Meet The 2018 Recipients
Eric Schultz, AB ’02
Eric Schultz, now a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, served in the White House as the principal deputy press secretary and special assistant to the president. Recognized by Politico as the strategist “White House officials turn to in a crisis to handle communications,” he spent several years working on high-profile campaigns and serving on Capitol Hill for a number of U.S. senators.
David Ulevitch, AB ’04
David Ulevitch is a member of the senior leadership team at Cisco, where he oversees global security strategy, portfolio, and architecture for a business with more than $2 billion in annual revenue. He joined Cisco through the acquisition of OpenDNS, a cloud-delivered security service, where he was founder and CEO. While a student, David founded his first company, EveryDNS, which he sold to Dyn in 2010. He is also an active angel investor and mentor to entrepreneurs.
Kate Bloch, AB ’83, MA ’83
Kate Bloch is an award-winning legal scholar and educator whose research and writing focus on legal ethics; legal education; and criminal law, procedure, and practice issues. Kate is an advisor to the UC Hastings Haiti Justice Initiative and is working with colleagues in the United States and at UC Hastings’ partner law school, L’École Supérieure Catholique de Droit de Jérémie to help establish what is believed to be the first law school in-house legal aid clinic in Haiti.
Joanne Bober, AB ’74
Joanne Bober has excelled in legal and executive roles at major corporations and is a passionate supporter of the arts, education, and success for women in the workplace. She served as executive vice president, general counsel, secretary, and chief ethics officer of JCPenney, and as senior vice president and general counsel of Chubb Corporation. Joanne is a frequent speaker on issues relating to diversity in the law and achieving success for women.
Freida Brown, AB ’70
As vice chancellor of the United States International University–Africa in Nairobi, Freida Brown was the first woman to lead a chartered university in Kenya. Prior to her university leadership, she was licensed as a psychologist with areas of expertise including cross-cultural psychology and the psycho-social development of children. She held positions at Howard University, Bowie State University, Morgan State University and Washington University.
Valerie Davisson, MA ’89
Valerie Davisson is a corporate leader known for strategic management of personnel for several major corporations, including Brinker International and Yum! Brands, during her career. Currently, she is chief people officer for At Home, a leading retailer of home décor in 29 states. Valerie volunteers for multiple local and national organizations, especially those aimed at promoting women in business and leadership.
Kenneth Karmin, AB ’82
Ken Karmin is an entrepreneur and business leader with extensive management expertise in recapitalizations and distressed situations. He is CEO of Ortho Mattress, principal of High Street Holdings, Inc., lead director and head of the Audit Committee for JMP Group, chairman of Calwest Bancorp, and a current or former member of numerous corporate boards. He devotes considerable energy and resources to improving outcomes for youth in Los Angeles and beyond.
Professor Martin Israel
Martin Israel is a professor in the Department of Physics in Arts & Sciences and a member of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University. His principal research interest is cosmic ray astrophysics, the study of atomic nuclei and electrons that have been accelerated to high energy by supernova explosions in our Milky Way Galaxy. Marty also served for seven years as dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences followed by three years as vice chancellor for academic planning.