The IU South Bend Alumni Association honored seven outstanding alumni from IU South Bend in the third annual Alumni of the Year Luncheon on Saturday, April 14, 2018.
The impact all of our Alumni of the Year recipients have on their respective communities serves as a testament to our mission as a university. Our honorees each exhibit the characteristics we strive to instill in our students.
Genevieve Carlson, executive director of the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, was promoted to this position just four years after earning her Bachelor of Arts in speech communication from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts in 2013. Carlson’s dedication to her education and career path aided her from the time she started at the humane society as a high school student, to taking classes during her lunch break at work, to leading the organization.
Larry M. Davis, a 1986 graduate with a Bachelor of Science in business management and administration, is the chief executive officer of Daman Products Company, Inc. His leadership and innovative approach to operating the company in a lean management style has ensured that Daman remains at the forefront of the manufacturing industry.
Michael S. Deranek is the senior program director at Bashor Children’s Home, where he found his passion for service. He has been working at Bashor for 11 years, starting in direct care and moving through a variety of roles to his current position. He earned his Master of Social Work in 2013, and currently teaches in the Social Work program, sharing his field experience with IU South Bend’s current students.
Amy Gretencord earned an Associate of Science in radiography in 2003 and a Bachelor in Science of health services management in 2005.She has created a legacy of knowledge in her role as clinical coordinator of Radiological Sciences for the Dwyer College, where she goes above and beyond to advance the knowledge of her students as they gain clinical experience. Gretencord has continued her own path to knowledge by completing her MSEd of adult education through Indiana University Bloomington last May.
Patrick McDonel, PhD, earned his Bachelor of Science in biology in 2000. His intellectual curiosity led him to earn his PhD in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley and complete his post-doctoral work at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England. He has worked at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and is currently an assistant professor of Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Elizabeth M. Silveus is an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Navarre Intermediate Center for the South Bend Community School Corporation where her peers selected her to receive the 2017–18 Teacher of the Year Award at the school. Her path to becoming a teacher grew out of her sense of altruism and her genuine interest is doing the most for those she serves. Silveus earned a Bachelor of Arts in both sociology and psychology in 2008 and returned to earn a Master of Science in education in 2012.
Anthony T. Smith earned his Bachelor of Arts in English in 2004 and worked at the Franklin D. Schurz Library while pursuing his degree. He went on to earn his Master of Library Science in 2006 from IUPUI. Smith is currently the senior manager of Membership Operations for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) where he uses his talent for collaboration to better contextualize and understand the data of the CAP's nearly 18,000 members.
Our alumni honorees exemplify the qualities of dedication, leadership, passion, knowledge, intellectual curiosity, altruism, and collaborative spirit and represent the best parts of an IU South Bend education. We are proud to recognize and celebrate them for their achievements.