USF alumni earn awards for outstanding performance
The University of St. Francis Alumni Association recognized alumni with awards for their outstanding accomplishments.
The Award of Merit was presented to Mary Kay (Softcheck) Blake (B.A., English, 1970) for exemplifying the spirit of St. Francis by demonstrating continual understanding and support of the university’s educational and service mission. Blake is senior vice president of partnerships and initiatives for the Freedom Forum.
Previously she worked for 25 years with Gannett Company where she rose from newsroom copy editor at the Pacific Daily News on Guam to vice president of recruiting and placement for the newspaper division on the corporate staff in Arlington, VA.
Blake is highly respected as a leader both in her field and in her community. Her newspaper career began with the Herald-News while still a student in 1970. Blake is a very active member of the USF Alumni Washington, D.C. Chapter.
The Outstanding Recent Alumni Award is presented to alumni who have excelled beyond his/hers peers in the areas of leadership, professional success and/or served their community or the university selflessly. Yvonne Lees (M.S., Health Services Administration, 1992) was the recipient of this award. Lees’ nursing career started in 1964 as a student nurses aide while she was still in high school. In 2001, she accepted the position as the Director of Nursing at San Carlos Indian Health Services Hospital.
Lees is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, San Carlos, Arizona.
Lees serves as the chairperson of the National
Council of Nurse Administrators at the Department
of Health and Human Services. Beside her medical
achievements, Lees is an accomplished musician,
earned a music degree and taught many years, prior
to starting her nursing career.
The Joann Placher Award was presented to Vincent
Cornelius (B.A., Business Administration, Management,
1986) for exemplifying the Franciscan spirit through
contributions to society and a value-centered
professional and/or family life.
Cornelius is a general practice attorney with a focus in civil and criminal litigation. He finds the bulk of his work involving minors and religious establishments. He previously was a prosecutor with the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Cornelius was elected to the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors. He considers this position an excellent opportunity to network with fellow attorneys and to learn of the impact and effect on Illinois legislation. The ISBA Board of Governors represents the veritable brain trust of law in the State of Illinois. Cornelius was assigned as board liaison to the Insurance Law and Agricultural Law Section Councils.
Cornelius is involved in many organizations, including the Illinois Bar Foundation, DCBA National Mock Trial Competition Committee, DuPage Bar Association, National Registry of Who’s Who, Deacon of Rock of Ages Church (Maywood, IL) and Kappa Alpha Phi Fraternity.
Cornelius was greatly influenced by his high school coach to excel in academics and athletics. He earned his degree from the University of St. Francis in 1986 and became an Academic All-American athlete. He then earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.
The Alumni Association Board President’s Award is presented to alumni that have earned the academic accomplishment of doctorate degree and is established as a nationally known professional in the field of higher education. The award went to Wayne Hochwarter (B.S., Business Administration, 1986).
Hochwarter’s dedicated work in the field of management education has gained him national and international recognition. He has developed a most impressive record of high quality scholarship during his time in the field. Hochwarter’s conceptual and methodological contributions in the area of management have been monumental, stimulating controversy and moving the field in some new directions.
Since graduating from USF in 1986, Wayne earned a M.B.A. from DePaul University and Ph.D. from Florida State University. He is a tenured faculty at Florida State University in the College of Business.
The Professional Achievement Award was presented to Kenneth Johnson (M.S., Health Services Administration, 1995) for demonstrating professional achievement and leadership as well as continued support of the University of St. Francis. This award pays special tribute to alumni who have achieved personal success and made outstanding contributions to their chosen field that are widely recognized and lauded by their colleagues.
A nationally-known, award winning former journalist, Johnson serves as the senior adviser to the chairman and communications director for the U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security. In addition to acting as chief spokesman for the Committee, which oversees all of the activities of the Department of Homeland Security, he is involved in helping to implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations into law.
Prior to that, Johnson was communications director, deputy chief of staff and principal spokesman for the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce- the oldest Committee in Congress with jurisdiction over vast segments of the American economy. In that capacity, he also coordinated all press activities for the full committee and its six subcommittees.
In his three years at the Energy and Commerce Committee, Johnson was at the forefront of the much-publicized congressional investigations into Enron, Martha Stewart, Ford-Firestone, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Qwest, HealthSouth, Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, human cloning and the cancer drug, Erbitux. He also played a key role in passage of numerous major bills in Congress, including the TREAD Act and the Do-Not-Call Registry Act.
The University of St. Francis, at 500 Wilcox St. in Joliet, serves more than 4,300 students nationwide. The university offers more than 60 areas of undergraduate study and 10 graduate programs.