeroTech Services Group, a leader in the transmission of secure information over the Internet.

Brill began his career with McDonnell Douglas, where he developed a secure, electronic collaboration platform that became the company’s standard.

Brill and his team adapted the defense technology for a new market now referred to as the Internet of Things. They created a revolutionary platform for the State of Missouri that monitors energy and operations for more than 100 buildings. It has saved the state more than $70 million in 11 years, and clients include the State of New York, the Emirate of Dubai and the largest hospital system in the United States.

The St. Louis Business Journal ranked Talisen among the Top 50 Largest Minority Owned Businesses. The Small Business Administration named Brill the 2013 Minority Business Owner of the Year for Region Seven.

Pamela Z. Cacchione, Ph.D. (Grad Nursing ’98)

Cacchione is the Ralston House Endowed Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing and associate professor of geropsychiatric nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She has held faculty positions at Saint Louis University, the University of Iowa, the University of Maryland and Georgetown University.

In addition to teaching and maintaining a clinical practice, Cacchione is a nurse scientist at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Her federally funded research has ranged from sensory impairment in older adults to the usability and acceptability of technology, such as robotics, among older adults. Cacchione develops practical interventions to improve the vision, hearing, functional status and mental health of older adults.

She was named a 2018-2019 Penn Nursing Innovation Fellow and is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America. She is editor of the international journal, Clinical Nursing Research. In 2018, nursepractionerschools.com ranked Cacchione among the 50 Top Nurse Practitioner Professors in the country.

William Ka-Lun Choi, DDM (Grad CADE ’93)

A member of the board of directors of the SLU Alumni Association in Taiwan, Choi has pioneered the Taiwan SLU Alumni Scholarship program.

Choi has operated an orthodontic and temporomandibular disorders clinic in Taipei for more than 20 years. He is as dedicated to his profession as he is to service. He is a founding member and past president of the Chinese Christian Dental Services, an organization that provides dental care to orphans and underserved patients.

He has organized more than 100 dental mission trips to countries including Cambodia, China, Gambia, India, Kenya and Myanmar.

He collects and refurbishes pre-owned dental equipment and x-ray machines to send to countries establishing charity clinics.

He is a member of the Taiwan Association of Orthodontists and the Rotary Club of Taipei. Choi has delivered speeches at several international orthodontic conventions including Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

 

Don W. Cook, Sr., Ed.D. (Education Grad ’97)

Cook is CEO of St. Louis-based Capital International Communications (CIC). CIC is a telecommunications distributor and manufacturer of consumer products, including a vented visor that generates a breeze for individuals attending outdoor events.

Cook holds two patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and CIC has been recognized as one of the Top 25 African American Companies in St. Louis, due in part to its practice of giving back to the community and supporting mentorships.

Cook co-founded a mentorship program for middle school African American boys in the Parkway School District. Cook serves on the Lincoln University Board of Curators and the Missouri Workforce Development Board.

An accomplished saxophonist who plays with the New Sunny Mount Baptist Church Choirs and the Jazz Edge Orchestra, Cook also serves on the advisory boards for the Webster University Community Music School and the H.E.A.L. Center for the Arts.

 

Jerome V. Dwyer, M.D. (A&S ’79, Med ’85)

Dwyer is a cardiologist and founder of the St. Louis Cardiology Center with offices in St. Louis, Union and Washington, Missouri. He is a consultant and researcher for several national and international medical companies, including Biotronik, which makes products for patients suffering from cardiovascular disease.

A past president of the American Heart Association, he is a member of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business Executive Advisory Board and a member of the steering committee for SLU’s Accelerating Excellence fundraising campaign.

An entrepreneur and expert in medical start-ups, Dwyer is co-founder of MediBlurb, LLC, a podcast series on health and wellness. He is a partner in Sunora Bacanora The Original Outlaw Spirit™, which won the Double Gold Medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Dwyer’s passion is mentoring young men and women as they pursue their dreams. He is recipient of a Dr. Thomas A. Dooley III Award and the Heart Walk Leadership Award.

 

Michael C. Forrest (ITT’55)

Forrest’s career in oil and gas exploration has spanned nearly five decades. He worked for Shell Oil Company, Maxus Energy and as an independent oil exploration consultant.

In the late 1960s while working as an exploration manager for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico, Forrest discovered “bright spots,” seismic reflection amplitude anomalies that reduced the guesswork when seeking out oil and gas reservoirs. Producers worldwide have been using “bright spot” techniques for the past 45 years, leading to several major discoveries.

In 2018, Forrest received the Sidney Powers Memorial Award, the highest honor given by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He is a member and past director of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He is active with the organization’s Geoscientists Without Borders, a humanitarian program that funds geoscience projects that help with earthquake, tsunami and landslide preparation.

 

Brent Ibata, Ph.D., J.D. (Grad Public Health ’00, Law ’07, Grad Public Health ’08)

Ibata is system director of accreditation and quality assurance for Lee Health, the largest healthcare system in southwest Florida.

During his career, Ibata has served as director of a clinical research facility, a hospital director of operations and a corporate director of research compliance. He is recognized for his ability to bring together multidisciplinary teams within highly matrixed healthcare organizations. He also built multiple nationally recognized centers of healthcare innovation.

Ibata is a registered patent agent, a member of Mensa International and a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

In his free time, Ibata mentored young scientists at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. He is an advocate for disability rights and serves as chair of the special education advisory committee for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

 

William M. Klepper, Ph.D. (A&S ’66, Grad A&S ’67, ‘75)

Klepper is a professor of management at the Columbia School of Business in New York. He teaches executive leadership courses and serves as academic director of executive education.

His highly regarded book, The CEO’s Boss: Tough Love in the Boardroom, has been described as the definitive guide to helping boards operate more effectively. His most recent publication is, What CEOs Have Yet to Learn.

Klepper has customized executive education programs for AT&T, Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Eastern Airlines, Sony, Sun Microsystems and a host of other corporations. He also is the faculty director of the partnership with the Financial Times Outstanding Directors Exchange on corporate governance.

Klepper has served as vice president of the College of New Jersey, president of his school board, president of his county legislature and mayor of his township.

Colleen Kelly Starkloff, DHL (Doisy ’73)

Starkloff is co-founder of the Starkloff Disability Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities.

She has been a champion for disability rights since 1973. She developed initiatives to support employment and accessible housing for people with disabilities and she coordinated activities that promoted the successful implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Starkloff created and taught disability studies at Maryville University and organized international conferences on universal design, an approach to design that works to ensure products and buildings can be used by everyone, regardless of their ability or disability.

She has delivered three commencement addresses and received numerous awards, including The Disability Awareness Award from the Missouri Human Rights Commission and the Inspire Award from Bi-State Development for her significant contributions to the St. Louis region.

 

Robert V. Vitale (Business ’88)

Vitale is president and CEO of Post Holdings, a company known for its iconic cereal brands, including Honeycomb, Pebbles and Honey Bunches of Oats; its sports nutrition products, including Premier Protein and Powerbars; and its frozen and refrigerated side dishes. Post has annual revenue approaching $7 billion and employs approximately 13,000 people.

Vitale leads a team that has executed 15 major acquisitions and generated average annual returns to shareholders of more than 20 percent.

Prior to joining Post, Vitale served as president and CEO of AHM Financial Group LLC, which grew five-fold in revenue during his tenure.

Vitale is a member of the board of directors for Energizer Holdings. He also serves on the board of Civic Progress, a group of St. Louis-based chief executives that helps direct corporate resources to civic projects. For the past three years, Institutional Investor has ranked Vitale in the top three CEOs in his industry.

 

Claire L. Wyneken (Grad PS ’86)

Wyneken is president and CEO of Wyman Center, Inc, a non-profit organization that empowers teens from economically disadvantaged circumstances by helping them build skills and strengthen their sense of self. Wyneken has dedicated her entire professional career to serving our nation’s youth.

She spent more than three decades in various leadership roles at Wyman before being appointed president. Programs she oversaw have reduced teen dropout rates, teen pregnancy, truancy and class failure. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recognized Wyman Center programs for their positive impact on teens.

The Social Impact Exchange ranked the Wyman Center as one of the “100 Top Non-Profits in America Creating Social Impact.”

Wyneken also has focused much of her time to creating an “employee-first” environment, which fosters employee engagement and leadership initiatives. As a result, the Wyman Center continues to attract the brightest in the field to help make a difference in the lives of today’s teens.

Michael P. McMillan, DHL (A&S ’96)

McMillan is president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc. The organization serves more than 100,000 residents a year through economic programs, educational opportunities, community empowerment and advocacy.

In response to the 2014 crisis in Ferguson, McMillan created the Save Our Sons program, which helped more than 650 African American men find jobs.

McMillan is the recipient of more than 200 awards and commendations including the 2012 Call to Service Award from President Barack Obama, the 2018 International Civil Rights Walk of Fame and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 – a list of the most inspiring African Americans in the United States.

Prior to his post with the Urban League, McMillan served more than two decades in city government. He was the youngest alderman and license collector in the city’s history. He serves on more than a dozen boards throughout the region.

Randall Stephenson was named to his current position in 2007. Since then, AT&T has invested billions of dollars to become a worldwide leader in technology, media and telecommunications with hundreds of millions of customers. 

Under Stephenson’s leadership, the company has also committed $400 million to its signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, which drives innovation in education to promote student success in school and the workplace. 

Stephenson also led AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign – an education and awareness program educating drivers about distracted driving. The program has amassed more than 25 million pledges of support. 

Stephenson began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1982 in Oklahoma. He served as the company’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer from 2001 to 2004, and from 2004 to 2007 he served as chief operating officer. He was appointed to AT&T’s board of directors in 2005. 

The national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Stephenson also serves on the boards of directors of Emerson Electric Co. and Boeing. 

Stephenson received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and his master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Oklahoma.

After 35 years of federal service, Robert Cardillo retired in February as the sixth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which provides geospatial intelligence to policymakers, military leaders, intelligence professionals and first responders. 

Cardillo was the first career NGA employee to rise to director of the agency. During his tenure, he was noted for his collaborative efforts to bring public and private sectors together. As NGA director, he selected North St. Louis as the home of the agency’s planned $1.75 billion campus. 

Before becoming NGA’s director in 2014, Cardillo held senior positions in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he started as an imagery analyst. He received several honors for distinguished service during his career. 

A product of Jesuit education, Cardillo earned a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University in 1988. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University in 1983. 

Cardillo will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from SLU.

Kenyon is the director of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and a lawyer whose career has focused on representing victims of domestic violence, homeless veterans, foster children, abused children and immigrants. 

Kenyon was asked to lead the commission 2015 by St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson. One of several archdiocesan initiatives that followed shooting death of Michael Brown, the commission addresses societal issues such as race, poverty, education and meaningful employment from a Catholic perspective.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Bradley University, Kenyon served in the Peace Corps in West Africa for two years, educating women and children on nutrition. She returned to St. Louis to attend law school and work in the public defender’s office. 

A year after earning her law degree at SLU, Catholic Charities asked Kenyon to establish and direct the Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry, which provides free legal representation to low-income clients and handles approximately 1,400 civil law cases annually. 

Kenyon is a past president of the St. Louis Bar Foundation and Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and has served on the Missouri Bar’s Gender and Justice Task Force, the Women’s Place board and the Economic Justice Task Force of the Missouri Catholic Conference. In 2019, she received the Dudley C. Dunlop Distinguished Service Award from the St. Louis County Bar Association. 

Kenyon will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service from SLU. 

Ross is the vice chairman of Enterprise Holdings Inc.  As a senior executive who worked his way up through the Enterprise Rent-A-Car ranks, Ross has been in the car rental industry for more than 50 years. Ross joined Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 1964, only seven years after the company’s founding. He has been instrumental in the company’s growth and played a key role in the development of its Car Sales and Truck Rental business divisions. 

A member of Enterprise’s Board of Directors, Ross is also active in business, civic and community organizations throughout St. Louis. He currently is a member of the Drury Development Corporation Board and serves on the Missouri Bar’s Judicial Performance Review Committee. 

He serves as vice chairman for the Missouri Baptist Hospital Board; is a member of the National Council of the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. He also served as the chair of the board of BJC Health Care and is a former board member of the St. Louis Muny Opera and DeSmet Jesuit High School. 

Ross serves as the chairman of the Board of the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. He has received the Order of St. Louis King Award, the highest award given by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, for providing consistent and outstanding service to the work of the Church. 

Ross will receive an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from SLU.