FIU to honor prominent alumni at the 14th Annual Torch Awards Charity Gala

Posted by × 03/17/2015 at 2:53 pm

The torchFIU Alumni Association will celebrate its 14th Annual Torch Awards Charity Gala on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla.

“This year’s recipients will join an elite group of FIU torchbearers,” said Duane Wiles, associate vice president for Alumni Relations & executive director for the Alumni Association at FIU. “They are FIU alumni who are using their education to make an impact on their fields and community.”

Distinguished alumni, who include influential members of the South Florida community, will be honored with the Torch Awards, the highest honor conferred by FIU to a graduate. The evening will feature entertainment from Spoken Word artist Steve Connell. The master of ceremony will be Michael Baiamonte, voice of the Miami Heat.

The black-tie event aims to set a record in funds raised for the First Generation Scholarship Fund and Alumni Center Building Fund. This year’s gala theme is “From the Ground Up” to commemorate the university’s 50th anniversary.   The FIU Alumni Association will honor the following individuals in the respective categories:

FIU Alumnus of the Year

  • Humberto Cabañas ’76, founder & chairman, Benchmark Hospitality International — Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Award

  • G.C. Murray Jr., Esq.’08, deputy general counsel, Florida Justice Association — College of Arts & Sciences

Community Leadership Award

  • Alex Rodriguez-Roig ’99, president, Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade — College of Education

Outstanding Faculty Award

  • Laird H. Kramer, professor, Florida International University — College of Arts & Sciences

Distinguished Alumni Awards

  • Jesus R. Vazquez ’85, chief operating officer, Facchina — Athletics
  • Andy Señor Jr. ’13, artistic director, District Stage Company —  College of Architecture +The Arts
  • Natalie Boden-Kawas ’99, founder and managing director, Boden PR — College of Arts and Sciences
  • Malcolm Butters ‘83, president, Butters Construction & Development, Inc. — College of Business
  • Marcia L. Martinez Strait ’77, chief executive officer, Strait Tutoring Services — College of Education
  • Miguel Cerra ’95, executive vice president, Link Construction Group — College of Engineering and Computing
  • Alexis Mantecon ’00, managing partner, MV Real Estate Holdings, LLC — The Honors College
  • Ed Mugnani ’91, president, Western Division of Eurest-Compass Group — Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • Robert Scavone Jr., J.D. ’12, judicial law clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit — College of Law
  • Diane Ramy Faulconer ’74, former executive consultant, Ernst & Young/Former Owner, Diane Ramy Faulconer Management Consulting Services — Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Belkys Nerey ’89, anchor, WSVN 7 NEWS — School of Journalism and Mass Communication        
  • Thomas B. Jelke, Ph.D. ’90, president, T. Jelke Solutions — Division of Student Affairs

For more information on the Torch Awards, visit http://fiualumni.com/torch.

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