Tom Bell. Alumni Professional Achievement Award

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Louisa Sherman
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1 Tom Bell or more than four decades, Tom Bell has exemplified effective leadership in his professional life and in his commitment to civic involvement. In late 2009, he was named executive chairman of the contract security services company, SecurAmerica LLC. He also is vice chairman of Goddard Investment Group, a real estate partnership. These are only the latest of many prestigious executive titles Bell has earned throughout the years. Bell began his career in politics, working as a member of the committee to re-elect Richard Nixon. Then, at the age of 23, he followed Senator Bill Brock from Tennessee to Washington, DC, eventually becoming Brock s chief of staff and chairing an influential committee that helped shape the priorities of President Reagan s second term. Since the mid-1980s, Bell has led a number of organizations, including Ball Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Burson-Marsteller, Young and Rubicam Advertising, and Cousins Properties. In 2008, he was named the Most Respected Business Leader by Georgia Trend magazine. In addition to his professional achievements, Bell has dedicated considerable time to civic organizations. In June 2010, he was name chairman of the US Chamber of Commerce s board of directors. He has also served on the boards of Grady Memorial Hospital, AGL Resources, Inc., Norfolk Southern, Regal Entertainment Group, Emory University, and Georgia Research Alliance. 1 6 A l u m n i A w a r d s D i n n e r

2 Charles T. Hankins, M.D. Charles Hankins office in Houston, Texas is donned with University of Tennessee colors and paraphernalia, so there is no question as to his love for his alma mater, writes Michelle Riley-Brown, senior vice president of Texas Children s Hospital West Campus. A three-time UT graduate, Hankins currently serves as chief medical officer at the Texas hospital and as an associate professor of pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. Throughout his thirty-year career, Hankins has distinguished himself as an expert in the field of neonatology and as an innovative and respected leader. After participating in ROTC as an undergraduate in Knoxville, he moved to Memphis for his medical training and completed his residency at Brooke Army Medical Center as well as a fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His medical career in the military, in private practice, and as an educator and hospital administrator has been devoted to improving care for very small and ill newborns. Dr. Mark Kline, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor, calls him a transformative figure across the Houston community, where he has led the implementation of a decentralized, community model of care serving infants and families across the region. Hankins returned to UT in 1998 as a member of the inaugural graduating class of the Physician Executive MBA program A l u m n i A w a r d s D i n n e r 1 7

3 Hashem Mehrdad Hash Hashemian recognized leader in the nuclear industry, Hashem Mehrdad Hash Hashemian began his career in 1977 when he co-founded Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation (AMS). Formed around technologies he first developed while a graduate student in UT s College of Engineering, AMS now has offices in the United States, Australia, Spain, South Korea, and Switzerland. Under Hashemian s leadership (he became President and CEO in 1985), AMS has become the pre-eminent supplier of equipment, training, and services for response time testing and on-line calibration of temperature and pressure instrumentation in nuclear power plants. Nearly all of the 104 nuclear power plants currently operating in the United States, and many in Europe and Asia, have employed his services. Hashemian s list of professional accomplishments includes three doctoral degrees and two books that have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. Additional publications include ten book chapters, 200 conference papers, and more than fifty peer-reviewed articles. He has spoken at nearly 100 conferences worldwide and chaired and hosted dozens more. In February 2011, Hashemian was honored at the White House with a Tibbetts Award in recognition of the critical role AMS has played in research and development. 1 8 A l u m n i A w a r d s D i n n e r

4 Robin Klehr Avia oon after graduating from UT s College of Architecture and Design, Robin Klehr Avia was hired as a junior designer at Gensler the top design firm in the United States and one of the largest architecture and design firms in the world. Three decades later, she now chairs the executive committee of Gensler s Board of Directors and serves as the company s Northeast Managing Principal, overseeing offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Morristown, New Jersey; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Toronto, Canada; San José, California; and São Paulo, Brazil. During her career, Klehr Avia has directed award-winning projects at scales ranging from 5,000 to 1,400,000 square feet, and her clients include Conde Nast, MasterCard, Bank of America, and Limited Brands. Her recent work as principal in charge of the New York Times headquarters was honored with a Design Award of Excellence from the Society of American Registered Architects. Klerh Avia has also been a strong advocate for education, serving as a trustee emeritus of the Dwight-Englewood School and as a member of the National Board of Girls, Inc., the Advisory Board of the New York School of Interior Design, and the Board of Advisors of UT s College of Architecture and Design. As a teacher, I ve had interesting conversations with female students as to their future, says Carlos Martinez, principal at Gensler in Chicago, Illinois. When they are aware of Robin, she becomes an amazing inspiration that there s a place for them at the highest level.

5 Shirley Raines July 1, 2001, Shirley Raines became the eleventh president of the University of Memphis. She is the first woman to hold the position in its 100-year history. Raines is a three-time graduate of the University of Tennessee system, having earned her bachelor s degree from UT Martin and both her master s and doctorate degrees from UT Knoxville. An established authority in teacher education and early childhood education, Raines has authored fourteen books and numerous articles. Her career has taken her from George Mason University where she received the Distinguished Faculty Member award to the University of Kentucky where she served as vice chancellor for Academic Services and dean of the College of Education. Described in The Commercial Appeal as powerful, prepared, and personable, Raines has become known for her effective work in building productive partnerships, on and off campus. Under her leadership, the University of Memphis has expanded its University s Honors and Emerging Leaders programs, established the University of Memphis Research Foundation, and witnessed remarkable capital improvements, along with numerous other advances. Raines has also served on the NCAA Board of Directors and has been honored frequently for her service to the Memphis community. 2 0 A l u m n i A w a r d s D i n n e r

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