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December 9, 2024
EVANSTON - The 2017 Northwestern Alumni Medal -- the highest honor given by the Northwestern Alumni Association -- will be bestowed this fall on a television producer; an entrepreneur in the finance and banking sector; an electrical engineer with 30 patents; and a White House correspondent.
Mara Brock Akil ’92; John “Mac” McQuown ’57; Milton “Chip” Morris ’92, ’04 MBA; and Kelly O’Donnell ’87 will share their Northwestern experiences Oct. 6 at the “President’s Alumni Medalist Panel: My Northwestern Direction” during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.
Open to the public, the discussion will be led by Northwestern President Morton Schapiro.
The Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their fields. It also recognizes superior professional distinction and exemplary volunteer service to society, along with an outstanding record of service and support to the University.
2017 Alumni Medal recipients
Mara Brock Akil ’92
Akil is an award-winning television writer, creator and producer, and co-founder of Akil Productions. She has several hit television series under her belt, including “Girlfriends,” “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane.” Up next for Akil is the highly anticipated DC Comics series “Black Lightning,” of which she is co-creator and executive producer.
John “Mac” McQuown ’57
An environmentalist and entrepreneur in the finance and banking sector, McQuown created the first stock index fund with his colleagues at Wells Fargo Bank in the early 1970s. He has founded and built several businesses in financial services, technology and California’s fine wine industry.
Milton “Chip” Morris ’92, ’04 MBA
An electrical engineer and inventor who holds 30 patents, Morris is the president and CEO of NeuSpera Medical, a California-based startup that creates implantable medical device technology to improve the lives of patients with chronic illnesses.
Kelly O’Donnell ’87
O’Donnell is the Capitol Hill and White House correspondent for NBC News. She is an award-winning veteran political reporter who has covered a broad range of assignments around the globe, including presidential politics, the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Iraq war and four Olympic Games.
Visit the Northwestern Alumni Association website to read more about the Northwestern Alumni Medal or to submit a nomination for the 2018 Alumni Medal. Nominations must be submitted by Aug. 1.
