Fred Crotchfelt III, BS ’65, MBA ’66
Golden Dragon Society Award Recipient
Of what are you most proud? I’m most proud of my children for how they live their lives and the values they have — and are instilling in their children — and for my wife who helped me raise them.
Why did you go to Drexel? I went for the co-op program. I thought the co-op periods would pay for my education and would give me great insight into the business world. For the most part they did! But, Drexel provided so much more. I met my wife, Annette, there. It gave me the opportunity to make many lifelong friends through the Alpha Pi Lambda fraternity and other student groups with which I was associated. As it has turned out, when we moved back into the area, these friends provided links for us to reconnect with Drexel through the Alumni Association — and we have subsequently made even more Drexel friends.
What is your favorite way to spend free time? I spend time with wife, children and grandchildren, help other people through volunteer work, and travel in the Unites States and around the world.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned? Treat others how you want to be treated. We come in contact with people every day in work, social and volunteer situations. Helping each other makes us all better.
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel, who would it be and why? Joe Ford — my accounting teacher and advisor when I attended Drexel. Pete Frisko — Annette and I met him when we first became involved with the Drexel Alumni Board of Governors and he has been a friend ever since. Dr. Constantine Papadakis — Taki was an important mentor to me during my time with the Alumni Association and when I was chair of the Alumni Board of Governors.
Mark Gress Jr., BS ’06, MS ’12
Emerging Leader Award Recipient
Why did you choose Drexel? The co-op program was the primary reason. The fact that my résumé would be more powerful than most non-Drexel students — including our neighborhood Ivy League friends — really excited me.
If you could share a meal with anyone — dead or alive — who would it be and why? Instead of defaulting to a famous person or historical figure, I’d have to say my Mommom Finn. She passed away more than 10 years ago, but I was lucky enough to have her in my life for as long as I did. I would cherish the opportunity to tell her how much I love her and miss her over some pierogies and kielbasa.
Of what are you most proud? I would humbly say that I am most proud of accomplishing everything that I have in my career at such a young age, while not sacrificing work-life balance. Obviously my career is very important, but my wife and son are my top priority. I never want them to feel like they are taking a back seat.
What three words best describe you? Dedicated, innovative, easygoing.
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel who would it be and why? There is not just one person. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Drexel’s Sport Management program, Athletics, LeBow College of Business and the Steinbright Career Development Center. They gave me so much as a student and have continued to be a major part of my success since graduating.
Deanna Guano Schaffer, AS ’90, BS ’92, MS ’99
Silver Dragon Society Award Recipient
Where in the world have you never been and would love to visit? I would love to head to Alaska. The pictures are beautiful — nature at its finest. I imagine it as being peaceful.
Why did you choose Drexel? It wasn’t Drexel at the time. I have three degrees, all from the same building. One from Hahnemann University, one from Allegheny University, and one from MCP-Hahnemann University, as run by Drexel. I went in order to become a nurse as quickly as possible. I graduated from my associate’s program at 19 years old and sat for my RN license. I remained with the school mainly because of tuition reimbursement. I stay today because I have truly embraced the Drexel philosophy and the Dragon within myself.
Of what are you most proud? I am most proud of my three children and their accomplishments. It amazes me how well they have turned out, considering that I was a full-time employee, full-time student, and full-time mom as they were being raised. They say it takes a village, and my husband and our families were very supportive in raising them. My proudest moment is when someone compliments me on them.
How would your best friend describe you? Dependable, funny, dedicated.
What is your favorite way to spend free time? Reading. Books are my addiction. I read anything and everything I can get my hands on. The problem is, once I start I can’t stop. When “Harry Potter” was new, I would go to the bookstore at midnight, get the book and stay up all night to finish it by noon the next day so that no one could ruin it for me.
Jeffrey Lisinicchia, BS ’90
Silver Dragon Society Award Recipient
If you could share a meal with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be and why? Benjamin Franklin: statesman, author, inventor, diplomat and scientist.
What is a little-known fact about you? In school, my grades were OK in math, and it was not my favorite subject. This may sound strange coming from someone who is now a financial executive, certified public accountant and who immerses himself in numbers all day as part of his job.
Why did you choose Drexel? Drexel was always my top choice. I applied “early decision” and thankfully was accepted in the fall of my senior year. The co-op program and Drexel’s fine academic reputation were very attractive to me. Having grown up in a small town, the idea of going to a college located right in the heart of a major city, with all that it has to offer, was really exciting for me. Looking back, I am thankful that as a teenager I had the wisdom to choose Drexel because it has had such a profound impact on my life, both personally and professionally.
What inspires you? My youngest brother, Carmen, who tragically passed away 14 years ago, was and still is an inspiration to me. Even though he is no longer here, he still impacts my life every day. He was born with cerebral palsy and, despite his physical handicap, he was the most positive, outgoing person I ever knew, and his “can-do” spirit was truly inspiring. In addition to overcoming obstacles all his life, about five years before his unexpected passing, he courageously and unselfishly became a living donor and donated one of his kidneys to my older brother who had succumbed to a kidney disease. Now, Carmen’s legacy continues through my older brother who carries his donated kidney in his abdomen. They are both heroes to me.
What is the toughest decision you’ve ever made? In 2000, I was working for a major financial services company in the Philadelphia area, that had just acquired a company in Orange County, California. I was chosen to manage the integration of the acquired company’s finance, accounting and treasury functions in what was supposed to be a two-year assignment in California. The first decision — to take the assignment — meant that I would have to leave my family and friends and relocate over 3,000 miles away. I accepted the assignment and now, 15 years later, still call Orange County my adopted home. The decision to take the assignment and later to leave the company and stay in California was pivotal in my professional development because it offered me the opportunity to work with industry pioneers in the field of mortgage finance. In 2002, I became the first CFO of a startup mortgage company, which later grew to be a nationwide lender with over 900 employees and $5 billion in annual lending volume.
Eugene “Gene” Muller, MS ’84
Alumni Entrepreneur Award Recipient
Of what are you most proud? Creating a business that makes products people really enjoy. The best part of my job is when someone says they are going to serve our beer at their wedding or another milestone event. It’s gratifying to be able to enhance, in some little way, one of their life’s major moments. It’s also nice to have created a business where people are happy and excited to visit.
What three words best describe you? Creative. Tenacious. Passionate.
What is your favorite way to spend free time? Getting outdoors, hiking, enjoying nature and travel.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned? Go with your gut instinct. The few really big mistakes I made came when I ignored that little voice that said “maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel, who would it be and why? Philip Terranova hired me for my first “real” job as a writer in Drexel’s University Relations Department. I started at Drexel as an employee and was inspired by the environment there to pursue a master’s degree. I really appreciate that he took a chance on someone with an unproven track record, which started me on a path that, with some twists and turns, ended up with me where I am today.
Dean O’Brien, MBA ’12
Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Where in the world have you never been and would love to visit? I would love to visit Southeast Asia. The food, culture and people are something I am looking forward to experiencing firsthand.
Of what are you most proud? One of my proudest accomplishments is organizing and leading the Drexel University Sacramento Alumni Group. While providing stewardship over the last four years, the Sacramento Alumni Group has grown from 76 alumni in 2012 to over 650 alumni in 2015. As president of the Sacramento Alumni Group, I host regular meetings, events and sports teams including dodgeball, kickball and softball designed to promote alumni engagement in the area. During my tenure the primary focus has been increasing young alumni engagement and building strong community ties through volunteer, sporting and networking events, in addition to partnering with local nonprofits and the Drexel University Alumni Office at the University City Campus.
What is a little known fact about you? I am an avid cyclist. I bike to work every day and ride at least 100 miles per week. During Sacramento’s annual May is Bike Month Challenge, I led a team of Drexel alumni who rode a combined 2,490 miles and helped lead the charge, logging 1,105.1 miles individually in May 2015.
What is your personal or professional mantra? I try to live by the mantra of being a man for others in all aspects of my personal and professional life.
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel, who would it be and why? I never got a chance, but would have liked to have had the opportunity to thank past President Constantine Papadakis for bringing Drexel University to Sacramento and giving me a chance to have a bi-coastal post-graduate experience. I would also like to recognize and thank Carl Tobey Oxholm III, for being Drexel’s West Coast ambassador and heading up the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies those first few years. I will forever be grateful and will always be a Dragon because of their efforts.
Norman R. Smith, BS ’69, MBA ’71
Service to Profession Award Recipient
Where in the world have you never been and would love to visit? My presidency of the American University in London enabled me to see the world, and there is no place I have never been, at this point, that remains on my bucket list. That said, my favorite venues will always be London and Paris. I could happily spend the rest of my life in London…if I could afford it.
If you could share a meal with anyone — dead or alive — who would it be and why? Thomas Jefferson. In 1962, when hosting an array of Nobel Prize winners in the White House, John F. Kennedy declared that never before had the White House had a dinner for such an “extraordinary collection of talent and human knowledge…except with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” I would love to know Jefferson’s reaction to the way in which the Constitution has been interpreted in modern times on subjects including bearing arms.
Who is your mentor? There is no one person, but during my near-decade as a dean at Harvard University, Harvard’s president at the time, Derek Bok, was my role model as the ideal university leader. He is someone I have attempted to emulate throughout my three decades as a college and university president.
Why did you choose Drexel? I needed to be able to work my way through college. The o-op program enabled me to graduate debt free.
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel, who would it be and why? Chuck Pennoni, former Drexel Board of Trustees chair and interim president, for taking the lead in “saving” Drexel and enabling the greatness that Drexel has become since my graduation nearly 50 years ago. I am also grateful for the way in which he has singularly kept me engaged with Drexel for decades.
Ronald W. Smith, PhD ’85
Service to Community Award Recipient
What is a little known fact about you? I was a good football running back in high school.
How would your best friend describe you? Dedicated, passionate about helping others, and one who does what he says.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned? Life is short so don’t waste it.
What inspires you? Success. Achieving one’s goals.
What is the toughest decision you’ve ever had to make? To take time away from my family to get my PhD.
[box type=”shadow”]Additional 2015 Alumni Association Award recipients include: Robert “Bob” Byers, BS ’65, HD ’02, former trustee emeritus, Golden Dragon Society Award recipient; and Eric Hahn, BS ’11, Young Alumni Entrepreneur Award recipient.
To learn more about the Alumni Association Awards, and to find out how to nominate a worthy candidate, visit http://drexel.edu/alumni.[/box]