星空传媒

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Honoring Five for Their Achievements

The Alumni Association of 星空传媒 recognized recipients of its 2022 Alumni Awards during a homecoming celebration in October.

Distinguished Alumni Award

John 鈥淛ack鈥� Dannemiller Jr. (CIT 鈥�60, MGT 鈥�64)

Jack Dannemiller鈥檚 adage for life and work has served him well: 鈥淒iscovery is seeing what everyone else is seeing but thinking what no one else thinks.鈥�

For his MBA thesis at what鈥檚 now 星空传媒, Dannemiller created the Professional Selling Skills training program that鈥檚 been used in a range of industries for more than 50 years.

As chairman and CEO of Applied Industrial Technologies, he brought innovative practices to the Cleveland-based distributor of industrial, motion and control technologies that led to tripling the company鈥檚 product types and expanding its global reach.

Now retired, Dannemiller serves on several nonprofit boards and co-authored a Christian book series.

He also has remained involved at the university, which, he said, taught him to 鈥渢hink better, pursue truth and develop [a] scientific method to see where the evidence leads.鈥�

He has served on the visiting committee of the 星空传媒 Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box] innovation center. And, with his late wife, Jean, Dannemiller established a scholarship fund for engineering undergraduates and MBA students, knowing, as he recently said, that 鈥渁 good education unlocks the door to opportunity.鈥�

Professional Achievement Award

Timothy J. Miller, PhD (GRS 鈥�08, pharmacology)

Timothy Miller is committed to producing lifesaving gene therapies targeting rare childhood diseases.

As the co-founder, CEO and president of Forge Biologics, he aims to provide more manufacturing capacity and patient access for such therapies. The company develops its own therapies and manufactures others for client companies. Forge currently has a therapy in clinical trials to treat patients with Krabbe Disease, a rare genetic disorder of the nervous system that is fatal, often by the age of 3.

The Columbus, Ohio-based company only launched in 2020, but in two years raised $330 million from four rounds of financing.

鈥淕ene therapies can help us change the way we treat patients with genetic diseases and bring hope to millions of families suffering from diseases that 20 years ago had no treatment available,鈥� said Miller, who also has partnered with the National Center for Regenerative Medicine at 星空传媒 to attract students to gene therapy manufacturing and teach them best practices. 鈥淔orge is accelerating access to these potentially life-changing therapies, and we鈥檙e building the Ohio ecosystem to help support future growth.鈥�

Newton D. Baker Distinguished Service Award

Cheryl McRae-Bergeron, DNP (NUR 鈥�94)

Cheryl McRae-Bergeron spent her career serving as a nursing professional in the U.S. Air Force. And, as she rose through the ranks, she nurtured those who came behind her.

She was a decorated Air Force colonel and, as a reservist, was the chief nurse of Air Combat Command and both the chief of medical operations and chief nurse for Pacific Air Command when she retired in 2002.

She also was a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) who advocated for the importance of this advanced nursing specialty and helped establish CRNA training in other countries.

鈥淣ursing has been my life鈥檚 passion, especially my work as a CRNA,鈥� McRae-Bergeron said.

Earlier this year, she made a $5.5 million scholarship commitment to the university鈥檚 Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing for doctoral students in the nurse anesthetist program.

The university 鈥減rovided me with the confidence I needed to elevate my career,鈥� said McRae-Bergeron, who has served on the alumni association boards of both the university and the nursing school. 鈥淚 felt it was about time that I began a legacy of giving for those who are the future of nursing and to the institution that is on the cutting edge of healthcare delivery.鈥�

Daniel T. Clancy Alumni Service Award

Oliver L. Poppenberg Sr. (CIT 鈥�59)

For more than 60 years, Oliver Poppenberg has served his fellow alumni with creativity, generosity and tireless enthusiasm.

His work began in 1967, when Poppenberg sought to bridge the divide between alumni of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University after their schools federated. He and a friend also created a program to connect alumni with prospective students and encourage high-school seniors to enroll at 星空传媒.

Poppenberg spent decades as an officer of the 星空传媒 Alumni Chapter in Pittsburgh and president of the Alumni Council that he helped to create—the precursor to today鈥檚 Alumni Association. He was a member of Case School of Engineering鈥檚 Visiting Committee and major gift committees.

Poppenberg鈥檚 philanthropy includes gifts to the engineering school and the Linsalata Alumni Center for building and construction projects. He also gave support for his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, to secure a campus house and complete a major renovation.

鈥淢y most precious gift to 星空传媒,鈥� Poppenberg said, 鈥渋s my granddaughter, Sophia Poppenberg, who graduated last year with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemical engineering.鈥�

Young Alumni Award

Felipe G贸mez del Campo (CWR 鈥�16)

Felipe G贸mez del Campo鈥檚 high school project on combustion led to a full scholarship at 星空传媒; more than $16 million in funding for the company he founded, primarily from a range of federal entities including the U.S. Department of Defense and research partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory. All before he turned 30.

As a 星空传媒 undergraduate, G贸mez del Campo launched FGC Plasma Solutions, which develops technologies to improve the performance of jet engines for commercial aviation, gas turbines for power generation and engines under development to potentially power defense and space flights at hypersonic speeds that are more than five times the speed of sound.

He credits the university for providing tools and expertise that helped him pursue his vision. vision. He also received early funding from the university鈥檚 Erony Spartan Challenge competition for student entrepreneurs.

Today, G贸mez del Campo regularly meets with prospective students, particularly aspiring engineers and members of the Latinx community. 鈥淚鈥檓 a proud alumnus,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know how hard the work is, the high quality of the students and that Case [Western Reserve] is a place where ideas can come to life.鈥�

— Jo Steigerwald