Alumni to receive distinguished service, recognition awards during University of Richmond's Reunion Weekend

April 10, 2008

Five University of Richmond alumni will be recognized for professional and academic achievements during Reunion Weekend on campus April 12.

Four will receive the Alumni Association's Award for Distinguished Service, and one will receive the Tenth-Year Reunion Recognition Award from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the Reunion Rally, scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Robins Center.

The Alumni Association chooses distinguished service award winners for outstanding contributions to their profession, communities and alma mater. They are:

Melanie Liddle Healey, B'83, Cincinnati, Ohio Healey is group president of global feminine and health care of Procter & Gamble. She discovered her passion for marketing while an undergraduate at Richmond, where she earned a marketing degree from the Robins School of Business. Born in Brazil, Healey returned there after college and got her first job as an assistant brand manager for S.C. Johnson & Sons. Fortune Magazine named her to its 2007 list of "50 Most Powerful Women." The Wall Street Journal named her one of its "50 Women to Watch 2007." She serves on the University of Richmond Alumni Association board of directors and the Jepson School national advisory council.

William E. Long, B'50, Richmond, Va. Retired from 19 years each as a high school assistant principal and coach, Long is now a high school football and track and field official. The Army drafted him for service in World War II during his first semester at Richmond in 1940, and he served in France, Holland and Germany. After the war, he returned to college and graduated with a degree in business. But coaching and education became his life's work. Long is a member of the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame and has been recognized by the National Football Coaches Foundation.

Leland Melvin, R'86, Lynchburg, Va. Melvin is an engineer and NASA astronaut who in February completed his space mission aboard the shuttle Atlantis. At Richmond, Melvin set school records as a football wide receiver and graduated with a degree in chemistry. After an injury prematurely ended his NFL career, Melvin earned a graduate degree and went on to work in the development of fiber optics. He was named to the astronaut corps in 1998 and has won eight Outstanding Performance and two Superior Accomplishment awards from NASA. He is a member of the university's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Carole M. Weinstein, W'75, G'77, H'04, Richmond, Va. Weinstein is vice chairman of Weinstein Properties and a noted philanthropist who recently pledged $9 million toward the construction of the Carole Weinstein International Center, a new building to enhance the university's rapidly growing international programs. She and her family have funded several buildings and a variety of academic enhancements at Richmond. She has served on the university's board of trustees and received an honorary doctor of letters degree in 2004. A member of the Jewish Family Services Board and the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, Weinstein also supports the Virginia Holocaust Museum, Jewish Community Center and Commonwealth Public Broadcasting. She and husband Marcus live in Richmond.

The Jepson School's Tenth-Year Reunion Recognition Award honors an alumnus who best exemplifies the school's values and mission, as well as professional and scholastic achievement in public service and leadership. Maia Carter Hallward, '98, of Acworth, Ga., an assistant professor of political science and international affairs at Kennesaw State University, is this year's recipient.

A 1998 summa cum laude graduate of the Jepson School, she teaches courses on Israel and Palestine with an emphasis on peace and conflict resolution. She has conducted research in both Israel and Jordan. Along with teaching, she is associate editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development. Hallward speaks five languages and is a member of the governing body of the Friends General Conference.