University Honors Alumni Frank J. O’Hara Awards at Reunion

Jun 13, 2014

The University of Scranton will honor five individuals with the Frank J. O’Hara Award at its Reunion 2014 O’Hara Award Ceremony Friday, June 20, on campus. University of Scranton alumni receiving awards are David C. Blake, Ph.D., J.D., of Hermosa Beach, Calif., class of 1969; Jane A.  Conway, Ph.D., of New York City and Philadelphia, class of 1979; Michael Fairbanks of Boxford, Mass., class of 1979, who received an honorary degree from the University in 2006; John “Jack” J. Gallagher, Esq., of Annapolis, Md., class of 1969; and John “Jack” O’Malley, Ph.D., of Scranton, class of 1964.

David C. Blake, Ph.D., J.D. ’69

Dr. Blake is vice president of the Corporate Integrity Program for Cedars-Sinai Health System, Los Angeles, Calif., serving as the company’s chief compliance officer and chief privacy officer, as well as overseeing the integrity of health care operations and business practices.

Dr. Blake was formerly a vice president with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. Previously, Dr. Blake was chair of the Department of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, Calif., where he founded the Bioethics Institute. He is the author of numerous articles on ethical and legal issues in health care. He continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Law School.

Dr. Blake founded and currently chairs a Chief Compliance Officers Roundtable at the American Hospital Association. He serves as an ethics advisor for the California Science Center, and has served on various committees for the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Los Angeles County Medical Association, among others. Dr. Blake currently serves on the executive committee of The University of Scranton Alumni Board of Governors.

Dr. Blake is a graduate of the Army R.O.T.C. program at the University and served in the U.S. Army at various instillations in the United States and the Republic of Korea.

 

Jane A.  Conway, Ph.D. ’79

Dr. Conway is executive vice president of Alpha Financial Markets Consulting’s (Alpha FMC) U.S. business, responsible for overseeing practice development, business development, sales and client management. Alpha FMC is a global provider of consulting, benchmarking and implementation services to asset and wealth management companies and the companies that service them.

Dr. Conway has more than 25 years of experience providing business performance solutions for some of the world’s largest and most complex asset managers, owners and service providers. Her expertise includes: business transformation strategy and new operating models; product development; and change management and performance improvement.

Prior to Alpha FMC, Dr. Conway held a number of senior executive roles with several companies, including Infonic AG, State Street Corporation and, most recently, ChangeArchitects, which she established in 2007. She has also served as a board member for a number of non-profit organizations and started an online venue booking internet company, imbookin.com.

Dr. Conway earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University and her master’s and doctorate degrees specializing in perceptual/cognitive psychology from Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y. Dr. Conway currently serves on the executive committee of the University’s Presidents Business Council.

 

Michael Fairbanks ’79, H’06

Fairbanks is a fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., a director of the Akilah Institute for Women and a director of the both the Rwanda Biomedical Center and Silver Creek Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he was a U.S. Peace Corps teacher in Kenya and has been a chief executive in both the private and philanthropic sectors.

Since 2001, Fairbanks has been senior advisor to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda. He worked with two dozen presidents in Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia. He worked in Colombia during “the Apertura,” El Salvador after the peace accord, Serbia after the Yugoslav wars, Rwanda since the genocide, Afghanistan during the war, and Haiti before and after the earthquake in 2010.

He co–authored Harvard Business School’s book on business strategy in emerging markets, “Plowing the Sea, Nurturing the Hidden Sources of Advantage in Developing Nations.” He also edited a book of essays on enterprise solutions to poverty and has written numerous articles for various media outlets including: The New York Times, Huffington Post, Washington Post and Philanthropy Magazine

After graduating from the University, Fairbanks studied African politics at Columbia University, New York, N.Y. He was a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. In 2006, he received an honorary degree for his “accomplishments and devotion to social justice” from The University of Scranton, where he also served on the Board of Trustees for six years.

 

John “Jack” J. Gallagher, Esq. ‘69

Atty. Gallagher retired in 2012 after 21 years as a partner in the Washington, D.C., Employment Law practice of Paul Hastings LLP, an international law firm of approximately 1,000 lawyers. At Paul Hastings, he established and led a practice group that specialized in the representation of major airlines on labor and employment matters. His clients included American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines.

During his distinguished legal career, he was named as one of Chambers’ “Best Lawyers in America” each year since 2003, and was recognized in the Corporate Counsel and Washington, D.C., editions of Super Lawyers each year since 2007. In 2004, he was elected to membership in the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers.

Atty. Gallagher earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University and his J.D., with distinction, from Cornell Law School, Ithaca, N.Y. In 2011, he returned to Cornell Law School as Distinguished Practitioner in Residence to teach a course on employment law. Following his retirement, he has served as an adjunct professor at the Pennsylvania State Law School.

He has served on the University’s Board of Trustees and, most recently, served as the founding chair of the University’s Council of Alumni Lawyers and has organized visits to Washington for the pre-law students to meet with University alumni who are practicing lawyers. 

 

John “Jack” O’Malley, Ph.D. ’64

Dr. O’Malley is professor of psychology emeritus at The University of Scranton. He has serve as a member of the University’s faculty for more than 40 years. During his tenure, he was chair of the Psychology Department, faculty advisor in the CAS Academic Advising Cente and NCAA faculty athletics representative. The graduating class of 2009 voted him as Teacher of the Year.

Dr. O’Malley also chaired successful campaigns to endow two scholarships at the University, including one in honor of his son: The Ryan T. O’Malley Scholarship.

He is currently chair of the Bochicchio Sports Character Initiative, a group of more than 100 professional educators and coaches who volunteer their time and expertise organizing and teaching workshops for coaches, parents and young athletes. The Initiative has held an annual conference at The University of Scranton since 2006 and has welcomed many distinguished speakers.

Dr. O’Malley’s deep commitment to sportsmanship, youth sport and coach education has earned him numerous honors, including the Rev. Paul R. Beining Service Award from The University of Scranton, the Sports Ethics Fellow Award from the Institute of International Sport and an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award from the Pennsylvania State Athletics Directors Association. In 2012, he was inducted into the Northeastern chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

He earned his master’s degree and doctorate in experimental psychology from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.

The O’Hara Awards, named for a late administrator who faithfully served the University for 53 years, are the highest honor bestowed jointly by the University and its Alumni Board. The awards recognize Scranton graduates and others who have achieved distinction in their professional or personal endeavors.

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