Indiana University South Bend recently honored seven outstanding alumni at its third annual Alumni of the Year luncheon. The event recognized alumni from IU South Bend’s colleges and schools and the IU South Bend Libraries.
Genevieve Carlson received the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts’ Alumni of the Year Award. She is the executive director of the Humane Society of St. Joseph County. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from IU South Bend in 2013. Carlson started at the Humane Society when she was in high school and continued to work there as she pursued her degree. She has held positions in public relations, worked as volunteer coordinator, outreach coordinator, and assistant director before being promoted to executive director last year.
Larry M. Davis is a 1986 graduate of IU South Bend with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Administration. He is the chief executive office of Daman Products Company, Inc. His innovative approach to operating the company in a lean management style has ensured that Daman remains at the forefront of the manufacturing industry. Davis is also a metalsmithing artisan, creating custom handcrafted forged knives. Larry M. Davis received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics.
Michael S. Deranek received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Social Work program at IU South Bend. He is the senior program director at Bashor Children’s Home, where he has been working for 11 years. Starting in direct care, Deranek has moved up through a variety of roles to his current position. Deranek earned his Master of Social Work from IU South Bend in 2013, and currently teaches within the program, sharing his field experience and knowledge with IU South Bend’s current students.
Amy Gretencord earned an Associate of Science in Radiography in 2003 and a Bachelor in Science in Health Services Management in 2005 from IU South Bend. She is the Alumni of the Year Award recipient for the Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences. Gretencord is the clinical coordinator in Radiological Sciences at the Dwyer College, working with IU South Bend’s radiography students’ clinical practicum placements. She is also a diagnostic radiographer at Elkhart Memorial Hospital and is currently pursuing her Master of Adult Education through Indiana University, Bloomington.
Patrick McDonel, Ph.D., received the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Alumni of the Year Award. McDonel earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2000 from IU South Bend. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and complete his post-doctoral work at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England. Upon his return to the United States, McDonel ran a laboratory at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Currently, he is assistant professor of Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Elizabeth M. Silveus earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Sociology and Psychology in 2008 from IU South Bend. She then returned to complete a Master of Science in Education in 2012. Silveus is an 8th grade social studies teacher at Navarre Intermediate Center for the South Bend Community School Corporation, where her peers selected her to receive the 2017-18 Teacher of the Year Award. Silveus is the Alumni of the Year Award recipient for the School of Education at IU South Bend.
Anthony T. Smith received the Alumni of the Year Award from the IU South Bend Libraries. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from IU South Bend in 2004 and was a student worker at the Franklin D. Schurz Library while pursuing his degree. He went on to earn his Master of Library Science in 2006 from IUPUI. Smith began working for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) 10 years ago as an archivist and records manager. He is currently the senior manager of Membership Operations where he works with the data of nearly 18,000 members to ensure the programs and services offered are meeting the needs of their membership.
