Eight outstanding graduates of Cleveland State University were honored for their service, leadership and career achievements at the 18th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner held on June 13, 2008. The 2008 honorees were: Anand “Bill” Julka (George B. Davis Award), Ellis Z. Yan (Nance College of Business Administration), Dr. Christine S. Moravec (College of Science), Dr. Robert A. Cutietta (College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences), Dr. Roshanak Hakimzadeh (Fenn College of Engineering), Gregory L. Brown (Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs), Georgia A. Froelich (Cleveland-Marshall College of Law), and James A. Harmon (College of Education and Human Services).

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GEORGE B. DAVIS AWARD FOR SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY – Recognizes a graduate’s generous dedication to the growth and advancement of Cleveland State University. Alumnus Davis, for whom the award is named, received a BBA in 1941 and an MBA in 1981.

Anand “Bill” Julka earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the Fenn College of Engineering in 1974. The Chagrin Falls resident is the founder and president of Smart Solutions Inc., a regional leader in systems integration, and in 2005, was named Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young LLP.

At the age of 22, Julka came to CSU from his homeland of India. He attributes his success to his education and believes that education is the key to improving one’s life. He has shown his appreciation to CSU through a $2 million estate plan commitment to the College of Education and Human Services, the largest gift in the College’s history. He also donated $100,000 to the Moses Cleaveland Scholarship Fund in honor of his father, Om Julka, to benefit Cleveland Municipal School graduates who attend CSU to pursue degrees in engineering or computer information systems.

He serves on the CSU Foundation Board of Directors and has served on Visiting Committees for both the College of Education and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Services.

COLLEGE AWARD CATEGORY

Ellis Z. Yan earned a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from the Nance College of Business Administration in 1982. He lives in Chagrin Falls and is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Technical Consumer Products (TCP) Inc.

At the age of 20, Yan came to America from China to study at CSU. He founded TCP in 1993; at its inception, the company developed, manufactured, and imported a variety of lighting products but as the business grew, Yan turned his focus to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Today, TCP is one of the largest privately owned manufacturers of high quality CFL products and accessories in the world.

 

Dr. Christine S. Moravec received her Ph.D. in regulatory biology from the College of Science in 1988. She lives in Cleveland and is a research scientist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s Kaufman Center for Heart Failure.

She serves as CCF liaison for CSU graduate programs in Regulatory Biology and Clinical-Bioanalytical Chemistry and has maintained close ties to the College of Science through her research, teaching and mentoring of graduate students.

 

 

Dr. Robert A. Cutietta earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of Education and Human Services in 1975 and a master’s degree in music from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science in 1978. He lives in Pasadena and is the Dean and Professor of Music at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Cutietta has an international reputation as a music educator whose areas of expertise include the middle-school learner, choral education, learning theories and the psychology of learning. He is the author of Raising Musical Kids: A Parent’s Guide. Recent honors include the Putnam Award for Meritorious Teaching and the Maestro Award from the University of Arizona. He was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2000 by The Pennsylvania State University School of Music.

Dr. Roshanak Hakimzadeh earned a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Fenn College of Engineering in 1987. She is the Chief of the Photovoltaic and Power Technologies Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center.

Dr. Hakimzadeh is an accomplished leader at NASA and an excellent role model for future engineers and scientists who aspire to some day join the space program. Dr. Hakimzadeh leads a branch of scientists and engineers in development of novel solar cells for space applications, which will enable future space and planetary exploration.  Her branch is recognized internationally for space solar cell research and development. She has led her team in making significant contributions to the advancement of space solar cell technologies, and in work that has contributed to the success of several NASA missions. In recent years, she has worked with commercial solar cell companies and universities on transferring space solar cell technologies to terrestrial applications, thus contributing to solving the energy crisis. Dr. Hakimzadeh is an Associate Fellow and active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). She lives in Solon with her husband and two children.

Gregory L. Brown received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 1991 and a master’s degree in urban affairs from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs in 2004. He lives in Bedford and is the executive director and president of the Center for Community Solutions.

Under his leadership, Community Solutions has promoted an understanding of the critical link between human services and economic development. Brown is an adjunct professor in the Levin College; the Center for Community Solutions supports the community service initiatives of The Albert A. Levin Chair of Urban Studies and Public Service, the first endowed chair in the nation that combined classroom teaching with public service to deal with problems of the urban environment.

Georgia A. Froelich earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 1980 and a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1984. She lives in Bratenahl and is the Senior Vice President and Senior Fiduciary Officer for Sterling Trust, a premium wealth management service company and a division of National City Corp.

Froelich has been a member of the law school’s Visiting Committee since 2003, and currently serves as its chair. She also serves on the College’s Development Council. Her professional affiliations include the American Bar Association and its Charitable Giving Committee, the Ohio Bar Association, the Cleveland Bar Association, and the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland.

James A. Harmon holds a 2001 master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the College of Education and Human Services. He is an English teacher at Euclid High School, as well as an adjunct instructor at CSU and Baldwin Wallace College. He lives in Lakewood.

Harmon is recognized as a master teacher by his colleagues, students and administrators. He is a mentor teacher for pre-service teachers at CSU, and has taught the “Classroom Teacher Educator” course through the Office of Field Services. He has been a part of grant-writing teams that have been awarded more than $700,000 in funds for the “Through Students’ Eyes” and “Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education” projects. He will serve as the keynote speaker at the 2008 National Association for Professional Development Schools Conference.