MILWAUKEE \u2013 An alumnus who now heads a major food and restaurant company will be honored with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award on Friday, Nov. 14. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Association annual Alumni Awards Evening begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency.<\/p>\n
Steven A. Davis (\u201980 BBA Marketing)\u00a0 served as chairman of the board and is chief executive officer of Bob Evans Farms Inc.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt UWM, I not only got the chance to study business, but to work in business,\u201d says Davis, who has spent his career using innovation to transform retail foods into nationally known brands.<\/p>\n
In 2005, Black Enterprise Magazine named him one of the 75 Most Powerful Black Men in American Business.<\/p>\n
Like many UWM students at the time, Davis not only worked his way through school, but also was able to participate in internships with local companies like Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to apply what I was learning in class to what I was doing with the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis attributes the broad, general background he received in business along with supportive faculty for his career success. In addition to heading Bob Evans, he has worked with Kraft and Pizza Hut.<\/p>\n
The UWM Alumni Association gives the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize an alumnus\/alumna for exemplary achievements over the span of a lifetime.<\/p>\n
Davis now lives in New Albany, Ohio and gives back to the community, serving as a board member for the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, Jobs Ohio and Operation Feed, which supports the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.<\/p>\n
Foundation, Distinguished Service and Community Service awardees<\/strong> Margaret Rykowski<\/strong> (\u201980 MS Nursing, \u201976 BS Nursing), who will receive the UWM Foundation Alumni Achievement Award. She is Home Health Agency and Integrated Rehabilitation Service administrator for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. A retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Rykowski is one of only 18 nurses ever to achieve this rank.<\/p>\n Allyson Nemec<\/strong> (\u201990 M.Arch), an architect and president of Quorum Architects, who receives the Distinguished Alumni Service Award.<\/p>\n Matthew Jandrisevits<\/strong> (\u201906 PhD Urban Education), Michael J. Murphy (\u201986 BA Geological Sciences), and Ursula Twombly (\u201987 M.Arch, \u201985 BS Architectural Studies) will receive community service awards.<\/p>\n Jandrisevits is a psychologist who volunteers his time with under-served and uninsured populations at the Bread of Healing Clinic and Agape Community Center; Murphy is a lifelong public servant, fighting to alleviate homelessness in the City of Milwaukee and address other challenges; and Twombly has spent her career supporting and mentoring emerging women architects while leading one of the premier women-owned businesses in Wisconsin, Continuum Architects + Planners, S.C.<\/p>\n Corporate Partner Awards<\/strong>
\nOther individuals and corporations being honored by the Alumni Association at the Nov. 14 event include:<\/p>\n
\nNorthwestern Mutual, We Energies and Spancrete will receive the university\u2019s Corporate Partner Awards, which recognize corporations or non-profit organizations that have made a significant impact on the campus and\/or on the lives of alumni and students by assisting in the advancement, growth and\/or development of UWM.<\/p>\n\n