SVSU Alumni Honor Seven Outstanding Graduates, Student

Top Grad Helped Merge Health Care Companies Into Global Firm

May 20, 2012
By: Dave Rogers

Among honorees at the Saginaw Valley State University Alumni Awards event Friday night were several former and current local and area residents.

Bay City native Rita Munley Gallagher, RN, Phd, was honored as the outstanding alumnus of the College of Health & Human Services. She attended Delta College and SVSU where she received her nursing degree in 1979. She received a master's in Community Health Nursing and her Phd in Sociology from Wayne State University.

Dr. Gallagher is a former senior policy fellow, American Nurses Association, dean of the Nursing School at Dominican University in San Rafael, California, and continues as a health care consultant with the Gallagher Companies, Washington, D.C.

"We must plant shade trees we will never sit under," said Sylvester Jones Jr., featured alumnus speaker at the awards event.

Mr. Jones, program officer for the Ruth Mott Foundation in Flint, offered a series of inspirational insights for a crowd of more than 100 honorees, relatives and guests.

Among his admonishments were: "We have an obligation to advocate for the least of those -- the less fortunate. To whom much is given, much is required."

He recalled coming to Delta College from Flint with friends in a pumpkin orange 1971 Chevrolet Nova and living in the dormitories. He was graduated with an associates degree from Delta, from SVSU with a bachelor's in Sociology and Central Michigan University with a master's in Administration.

Lynnette Cooke, global CEO of Kantar Health, New York City based global health care-focused consultancy, was honored with the 2011-2012 Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor given by the SVSU Alumni Association.

Throughout her career, Cooke has held senior positions in research and product management. In 2009, she led the creation of Kantar Health by uniting Consumer Health Sciences, MattsonJack, TNS Healthcare, Ziment and All Global.

She also continues to provide clients with lifecycle planning and marketing consultation. the firm serves pharma, biotech and diagnostic companies and health care equipment providers.

"I'm committed to creating a culture that will attract clients because they know we will help them grow their business," Cooke said.

Ms. Cooke was graduated from SVSU in 1988 with a bachelor of business administration (B.B.A.) degree.

She serves on the CASRO (Council of American Survey Research Organizations) board of directors and on the advisory board for the Master of Science in Marketing Research at Michigan State University. In 2010, she was named one of the 100 Most Inspiring People in the life science industry by PharmaVOICE magazine.

Ms. Cooke has been honored with the 2011 R.R. Fordyce Award by the Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Group (PMRG). In honor of industry leader Richard "Dick" Fordyce, this award is given each year to a recipient who exemplifies the principles of excellence, innovation and integrity in pharmaceutical market research.

In her spare time, Lynnette enjoys spending time with her husband and son as well as skiing, listening to music and following Formula One Racing. She is also a long-time advocate of Angel's Place, an organization that supports adults with developmental disabilities.

Other alumni awards went to:

John Hamilton, formerly of Saginaw, director of Congressional Affairs for the National Archives and Records Administration, College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences;

Don McAnelly, CPA, Rehmann Saginaw office, College of Business & Management; Gregory Green, principal, Clintondale High School, College of Education; and

Dr. Ronald Miller, dermatologist, Lansing, College of Science, Engineering & Technology.

The Young Alumni Award went to Abdullah Wafa, medical student at Michigan State University; and the Future Alumni Award went to Vance Fulton, senior in the College of Business and Management. ###