--- title: Alumni Association News date: 2023-02-03T12:42:00-05:00 author: University of Maryland canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/alumni-association-news-16" section: Articles --- # Alumni Association News *February 3, 2023* — by [Alumni Association Staff](/authors/alumni-association-staff) *Gold star on red backgroud* ### Letter From the Executive Director *Amy Eichorst headshot* --- ## The Alumni Excellence Awards University of Maryland graduates are among the best and brightest in their fields. From scholars and innovators to entrepreneurs, teachers and researchers, our alums are leaving their mark in our state, nation and the world. The Alumni Excellence Awards recognize the accomplishments of select Terps and honor these recipients with distinction. Careful consideration was made in selecting the following standout alums, our 2022 recipients of the Alumni Excellence Awards. Learn more at [alumni.umd.edu/excellence](https://alumni.umd.edu/about/the-alumni-excellence-awards). ### Rising Terp Award The following alums are an inspiration to the next generation of Terp leaders. All under the age of 30, they have already made significant professional accomplishments. **OLIVIA OWENS ’14** *Creator Relations Manager, Teachable* Owens addressed a funding disparity for women of color, who comprised 70% of the women on the IFundWomen platform but 30% of the raised funds. She boosted that to 51% of raised funds. **ANTHONY SARTORI ’18** *Co-founder and Executive Director, Evolving Minds* Sartori co-founded a mental-health nonprofit that trains UMD students, nonprofits and retail businesses in stress reduction and building caring communities and work cultures. **NORA ECKERT ’19** *Auto Industry Reporter, The Wall Street Journal* A Pulitzer Prize finalist at age 26, Eckert has shined a light on grand challenges including effects of climate change on the health of inner-city neighborhoods, COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and organ procurement. --- ### EnTERPreneur Award These Terps are fearlessly disrupting their industries as successful entrepreneurs who have notably contributed to their respective fields. **SEEMA ALEXANDER ’00** *Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Disruptive CEO* Alexander uses her six-step proprietary process to help entrepreneurs meet and exceed financial goals. **ADRIANA AVAKIAN ’12** *Founder and CEO, TheIncLab* Avakian heads the first “human-centered” artificial intelligence experience lab, combining interactive engineering and emerging technologies. **ROY SCHWARTZ ’98, MBA ’01** *President and Co-founder, Axios* Schwartz’s news site caters to time-pressed consumers with easy-to-digest bites of information, changing political and policy journalism in the U.S. and Europe. --- ### Research Award The University of Maryland is one of the world’s premier research institutions. This award recognizes three alums for their transformational research and its impact. **ASHLEY MINNER PH.D. ’20** Assistant Curator, History and Culture, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian As a member of the Lumbee nation, Minner conducts research, preserves stories and creates initiatives to promote a more informed understanding of Indigenous communities. **MATTHEW STAMM ’04, M.S. ’11, PH.D. ’12** *Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University* In the emerging field of information forensics, Stamm’s research has been instrumental in developing techniques to detect digital alterations and forgeries (“deepfakes”) through artificial intelligence. **DR. MERDAD PARSEY PH.D. ’85** *Chief Medical Officer, Gilead Scienecs* Parsey, who has conducted clinical trials for many drug treatments, helped research the efficacy and increased production of Remdesivir, the only FDA-approved drug for treating COVID-19. --- ### Legacy Award This distinguished award honors alums who left a positive legacy in their community, celebrating their personal and professional lifetime achievements. **SAPIENZA BARONE ’77** *Executive Assistant to the President (Retired), University of Maryland* Barone, who attended UMD with the help of scholarships, later skillfully served three presidents. She and husband Brodie Remington continue to support the university by creating new scholarships. **ALICE HOROWITZ PH.D. ’92** *Professor Emeritus, Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland* A pioneer and leading advocate in the field of health literacy, Horowitz established UMD’s Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy. **RALPH CROSBY ’56** *Founder and Chairman, Crosby Marketing Communications* Crosby develops integrated marketing communications plans for health care organizations, nonprofits, government agencies and businesses that believe in the power of doing good. **Issue:** [Winter 2023](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/winter-2023) **Types:** [Post-Grad](https://terp.umd.edu/category/post-grad)