2019 Heritage Award Recipients

Paul Abrams (posthumous) A&S ’56
Paul Abrams spent much of his life giving back to Johns Hopkins University in a variety of ways.  He lent thoughtful advice and counsel on the boards of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and SAIS, and as a University Trustee. He established a scholarship to ensure under-represented students had access to the promise of a Hopkins education, and he supported internship opportunities for students interested in the world of fine art.  Mr. Abrams and his wife Natalie also helped build philanthropic support for Hopkins in their local community by hosting events in their home.  Mr. Abrams graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in 1956. He embodied what it meant to be a model alumnus.  He was a visionary real estate developer, lover of fine art, writer, photographer, and patron of the performing arts.  His appreciation for his Hopkins experience lives on in his legacy and his family’s continuation of that support.

Jonathan E. Bradley  Bus ’09 (MBA)
Jonathan is one of the most devoted alumni to Johns Hopkins that we know. Jon’s relationship with Johns Hopkins began back when he was a child, having had surgery here. As an adult, Jon has committed himself to helping his alma mater, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, as a former member of the Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board and frequent alumni mentor to our business students. In addition, Jon has served for several years on the University’s Alumni Council and recently chaired the Awards and Nominations Committee. He brings heart and passion to all of his efforts in supporting Johns Hopkins through his time and resources. He is always generous with his time, his patience, and he makes himself available whenever there is a call to action. He has spoken on numerous panels, judged case competitions, mentored students both officially and unofficially, and bridges connections like very few people can. He brings the Hopkins community together because he creates a safe space for alumni to feel welcomed. Jon has devoted himself to the mission of Hopkins and his efforts demonstrate his love for the University. The Heritage Award recognizes Jon’s longtime commitment to Johns Hopkins and his continued involvement and volunteer leadership.

Michael Brenner Engr ’63
Before he retired, Dr. Michael “Mike” Brenner was the owner of an executive coaching business where he coached C-level executives at small organizations and SVPs and VPs at large organizations to help them achieve managerial excellence. Dr. Brenner’s passion for helping empower and raise up others is seen not only through his work but also through his dedicated commitment to Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a PhD in Industrial Engineering in 1963.   To this day, Dr. Brenner’s dedication to the university continues to grow, as he stays involved and gives back to the institution both centrally and divisionally. Dr. Brenner began his volunteer involvement with Johns Hopkins by joining the Society of Engineering Alumni Advisory Council in 2009. He served on this group until 2015, when it transitioned into the Hopkins Engineering Alumni Leadership Committee, which he served on for an additional two years. In addition, during this timeframe, Dr. Brenner became a member of the University’s Alumni Council, starting his tenure with the council in 2012 and ending his term this past fall.  While he has stepped down from his committee responsibilities, he still is a champion for the mentorship program that spun out of the Hopkins Engineering Alumni Leadership Committee. Not only does Dr. Brenner serve as a mentor to current Johns Hopkins Students, but also he actively works to recruit and mentor other alumni mentors, to help them feel more engaged and prepared them to take on this volunteer opportunity. In addition to giving his time, Dr. Brenner continues to support Johns Hopkins financially, recently documenting a planned estate gift.

F. Suzanne Jenniches  Engr ’79
Upon receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Clarion State College in 1970, Ms. Jenniches began her career in science as a high school biology teacher. In 1979, she attained her M.S. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University. She was the only woman to take engineering classes through the part-time program during that time period.  After she earned her Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University, Ms. Jenniches joined Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Baltimore, MD, as a computerized test engineer in 1974. After working her way up at Westinghouse Electric Corp, which merged with Northrop Grumman in 1996, Ms. Jenniches’ career culminated in her serving as vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Government Systems Division from 2003 until her retirement in 2010. Her dedication to the University began with her passion to helping empower and support female engineers through her work with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Ms. Jenniches continues to come to campus yearly to attend SWE’s annual alumni networking event to help the next generation of female engineers.   In addition, she has also been a dedicated volunteer for the Whiting School of Engineering. She was the Chair of the Engineering Programs for Professionals Advisory Board and currently advises the Dean as a member of the Whiting School Advisory Board. She was also an active member of the University’s Alumni Council from 2002 to 2008. Ms. Jenniches has been a strong supporter of the institution through her giving, having provided gifts towards student financial aid and the creation of an endowed family scholarship and fellowship. Additionally, Ms. Jenniches and her husband recently documented a bequest to support the Dean’s greatest needs.

Elsie Peyton Jarvis Nurs ’47, ’50
Elsie P. Jarvis is a 1947 graduate of the Johns Hopkins Hospital nursing program. She is a long-time supporter of the School of Nursing and one of four Hopkins nurses in her family. In 1986, Elsie established the first Furnival Scholarship Fund - named after her mother and two aunts, all of who were graduates of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing. Since then, Elsie has established a second Furnival Scholarship Fund. In 2017, as part of a celebration of her 70th class reunion, her family established a third scholarship in Elsie's name. Also in 2017, the Elsie P. Jarvis Star Nurse Award (presented at JHSON annual gala Evening with the Stars) was established to recognize all Hopkins nurses who demonstrate clinical excellence in their area of nursing to improve the quality of patient care and have made a significant difference to the nursing profession.  She continues to give back to provide students with the opportunities she had as a Hopkins nurse.

Lisa McMurtrie (posthumous) A&S ’95, Ed MAT ’99
Lisa McMurtrie was a dedicated volunteer for Johns Hopkins University and the School of Education for over 15 years. She served on the Johns Hopkins Alumni Council from 2007 to 2013, and again from 2015 to 2018. From 2008 to 2012 she served on the council’s Executive Committee as the divisional representative for the School of Education. While a council member, she served on the Development, Marketing, and Benefits & Services committees, as well as the Women in Business affinity group committee. Before becoming a council member, she served as an Alumni Association host and participated in the university’s “Adopt a Family” campaign. She was also very involved at the School of Education. She helped to found the school’s Student-Alumni Mentorship Program and served as its chair from 2013 to 2018. She also served on the school’s centennial celebration committee. Lisa worked as an elementary educator for nearly 20 years in Baltimore schools, including serving as assistant director of the St. Paul’s Plus Preschool and kindergarten school director of the Trinity Episcopal Preschool in Roland Park. Lisa passed away on October 20, 2018. We will miss her enthusiasm, her spirit, and her leadership.

Marshall Millsap SAIS B’75, ’76
Marshall Millsap B’75, ’76 is a strong alumni supporter to Johns Hopkins SAIS and his fellow alumni around the world.  He is engaged with Global Women in Leadership and SWAN, having organized several workshops training alumnae and students in skills such as negotiation tactics. In addition to being a donor himself, he recently spearheaded a campaign with his own class (Bologna 1975) to raise support for the Excellence in Gender Research program launched by the students GWL of SAIS Europe in 2018 at SAIS Europe.  In the summer 2016 edition of SAIS Magazine, he was profiled in the Reflections and Spotlights section with this being partial text from that article:  “Millsap had been considering how to do more for SAIS at the end of his career. Now, as a member of the Johns Hopkins SAIS Women’s Alumni Network (SWAN), Executive Committee and a supporter and adviser to the GWL student group, Millsap spends a lot of time thinking about how to strengthen women’s leadership and the need for more diversity, particularly in the private sector. He has led negotiation workshops for SAIS women in DC and in London and for the JHU Women in Negotiation event in New York. He is excited about developing master classes and mentoring possibilities beyond workshops. He says, ‘The experience of SAIS women alumnae in this field is an amazing resource.’ Finally, he is committed to helping SAIS women connect to greater leadership opportunities in both the private and public sectors.”
 
Sam and Grace Pilcer A&S Parents
Dr. Grace and Sam Pilcer are Johns Hopkins parents; daughter Julia graduated from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in 2009. Their relationship to the University started in 2005, with their first gift to the Parents’ Fund, and continues to this day. Since then, they have given significantly to the institution including establishing the Pilcer Family Scholarship that is dedicated towards the University achieving its student diversity goals and supporting undergraduate internships related to the 2011 KSAS Diversity Proposal. The Pilcers are also committed donors to the Miriam D. Frankl Memorial Scholarship and the Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Fund, as Julia was close to both former classmates. Staunch advocates for accessible education, equity, and equal opportunity, the Pilcers regularly attend University events, including the annual Scholarship Luncheon. They are known to keep in touch with their scholarship recipients even past graduation and care deeply about the mission of the university as it relates to advancing the world through new knowledge and solutions. They are dedicated parents and have contributed much with their passion, philanthropy, and time.

R. Andrew Ramelmeier Engr ’84
Dr. R. “Andy” Ramelmeier is the Senior Vice President and Chief Manufacturing & Quality Officer at Sangamo Therapeutics, where he is an accomplished executive and technical leader with a strong foundation in development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, contributing to many licensures of several commercial products. Dr. Ramelmeier graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1984 with a bachelor’s in science in Chemical Engineering.   Dr. Ramelmeier is a very committed alumnus to Johns Hopkins and has consistently provided financial and volunteer support to the institution at every level. Dr. Ramelmeier currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. In addition to providing guidance and support to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Ramelmeier volunteers his time by serving on reunion committees, most recently on the 25th reunion planning committee, and is an active participant to many events that occur in Northern California. He is often a featured speaker, introducing the Dean or faculty members at these events. Dr. Ramelmeier is an exceptional host for the Whiting School of Engineering, working with the development office to increase its presence in the Bay Area. At the large Whiting School Dean’s Networking event in Palo Alto in January 2016, he introduced Dean Schlesinger and gave remarks about the importance of giving back at all levels. Finally, Dr. Ramelmeier was an inaugural member of the Technology Commercialization Network, which was an integral alumni committee formed to assist the Whiting School of Engineering and Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures to launch FastForward.  Most recently, Dr. Ramelmeier was a strong champion for the institution and the Rising to the Challenge Campaign, serving as a member of the Whiting School Campaign Committee, where he developed strategies to assist the school in surpassing its ambitious campaign goal of $275 million. Dr. Ramelmeier is a generous donor himself, establishing an endowed scholarship during the campaign as well as providing financial support to Johns Hopkins University at different departmental, divisional, and institutional levels. On Giving Tuesday in 2017, he was the largest single donor that day to the Hopkins Fund. Dr. Ramelmeier is also a staunch and large supporter of the Johns Hopkins Athletic programs, specifically the University’s football program.

Alan L. Sorkin  A&S ’63, ’64, ’66, BSPH Faculty
Prof. Sorkin has contributed a lifetime of outstanding academic service to the progress of the Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland. After receiving all three of his degrees from the JHU Department of Political Economy (B.A. 1963; MA,1964 and Ph.D., 1966), he spent two years at The Brookings Institution and five years at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1972. From 1974 to 2006 he was Professor and Chair of Economics at UMBC. Since 2006, he has been Professor Emeritus at that institution, and adjunct professor at the School of Public Health at Hopkins. Prof. Sorkin’s work is well known within the global public health community. The breadth, depth and quality of his research is evidenced by his publications, which include twelve books and eight co‐edited volumes covering a number of topics in applied economics and health economics. His most recent research is on the health status of Native Americans living on or near reservations and the adequacy of Indian Health Service Programs to serve this population.  Prof. Sorkin is dedicated to applied economics and health economics and to the communities his work serves.

Jeffrey A. Weissglass, A&S ’79, School of Education National Advisory Council
A longtime advocate and advisor for the School of Education, Jeff Weissglass has been a member of the School of Education National Advisory Council since 2012 and served as its chair from 2016 to 2018. He also served as a member of the university’s Leadership Fellows program from 2015 to 2017, and as a Second Decade Society member in the 1990s. Jeff graduated from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and he and his wife, Jeannie Affelder, are the proud parents of three young adults, one of whom is a 2015 Krieger graduate. Jeff had early careers in corporate law and community based economic development and now works to address issues of political polarization and education. He is a board member of the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution in Washington, DC, which convenes ideologically diverse stakeholders to build trust and develop solutions to critical national problems. He also serves on the board of Education Reimagined, a movement building organization that grew out of a Convergence process and works to further learner-centered education with cross-ideological support. Jeff lives in Oak Park, Illinois where he is former president of the Board of Education at Oak Park and River Forest High School and currently serves on the board of the Collaboration for Early Childhood, an innovative collective impact organization.