Outstanding alumni to be honored at Nanook Rendezvous

September 12, 2016

Chantal Walsh will be honored with the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus Award by the UAF Alumni Association.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumni Association will honor Anchorage engineer Chantal Walsh with its 2016 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Walsh will be recognized during the Nanook Rendevzous awards dinner, which will be held from 6-10 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Great Hall on the UAF campus. The dinner will be part of UAF’s annual alumni reunion, Nanook Rendezvous, which is scheduled for Sept. 23-24.

Walsh earned her bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from UAF in 1985. She has made numerous contributions during more than 30 years in Alaska’s oil and gas industry, including work with BP, ARCO, Chevron and Petrotechnical Resources Alaska. She also has been a steadfast advocate for UAF and engineering workforce development, and currently serves as vice chair of the College of Engineering and Mines Advisory and Development Council.

Walsh, who was born in Cordova, lives in Anchorage with her husband, Tom, and their three children. Her father, Tom Tunley, was also a graduate of the UAF engineering program.

The alumni association will also honor six other alumni during the dinner.

Three Alumni Achievement Awards recognize outstanding work by UAF graduates and former students.

The Alumni Achievement Award for Business and Professional Excellence will go to Sen. Lyman Hoffman of Bethel, a 1974 business degree recipient who represents Southwest Alaska in the Legislature.

The Alumni Achievement Award for Community Support will go to Scott Roselius of Fairbanks, a 1981 physical education graduate who serves as president of the UAF hockey alumni, an organization that he helped create and build.

The Alumni Achievement Award for University Support will go to Bob and Heather Mitchell of Juneau. Bob, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1990 and his Masters of Business Administration degree in 1998, and Heather, a 1996 paralegal studies graduate, support numerous scholarship funds. They established the North Pole Patriots Scholarship in 2009, and Bob co-chairs the UAF Centennial Scholarships and Fellowships fundraising initiative.

The William R. Cashen Service Award, which recognizes outstanding service to UAF, its alumni and students, will be presented to Karen Cedzo. Starting her career in 1979 as UAF’s first public affairs director, Cedzo retired nearly 20 years later as vice chancellor for university relations and institutional advancement, overseeing UAF's alumni, development and public relations functions.

The Lenhart J.H. Grothe Resources Award will go to Donald Grybeck, a 1964 geological engineering graduate who passed away in 2012 after a long career as a surveyor, miner and field geologist. The honor is given posthumously to an alumnus who made significant contributions in resource, mining or agricultural fields.

The awards dinner is one of many activities that will be part of the 2016 alumni reunion. Other events include campus tours, Starvation Gulch activities, the Blue and Gold hockey game and a reception.

A schedule of Nanook Rendezvous events and registration information are available online at http://www.uaf.edu/alumni/reunion.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Kate Ripley, 907-474-7081, klripley@alaska.edu