Nomination Period has Closed

Alumni Association

For those who leave SUNY Niagara, but for whom SUNY Niagara never leaves.

SUNY Niagara Distinguished Alumni Award

Established in 1988, the NCCC Distinguished Alumni Award is the College’s highest honor, recognizing graduates for outstanding achievements in career, volunteer work, and personal life. Selection considers professional accomplishments, community service, and unique backgrounds. Recipients are inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Wall and celebrated at the annual Scholarship Soirée. These esteemed alumni contribute significantly to SUNY Niagara’s future by donating to scholarships, mentoring students, and participating in events.

Nomination Period has Closed

Download Award Application

A wall filled with photos honoring distinguished alumni from SUNY Niagara

2024 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Michael Garner

Class of 1980

Pamela Walck

Class of 1985

Richard L Andres Jr

Class of 1999

Nominate a Distinguished Alumni

Criteria & Desired Qualifications:

SUNY Niagara Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who are positive role models, involved in their community and exhibited accomplishments in their field. Selection is based on achievement after leaving SUNY Niagara/NCCC and shall include a worthy record of more than one exemplary achievement.
Nominee must have completed 50 or more credit hours at SUNY Niagara/NCCC; yet it is strongly recommended that nominee is a graduate.
Nominee must have graduated or transferred from SUNY Niagara/NCCC ten (10) or more years ago.
Nominee cannot be current SUNY Niagara employee, NCCC Foundation Board Member, SUNY Niagara Alumni Association Committee Member, College Association employee, Housing Board Member, or member of the Board of Trustees. Retirees from these entities must be retired for one year prior to May 31 of the nominating year to be considered.
Persons running for political office will not be considered during their campaign cycle.
Applications may not be submitted by the nominee or current employees of the NCCC Foundation office.

Narrative Questions

Based on the desired qualifications, please answer the following questions in a narrative form. The narrative should be a minimum of two pages with a maximum of three pages in length.

What achievements or contributions from this nominee make them deserving of this honor? How has their work positively impacted their field, community, or the lives of others?
List business & professional achievements. Describe how nominee has demonstrated significant, measurable achievement in their chosen field. If applicable, list any additional degrees or certifications the nominee has obtained and explain how these credentials have contributed to their success.
List professional honors and awards, professional affiliations, and publications. Explain the significance of these recognitions and how they highlight their achievements.
List civic and community involvement. Describe how the nominee has contributed leadership service to the community, state, nation or world.
List past and/or present volunteer service to SUNY Niagara.
Describe the nominee’s involvement, leadership and/or financial support to the Alumni Association, the NCCC Foundation and/or the College.
List any other appropriate qualifications which merits consideration.

Application Requirements and Procedures

A resume and narrative must be included with the nomination form. A resume is not considered a replacement for the narrative.
Nominations will be kept on file for consideration for three (3) years. If not selected within the three-year period, we welcome a new nomination.

This award will be presented at the Annual NCCC Foundation Scholarship Soirée in October. The award recipient will be required to attend and is a guest of the SUNY Niagara Alumni Association. The deadline for all submissions is Monday, June 17, 2024.

Mailing Address for Printed Applications:
SUNY Niagara Alumni Office, 3111 Saunders Settlement Rd., Sanborn, NY 14132

Award Application

Previous Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Induction Year	Name	Class Year
2023	Mark Cye	1993
2023	Michael Filicetti	2010
2022	Lee Wallace	1972
2021	Elizabeth Corieri	1983
2021	Angelo (Zig) Fracassi	1985
2020	JoAnn Pellegrino	1997
2020	Muriel Anderson	1983
2019	Deborah Burns	1978
2019	**Peter I. Certo	1973
2019	Rebecca Cuddahee	1995
2019	Richard Frizzell	1965
2018	Paul Lamont	1986
2018	Ellen Latham	1977
2018	Michael Messina	1983
2017	Phyllis Floro	1988
2017	Jennifer Pitarresi	1983
2015	James Toellner	1978
2014	Patrick J. Sorge	1985
2013	Dr. Paul Churder	1975
2013	Peter Robinson	1991
2012	Joanne Stanton	1980
2011	Deborah Karp Coder	1977, 1988
2010	Eric L. Gansworth	1986
2009	Susan J. Geissler	1974
2008	William M. Paterson	1965
2008	Ronald F. Zito	1972, 1978
2007	Tammy Austin-Ketch	1990
2007	Carmen Presti	1985
2006	Richard Avdoian	1971
2006	Ellen L. Swan	1983
2006	Louise Volpe	1968
2005	Stephen F. Brady	1975
2005	Nancy Babis	1984
2005	Richard P. Winter	1974
2003	Christopher J. Carlin	1981
2003	A. Joseph Catalano	1990
2003	**Angelo DelSignore	1970
2003	Ronald R. Winkley	1978
2002	Les Kachurek	1983
2002	Melanie Collins Tisdale	1975
2002	Lizabeth M. Weiss	1972
2001	Penny Cacioppo	1995
2001	Rebecca M. Cindric	1996
2001	James A. Mezhir	1968
2001	Robert J. Travis	1975
2001	Ronald J. Winter	1974
2000	Gene Carella	1970
2000	Jamie Marcolini	1981
2000	Patricia Siola	1973
1999	Ernest Palmer	1985
1999	Ginger Tucker-Lamb	1987
1998	Domenico Cavaiuolo	1974
1998	Dr. Anthony DeLuke	1973
1998	Michael LaFever	1970
1997	Dr. Anne Martin-Staple	1966
1997	Dr. Richard Sawicki	1973
1996	Senator George Maziarz	1974
1996	Joseph A. Ruffolo	1976
1995	Robert Bradley	1973
1995	Geraldine Cindric	1992
1995	Clifton Gibson	1989
1995	David Nemi	1978
1995	Lynne Shuster	1967
1994	Patricia Evans	1977
1994	Lessie Hamilton-Rose	1970
1994	Michael S. Sloma	1987
1993	Richard Mullaney	1974
1993	Salvatore Passanese	1973
1993	Frances Sorge-Dotton	1970
1992	*Lily Campbell Taddeo	1973
1992	Gail L. Tylec	1980
1991	Jean Adjemian	1967
1991	George Helfrich	1972
1990	Teresa McEvoy	1972
1990	Paul Raczkiewicz	1965
1990	Theresa M. Silvestre	1982
1990	Virginia M. Taylor	1976
1989	Floyd F. Amann, Jr.	1966
1989	Kay Brayley	1975
1989	*Estelle Pavlock Jurasz	1975
1989	Randy W. Schultz	1975
1989	John Turner	1969
1988	Renae Kimble	1974
1988	Carol Henschel	1971
1988	* Duane Schielke	1974
1988	Leon Smith	1965
1988	*Charles P. Steiner	1970

Contact Us

Julie Berrigan

Director of Development

Phone: 716-614-5911
Email: jberrigan@niagaracc.suny.edu
Location: A-202

Barbara DeSimone

Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Phone: 716-614-5904
Email: desimone@niagaracc.suny.edu
Location: A-204

Courtney Helinski

Assistant Director of Development

Phone: 716-614-6231
Email: chelinski@niagaracc.suny.edu
Location: A-201

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Ginger Tucker-Lamb
Class of 1987
Inducted May 14th, 1999

Ginger (Tucker) Lamb, a Barker High School graduate, attended SUNY Niagara with a distinguished student merit scholarship and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Communications in 1985. She later continued her education at SUNY College at Brockport and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

Lamb’s media career started in high school with an internship during her senior year at the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal. The Internship led to a summer job as the family page editor, making her the youngest person to ever be given an editorship at the paper. Her background includes a mix of broadcast and print, having worked at 1340 AM WLVL in Lockport, the Greece Post (a Wolfe publication in Victor, New York) 1030 AM WYSL in Avon, 1180 WHAM in Rochester and sister stations 106.7 WMAX and 100.5 WMIX. Occasionally Lamb can be heard anchoring the new Saturday mornings on WHAM.

For the last five years she served as editor of the Daily Record, a legal and business newspaper in Rochester. Lamb joined the publication in 1994 as communications coordinator and within months was promoted to editor, making her the newspaper’s first woman editor. As editor, she has helped re-tailor and refocus the newspaper to increase its readership. She is responsible for overseeing the newspaper’s editorial content, coordinating and organizing supplements and special real estate selections a monthly column – Rambling for the Record – and Chairing the Daily records Advisory Board (a panel of legal and Business Leaders).

4 years ago, Lamb created the newspapers Nathaniel Awards Luncheon in memory of the newspapers founder Nathaniel B. Raymond, to recognize the accomplishments of some of the most dedicated individuals in the Greater Rochester Legal Community. Each year she takes responsibility for organizing this annual event.

Lamb is an appointed member of the 7th Judicial District Advisory Council and sits on the council’s education committee. She is also on the Center for Dispute Settlements Annual Awards Committee. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the Center of Environmental Information and a member of the Greater Rochester Association for Women’s Attorneys, National Newspaper Association American Court and Commercial Newspapers Association.

She is also a mentor for the Monroe Community Bar association’s lawyers for learning program, a program that matches mentors with inner-city school students, and is the code editor of the SUNY Niagara Alumni Bulletin.

Dr. Anne Martin-Staple
Class of 1966
Inducted May 9th, 1997

Dr. Anne Louise Martin-Staple, a 1966 Liberal Arts graduate from SUNY Niagara went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Social Work from Florida State University in 1968, a Masters of Arts in Public Policy at the University of Chicago in 1971, and her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of London England, London School of Economics and Political Science in 1984. She received a full scholarship to attend the University of London and is a member of the Phi Alpha Honorary society from Florida State, Metcalfe Merit Scholarship Society from the London School of Economics.

Dr. Staple was raised in Youngstown and worked in the college bookstore to help pay for her education at SUNY Niagara.

While in Chicago, Dr. Staple’s interests shifted from social work to include public policy and economics. After graduating from the University of Chicago, she moved to Washington D.C. to work for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, where her lifelong goals to improve access to, and the efficiency of healthcare services began to take shape.

In 1976 she left the government to take a position as an Executive Director of Professional Standards Review Organization. Her work in the policy and practice of controlling healthcare costs while assuring quality of care and equalizing access preceded the current nation obsession by some 20 years.

Her interests in in promoting improved health care planning and in working in the developing world, led to her pursuit of a Ph.D. in health economics. Since receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Staple taught at Duke University, NC for five years and provided consulting services in the developing world and Europe for over 11 years.

She has been recognized for her contributions in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and improving services provided to persons with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. She developed a plan which led to the establishment of a hospice program for persons afflicted with this disease in Barbados. She also developed an economic planning model for national blood transfusion services which was published by the world health organization and is being used by many countries throughout Africa and Eastern Europe. She carried out a cost effectiveness study of health care services for persons with HIV/AIDS in Zambia, which led to the development of a new national strategy for caring for infected patients. Most recently, her work in Eastern Europe and China has influenced the evolution of privatization of health care in these countries.