The Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association recently hosted its annual Hall of Fame & Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Reception. In attendance were, front row from left, Erika Donalds; Kavin Ming, Ph.D.; Brittany Bowe; FAU President Stacy Volnick; Barbara Feingold, vice chair of FAU’s Board of Trustees; Nicole Cummings; Kathryn Lewis; and Herard LaFrance. Back row, from left, Dr. Maria Altieri; Aryeh Lehrer; Michael Reiter; Noel Gonzalez; and Chris Delisio, vice president of institutional advancement.

The Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association recently hosted its annual Hall of Fame & Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Reception. The event brought together alumni to celebrate the accomplishments of their outstanding peers, with alumni from nine of FAU’s colleges honored for their career accomplishments. Brittany Bowe, B.S. ’10, a graduate of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, and Nicole Cummings, B.S. ’03, a graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, also were introduced as the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees.

“These alumni and this celebration spotlight our incredible Florida Atlantic community,” said Katie Burke, Ph.D., assistant vice president of alumni and community engagement. “We have spectacular momentum, and we can’t wait to continue to maximize it with our 2023 Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Fame recipients.”

Bowe is a three-time Olympic speedskater and two-time Olympic medalist. She is the 1,000-meter world record holder and won seven consecutive 1,000-meter world cup races from December 2018 to December 2019, the longest win-streak by a U.S. woman. In 2018, Bowe helped end a 12-year U.S. women’s drought with an Olympic bronze medal in the team pursuit. In 2022, during the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony, Bowe led the way for Team USA as a flag bearer, carrying the United States flag at the stadium as the Olympic flame was lit. Additionally, she was a stellar student-athlete at FAU, playing all four years on the women’s basketball team.

Cummings is the deputy program manager at Aerojet Rocketdyne and is responsible for the RL 10 rocket engine that will power the Exploration Upper Stage of NASA’s Space Launch System Block 1B rocket. That rocket engine will help send the first woman to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. In addition to her professional work, she is also a member of Florida Atlantic’s College of Engineering and Computer Science Executive Advisory Board.

Representing nine of FAU’s colleges are the following distinguished alumni:

• Maria Altieri, M.D. ’03, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
• Erika Donalds, M.Acc. ’06, College of Business
• Noel J. Gonzalez, B.S. ’94, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Herard LaFrance, B.S., M.S., DNP ’19, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
• Aryeh E. Lehrer, B.A. ’03, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
• Kathryn Lewis, B.A. ’04, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
• Kavin Ming, Ed.D. ’07, College of Education
• Michael S. Reiter, B.A. ’88, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
• Ovini D. Rodrigo, M.D. ’19, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine

To join the Florida Atlantic Alumni Association, visit faualumni.org/join-now.

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