Five alumni, who advance the mission of university through volunteer efforts — ensuring the university’s impact on our community and future generations of students — will be honored on Thursday, April 18, at the 52nd Annual Outstanding Alumni Service Awards. All alumni are invited to attend the event, hosted by the George Washington Alumni Association.
Learn more about the 2013 recipients:
Brian Herrman, GWSB BBA ’77, is president and chief executive officer of Z-Medica Corporation. Z-Medica develops, manufactures and sells hemostatic medical devices to hospitals, EMTs, law enforcement and military forces worldwide. Mr. Herrman began his career with Ernst & Young, where he was a partner in the audit, consulting and entrepreneurial services divisions. He left Ernst & Young to invest in a client in 1992, ultimately selling the product to a German company in 1998. He then specialized in turnarounds, raising capital for companies in reorganization and managing them until an acquisition. In 2003, Mr. Herrman agreed to direct Z-Medica’s worldwide M&A and investments efforts, and became CEO in 2008. Mr. Herrman received his BBA in accounting from GW in 1977. In addition to serving on the GWSB Board of Advisors, he is on the boards of two other medical device companies and his church. Mr. Herrman and his wife, Cherie, who also attended GW, live in Connecticut and have three sons.
Kathy Megyeri, GSEHD MA ’69, CCAS MA ’82, holds degrees in English Education and Gerontology, but her finest achievement at GW was meeting her husband, Les Megyeri. Collectively, the Megyeris hold five degrees from GW. Ms. Megyeri taught high school English for 34 years in Montgomery County, MD. She is the recipient of two Fulbright teaching fellowships; one to Kyiv, Ukraine and another to Malaysia and Borneo. Ms. Megyeri has received three National Endowment for the Humanities summer teaching fellowships, the Distinguished Alumni Award from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and the 1995 Distinguished Educator Award at Sherwood High School in Olney, MD. She now writes for publication and contributes to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She is proud of her affiliation with the GW Luther Rice Society, the Heritage Society, and Women in Philanthropy Seminars. The Megyeris have helped endow a government contracts professorship at GW’s Law School and are committed to continuing to serve the university.
Richard Popiel, CCAS BA ’75, SMHS MD ’81 & GME ’83, is executive vice president for Healthcare Services and chief medical officer for the Regence Health Insurance Company.
Formerly, Dr. Popiel served as president and chief operating officer of Horizon Healthcare Innovations. Prior to this, he served 10 years as vice president and chief medical officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. In addition, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of Horizon Healthcare of New Jersey, as well as numerous other organizations. He has held many leadership positions for other organizations, including serving as chair of the National Council of Physician and Pharmacy Executives. In addition to his GW degrees, Dr. Popiel also holds an MBA from Northwestern University. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine as well as fellowship training in Toxicology. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Popiel currently lives with his wife in the Portland, Oregon area, and his two sons are undergraduates at GW.
Lilien F. Robinson, CCAS AA ’60, BA ’62 & MA ’65, is professor of art history at GW and a specialist in 19th-century European art. Educated in Serbia and Switzerland, she completed her BA and MA in art history at GW and her PhD at Johns Hopkins University. At present, she is engaged in two major projects: sole author of a book on Serbian secular painting and contributing author and co-editor of a book on Serbian art between the two World Wars. Co-Editor of the journal, Serbian Studies, and past president of the North American Society for Serbian Studies, and member of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Prof. Robinson has presented conference papers and published on a broad range of subjects in Serbian art. Through lectures at the National Gallery of Art , the Smithsonian Institution and the Corcoran Gallery as well as membership on the Works of Art Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Professor Robinson has made contributions to the community. She chaired her department for 22 years and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate for 16 terms, and has served on a wide-range of university committees. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Columbian College Excellence in Teaching Award and the George Washington Award.
Michelle D. Rubin, ESIA BA ’91, is vice president at Regional Properties, Inc., a Beverly Hills based Real Estate Development Company. In her role, she is involved with the development and construction of the commercial and retail properties, including overseeing the management of about one million sq. ft. of company built and managed projects. Prior to joining Regional Properties, Ms. Rubin spent 14 years as a corporate meeting and event planner. She was founder and owner of Eva Communications, a meeting management and consultancy firm and prior to that held meeting management positions at Champion International Corp., WorldTravel Partners and BTI Americas. Ms. Rubin was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is active in numerous philanthropic endeavors, including positions such as: chair of the GW National Athletic Council, past co-chair of the GW Luther Rice Society and Member of the Board (Development Committee co-chair) at GW Hillel.
