The College of Health Sciences Hall of Distinction recognizes alumni or loyal friends of the College who have achieved exemplary professional success, accomplished productive citizenship, are committed to others, and serve as role models of success. Through their extraordinary achievements, they have established a lasting legacy of excellence.
The Hall of Distinction serves to inspire our current students. It is a symbol of the respect and admiration held by the College of Health Sciences for these celebrated alumni and friends.
Hall of Distinction Members
Kristin Butterworth
Culinary
A 2002 graduate of IUP's Academy of Culinary Arts, Kristin Butterworth is the executive chef at Lautrec, at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. She has been a featured chef three times at the James Beard House, in New York City, and has received the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond awards every year since 2010. She was also a semifinalist in the James Beard Best Chefs in America contest in 2018 and 2019, and she was honored as one of Pittsburgh Magazine's 2018 40 Under 40. She has worked at the Inn at Little Washington, as well as numerous other Forbes-rated properties, such as the Latilla at the Boulders Resort, in Arizona; the Georgian Room at Sea Island Resort, in Georgia; and the Windsor Court Hotel, in Louisiana.
Susan Heck
Nursing (Respiratory Care)
Susan Heck earned her bachelor's degree in respiratory care from IUP in 1976. Since then, she has used her education and experiences in the medical field to gain the reputation as a healthcare expert with firsthand clinical knowledge, extensive senior-level hospital operations experience, and nearly 20 years of providing consultative services. In her current role as senior vice president at Corazon Inc., in Pittsburgh, Heck is involved in strategic planning, physician practice and operations management, clinical quality performance, and healthcare IT services for hospitals and physicians nationwide. She is a shareholder in the firm and is also a member of Corazon's board of directors.
Kathleen Lang
Human Development, Fashion, and Interior Design
A 1981 IUP graduate, Kathy Martin Lang is a senior national account executive for Enesco Gift Company, selling to department stores and national chain stores, where she travels the country working with the headquarter buying teams. Lang is recognized in the industry for her strategic planning, negotiating skills, relationship building, merchandising solutions, custom product development and presentation planograms, marketing plans, and new business development. Her previous work experience includes national account sales manager at Lenox China and buyer at Kaufmann's department store.
Bryan Marince
Hospitality Management
After graduating from IUP in 1979 with a degree in hospitality management, Bryan Marince began a more-than-four-decade career in the foodservice industry. He is currently the director of corporate dining and special venues for Parkhurst Dining Services, where he oversees more than 20 locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Ohio. His responsibilities include sales, strategic planning, budgets, human resources, guest relations, standards review, contractual adherence, training, and marketing. Prior to this, Marince worked for the Stouffer Hospitality Group for 20 years, starting out as an assistant kitchen manager at the Top of the Triangle restaurant, in Pittsburgh, before taking other positions with the company in Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Alexandria, Virginia, before coming back to Pittsburgh as general manager of the Roxy Caf and the Cheese Cellar Restaurant and Bar.
Paul McIntyre
Employment and Labor Relations
Paul McIntyre, who earned his master's degree from IUP in Employment and Labor Relations in 1984, has spent the past three decades working around the globe for several international companies. He is currently the group director of people for WorleyParsons, based out of Houston, Texas. He has held several human resources and labor relations positions with firms, including the National Labor Relations Board, Shell Oil Company, BHPBilliton Petroleum Americas, and BP. More recent roles have been the vice president of Human Resources for BP America; global head of Resourcing for BP in London; and chief human resources officer in Mumbai, India. McIntyre also serves on the board of directors of Lean In Energy.
Gregory Palchak
Safety Sciences
Gregory Palchak, who graduated from IUP in 1973, has held positions over his nearly 40-year career at PPG Industries Inc., culminating in his current position as PPG's global director of safety and health. Previously, he held positions including coatings divisional director of Environmental Affairs; glass divisional director of Environmental, Safety, and Health; and glass divisional manager of Industrial Hygiene, as well as several plant safety directorships. He earned status as a diplomat and certified industrial hygiene professional by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. He served on many professional and community boards dedicated to improving the science and management of safety and health locally and internationally, including the Allegheny County Air Pollution Control Board, the Conference Board on Safety and Health, and the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Christopher Stewart
Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Science
Christopher Stewart, who recently completed his 13th season as the head athletic trainer for the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, graduated from IUP in 1993 and returned to earn his master's degree in 1996. With the Penguins, Stewart has been a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams (2009, 2016, 2017) and he was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes' team that won the championship in 2006. Prior to his one season with the Hurricanes, Stewart was the trainer for the American Hockey League's Lowell Lock Monsters for one season, and before that, he worked for Western Pennsylvania Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic as an athletic trainer for his hometown Johnstown Chiefs, of the East Coast Hockey League, from 1996 to 2004.
David Holben
Food and Nutrition
David Holben, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND, a 1985 IUP graduate, is a professor of nutrition at the University of Mississippi, where he is also a Gillespie Distinguished Scholar and director of the Office of Food and Nutrition Security. He is registered dietitian nutritionist and former commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve Medical Specialist Corps. Building upon a clinical nutrition and basic science background, Holben's research focuses on food insecurity and health outcomes of people in North America, as well as using food to teach math and science to disadvantaged youth. Of particular interest is exploring the relationship of diabetes, obesity, and other conditions to food access across the lifespan, and optimizing solutions for food access and security to promote health and wellness.
Brian Payne
Criminology
Brian Payne, who earned his bachelor's (1988), master's (1990), and doctoral (1993) degrees from IUP, is the vice provost for academic affairs at Old Dominion University, where he is also tenured in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. He is a former editor of the American Journal of Criminal Justice and past president of the Southern Criminal Justice Association and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Payne is the author or co-author of more than 160 journal articles and seven books, including White-Collar Crime: The Essentials (Sage), Family Violence and Criminal Justice (Elsevier, with Randy Gainey), Crime and Elder Abuse: An Integrated Perspective (Charles C. Thomas), and Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach (Sage, with Will Oliver and Nancy Marion). He is also the founding chair of the Hampton Roads Cybersecurity Education, Workforce, and Economic Development Alliance.