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FAU Honors Hall of Fame Recipient and Distinguished Alumni at Reception

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FAU Honors Hall of Fame Recipient and Distinguished Alumni at Reception





The Florida Atlantic University National Alumni Association (FAUNAA) held a reception for distinguished FAU alumni at the Marleen & Harold Forkas Alumni Center. Hosted by FAU President Frank T. Brogan ’81 and Mrs. Courtney Brogan, the reception drew close to 150 guests to the Boca Raton campus. Distinguished alumni from eight of FAU’s ten colleges were honored for their career accomplishments, and Jay Salkini ’85, ’90 was introduced as the spring 2009 inductee into FAUNAA’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Since 1985, FAUNAA’s Hall of Fame has served as a platform for recognizing alumni excellence.

Salkini is a visionary pioneer in the development and patent of wireless technology. He founded Tecore Networks in 1991, and currently serves as president and CEO. In the past 18 years, Salkini has positioned Tecore Networks as a member of an elite group of companies supplying the infrastructure that serves over 4 billion mobile subscribers.In 1981, at the age of 17, Salkini emigrated from Syria to Miami, where he turned his childhood interest in electronics into an academic pursuit. He worked part-time at IBM while earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at FAU. Salkini then took a position at Siemens, working on software development for telecommunications switching systems. While at Siemens, he continued graduate study at FAU and received a master’s degree in computer engineering in 1990.

“FAU provided me with the technical education that helped me launch my career,” said Salkini. “It’s where I discovered that in the United States, the opportunity to succeed is available to anyone based on the merits of their work.”

Representing eight of FAU’s ten colleges are the following distinguished alumni:

Dr. Joan E. Pynes ’83, ’88, from the College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs — Pynes is a professor of public administration and director of the graduate certificate in nonprofit management program at the University of South Florida. Selected as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Pynes recently returned from South Korea, where she taught a course in public administration to students at Yeungnam University. Pynes has written or co-authored several books and monographs, including Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Strategic Approach, now in its third edition.

Africa T. Fine ’01, from the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts ad Letters — Fine is a writing and literature professor at Palm Beach Community College. In addition to teaching, she serves as department chair for English and literature at Palm Beach Community College’s south campus. Fine has published several novels including Save Me (July 2009), Looking for Lily (2008), Becoming Maren (2003) and Katrina (2001). She recently signed a contract to publish her fifth novel, Swan, upcoming in 2010.

Diane C. Bok, BBA ’80 and Robert L. Bok, BBA ’80, from the Barry Kaye College of Business — Together, the Boks have co-founded, managed and served on the board of directors of numerous corporations in the healthcare staffing industry. Their flagship corporation, American Traveler, provides contract healthcare recruitment and technology services to over 2,000 hospitals nationwide through multiple brands. Recruitment services include the placement of registered nurses, allied health professionals and physicians. Technology services provide a web-based platform for hospitals to streamline and manage their internal staffing requirements. Proud FAU graduates, the Boks are FAU National Alumni Association and FAU Founding Football members.

Dr. Kathleen P. Ryan ’75, ’79, from the College of Education — Ryan was a public school educator in Michigan and Florida for 36 years before retiring in 2000. Upon retirement, the Immokalee, Fla. community honored Ryan during halftime of a football game for her 28 years of service to the community. She has been a recipient of the Dade County Model United Nations Teacher of the Year Award and the Collier County Social Studies Achievement and Collier County Social Studies Teacher of the Year awards. Currently, Ryan volunteers her time to the Collier County Public Schools, League of Women Voters of Collier County and the American Association of University Women.

Dr. Mark E. Dean ’82, from the College of Engineering and Computer Science — Dean is vice president of technical strategy and global operations for IBM Research, where he is responsible for setting the direction of IBM’s overall research strategy across eight worldwide labs, and leading the global operations and information systems teams. An engineer by training, Dean has over 29 years with IBM. He has been central to the design of a wide range of IBM products and has more than 40 patents or patents pending. Dean was appointed to IBM Fellow in 1995, IBM’s highest technical honor.

Jennifer A. McIvor ’04, from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College — McIvor is an environmental coordinator for MidAmerican Energy Company at the Walter Scott Junior Energy Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After earning a degree in environmental studies from FAU in 2004, she received both a JD from Vermont Law School and a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2008. McIvor credits FAU with teaching her what it means to be an environmentalist and propelling her toward a career that allows her to shape law and policy for the benefit of future generations.

Dr. M. Christopher Saslo ’07, from the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing — Saslo is an adult nurse practitioner at the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach where he treats patients with chronic illnesses such as HIV and Hepatitis. Currently the president of the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network and co-chair of the Florida Coalition for Advanced Practice Nursing, Saslo is actively involved in campaigning for state health care improvements and the professional advancement of ARNPs. He is the recipient of the 2009 American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Florida State Advocacy Award.

Alice P. Hudson’77, from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science — Hudson has over 45 years of hands-on industrial chemical experience in diverse technologies relating to surface and polymer chemistry. She is currently president and CEO of Surface Chemists of Florida, Inc., a research and development group. Hudson has 25 patented inventions, over half of which represent products and/or processes that were successfully commercialized. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Oil Chemists Society, Consumer Specialty Products Association and Roof Coating Manufacturers Association.

Source:  FAU Media Relations

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