UMass Lowell Honors Outstanding Alumni

04/16/2015

Contacts for media:  Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell today honored seven outstanding graduates at its annual University Alumni Awards.

The event, held at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, recognizes alumni who have gone on to career and personal success while demonstrating leadership in their communities and commitment to the campus.

“These graduates are seven remarkable individuals who have used their UMass Lowell educations to achieve success in their careers and communities,” said Chancellor Marty Meehan. “This event is an opportunity to shine a light on their achievements and their positive impact on the university as alumni.”

Alumni award recipients are selected from graduates of each of the university’s six schools and colleges. One recent graduate who is already having a positive impact is also chosen. The honorees are nominated by UMass Lowell faculty and staff, members of the community and fellow alumni. Since 1998, more than 100 graduates of UMass Lowell and its predecessor institutions have been presented with the awards.

“UMass Lowell alumni make important contributions in their professions, for their communities and at the university. We are proud to recognize some of our outstanding alumni who epitomize what is possible with a UMass Lowell education and who have made such a difference,” said Director of Alumni Relations Heather Makrez ’06, ’08.

The 2015 honorees are:

• Kathryn Carter ’78 of Nashua, N.H. (Manning School of Business) has served as UMass Lowell’s vice provost for graduate and international affairs and strategy since 2014. This new role follows her 16 years as dean of the Manning School of Business where she was also a member of the accounting faculty. A generous supporter of the school as well as its dean, Carter has been committed to its culture of providing business education and research that are relevant in the global economy as well as building strong industry partnerships. Carter received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Lowell in 1978 before going on to earn her MBA and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. 
• Wendy LaBate ’96 of Nashua, N.H. (College of Health Sciences) is the senior vice president of operations for the Northeast area for Genesis HealthCare, providing day-to-day oversight and support for more than 100 skilled nursing centers in New England. A supporter of the College of Health Sciences, she serves on its advisory board and has also donated her time to programs such as the university’s DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge, which asks students to find entrepreneurial approaches to addressing business and community issues. A registered nurse and licensed nursing home administrator, she began her career in health care as a nursing assistant and completed her nursing diploma at Lowell General Hospital, followed by bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s in health care administration from Rivier College. In 1996, she graduated from UMass Lowell with a master’s degree in health services administration.
• Lawrence Lin ’90 of Cupertino, Calif., and Taiwan (Francis College of Engineering) is the president of Grand Dynasty Industrial Co. Ltd. (GDI), an injection molding company located in New Taipei, Taiwan that focuses on the international market, with customers including Snap-On and Bosch. A strong supporter of UMass Lowell’s Department of Plastics Engineering, he established the Dr. Lawrence C.H. Lin Taiwan Students Endowed Scholarship Fund, which assists students pursuing degrees in plastics engineering. He earned a Ph.D. in polymer science and plastics engineering at UMass Lowell and worked in the research center of a Fortune 500 company in the Boston area before joining GDI in 1993.
• Glenn Morgan ’86 of Belmont (College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) is the co-owner of SkyWorld Interactive, an award-winning company that provides web development solutions and services. Prior to his work with SkyWorld, Morgan purchased a stake in the Boston-based interactive firm iFactory and then helped with its turnaround before it was sold to RDW Group. A supporter of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Morgan founded the college’s Creative Venture Competition, which highlights the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of students. His work in the community includes founding Project Elf, which helps families in need purchase holiday gifts, and serving as treasurer of the Somerville Community Development Corp., which purchases underutilized properties and converts them into housing for low-income families. He established the Richard J. Morgan Memorial Scholarship Fund, which assists students who demonstrate community leadership. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Lowell and a master’s degree in process improvement from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
• M. Margaret “Peg” Palmer ’73, ’77 of South Dartmouth (College of Sciences) is the president of Surface Solutions Laboratories Inc. and CEO of Coatings2Go LLC, which provides coating products for medical devices used worldwide. She has more than 40 years of experience in the formulation and application of coatings and adhesives in several industries by users including Fortune 500 companies. Palmer, a generous supporter of the College of Sciences and UMass Lowell’s Department of Chemistry, has worked with the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), which provides expertise in business, engineering and medicine to startup companies. She has been the featured speaker at many trade shows and other events, including the Society of Plastics Engineers’ ANTEC conference, a premier technical event for the global plastics industry. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Lowell Technological Institute and a master’s degree in polymer science from the University of Lowell. As a student, she was nominated for “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” for her leadership and served as president of the Graduate Student Association, representing students during the merger of Lowell Tech and Lowell State to form the University of Lowell, which later became UMass Lowell. 
• Molly Sheehy ’60, ’82, ’00 of Lowell (Graduate School of Education) was the dean of Middlesex Community College’s Lowell campus before her retirement in 2012. Her history with the college dates back to 1987 when she was the Lowell campus’ first employee and her role was as an outreach officer. She has generously supported UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education, including serving on its advisory board. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women presented Sheehy with its Unsung Heroine Award in 2010 in recognition of her work with the Wider Horizons program, a joint effort of the Lowell Public Schools, Middlesex Community College and UMass Lowell that is intended to encourage peace in Ireland by bringing together teachers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together each summer to teach in Lowell. Sheehy earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the State Teachers College at Lowell in 1960, followed by a master’s degree in reading and language at the University of Lowell and a doctorate in leadership in schooling at UMass Lowell. 
• Bryce Anderson ’04 of Newburyport (Recent Alumnus Award) is the principal of Coffey Design + Build Co., which is involved in all aspects of commercial construction projects in the Boston area and specializes in tenant interiors, health care facilities, hospitality properties and data centers. He has been a generous supporter of UMass Lowell, including serving as a judge for the DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge and attending men’s soccer alumni events. Prior to founding Coffey Design + Build Co., Anderson was a project manager for Metropolitan Construction Co. in Boston. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UMass Lowell in 2004 and a professional certificate in construction management from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu