By James Irwin
Six George Washington University alumni will receive the Alumni Outstanding Service Award in April for their volunteer efforts in support of the university.
The awards are given to alumni for their contributions to university programs. They will be presented at the 55th annual Alumni Outstanding Service Awards ceremony April 7 at the Marvin Center.
A glance at the 2016 honorees:
Gilbert Cisneros, B.A. '94
Mr. Cisneros and his wife, Jacki, have made significant contributions to improving Hispanic education in the United States in recent years. The couple donated $7 million last summer to create the GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute, which provides college scholarships to students and offers a pre-college program to high school juniors. Mr. Cisneros is a member of the National Council for Arts and Sciences and the GW Athletics Board of Advisors.
Pascale Dumit, B.S. '03, M.S. '05
Ms. Dumit has held various leadership positions with the GW Engineering Alumni Association over the past 10 years, serving as chair from 2013-15, co-chair from 2011-13 and treasurer from 2005-08. She also served as a board member of the George Washington Alumni Association from 2011 to 2013.
Richard Frisch, B.A. '78
Mr. Frisch began his media career at CBS and later helped develop the broadcast division for Reuters TV before moving into communications consulting. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences graduate is a member of the National Council for Media and Public Affairs.
Jay Katzen, B.A. '67, M.D. '72
A native Washingtonian and member of the GW Board of Trustees, Mr. Katzen has built on the philanthropic efforts of his parents, Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen, who made a $10 million gift to GW in 2008 to fund a range of cancer research initiatives. Today, Dr. Katzen oversees the family foundation, which has contributed substantial resources to many local charities and organizations, including the Cheney Cardiovascular Institute and Katzen Cancer Research Center.
Mark Shenkman, M.B.A. '67
A member of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Shenkman’s philanthropic donations and leadership roles at the university are numerous. He has supported several programs at the School of Business and funded the move and expansion of Veterans Memorial Park to its current location on Kogan Plaza. In 2013, he established the Shenkman Seminar Series at the Graduate School of Political Management. In 2014, he and his wife, Rosalind, donated $5 million to support the GW Career Services Enhancement Initiative and the F. David Fowler Career Center.
Maxine Freund, M.A. ’73, Ed.D. ’81
Dr. Freund will receive the Jane Lingo Alumni Outstanding Service Award—presented to a faculty or staff member who is a GW graduate and who consistently advances the mission of the university through dedicated volunteer efforts in support of its programs. She currently serves as associate dean for research and external relations at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, where she advances the research efforts of GSEHD faculty and students collaborating on local, national and international funding endeavors.
