Arkansas Alumni Association to Honor Distinguished Alumni, Faculty

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Alumni Association will honor individual alumni during the 69^th annual Alumni Awards Celebration, presented by Fidelity Investments at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 at the Fayetteville Town Center. The event recognizes the accomplishments of alumni who bring national and local attention to the University of Arkansas through their research, exemplary public and community service, and valued leadership.

“The celebration of excellence is a wonderful opportunity to recognize alumni who epitomize what it means to be a graduate of the University of Arkansas,” said Graham G. Stewart, associate vice chancellor for alumni and executive director of the Arkansas Alumni Association. “This is the alumni association’s premier event, and we are excited to share the event with even more people as we move to the Fayetteville Town Center.”

The Citation of Distinguished Alumni award recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievements, and extraordinary distinction in a specific field. This year’s three awardees include:

Mary Ann Greenwood, B.S.B.A.’62, M.A.’72, Ph.D.’79, Fayetteville. As founder, president and investment adviser of Greenwood Associates Inc., now Greenwood Gearhart Inc.,  Greenwood has managed her investment firm for more than 30 years. She is a chartered financial analyst, a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the National Association for Business Economics. She currently serves on the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee, the University of Arkansas Foundation Board, the Sam M. Walton College of Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board and is a founding member of the Towers of Old Main. She also serves on the foundation boards of the Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Washington Regional Medical Center.

Montine Bowen McNulty, B.S.E.’68, Pine Bluff. McNulty has been the executive director of the Arkansas Hospitality Association since 1997. She is a past board member of the Arkansas Alumni Association national board of directors; vice chair of the Council of State Restaurant Association Executives; member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the American Hotel and Lodging Association; member and past president of the International Society of Hotel Association Executives; and member and past president of the Arkansas Society of Professional Lobbyists. She is commissioner emeritus of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission; secretary of the Arkansas Tourism Foundation; and a policy board member of the Southeast Tourism Society.

Lt. Gen. Marty Steele, B.A.’74, Tampa. Steele served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 34 years, rising from private to three-star general and serving three tours of duty on two continents with tenure as the longest-serving chief operating officer in the history of the Marine Corps. He culminated his military career as the deputy chief of staff for plans, policies and operations at the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., in August 1999. He is a recognized expert in the integration of all elements of national power – diplomatic, economic, informational and military – with strategic military war plans. He has served as an executive strategic planner/policy director in multiple theaters across Asia. After retiring from active duty, Steele served as president and chief executive officer of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the largest naval museum in the world.

Other alumni award recipients who will be honored during the celebration include:

David Woolly, B.S.E.’72, M.E.D.’77, E.D.S.’80, Alma, and William Woolly B.S.B.A.’68, M.E.D.’72, Little Rock, who will both receive the Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award. As students, both served as members of the University of Arkansas Marching Band, each receiving the outstanding bandsman and director’s awards. The Woolly brothers have devoted more than 70 combined years to making a difference as public education administrators in Arkansas. Upon graduation, William embarked on a 30-year career as an educator in the Little Rock School District and the Arkansas Department of Education. He retired in 1997. William has served as a member of the Arkansas Education Association, the American Vocational Association and Lions International. David aided in the formation of the Alma Education and Arts Foundation, and the building of the $12 million Alma Performing Arts Center.

Similarly, after graduation, David served as band director and then assistant principal of Alma High School. In 2011, he was appointed as superintendent of the Alma School District. His career in public service has spanned more than 40 years in the Alma School District. Together, they have focused their philanthropy on two specific projects to enhance the Razorback band experience – the Razorback Band Alumni Associations Awards fund to purchase class gifts for band students for their years of service and The Max and Kathlyn Woolly Graduate Assistantship.

Gene Fortson, B.A.’57, Little Rock, will receive the Community Service Award. For more than 55 years, Fortson has dedicated himself to service and philanthropy to help advance Arkansas and its communities. His professional career has included banking, finance, association management, consulting, manufacturing, property development and government. In each role, he has placed a priority on community service and improvements. He served as a leader in the development of the Clinton National Airport, and during his 16-year tenure with Worthen Bank & Trust, he was president/chief executive officer and senior vice president of marketing and governmental affairs. He advocated for community service and support of low-income loan programs. He has served on the city of Little Rock board of directors since 2006, serving as vice mayor from 2008-2011. In addition, he is a past board member of the Arkansas Alumni Association board of directors.

Brandy Tuft, B.S.B.A.’06, Fayetteville, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Award. She joined Ernst & Young in 2006, where she is now an assurance manager and is a part of the Walmart engagement team. She completed an overseas exchange program in Perth, Australia, and then rapidly progressed into an executive role within five years of joining the company. She is the lead manager responsible for a team of 12 professionals as she oversees all aspects of service delivery at Walmart, including audit execution, client coordination and engagement management. She is actively involved in mentoring young professionals, serves on the Southwest Area People Advisory Forum and leads various recruiting efforts at the University of Arkansas. She serves on the boards of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund and Head Start of Northwest Arkansas, and is a supporter of Junior Achievement and the United Way of Northwest Arkansas. 

Each year select U of A faculty members are also recognized for achievements in service, research and teaching. Faculty who will be honored include:

Manuel Rossetti will receive the university’s Charles and Nadine Baum Teaching Award. Rossetti, a professor of industrial engineering and associate department head, completed his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering at the Ohio State University in 1992, he joined the University of Arkansas faculty in August 1999. Teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, Rossetti is an internationally known researcher in the field of industrial engineering.

Rossetti identifies and solves problems within the fields of logistics, manufacturing and health care. His primary research and teaching interests include the design, analysis and optimization of logistics, manufacturing, health care and transportation systems using computer simulation and operations research techniques. He has served as an investigator on 47 projects totaling $4,536,444 in research grants, as the sole investigator for 19 projects totaling $984,709 in grants, and the primary investigator for 40 projects totaling $3,160,223 in grants. He has also authored and co-authored 37 research reports.

Rossetti has been named outstanding teacher by the industrial engineering department three times, was voted best teacher by undergraduate students twice, received the John L. Imhoff College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award in 2011 and was elected a fellow for the Institute of Industrial Engineering in 2012.

Cheryl Murphy will receive the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for public service. She is an associate professor and program coordinator of educational technology in the department of curriculum and instruction. She also serves as the director of distance education for the university’s College of Education and Health Professions. As the director, she oversees policy development, data gathering, compliance, strategic planning, quality assurance and faculty and student support. Murphy joined the University of Arkansas faculty in August 1996.

Murphy is also a distance learning consultant and a consultant peer reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. She is active in eight national and international professional organizations, and locally, she serves on course evaluation committees, teaching council and distance education task forces just to name a few.

Russell Meller, who joined the university faculty in 2005 as a Hefley professor of logistics and entrepreneurship in the department of industrial engineering, is receiving the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for research and creative activity. Meller's research has been recognized nationally and internationally in the areas of warehouse design and facility layout, healthcare logistics, and the Physical Internet, an emerging collaborative logistics paradigm. His dedication to the field is evident through his service to the U of A and to the field of industrial engineering. His leadership with the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution has been recognized nationally and internationally.

Meller directed the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution, the largest U.S. research center in industrial engineering, from 2005 until 2013. Under his leadership, CELDi received a third five-year term of support from the National Science Foundation, ensuring that the center will be supported through 2017.

Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon is the first recipient of the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Rising Teaching Award. He is an associate professor of history and the director of programs in international relations at the University of Arkansas. He joined the faculty in 2007 and has been named the Cleveland C. Burton Professor of International Programs. As a mentor and graduate adviser, he has helped rework the graduate advising system within his department and obtained a superior reputation among his students. He is respected among his peers who view him as an innovative and rigorous teacher in history and international relations. In 2012, he received multiple awards including the Mentor Award from the University of Arkansas Honors College, the Master Teacher Award from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, a certificate of appreciation for outstanding teaching by the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center, and was elected a fellow by the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy.

Top sponsors for this year’s Alumni Awards Celebration include: Fidelity Investments and Butterfield Trail Village. Tickets are available for the event at www.arkansasalumni.org/awards or by calling 1-888-ARK-ALUM. The cost is $75 per person.