If you know Yellow Jackets who deserve recognition for their service to Tech and their community, nominate them for one of the Gold & White Honors, the Alumni Association's most esteemed recognition. Nominations are open from July 1 to Sept 11. Please email your nominations to emily.newman@alumni.gatech.edu .
ALUMNI HOUSE
A New Gold Standard
These Eight Alumni and Friends of Georgia Tech Truly Help to make the Institution Shine
PROFILES BY ROGER SLAVENS | PHOTOS BY KAYLINN GILSTRAP
Every year since 1934, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association has recognized the Ramblin’ Wrecks who stand out not only for their professional accomplishments, but also for their service to society and the Institute. They are business and education leaders, engineers and scientists, innovators and pillars of their communities. And they’ve made our world a much better, brighter place. The 2020 Gold & White Honors recipients represent the best of Georgia Tech—its alumni, faculty, staff and friends. Let’s meet the eight individuals we’ve singled out for their contributions and successes to be honored in Atlanta this February at the 2020 Gold & White Honors Gala.
Valerie Montgomery Rice
President of the Morehouse School of Medicine
Valerie Montgomery Rice has been a pioneer throughout her stellar medical career. She’s the sixth president of the Morehouse School of Medicine and the first woman to lead the institution. She’s a world-renowned infertility specialist and researcher and has held leadership roles at health centers around the country. That includes serving as the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry
Medical College, one of the Nation's first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color. But if you ask this distinguished Georgia Tech alumna what her greatest accomplishment is—and what she still strives to do every day—she will say it’s “changing the paradigm of who can be trained in medicine.” Montgomery Rice adds: “We need greater diversity in the field. We have to continue empowering black men and women, and other underserved minorities, to pursue higher education and medical degrees.” After all, the data shows that when everyone works together, learns from one another and develops cultural awareness and empathy, the medical profession and the level of care it provides advances, she says. “I’m most proud of the fact that the Morehouse School of Medicine has been on the forefront of the discussion and efforts on diversity,” Montgomery Rice says Her leadership role extends far into the medical community, both in Atlanta and across the nation. She’s a member of several influential boards, including the National Academy of Medicine, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, the Horatio Alger Association and many others. Montgomery Rice went to Georgia Tech to become an engineer, and though she ultimately decided to switch to a chemistry degree before heading off to Harvard Medical School, she often draws upon her experiences at the Institute as a source of great resolve. “Tech prepared me for a life of study and rigor and discipline,” she says. “My coursework was difficult and very humbling at the time, but as I look back I now know how invaluable it was to building up my confidence and determination.”
Dean Griffin Community Service Award
This award recognizes alumni who have performed exemplary community service in the following ways: service in a long-term volunteer capacity; impact on the quality of life of others; leadership and creativity in dealing with societal problems; and serving as a source of inspiration for others.
James "Jim" R. Borders, ME '83
President- CEO of The Novare Group
After spending more than a year of his life working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico—both as a summer engineer and in his first job after graduating from Georgia Tech—Jim Borders abruptly realized he really didn’t want to be a mechanical engineer after all. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do instead exactly
—maybe business, maybe law—but I was a good problem solver and wanted to solve a different set of problems,” Borders says. So he shifted gears and earned a joint JD/MBA degree from a certain university northeast of Atlanta. However, Borders says, it was his time at Tech studying engineering and honing his problem-solving skills that formed a foundation for excelling in his new studies. And it helped propel him into a succesful career in real-estate development.“It started when I had an opportunity to buy a self-storage facility here in Atlanta,” Borders says. “I had spent a few years as an attorney, then some time as a turnaround consultant, but I felt that entrepreneurial tug to build a business. I passed the hat around to my friends, and was able to make that first purchase with their help.” It was one of the best decisions he ever made. Bolstered by early success, Borders began to invest in more storage facilities, office buildings and, eventually, apartment buildings and condominiums. The company he founded, the Novare Group, grew rapidly: Since 1998, Novare has overseen the development of more than 15,000 residences in 48 communities around the country, including the “SkyHouse” brand and 38 high-rises. Novare also redeveloped the historic Biltmore Hotel and sold it to the Georgia Tech Foundation. Always inclined to share the rewards of his success, Borders quickly turned to his alma mater to pay it forward. “The first thing I really got involved with was giving to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund,” he says. Borders has also played an instrumental role in the growth of Tech Square and the City of Atlanta as centers for innovation. He serves on the board of Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures LLC, a non-profit where he and his wife Sarah have focused their philanthropy and which supports technology startups and research activities at Georgia Tech.
Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award
The highest award conferred by the Alumni Association, honoring alumni who have provided outstanding support of the Institute and Alumni Association throughout a lifetime and who have provided leadership in their chosen professions and local communities.
Andrea L. Laliberte IE '82, MS IE '82
Former Coach Inc. Executive and Georgia Tech Executive in Residence
Sometimes class reunions provide the spark for a new chapter in life. In the case of Andrea Laliberte, with her 25th reunion from Georgia Tech approaching, she found herself marveling at all the Institute had done for her and her career. And she wanted to give back. “Not just as a thank you,
but also to give future students that same opportunity I had to attend Tech and succeed,” Laliberte says. In the midst of a stellar 19-year career as a top executive at Coach Inc., from where she eventually retired as senior vice president of distribution, Laliberte knew she had real-world expertise she could share with new generations of Yellow Jackets. She joined the Georgia Tech and Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISyE)Advisory Boards in 2008, then was elected as a trustee of the Alumni Association in 2011. Two years later, she joined Tech full-time as the Edenfield Executive in Residence and a Professor of the Practice in ISyE, where she got the opportunity to teach students about real-world applications of their studies, develop their leadership skills and advise them on their career paths. “I run into my former students and I’m always so humbled to see the impact I’ve had on their lives,” Laliberte says. “Teaching and advising them proved to be the most rewarding part of my second career.” Laliberte is a past chair of the Alumni Association Board, and currently serves as trustee for the Georgia Tech Foundation and sits on the Alexander-Tharpe and College of Engineering Boards. She created two endowed scholarships—one that she says is academic-based for out-of-state, women engineering students, and another that is designed to support a student-athlete who plays on the women’s basketball team. “In my first semester as an executive-in-residence at Tech, I rented a two-bedroom apartment in the graduate-family housing complex near McCamish Arena,” she says. “I found myself going to women’s basketball games regularly and wound up getting directly involved with the team. I was lucky to be able to help them afford to go on their international trip—which is a great experience for student-athletes who don’t often get an opportunity to study abroad.”
Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award
The highest award conferred by the Alumni Association, honoring alumni who have provided outstanding support of the Institute and Alumni Association throughout a lifetime and who have provided leadership in their chosen professions and local communities.
The Honorable John J. Young, Jr., AE '85
Principal of JY Strategies
John Young always knew he wanted to be an engineer. He also knew from a young age that he wanted to work in Washington, D.C., on military programs and policy. Sure enough, with ample know-how and grit he learned as an aerospace student at Georgia Tech, he accomplished both of his lifelong goals.
Young did well in math and science in high school, and found his way into Tech, even though it was a financial hardship for him and his mother. So he took advantage of Tech’s co-op programs and worked eight quarters for General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, earning money so he could stay in school while gaining real-world experience working on the F-16 fighter program. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke at Tech about the need for more engineers to participate in the Washington policy process. Motivated by her comments, Young applied and was selected for the U.S. Senator Sam Nunn Intern Program, where he did a research project on the Strategic Defensive Initiative (better known as Star Wars) proposed by President Ronald Reagan. For one quarter, he was living his dream at this critical intersection of technology, politics and policy. After successful stints as an engineer at BDM and Rockwell International, he received a fellowship from Sandia National Laboratories to go to D.C. and pursue his passion for defense. He served on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee reviewing defense research programs. He was nominated by George W. Bush for three Pentagon positions—finally serving as the Under Secretary for Defense Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, where he advised the Secretary and Deputy Secretaries of Defense on $200 billion of defense programs and led a workforce of more than 126,000. He left the DoD in 2009 and founded JY Strategies, a consulting firm that provides strategic insight to companies who work on defense programs. Despite his time away in Washington, D.C., Young still was able to find opportunities to stay engaged with Tech. He was asked to join the Aerospace Engineering School Advisory Council, on which he still serves as chair emeritus. He’s also been a Tech parent, with two of his sons earning their degees from the Institute.
Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award
The highest award conferred by the Alumni Association, honoring alumni who have provided outstanding support of the Institute and Alumni Association throughout a lifetime and who have provided leadership in their chosen professions and local communities.
Archel Bernard, STC 11
Head Bombchel in charge of the Bombchel Factory, Monrovia, Liberia
Archel Bernard is truly a force of nature and fashion. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 2011, she returned to her ancestral homeland of Liberia to find opportunities to celebrate African style and culture. She was born in America to refugees from a nation that was still struggling to rebound from a brutal cival war.
By 2014, Bernard found herself in the midst of another deadly disaster in Liberia: An Ebola outbreak had begun to devastate the country. But Bernard didn’t back down. After leaving briefly for her safety, she came back more determined than ever to start an ethical fashion company—The Bombchel Factory—and provide disadvantaged women opportunities to develop workplace skills and become self-sufficient. Despite the long odds she faced, Bernard succeeded.“It’s been a challenge, but The Bombchel Factory is now self-sustaining and growing,” Bernard says. “Ethical fashion is becoming more popular all over the world, and we get a lot of love for what we do.” What’s most important to Bernard are the women she’s helped. “My first employee, Beatrice, is an Ebola widow who is my same age,” Bernard says. “When she first came to us, she couldn't even write her name. Since then she has learned how to sew, of course, but also how to read and write. Beatrice is the breadwinner of her family and she’s able to pay for her daughter to go to school.” Overall, Bernard says that 25 women have come through her workplace training program to learn skills from pattern-making to accounting. “In a country where education is severely lacking, we are proving that learning a few, key skills can be the way out of poverty for women,” she says. Bernard’s clothing can be purchased online through The Bombchel Factory store. Her sportswear has been featured annually at New York Fashion Week and in several international magazines. More fashion shows are planned for the future, and Bernard is spending more of her time in Atlanta—and on Tech’s campus—trying to expand the market in the United States for her clothes while exploring other new projects.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The award is given to Georgia Tech alumni who have not reached their 40th birthday by February 13, 2020, and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, the community and their profession.
John A. Hanson, IE 11
Co. Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager, Riverstone Advisors LLC.
When John Hanson was an industrial engineering student at Georgia Tech, he helped set up the Student Alumni Association and took full advantage of its fledgling Mentor Jackets program, which pairs students with alumni in their fields. He was surprised to be matched with Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer, IE 89. But that mentor-student pairing showed Hanson that you could—
with great success—apply a Tech engineering background to virtually any industry. While Ehmer went into the restaurant business to much success, Hanson has quickly made his mark in the wealth management, personal finance and banking fields. “Not surprisingly, you’re seeing financing and investing companies recruit more and more engineers,” Hanson says. “Solid analytical and problem-solving skills are in high demand.” Today, following stints as an analyst for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Porsche Cars, Hanson puts his data-crunching expertise to work for clients at Riverstone Advisors, where he manages approximately $190 million in assets for individuals and families across the United States. “As much as I like the analytical side of this business—digging into the details—I also really love the personal aspect of it,” he says. “It’s very fulfilling to know that I’m helping people make smart investing decisions so they can best provide for their families and future generations.” Because he got so much out of his mentoring experience at Tech, Hanson volunteers every academic year to pay his success forward and help current Yellow Jacket students. “I give them advice on career development, how to get a headstart on personal finance, and point out experiences they should take advantage of while they’re still at Tech,” he says. Hanson has also been heavily engaged with the Alumni Association on numerous fronts since he graduated, serving as a member of the Young Alumni Council and as the president of the Dekalb County Alumni Network. He and his wife, Stephanie Hanson, CS 12, have their first baby on the way and can’t wait to bring her to games and indoctrinate her into the Georgia Tech family.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The award is given to a Georgia Tech Alumni who have not reached their 40th birthday by February 13, 2020, and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, the community, and their profession.
Joseph "Joe" R. Bankoff
Professor of The Practice, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
One of Joe Bankoff’s greatest skills is the ability to bring out the best in the people around him. His leadership and teambuilding abilities—not to mention his close relationship with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn—led Georgia Tech to recruit him to chair the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs after he had spent the previous six years as president-CEO of Atlanta’s Woodruff Arts
Center. Originally an attorney by training and an expert in intellectual property law, Bankoff worked at King & Spalding for 34 years, rising to senior partner. In fact, it was at the Atlanta law firm that he began his long-term association with the Institute. In 1998, he helped fellow law partner Nunn, who joined King & Spalding after retiring from the U.S. Senate, create the first Nunn Policy Forums at Georgia Tech. Today these forums still bring together top minds—across a variety of fields and sectors—to discuss critical policy issues at Tech. When recruited by Provost Rafael Bras and then President G.P. “Bud” Peterson to lead the Sam Nunn School at Tech, he asked Nunn for advice. “Sam told me to take the position, even though I had a JD, not a PhD,” Bankoff says. “I wasn’t looking for a job, but the three of them thought I could help elevate the school.” Under his direction, the Sam Nunn School has thrived. “I soon found out how extraordinarily talented the faculty was, and in a surprisingly wide range of fields—from international affairs to economics to modern languages,” Bankoff says. “I was energized by the breadth and depth of courses we could offer students. My role was simply to be a facilitator and grow everyone in their strengths.” Bankoff also recruited more top talent to join the school, including two distinguished Tech alumni from the highest ranks of the U.S. military: former Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, AE 78, and Army General Philip Breedlove, CE 77. Today he still co-teaches the popular “Global Issues and Leadership” course alongside them, delving into the hot-button topics facing the world. Even though Bankoff stepped down as chair earlier this year, he remains an engaged Professor of the Practice.
Honorary Alumni Award
Honors any non-alumni who have devoted themselves to the greater good of Georgia Tech. The Alumni Association's Executive Committee selects and approves the recipients for this award.
Valerie "Val" Hoppe Peterson
Former First Lady and Queen Bee of Georgia Tech
Val Peterson will likely never be forgotten as Tech’s “Queen Bee.” For 10 years, she created her own buzz across the Institute, publicly championing student and faculty causes while she supported her husband, Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, in a true work-life partnership.
And though she’s now retired, she is still a regular presence on campus and an unbridled force of personality and positivity. “When one door closes, another one opens,” says Peterson, who is enjoying a welcome change-of-pace from the intensity of being “all in for all things Georgia Tech” over the past decade. She’s now able to focus on other things that matter dearly to her that often lost out to the demands of the Institute—namely, her family (including a 3-year-old grandson and 6-month-old twin granddaughters) and her passion for yoga. A teacher by training—specifically the Spanish language at all levels—she still teaches yoga classes for students in family housing on Tech’s campus. “Immediately after stepping down as First Lady, I took my Level 4 yoga training,” she says. “I’ve been certified in yoga for years, but this has really stretched my horizons being able to explore its rich history and philosophy alongside its physical aspects.” Reflecting on her tenure at the Institute, Peterson is proudest of being a vocal advocate for change. She served as a campus leader and advisor for a number of mental health initiatives over the years. That included acting as the chief spokesperson for Tech Ends Suicide Together, a zero-suicide initiative that she presented to the Association of American Universities Parners in Washington, D.C., this past April. She’s also acted as a mentor to a variety of students and their campus organizations, and was involved with a number of programs aimed at improving diversity across Tech. In June, the couple was honored by the creation of a new G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Valerie H. Peterson Scholarship Endowment Fund. With a grant coming from the Georgia Tech Foundation and pledges from more than 100 Tech alumni and friends that has so far totaled over $17 million, it is the largest single scholarship fund established in Institute history.
Honorary Alumni Award
Honors any non-alumni who have devoted themselves to the greater good of Georgia Tech. The Alumni Association's Executive Committee selects and approves the recipients for this award.