The Arkansas Alumni Association proudly announces its 2011 award recipients, all of whom personify the University of Arkansas’ tradition of excellence through service and leadership. All 10 honorees were recognized during the 67th annual Alumni Awards Celebration on Nov. 4 at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House.
Two University of Arkansas graduates received the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in a chosen field. The awardees included:
Kay Kelley Arnold BA’76, MA’77, vice president for public affairs, Entergy Services Inc., Little Rock. As vice president for public affairs at Entergy Services Inc., Arnold manages the Entergy Foundation and political action committees, as well as low-income, grassroots, giving and community programs. Encompassing corporate social responsibility, including corporate contributions and employee volunteerism, she helps to lead special assignments, such as license renewal and climate change working groups.
Before joining Entergy, Arnold worked on local, state and national political campaigns before becoming a licensed attorney in 1981. Taking her knowledge in communications and law, she went to work from 1982-85 as the director of the Arkansas Nature Conservancy. During her time there, she was awarded the President’s Public Service Award. Staying in Little Rock, she worked from 1986-88 as director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage in Little Rock, a department that manages natural areas, such as arts, museums, scenic rivers, endangered species and historic preservation. Because of her extensive and successful political and environmental work, she has won numerous awards and received honorable distinctions.
Although she spends most of her time working with the Entergy Foundation and helping to create and sustain prosperous communities, Arnold continues her community involvement outside of work. Currently, she is on the board of seven organizations, including the Winrock International Advisory Board, Inter-American Foundation, Conservation Fund, National Wildlife Foundation President’s Council, Lyon College Board of Trustees and the Public Affairs Council. She was recently re-appointed to the Little Rock National Airport Commission by Mayor Stodola for an additional five-year term.
Quinn Taylor BSHE’87, senior vice president, Movies, Miniseries & Acquisitions
ABC Entertainment Group, Burbank, CA. Unaware that a degree in fashion merchandising would lead him to become a television executive, Taylor credits his love of reading, which was strengthened at the University of Arkansas, for leading him into the world of television. Taylor oversees all made-for-TV movies, miniseries and acquisitions for the ABC Entertainment Group, a unit composed of the television network and its production studio. Working for the company since 1996, Taylor has served as executive director and vice president of Movies for Television and as senior vice president for Motion Pictures for Television & Miniseries.
During his time at ABC Inc., Taylor has overseen the creation of “The Path to 9/11,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “The Ten Commandments” and two miniseries from the master of horror, Stephen King, including “Stephen King’s Rose Red” and the dramatic series, “Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital.” Other credits include “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man,” starring Matthew Broderick; “DreamKeeper,” the miniseries depicting Native American mythology; “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy and Isabelle,” and “Brian’s Song” in 2002.
In 2001, Taylor served as an executive on the miniseries “Anne Frank,” which won a Peabody Award and an Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. He also served as the network executive on the miniseries “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,” which won five Emmy Awards and was the highest rated miniseries of the 2000-01 season. Most recently, Taylor’s credits include “Combat Hospital,” “Rookie Blue” and the critically acclaimed movie “A Raisin in the Sun,” starring media mogul Sean Combs.
Other alumni who were honored during the awards celebration include:
Jacque Martini BS’78 MBA’09, owner, MSquared Wines, Calistoga, CA, Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award. Growing up in Arkansas, Martini set her sights on attending the University of Arkansas from a young age. Having parents who wished to raise her in the South, she attended school in Hot Springs before moving to Pine Bluff where she frequently visited Little Rock and the U of A for Razorback football games. Knowing she could receive a great education at the U of A, she didn’t apply anywhere else. Earning a degree in geology, she left the state she loved and spent two years working at Texaco as a geologist in New Orleans, three years with Cities Service in Denver and three years with Sohio Petroleum in San Francisco.
Unaware that her future profession would be vastly different from the realm of geology, Martini met her husband, Michael, while working at Napa Town Center in Napa Valley. A third-generation winemaker, Martini has helped her husband promote his family’s winery and wines, Louis M. Martini Winery, in and around the Napa Valley area.
Representatives of Martini wines and their own brand, MSquared Wines, she and her husband work to continue the winemaking legacy, all while sharing the passion with those in the area, including Arkansas alumni in the area. Each year, Martini and her husband host the Louis M. Martini Winery BBQ at Monte Rosso ranch in Sonoma Valley, an event that has occurred for the past 20 years. Aiming to help students attend the University of Arkansas, all of the event proceeds go to the Earnest J. Wong Scholarship Fund, which reached a total of $100,000 with this year’s event.
Norm DeBriyn, associate director of The Razorback Foundation Inc., Fayetteville, Honorary Alumni Award. Growing up in Ashland, Wis., DeBriyn has been a part of the University of Arkansas for more than 40 years. Serving as the University of Arkansas’ head baseball coach for 33 years, he stays involved with the university by serving as associate director of the Razorback Foundation.
Having a passion for sports, DeBriyn came to Arkansas in the fall of 1969 where he took on the role of head baseball coach until 2002. During his time at the U of A, he received multiple awards, including becoming a member of the University of Washington-Oshkosh Hall of Fame, the Razorback Hall of Honor and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, as well as Coach of the Year in the Southeastern Conference (1999), Southwest Conference (six times) and the NCAAA District IV (1979).
His tenure as head baseball coach saw four NCAA College World Series appearances, 15 NCAA post-season appearances, three conference championships, six freshman All-Americans, 19 All-American selections, 58 All-Conference selections and 48 All-Conference Tournament selections. When calculating the number of pupils who played under DeBriyn, 17 have played in the major leagues while many others went on to play in the minor leagues or to pursue a coaching career, including former Nebraska head coach and current Arkansas Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn.
Since retiring in 2002, DeBriyn has taken on the role of associate director of the Razorback Foundation. Transitioning from coach to fundraiser, he continues to build relationships with coaches and those in the University of Arkansas community. Aiming to support University of Arkansas athletics through fundraising, his involvement has led to multiple expansions of Baum Stadium.
John Forrest Ales BA’02, director of Global Brand Public Relations Hilton Hotels and Resorts, McLean, VA, Young Alumni Award. Completing his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2002 from the University of Arkansas, Ales pursued his passion of politics, public relations and journalism. He went to work for various political campaigns before joining a consumer public relations agency while pursuing a master’s degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California.
In 2005, Ales went to work for Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, branding her policies and managing media interest in the state’s post-Hurricane Katrina recovery. Continuing to work in the public relations realm, Ales worked in consumer public relations with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he developed public relations strategies and managed community relations and brand reputation in Southern California. Achieving praise for his work with the governor and Wal-Mart, Ales, at 29 years old, accepted the position of director of Global Brand Public Relations for Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
As the world’s most recognizable hotel brand, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is one of the largest spa providers in the world. With the responsibility of managing the Hilton Worldwide brand and its reputation, Ales leads communication strategies for the company and its more than 540 hotels in 78 countries across six continents. He is responsible for executing media and community relations, leading the brand’s social media conversation, supporting brand marketing objectives and creating resources for hotels to excel in local markets. He has also helped launch eforea, which is the brand’s first global spa concept; Hilton Huanying, a tailored program for Chinese travelers; reposition Hilton Resorts; and create the Hilton Global Media Center, which is the travel industry’s most comprehensive media resource.
John Pijanowski, associate professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Health Professions, Fayetteville, Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award. An associate professor and coordinator of Educational Leadership at the University of Arkansas, Pijanowski teaches students about ethical decision making theory. During his time at the U of A, he has redesigned both the master’s and doctoral programs, transitioned the Educational Leadership doctorate program online, guided the program through NCATE and ELCC accreditation review and helped create new admissions and advising standards and guidelines. Spending 20 years as an educator and administrator, he is established in the realm of research, publishing 13 articles in peer-reviewed journals, co-authoring two books and currently has seven articles in the review or publishing stage.
Pijanowski’s teaching, research and service are significant to the mission of the College of Education and Health Professions, which is “to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Arkansas, the nation and the world through the development of scholar-practitioners in education, health and human services.” Teaching a variety of courses, including leadership, ethics and policy, he also works to get his students involved in implementing education policy, teaching, and designing and evaluating programs in regards to the needs of the school district.
The reputation he has among his students is one of great respect and gratitude. His dedication to the profession and his students can be heard through the voices of his pupils. “I have never had a teacher as effective as Dr. Pijanowski…I feel that he is the most inspirational and motivational teacher I have ever had the opportunity to learn from…I hope the university is aware of how valuable Dr. Pijanowski is to the students he teaches and the faculty he teaches with.”
Tommy L. Love, Jr. BA’70, physician with the Central Medical Group, Little Rock, Community Service Award. After receiving a model of a human body from his father while in junior high school, Love began showing an interest in medicine. Not only in school, but in his career, he has learned the value and importance of helping those who need assistance, as well as providing a personable interaction with patients. Love specializes in internal medicine with the Central Medical Group in Little Rock and has 37 years of medical experience. As an internal medicine physician, he focuses on the treatment of those who may exhibit multiple illnesses at one time; treating not only the illness and/or disease, but also the well-being of the patient.
Eighteen years ago, Love noticed an increase in the popularity of health fairs. Taking advice from his church’s minister, he decided to start his own free health fair through his church. Stationed in Little Rock, the goal of the annual health fair is to provide free access to health related services for those in the public who express medical need. Those who attend the health fair are able to receive free screenings for various illnesses and diseases, such as glaucoma, cholesterol, HIV and prostate cancer. The health fair also offers attendees the chance to bring their medicine bottles and receive free prescription and non-prescription medicines.
As coordinator for the past 18 years, Love’s passion and appreciation for helping others continues. His dedication to the health fair has not only helped people receive appropriate medical assistance, but it has enabled University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences pharmacy and nursing students to participate and obtain hands-on experience.
Each year the Alumni Association also presents three Distinguished Faculty Achievement Awards for outstanding success. The 2011 recipients are:
Marty Matlock, professor and area director for the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences and College of Engineering, Service Award. Professor of ecological engineering in the biological and agricultural engineering department, Matlock has been named as the recipient for Service. In 10 years at the University of Arkansas, he has worked to develop an internationally recognized program in ecological engineering. Through this program, Matlock has created a foundation for the undergraduate degree. Working with The Sustainability Consortium in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, he helped achieve success for the U of A in framing and communicating strategies for sustainable supply chains, which led TSC to become the leading academic research-based organization in supply chain sustainability metric development in the world.
Matlock serves on the Science Advisory Committee for MARS Corporation and is a sustainability advisor to Kellogg, Kashi, Monsanto, Bayer Crop Sciences, Levi Strauss, World Wildlife Foundation, World Resources Institute and others. Taking on a unique perspective of the agricultural supply chains, he brings that perspective to his research and teaching.
His expertise in the field has led him to work with organizations including the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service as a technical delegate in the Mid-East Peace Process and the Cherokee Nation, which through his work has created national recognition of the U of A as an institution dedicated to serving underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and math.
His service to the profession stands out. He was senior author for the Academy of Environmental Engineers’ Body of Knowledge Report in 2008, served as president of the American Ecological Engineering Society in 2007-08, and designed and helped implement an ecological design certification program through the American Ecological Engineering Society in 2010.
H. Alan Mantooth BSEE’85, MSEE’86, distinguished professor and 21st Century Chair in Mixed-Signal IC Design and CAD Department of Electrical Engineering College of Engineering, Research Award. Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering in the College of Engineering, has been named for the Research Award. His ability to bridge the academic and business/industrial communities through entrepreneurial activities, his international research leadership, and his research productivity and mentorship of students has led him to be recognized by internationally known researchers who praise his work and developments. Mantooth is also the executive director of the NSF Center for Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems and NSF Vertically-Integrated Center for Transformative Energy Research.
Through his extensive research in electronics, he has authored more than 150 refereed articles on circuit design and CAD, authored the first book on modeling with analog hardware description languages and he holds three patents on software design. He has received under $38 million in external funding from various public and private sources and his colleagues refer to him as one of the most prolific researchers at the U of A.
Mantooth’s dedication to students is shown through the recognition he has received from colleagues and students. His involvement includes chief advisor of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society; chief advisor of Eta Kappa Nu, the electrical engineering society and co-advisor to the Solar Splash team. Facilitating a partnership between the City of Fayetteville and the U of A, he and students from the College of Engineering helped to install a solar electric energy system at the Fayetteville Public Library which will provide 15 percent of the energy needs of the library.
Robert Stapp, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Economics in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Teaching Award. Clinical associate professor of economics, Stapp has been named the recipient for teaching. Although ranking high among his colleagues in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Stapp’s students tend to rank him as one of the best professors they have had while at the University of Arkansas. His ability to teach what some believe to be difficult subject material is viewed as extraordinary because of his in-depth knowledge of various technical skills, including math, finance, accounting, psychology, sociology and politics.
Each summer, Stapp takes a group of students to Japan for a study abroad program. During their time overseas, students visit with the government officials and CEOs of various Japanese firms, as well as attend cultural events and home stays. Considering this to be a valuable experience, one of Stapp’s students recalls how the trip influenced and shaped who they are today, saying, “The incredible experience of the Japan Study Abroad program that Dr. Stapp has been perfecting for many years plays a huge part in who I’ve become today. I still tell people what a wonderful experience it was for me.”
During Stapp’s time at the University of Arkansas, he has mentored a number of students who have gone on to pursue graduate degrees at MIT, Oxford, Harvard, Georgetown, Chicago and Stanford. Considering his students to be as knowledgeable and capable as students from other universities, 19 of his pupils competed with other universities in the Nation Model United Nations – Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference and won top awards, while many have gone to work for notable corporations in not only America but the world.
