{"id":101296,"date":"2026-10-06T04:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T08:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=101296"},"modified":"2026-10-06T10:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:49:45","slug":"homecoming-gala-to-celebrate-rocket-alumni-on-oct-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/10_06_2026\/homecoming-gala-to-celebrate-rocket-alumni-on-oct-9","title":{"rendered":"Homecoming Gala to Celebrate Rocket Alumni on Oct. 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Toledo Alumni Association will recognize its distinguished graduates at the Homecoming Alumni Gala<\/a> on Friday, Oct. 9, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in Thompson Student Union Auditorium.<\/p>\n

In addition to honoring alumni from UToledo’s colleges, three alumni are selected annually for the Alumni Association’s most prestigious honors: the Gold T, Daniel J. Saevig Blue T and Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum awards.<\/p>\n

Gold T Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Schlembach

Schlembach<\/p><\/div>\n

The Gold T award is presented to a University of Toledo graduate in recognition of outstanding achievement in their field of endeavor, while providing leadership and noteworthy service to the community.<\/p>\n

Dr. Pamela Yarrito Schlembach is a radiation oncologist, mentor, researcher and community educator whose career has focused on advancing cancer care. She earned a degree with honors in institutional healthcare management from UToledo and graduated from the former Medical College of Ohio before completing her radiation oncology residency at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.<\/p>\n

Under Schlembach’s leadership, MD Anderson Cancer Center The Woodlands grew from seven staff members and one physician providing radiation treatment to 400 staff members and 35 oncology faculty offering a full spectrum of specialties and support services. She also developed the center’s first multidisciplinary breast cancer physician team and helped establish clinical trial enrollment for community cancer patients.<\/p>\n

Schlembach has raised more than $210,000 to support radiation oncology and social services for cancer patients, and for 15 years she facilitated the area’s largest breast cancer support group, serving more than 1,000 women. Her honors include recognition among Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women.<\/p>\n

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Daniel J. Saevig Blue T Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Palmer

Palmer<\/p><\/div>\n

The Daniel J. Saevig Blue T award is presented to a UToledo graduate in recognition of their outstanding service to the UToledo Alumni Association and the University through committee and community involvement.<\/p>\n

Susan Farrell Palmer has dedicated decades to education, the arts and community service. A graduate of The University of Toledo with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, Palmer began her career teaching French at Whitmer High School while volunteering as a docent at the Toledo Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

She later became head of the museum’s docent programs and then director of development, and she has remained deeply involved with the institution as a campaign consultant, trustee, docent and ambassador. She currently serves as vice chair of the Toledo Museum of Art Board of Trustees and co-chair of its capital campaign.<\/p>\n

Palmer also served nine-year terms on both The University of Toledo Board of Trustees and The University of Toledo Foundation Board. Her community service has included leadership and board roles with the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, United Way, ProMedica, Toledo Children’s Hospital, WGTE-TV and numerous arts and education organizations.<\/p>\n

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Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Headshot

Rubin<\/p><\/div>\n

The Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum award is presented to a University graduate who is 40 years of age or younger in recognition of outstanding achievement in their career. This award is named in memory of Ed Schmidt, a 1942 alumnus and a longtime supporter of The University of Toledo and its Alumni Association.<\/p>\n

Matthew Rubin is a Toledo-based real estate developer, entrepreneur and civic leader. A two-time UToledo graduate, Rubin earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and an M.B.A. in leadership. As a student, he served two terms as Student Government president and was involved in numerous campus organizations and the Toledo football program.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Rubin founded Crane Development, a real estate development company focused on historic preservation, adaptive reuse and urban redevelopment. The company has grown from one building to more than 20 downtown Toledo properties, including developments in the Huron Yards district.<\/p>\n

Rubin serves as a trustee of The University of Toledo Foundation and the UToledo Foundation Real Estate Corporation and has held numerous civic and nonprofit leadership roles. His honors include Toledo 20 Under 40 and recognition as an Emerging Professional by Heritage Ohio.<\/p>\n

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College Distinguished Alumni Awards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Ashley L. Oliker is an attorney and founder of Oliker Law, a Columbus-based business law firm serving entrepreneurs, startups and small and medium-sized businesses throughout Ohio. Earlier in her career, she was a business litigator with large national firms and served as an assistant attorney general for the state of Ohio.<\/p>\n

Oliker has held numerous leadership roles in Ohio’s legal and business communities, including service on the Leadership Council for the National Small Business Association, the executive board of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association Board of Governors. She also served as president of the Women Lawyers of Franklin County and is an Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellow.<\/p>\n

Her honors include recognition as an Ohio Super Lawyer, an Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Star and a Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” honoree. She is also a frequent speaker and panelist on topics affecting the legal profession.<\/p>\n

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John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lucas

Lucas<\/p><\/div>\n

Will Lucas is a Toledo entrepreneur whose business portfolio spans real estate, hospitality, food and beverage, and technology. Through aWLCo and Whole Atlas, his ventures include TolHouse, Creadio and a growing collection of software products. He also serves as brand manager for AfroTech and Black Tech Green Money.<\/p>\n

Lucas has made downtown revitalization a focus of his work, acquiring and developing four properties totaling more than 60,000 square feet along Toledo’s downtown waterfront corridor, with the goal of attracting new businesses, residents and talent.<\/p>\n

Lucas earned an associate degree in technical studies and a bachelor’s degree in organization technology from The University of Toledo. He has also served on the UToledo Board of Trustees, including as board chair from 2023 to 2024, and was honored by UToledo’s Blue Key National Honor Society for his personal and professional achievements.<\/p>\n

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College of Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dauer

Dauer<\/p><\/div>\n

Deb Dauer retired from Owens Corning in 2017 after a 37-year career that included roles in packaging engineering, product management and global sourcing. She became the first female plant leader in the company’s Residential Roofing Division while leading its Denver Roofing Plant, which during her tenure earned Plant of the Year honors and became the first manufacturing plant to win the Owens Corning Board of Directors Cup.<\/p>\n

A graduate of The University of Toledo College of Engineering, Dauer serves as president of the Engineering Alumni Affiliate and has served on the UToledo Alumni Association Board of Trustees and several committees supporting the college. She also established a scholarship encouraging women from her high school to pursue engineering at UToledo.<\/p>\n

Dauer’s community involvement includes serving on the board of the Aurora Project, supporting scholarship fundraising efforts and serving as treasurer of the Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.<\/p>\n

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Jesup Scott Honors College<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bauer

Bauer<\/p><\/div>\n

Joseph Bauer is a retired international corporate lawyer and award-winning novelist whose lifelong passion for writing began in Toledo. A graduate of The University of Toledo and its College of Law, Bauer edited his high school and college newspapers and originally planned to become a college English professor and novelist.<\/p>\n

Instead, he embarked on a 30-year career in international corporate law, first with Jones Day and later with The Lubrizol Corporation. After retiring, he returned to his longtime passion and devoted himself to writing fiction.<\/p>\n

Bauer has published four novels and completed two others pending publication. His fourth novel, “Sailing for Grace,” won first prize in fiction at the 2022 Atlanta Writers Conference. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, and enjoys golf, camping, fly-fishing and fly-tying.<\/p>\n

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College of Health and Human Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bell

Bell<\/p><\/div>\n

Matt Bell is founder and CEO of Team Recovery, a Toledo-based addiction treatment organization he established in 2015. Under his leadership, Team Recovery has grown into one of Ohio’s largest providers of addiction treatment, offering detox, inpatient and outpatient treatment, mental health services, and recovery housing.<\/p>\n

Bell’s leadership is informed by both professional expertise and his own long-term recovery from addiction. He earned a master’s degree in social work from The University of Toledo and is a licensed social worker in Ohio and a nationally certified intervention professional.<\/p>\n

Bell serves as board chair of the OneOhio Foundation and as a director of the Lucas Housing Services Corporation, and he founded the Team Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit focused on ending intergenerational trauma caused by addiction. An advocate and public speaker, he has been recognized as a 20 Under 40 honoree and named Advocate of the Year by the Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.<\/p>\n

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College of Law<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kranz

Kranz<\/p><\/div>\n

Michelle Kranz is a founding partner of the Toledo law firm Zoll & Kranz and has spent more than 30 years representing plaintiffs. Her practice focuses primarily on national complex consolidated litigation and class actions involving medical devices, prescription medications and corporate antitrust matters, and she has extensive experience in Food and Drug Administration regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n

A 1993 graduate of The University of Toledo College of Law, Kranz served as president of the Ohio State Bar Association from 2023 to 2024 and previously as president of the Toledo Bar Association. She currently serves as a trustee of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and president of the National Civil Justice Institute.<\/p>\n

Kranz lives in Wood County with her husband, Dean. Their family raises and exhibits beef cattle at the state and national levels.<\/p>\n

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College of Medicine and Life Sciences<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Metting

Metting<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Patricia Metting, professor emerita of physiology and pharmacology at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, was a member of the first class of Ph.D. students at the former Medical College of Ohio and the first woman to graduate from its biomedical sciences Ph.D. program. She built a distinguished research career, publishing more than 100 scientific journal articles and abstracts.<\/p>\n

Metting taught in the medical school curriculum for 37 years and served as associate dean for student affairs for 17 years, mentoring future biomedical scientists and teaching across numerous graduate and undergraduate health science programs. She later served as vice provost and vice chancellor for student affairs and helped plan the merger of The University of Toledo and the former Medical University of Ohio.<\/p>\n

Since retiring in 2013, she has remained active with the College of Medicine and Life Sciences Alumni Affiliate and the UToledo Alumni Association.<\/p>\n

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College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Strauss

Strauss<\/p><\/div>\n

Jennifer Strauss is a healthcare leader at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Toledo, where she oversees an annual budget of $320 million and has helped expand access to specialized pediatric care, establishing new service lines in areas including colorectal and pelvic reconstruction, behavioral health, neurosurgery, orthopedics and sports medicine.<\/p>\n

Strauss began her healthcare career in 2006 as a medical assistant in primary care. In a previous role at Mercy Health, she launched the New Beginnings program for pregnant women facing substance use disorder, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the establishment of community testing and treatment sites and implemented telehealth services.<\/p>\n

A graduate of The University of Toledo and the University of St. Francis, Strauss remains active in the community through organizations including Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity, Connecting Kids to Meals and the Washington Schools Foundation. She received the YWCA’s 2024 Women on the Rise award.<\/p>\n

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College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gupta

Gupta<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Nirdesh K. Gupta is managing partner of the Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company, where he leads the strategic growth of Cedars-Sinai’s intellectual property, venture creation and investment initiatives. His work focuses on translating breakthrough research into healthcare solutions through company creation, technology commercialization and partnerships across academia, industry and the venture ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Since joining Cedars-Sinai in 2012, Gupta has helped shape an institutional venture and technology platform spanning accelerator, investment, venture-building and diagnostics initiatives. Teams within the company have executed more than 100 licenses and launched more than 60 technologies, building a portfolio of more than 40 companies and 1,200 patents that has generated more than $1 billion to support Cedars-Sinai’s research and patient-care mission.<\/p>\n

Gupta also serves on the boards of several healthcare and life-science companies.<\/p>\n

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University College<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Wise

Wise<\/p><\/div>\n

Ken Wise is a partner, wealth advisor and managing director of Touchstone Wealth Partners, where he advises individuals, families, corporate executives and entrepreneurs while leading the practice’s overall strategy. He co-founded Findley Wise Wealth Management in 2003 and guided its evolution into Touchstone Wealth Partners.<\/p>\n

With nearly four decades of investment and financial consulting experience, Wise previously held senior roles at UBS Wealth Management, Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch. He graduated cum laude from The University of Toledo with a bachelor’s degree in real estate and finance.<\/p>\n

Wise has received industry honors including recognition by Barron’s and Forbes. He has taught financial strategies for retirement at Florida Gulf Coast University, volunteers his time teaching financial literacy and has supported Kids Unlimited, Adopt America and United Way.<\/p>\n

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UToledo Health Distinguished Alumni Healthcare Provider Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gohara

Gohara<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Amira Gohara is chair of the Department of Pathology at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences and dean emerita. She received her medical education at Cairo University College of Medicine and completed pathology residency training in Cairo, in the United Kingdom and at the former Medical College of Ohio.<\/p>\n

Gohara is board-certified in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology and immunopathology and received specialized training in renal pathology at the University of Chicago. Throughout her career, she has held multiple administrative positions at the former Medical College of Ohio and the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.<\/p>\n

An accomplished educator, Gohara has received 36 Golden Apple Awards, the first Dean’s Teaching Award and the University Teaching Award. The College of American Pathologists honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Photo<\/a>

The Alumni Association will recognize its distinguished graduates Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in Thompson Student Union Auditorium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":878,"featured_media":101321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,32,34,5,35,61,96,36,498,30,38,39,1,62,7,63],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101296"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101296"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101322,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101296\/revisions\/101322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}