Recipients of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards were honored in April at a gala sponsored by the IUP Alumni Association. The following information is from the time of the award presentation. Video profiles appear on the IUP Alumni website.
Christina Louise Bennike ’88
Whether it be in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, or anywhere else in the world, serving others has been the common thread for Christina Louise Bennike ’88. As executive director of Conflict Recovery International, she coordinates efforts to help vulnerable and marginalized survivors of conflict and disaster through effective sustainable recovery solutions. In previous positions, she did similar work in countries including Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her journey began at IUP and continued with master’s and doctoral degrees from La Salle University. Groups such as the US Department of State and the American Red Cross have also recognized her for serving others.
Patrick Cambier ’82
The son of 1949 Indiana State Teachers College graduates, Patrick Cambier ’82 went on from IUP to achieve an Army medical scholarship through the Health Professions Scholarship Program and attend Hahnemann (Drexel) Medical University. He completed an internal medicine residency and a cardiology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and held posts including director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Madigan Army Medical Center, medical staff president and board member at Morton Plant Mease Health Care, medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories at Mease Countryside Hospital, and managing partner of the Heart and Vascular Institute of Florida. A board-certified physician in three specialties, he is a partner with Interventional Cardiology Consultants
Rich Caruso ’83
Before creating his own consulting firm, in a career spanning four decades Rich Caruso ’83 started as a certified public accountant and later served as an executive at several companies, including as chief financial officer at Ravenswood Aluminum, Ormet, July Products, and RG Steel; CEO at Neenah Foundry; and COO at Winner Steel. He serves on the boards of VPX Pharmaceuticals, School Specialty, JW Aluminum, and H-D Advanced Manufacturing, as well as several nonprofits. In college, he was active in Student Government and other organizations, and recently, he served on the National Campaign Cabinet. As a Foundation for IUP board member and former president, he helped spearhead IUP’s $245-million Residential Revival.
Tonya Anthony Hsiung ’00, M’03
The IUP Alumni Association board president since 2021, Tonya Anthony Hsiung ’00, M’03 is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service. As program manager and instructor for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, she trains college and university employees on the administration of financial aid so they can better serve their students. A native of northern Indiana County, she was a graduate advisor to the IUP Ambassadors and was recognized by the Association of Student Advancement Programs. After graduating, she spent nearly two decades working in financial aid at Millersville University and then Franklin & Marshall College before joining NASFAA in 2019.
Mary Moore Morgan ’91
For nearly four decades, IUP was part of life for Mary Moore Morgan ’91, a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service. After graduation, she began a 30-year career that culminated with her role as assistant vice president for Alumni and Friends. After joining the Alumni Relations team, she took a leading role with a new student alumni association, the IUP Ambassadors, helping it grow to become a respected organization. She also helped develop programs that involved volunteer cultivation and engagement, increased student engagement by connecting alumni and students, navigating changing technology, communicating with a diverse constituent base, and creating opportunities for alumni to stay connected with IUP.
Brandie Smith ’94
In 2008, Brandie Smith ’94 came to the national zoo, which she oversees in the nation’s capital. Now, as director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, she oversees both the 163-acre park, which attracts more than two million visitors every year, and the institute, on 3,200 acres in Front Royal, Virginia, and 30 field sites worldwide. Previously, she held positions with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Dallas Zoo. She is also active in organizations that promote international conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. She holds a master’s degree in zoology from Clemson University and a doctorate in behavior, ecology, and systematics from the University of Maryland.
Robin Paul Swan ’78
Retired Army brigadier general and current Pentagon senior executive Robin Paul Swan ’78 filled high-ranking active-military senior command roles in Bosnia and Iraq and was director, Army Strategy, for the Department of the Army. Retiring after 32 years of uniformed service, he joined the Senior Executive Service at the Tier 3 (lieutenant general equivalent) level and reports directly to the secretary of the Army as director, Army Office of Business Transformation. He earned an IUP bachelor’s degree in geology and was a distinguished military graduate. He continues to support IUP’s ROTC faculty and cadets and was the keynote speaker at the program’s 100th-anniversary dinner in 2016.
Daniel Toven 91, ’92
As West Point Band commander, Lt. Col. Daniel Toven 91, ’92 leads the Army’s oldest band. With two bachelor’s degrees from IUP, he earned a master’s at Eastman School of Music before pursuing a master of military art and science at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College. He previously served as deputy commander and associate bandmaster of the US Army Band and as director of the US Army Chorus. He was also deputy commandant at the US Army School of Music. In civilian life, he was the founder, music director, and conductor of the Plum Creek Chamber Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.