Alverno College Alumnae Association
2007 Award Recipients
Sister
Joel Read Outstanding Alumna Award
 Kiyoko Toyama '81, is president of NKK Switches.
She enrolled in the first Weekend College program in 1977 and shortly after her graduation in 1981, she took a position in the operations department at NKK Switches, a Japanese company with U.S. headquarters in Arizona. Toyama's significant accomplishments were rewarded with her promotion to vice-president and director in 1984 and president in 1999. Under her leadership, NKK Switches has received several prestigious awards and remains a leader in the switch industry. In addition, Toyama has been involved with several organizations including Phoenix Children’s Hospital, The American Cancer Society, Parkinson’s Foundation, Season for Sharing and Bringing Hope to Single Moms, among others. While growing her career, Toyama has been active with her alma mater by serving as a member of the Silver Circle and as an alumnae board member from 1993-94.
Spirit
of Alverno Award
 Catherine Dowdell '91
Dowdell served for seven years – 1993 to 2000 – as a member of the alumnae board, including one year as board president. Dowdell was instrumental in her role as chair for the committee that organized the college’s first "Vintage Wines, Dazzling Minds" wine tasting event and auction to benefit the Alverno College Alumnae Endowed Scholarship Fund. She also served as co-chair for the event to keep committees on task, and secured sponsorship for the event. In addition, Dowdell is a member of the Silver Circle and Heritage Society. She is a dedicated employee to SC Johnson, where she serves as senior research services manager, and was the 2002 recipient of the H.F. Johnson Community Service Award.
Professional
Achievement Award
 Roberta (Steiner) Akalin '68
Roberta Akalin has been an educator with the Kenosha Unified School District for more than 30 years, serving as a counselor for Tremper High School, a counselor and dean of students at Lance Middle School and a counselor at Lincoln Junior High School, among many other roles such as consultant, interim principal and program adviser. In 2005 she was selected for induction in the Southeastern Wisconsin Educators’ Hall of Fame for her commitment to education, and she has also received a Distinguished Service Award from the Kenosha Unified School District. In addition, Akalin has taught and developed courses at University of Wisconsin – Parkside, holds membership in several professional educational organizations and has been actively involved in numerous community and service activities.
Young Professional
Achievement Award
 Aimee Gironimi '04
Gironimi is continuing her education in Alverno’s Master of Arts program. Gironimi has worked tirelessly as the Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) administrator at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW), where she was integral in developing the national affiliate program. Project ADAM, a program of the Herma Heart Center at CHW, helps schools implement defibrillation programs and determine the need for automatic external defibrillators. In addition, Gironimi was named to the Herma Heart leadership team at CHW, and was named a 2007 Changemaker Award winner via Public Allies-Milwaukee for achievement in community service and leadership.
Service
to the Community Award
 Pat (Klauer) Rauch '62
Rauch is one of two women who, in 1990, began gathering clothing and household items for people in need and distributing them free of charge. This effort began in a friend’s basement and in Rauch’s garage, and in 1995 the collection of items was moved to a house where Lake Country Caring (LCC) was born. In 2005, LCC moved to its new location in Hartland and since its beginnings, LCC has served more than 3,000 families. Through LCC, Rauch is committed to helping others by recruiting and coordinating volunteers, raising funds, sorting donations, guiding clients to additional sources of assistance, and bettering the lives of those in her community.
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