Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will honor Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the Honorable Diane Kavadias Schneider and Jeff Strack, president and CEO of Indiana Grocery Group, as its third annual PNW Alumni Hall of Fame class.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome these three accomplished PNW alumni and friends of the university to our Alumni Hall of Fame,” said PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon. “They have remained loyally connected and integrally involved in PNW’s forward direction as a catalyst for our region. Their induction attests to their fervor in helping make Northwest Indiana the best place it can be for its community members.”
’PNWs Alumni Hall of Fame honors alumni who are high-achieving leaders in their fields, involved members of their communities and who have engaged with PNW well beyond their time as students. The three 2024 inductees will be honored April 4 during a reception and dinner hosted in Alumni Hall in the Student Union and Library Building on PNW’s Hammond campus.
“The PNW alumni office is looking forward to honoring Mayor McDermott, Judge Kavadias Schneider and Jeff Strack in the 2024 PNW Alumni Hall of Fame,” said Katie Holderby, director of Alumni Engagement at PNW. “Their achievements, accomplishments and generosity will be celebrated and inspire others to reach greater heights.”
Ticket and sponsorship information will be announced in early 2024. A percentage of registration proceeds will support the PNW Alumni Legacy scholarship.
In spring 2023, PNW inducted three impactful alumni in its second annual class, including Robert Johnson III, Stewart “Stu” McMillan and Alfredo “Al” Sori. Johnson serves as President and CEO of Cimcor, Inc. in Merrillville, Indiana. McMillan is the founder of the Multi Agency Academic Cooperative (MAAC) Foundation in Valparaiso, Indiana. Sori led a distinguished career with Kiewit Corporation, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations.
David A. Roberts, retired chairman, president and CEO of Carlisle Companies Inc., was the inaugural PNW Alumni Hall of Fame inductee in 2022. Roberts is a longtime supporter of STEM education and PNW developments that benefit the Northwest Indiana community, including the Roberts Impact Lab, the David Roberts Center for Innovation and Design, and the Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center.
For more information, visit pnw.edu/hall-of-fame .