2026 Honorees

Acclaimed worldwide as “the Father of the Pentium Chip” for leading Intel’s iconic microprocessor brand from inception to worldwide success, Vin Dham has over 45 years’ experience in developing semiconductor products, technologies and venture capital. After graduating from the Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University), Vin moved to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati. He began his career in India but later returned to the U.S. to join Intel in 1979. His growing expertise aligned perfectly with skyrocketing demand for faster and more robust computing capabilities. Eventually, he became General Manager of the i486 Workgroup Computing Division and Vice President of Intel’s Pentium Processor Division. During his 16 years at Intel, he successfully led and managed the Intel 386 compaction, i486, and Pentium Processor families, helping Intel become the largest company in the semiconductor industry. Earlier, he had worked on Intel’s non-volatile memory technology and was a co-inventor of Intel's electrically alterable memory cell.  

Subsequent to his work at Intel, Vin became deeply involved in mentoring startup entrepreneurs as an angel investor — work that grew out of his pioneering efforts in India to develop a venture capital-driven startup ecosystem largely based on the Silicon Valley model. His work helped create the third largest start-up and venture community in the world. In 2005 he founded IndoUS Venture Partners (IUVP), an India-focused and early-stage venture capital fund; he remains the firm’s executive managing partner. Vin was also Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Spice, a chip design startup he joined at its nascent stage; he led its design of a VOIP chip. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at NexGen, a microprocessor design startup, which was acquired by AMD for $800 million. He is on the advisory panel of the India Semiconductor Mission where he focuses on shaping strategies and policies to build a resilient semiconductor supply chain in India; his efforts include bridging the gap between academia and industry to foster talent and innovation, ultimately supporting India’s goal of semiconductor self-reliance. 

Vin’s work has been recognized often, including by his college at UC with the Herman Schneider Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000. He has been named one of the top 25 executives in the computer industry and one of the top 100 most influential Asian Americans. He was recently highlighted at the Smithsonian among “the Indian Americans who have helped shape America.” In 2025, Vin received the Padma Bhusan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, for his many contributions in the area of science and engineering.

A long-time volunteer leader in the University of Cincinnati community, Tom Cassady chaired the UC Board of Trustees in 2018 and 2019, which concluded his board term that began in 2010. His tenure as chair was a period of enormous growth and achievement for the university. Tom headed the presidential search committee that appointed Dr. Neville Pinto as UC’s 30th president; soon thereafter, Pinto and the university launched Next Lives Here, the strategic direction to lead urban, public universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Always a passionate champion for growth, Tom oversaw a continued rise in enrollment, reaching nearly 46,000 by the end of his term. Emphasizing access, affordability and accountability, the board froze tuition costs for students and their families for five years in a row. He was awarded an honorary degree of letters in appreciation of his service and leadership.  

Under Tom’s leadership, UC saw the launch or opening of various campus construction projects to enhance the university’s ability to provide a world-class learning environment, including: Kowalewski Hall (serving the College of Pharmacy), Marian Spencer Hall (primarily student housing), the Gardner Neuroscience Institute, the Health Sciences Building, the new Carl H. Lindner College of Business, and significant renovations to Fifth Third Arena. In addition, UC opened its 1819 Innovation Hub, the nexus for business and industry to partner with faculty and students, while solidifying plans for the Digital Futures Building, which now houses a range of early-stage research and start-up companies.    

Tom also served as chair of the UC Health Board of Directors from 2021 to 2025. During that time, UC Health completed its cutting-edge Clifton Campus Revitalization project, which included the expansion of the campus’s emergency department and the nation’s first flex ICU; and opened the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Blood Cancer Healing Center, the most comprehensive facility of its kind in the U.S. He remains an at-large member of the UC Health board.  

Tom has also proudly served his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, since his undergraduate years, receiving numerous UC and national awards for his contributions as a dedicated advisor and highly engaged alumnus — having lent his expertise to the chapter’s risk management efforts and house corporation. He has been a dedicated supporter of many UC causes, with his principal priorities being his college, the Gen-1 House for first-generation students, and UC Athletics.    

Earlier this year, Tom retired from his role as Midwest Regional Chair for national insurance brokerage firm USI Insurance Services, where he served as the company's CEO for a quarter century. Previously, he spent 18 years as President and CEO of Queen City Insurance Agency, which he sold to USI in 1999.    

Padma Chebrolu is an accomplished heritage artist, filmmaker, educator, author, corporate leader, and community advocate whose career reflects the University of Cincinnati’s commitment to interdisciplinary excellence, public impact, and lifelong leadership. Her work lives at the intersection of business, arts education, community well-being, and environmental sustainability.

Padma’s artistic journey began in early childhood in India, where she trained under master teachers in classical dance, music, and artistic traditions. Her academic path brought her to the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a master’s degree in education from the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services on a full scholarship. She credits UC for transforming her intellectual foundation to integrate education, leadership and the arts into a unified mission.

During her time at UC, Padma founded the Cultural Centre of India (CCI), where she continues to serve as the Artistic Director. CCI has since become a well-recognized global institution, offering performances, workshops, residencies, and community programs that share heritage arts. Through her leadership, thousands of Ohioans and beyond, spanning generations from schoolchildren to seniors, have engaged in immersive educational experiences that promote creativity, artistic excellence and wellness.

Padma is also an internationally recognized filmmaker whose work bridges environmental education and artistic storytelling. Her musical eco-movie which celebrates the Ohio’s heritage, Passage of the River, honors the Ohio River and the Indigenous communities historically connected to it through dance, music and narrative. This feature film has earned more than 50 international film festival awards from 18 countries. She authored a children’s eco-book series adhering to the Ohio Educational Curriculum Standards, extending the themes of sustainability to younger audiences and their families.

She is a recipient of the Ohio Governor’s Award for Arts Education, the Ohio Arts Council Heritage Arts Fellowship, and the Green Umbrella Midwest Sustainability Leadership Award. She has been recognized by Ohio Arts Council as the traditional arts master teacher who nurtures apprentices to create the next generation of artists. She serves on the Advisory Board of OhioDance and the Board of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education.

Padma spent more than 30 years in leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, balancing a successful corporate tech career with sustained community engagement. Her path reflects the power of transformative UC education to prepare graduates for successful careers and meaningfully sustained community impact across disciplines.

Dr. Ryan Marable is a Senior Medical Information Specialist with global life-sciences organization Eversana. A member of the firm’s Medical Communications team, he is a leader in the field of Monoclonal Antibody-based therapies, providing high-level scientific and clinical support to healthcare professionals and internal stakeholders. He had previously been with Kroger Health as a pharmacy manager, clinical care pharmacist, and supporting staff pharmacist. Recognized for his expertise in scientific writing, literature evaluation, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder engagement, he mentors junior professionals, leads functional teams, and contributes to strategic medical affairs initiatives, reflecting both technical excellence and collaborative leadership. 

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Ryan has made a lasting impact through organized leadership within the pharmacy profession. He was National President of the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), becoming one of the youngest individuals in the organization’s 78-year history to hold the role. In addition, he is a founding board member with The Equity in Heart Transplant Project, a philanthropic group that seeks greater access to heart transplant and associated services for historically marginalized populations, whose challenges are a particular focus for Ryan.  

Volunteer leadership in service to his community has been a hallmark of Ryan’s career as well. He is a board member for the St. Vincent de Paul of Cincinnati Charitable Pharmacy where he supports efforts to provide affordable medications and pharmaceutical care to uninsured and vulnerable populations. And he is a founding board member of the Shining Star AAU Program, an organization dedicated to youth development through athletics, mentorship, academic accountability, and character-building. 

Ryan has received many honors in his young career, including his college’s Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award, the UC African American Alumni Affiliate (4A) Rising Star Award, 40 Under 40 in Healthcare – Black Health Connect, Kroger Pharmacy (Cincinnati Division) Distinguished New Pharmacist, and the NPhA Young Pharmacist Award. He remains deeply engaged with his alma mater, mentoring pharmacy students and supporting alumni initiatives.   

Leveraging UC degrees in Exercise & Movement and Physical Therapy, Danny Meyer is co-founder and executive director of The Bridge Adaptive Sports & Recreation, which promotes opportunities for people to participate in adaptive sports and recreation, including furnishing adaptive equipment, staging events, and creating community partnerships. A licensed physical therapist, certified Brain Injury Specialist and Adaptive Recreation and Sports Specialist, Danny has also performed clinical work at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, specializing in outpatient neurorehabilitation, treating brain and spinal cord injuries; and co-leading the “be.well” community wellness program that offers inclusive sporting experiences for children with disabilities. He has also been an adjunct instructor in UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences. 

Laura Lamb is president and CEO of Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS) where she has worked for more than three decades in a variety of roles to enrich the lives of older adults with compassion, dignity and purpose. She has cultivated strong partnerships between ERS, UC’s College of Medicine, and the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute to advance memory care and dementia resources through the development of ERS’ Center for Memory Support and Inclusion. Laura’s team at ERS is dedicated to championing workforce empowerment and age-friendly communities and programs that support the full economic and care continuum. ERS has established residential communities in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana with three life plan communities, 32 affordable living communities, one middle market community, and a host of outreach ministries. 

Mark Brueggeman founded PERIN Resources, LLC in 2004 as a petrochemical marketing and distribution company sourcing materials for producers and consumers; the business now generates more than $150 million in annual gross revenue. He began his chemical industry training in 1982 at Chemcentral Corp. as a Technical Sales Representative and joined Chevron Chemical Company in 1987, where he went on to hold various executive management, marketing and sales positions. Prior to PERIN, Mark co-founded GKMB Investments, Inc., which reorganized an injection and blow-molding company, relocating operations from Round Rock to Maxwell, Texas. After the operating company was sold, GKMB retained and managed the real estate assets through 2024 with Mark as managing partner. In 2015, Mark and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased Hawkeye Hunting Club in Center, Texas, now operated as an upland bird hunting resort and conference center.

Clarissa Niese is chief customer officer and senior vice president of sales, operations, marketing and business development for major automotive retailer Tire Discounters, where she has been instrumental in tripling the company’s business in the past decade. Her career in marketing and brand management began with a co-op assignment at Procter & Gamble and evolved into a 13-year tenure, during which she worked across a portfolio of leading consumer brands. Featured at age 26 on the cover of the Wall Street Journal for her creative marketing approaches to women, Clarissa has received many honors and awards recognizing the impact she has made in business. Having earned degrees in both Marketing and Real Estate from the Lindner College of Business, she now serves on her college’s Business Advisory Council and the Lindner Executive Cabinet. 

Bret Koebbe is senior vice president at Sporty’s, a Clermont County-based company known worldwide for its pilot gear and aviation training products. He leads the aviation education division, overseeing the creation, video production, and software distribution of over 40 pilot training courses which are used by more than 150,000 pilots annually to learn to fly or gain proficiency as licensed pilots. Bret is recognized as a Master Flight Instructor, holding the highest level of pilot certification, and is one of the top experts in mobile in-flight technology, datalink weather, and satellite connectivity for pilots. He is also editor of iPadPilotNews.com and an authority on the  electronic Flight Bag, the digital system that replaces paper-based reference materials and calculations in the cockpit. 

John Holiday’s powerful story and distinctive artistry have been widely recognized in international media, earning him praise as “one of the finest countertenors of his generation” and his voice described as “a thing of astonishing beauty.” A recipient of the Kennedy Center’s 2017 Marian Anderson Vocal Award, Holiday is known for his commanding performances in leading roles with major opera houses including The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Komische Oper Berlin. His repertoire spans Baroque and contemporary works, blending opera, orchestral vocal music, and experimental mixed-media. Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 2012, he has appeared on renowned stages worldwide, including the historic Apollo Theater, and collaborated with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and The English Concert. He has also served as an associate professor of voice at the University of Maryland School of Music.

Brendán Murphy is a senior partner and global executive creative director at the design consultancy Lippincott. A native of Dublin, Ireland, he brings more than 30 years of experience developing and implementing corporate identity systems across print, digital, and environmental media. His redesign of the international wheelchair access symbol emphasizes empowerment and possibility rather than limitation. He also inspired the current design for one of the college’s signature experiences, DAAPworks. Murphy previously served as a senior lecturer in information design and corporate identity at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has spoken at the American Institute of Graphic Arts and SXSW. He also wrote and illustrated a children’s picture book published by Disney-Hyperion and studied painting at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

Nancy Santi began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Milford School District, Glenview Northbrook School District in the Chicago area, and Houston ISD in the 1980s and ’90s, teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. She later supported the growth of the LEARN Charter School Network, which educates and enriches children in under-resourced communities. Nancy is an active philanthropic leader in Chicago and Charleston, focused on the arts and youth access. She’s also a leader in animal welfare and historic preservation and serves on the UC Foundation Board of Trustees. Her passionate service has supported the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Art Institute of Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, PAWS Chicago, Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, and the LEARN Charter School Network, where she launched a tutoring program and chaired a fundraising campaign.

A highly respected engineer, teacher, administrator and leader, Mohammad Qayoumi was president of San José State University for four years and California State University, East Bay, for five years. He had previously held leadership positions at California State University Northridge and the University of Missouri-Rolla during a career in higher education spanning more than three decades. Dr. Qayoumi served his native Afghanistan as Minister of Finance and Chief Adviser to the country’s president in the areas of infrastructure, human capital and technology; and he has been an engineer on a variety of projects in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He has earned many awards, including induction into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame. 

Richard Graeter is president and CEO of Graeter’s Ice Cream, which has been manufacturing handcrafted, artisanal ice cream for four generations. He has led the Cincinnati company through strategic expansion to other major midwestern cities; grown distribution through grocery stores nationwide; and built a successful online store that swiftly ships ice cream, candy and other products to loyal customers nationwide. Richard has been individually inducted into the Halls of Fame of the Specialty Food Association and National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, and named an Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. Graeter’s has garnered Best Ice Cream of the Year honors from the People’s Choice Foods Awards multiple times, and the Graeter family has been inducted into the UC Goering Center for Family and Private Business’ Family Business Hall of Fame.

Dr. Angela Fitch is an internationally recognized physician and thought-leader in obesity medicine and metabolic health. Her career blends frontline patient care, clinical innovation and research, and leadership in professional societies. She is co-founder and chief medical officer at knownwell, a forward-looking clinic dedicated to integrating primary care and long-term obesity treatment with a stigma-free, patient-centric approach. Previously, Dr. Fitch held a senior academic role at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was co-director of the Weight Center and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She spent several years at UC Health where she was vice president of primary care; she also built and led the UC Health Weight Center and directed the Executive Health Program. 

Alice Rose recently retired from her role as chief of clinical services at North Hill, a Boston-area retirement community and home healthcare provider; she continues to work evenings as a nurse practitioner. Throughout her career as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner, she has led departments in education, professional development, and compliance at academic medical center hospitals in greater Boston. She has also provided home care services to underserved populations, including patients with acquired brain injuries as well as mentally ill, intellectually/developmentally disabled, and chronically afflicted elderly individuals. Alice serves on the Advisory Board for the UC College of Nursing, as well as the boards of South Cove Facilities Foundation and South Cove Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation at Quincy Point, and of Mainstay Supportive Housing and Home Care, which works with underserved populations in Massachusetts. 

Brian Dallaire is a retired pharmaceutical R&D executive who conducted clinical trials in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, specializing in oncology and pain. He founded and for 19 years was president of Lighthouse Clinical Development, a consultancy assisting the pharmaceutical and biotech industries with strategic planning. He worked for three years as a consultant to Maine-based AIKO Biotechnology, and had also been a scientist at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis and director at Dupont Merck Pharmaceuticals. In the 1990s at IDEC Pharmaceuticals, he built and managed the clinical, statistical and regulatory team that developed one of the most successful anticancer treatments — the monoclonal antibodies Rituxan and its radiolabeled version Zevalin, helping millions of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and autoimmune diseases.

After co-captaining the women’s basketball team as well as playing on  the Bearcats’ volleyball team, Jeanne Johns used her chemical engineering degree to embark on a successful career in the chemicals and petroleum industry. She held a variety of executive leadership positions at BP in the U.S., Europe and Asia over three decades with the global energy corporation, culminating in overseeing Safety and Operational Risk for BP’s refining, retail, lubricants, and chemicals division. Later she became CEO and managing director with  Incitec Pivot Ltd., an Australia-based multinational chemicals, fertilizer, and civil explosives manufacturer and distributor. In retirement, Jeanne is a member of the Board of Directors at energy company HF Sinclair Corp. and Australian-listed Worley, the largest provider of engineering, project and asset management solutions in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors.