December 6, 2023
For immediate release
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Carlow University Names Five Alumni Carlow Laureates
Carlow’s Most Prestigious Alumni Honor to be Presented on December 8
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Carlow University has named five alumni Carlow Laureates, the university’s most prestigious recognition of alumni achievement, which will be awarded at a luncheon ceremony on Friday, December 8, 2023, in The Oaklander Hotel.
“One of the historic strengths of Carlow University is its ability to transform and develop students into high-achieving, compassionate, ethical leaders in their respective fields,” said Kathy W. Humphrey, PhD, president, Carlow University. “The honor that best recognizes these outstanding individuals is the Carlow Laureate award, the most prestigious award that can be bestowed on our alumni.”
Carlow Laureates are alumni whose work, thought, and action demonstrate the highest standards of professional accomplishment and leadership, whether it is in their chosen discipline, in academics, or through community service. Recipients of this award are lasting tributes to their own professional excellence, the transformational education they received at Carlow, and the dynamic environment which helped to fuel their ambitions and their desire to make a difference in the best ways they can.
Carlow has named five distinguished alumni as its 2023 Carlow Laureates. The Laureates are:
Linda (Lyn) Barry Robertson, DrPH, MSN, BSN, (BSN ’75) recently retired as the associate director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centersafter nearly 50 years in nursing and public health. Retirement has not stopped her from being an advocate fighting to right social inequities in healthcare. Her community outreach work focuses on gaining free or low-cost cancer screenings for those in underserved communities. Her devotion to excellence in the field of public health is evidenced by her many awards, including her Nursing Scholarship for Undergraduate Education at Carlow University; the National Honor Society in Public Health for her Ph.D. dissertation; and perhaps her most gratifying is her recent PA Governor’s Commission for Women and Adagio Health Award, which acknowledges her years of determination to bring health care to underserved women.
Dr. Deeawn Roundtree, SHRM-SCP, (BS ’92, MS ’00) is the CEO of Roundtree Training and Consulting, an author, leadership coach, trainer and speaker. Throughout her career, she has worked for a Pittsburgh utility company, as a pharmacy sales rep, and has held several positions in academia. Possessed with an entrepreneurial spirit, she formed her own company and is devoted to teaching individuals, groups, and corporations how to shift individuals’ perspectives of themselves and others, effectively improving communications skills to help create a more just and merciful world. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, she is a member of various civil and professional organizations whose mission is to enhance or elevate the communities they serve. She’s also an award-winning author of a newly released book, “Leading from Within: A Faith-Based Perspective on Leadership,” and “Beyond the Boardroom: Learn How to Play and Win at the Game of Corporate Politics.”
Janice Sudak, CCP Emeritus, (BS ’80) was one of the first two students accepted into Carlow’s Perfusion Technology Program, the country’s first collegiate program, and the first to graduate in four years. Certified by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, she began her career as a staff perfusionist in Missouri before moving to Florida, where she advanced to Chief Perfusionist at Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, FL. The program expanded and so did her caseload, which grew to 1,200 open heart cases per year. She developed a technique for hemodiafiltration during cardiopulmonary bypass and presented a paper at national and regional conferences. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, she was forced to retire for medical reasons, but once her treatment was complete, she volunteered for Gilda’s Club, an organization that supported her while she was going through treatment and used her medical background for community outreach at corporate events and medical conferences. Because of her devotion to helping others, she was chosen as a delegate for the Inaugural Livestrong Conference in October 2006 in Austin, Texas.
Nancy Wisnom Stuever, EdD, RN, CNE ret. (BSN ’73) held positions as an urgent and critical care nurse in many locations across the country before becoming a self-employed nursing consultant. She has always been active in the communities where she lived and worked. In the 1980s, she served on the Board of Directors for the California League for Nursing. In the 1990s, Nancy was on the Ocean View School District school board in Huntington Beach, CA. She was also named in the 6th edition of “Who’s Who in American Nursing” in 1996-97. She has also been devoted to her alma mater, serving as National Chair of the President’s Society during Carlow’s Annual Fund Campaigns. She has served as a Class Representative and as a member of the Alumnae Board. She continues to be involved in the President’s Leadership Council. In 2007, Nancy and her husband, Larry, established The Maysie E. Wisnom Endowed Scholarship in honor of Nancy’s mother. This scholarship is available to first-generation, full-time Nursing students and is often awarded to students from single-parent homes or non-Catholic students.
Stephanie Laurenza, MBA (BA ’11) is the recipient of the Young Carlow Laureate Award, an award given to graduates of the 2000s and 2010s. She is the manager of communications for ATI, Inc., where she leads communication strategies for a global company with over 6,500 employees. In addition, she co-managed the company’s brand refresh, which included brand and identity guidelines, facility signage and collateral, managed a digital asset management library, and more. She co-led communication efforts for labor and contract negotiations, creating content for supervisors and guiding them in productive ways to talk with their employees. In addition to her work within her organization, she oversees external partnerships and projects, including social media, design, and video production. Before joining ATI, Stephanie worked at Westinghouse as a Senior Communications Specialist, where she was the architect of the “Who is Westinghouse?” campaign, designed to re-establish Westinghouse’s presence and reputation with internal employees and externally in the community. A member of Carlow’s writing group, “Madwomen in the Attic,” Stephanie, who is a member of the Madwomen of the Attic writing group, has remained active at her alma mater as a co-chair of Carlow’s Alumni Council.
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