Alumni Achievement Awards

2024 Alumni Achievement Awards

Talip Kilic ’04

• Graduated summa cum laude from Knox with a double major in economics and international relations and received his Ph.D. in economics from American University in Washington, D.C.
• Senior Program Manager for The Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS), the World Bank's flagship household survey program that strives to measure and understand household welfare to shape policy decisions.
• His work spanned Albania, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Serbia, South Africa, South Sudan, St. Lucia, Sudan and Yemen. 
• Was leader of the LSMS+ initiative to enhance the availability and quality of survey data collected on key dimensions of men’s and women’s economic opportunities and welfare.
• Led the LSMS-High-Frequency Phone Surveys initiative for routine monitoring and tracking responses to and socioeconomic impacts of large-scale shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and extreme weather events.

Pam Schuller ’09

• Graduated from Knox with a major in Psychology and holds an M.A. in advocacy and policy, and certificates in executive coaching and DEI methods.
• Diagnosed with Tourettes as a teen, she transformed those obstacles and harnessed her adversity as the driving force for success.
• Globally recognized disability and mental health advocate and professional stand-up comedian.
• Consultant on inclusion best practices with industry giants like Disney, Google, GEICO, and Salesforce.
• Founder of HereNow, a Jewish teen initiative that promotes mental health, wellness and resilience through creative opportunities and platforms.

Terry Smith ’63

• Graduated from Knox with a major in mathematics and received a graduate degree in mathematics with a specialization in computer science.
• Served as an IBM contract programmer for NASA charged with the responsibility of providing lunar landing module flight path information during Apollo missions.
• Hired as the first programing employee of Landmark Graphics, a pioneer company in exploration for oil by displaying seismic data onto computer screens.
• Formed Antares (Andy + Terry) with Andy Hildebrand and provided early development of Auto-Tune pitch correction software.
• Developed and maintained a data base used by a consortium of pediatric doctors from six major hospitals studying how best to treat children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
• Hired by Control Dynamics to develop computer systems to solve problems for a variety of industries. One of these projects was developing cruise control software for tugboats to maximize fuel efficiency.
• Terry has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and taught GED math classes for second-language learners.

2024 Young Alumni Achievement Award

Oliwia Zurek ’10

• Graduated with honors from Knox with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, and earned her Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases.
• Oliwia published multiple papers at the doctoral and postdoctoral level on her research, and has traveled extensively to speak about  her research.
• Served on a team of six M.D. and Ph.D.s at Standford Business College that developed an ovarian cancer diagnostics venture, which t was pitched to investors and ultimately led to licensing.
• Served in U.S. and global leadership roles in clinical trials and FDA market launches for chronic disease treatments.
• Mentors students and gives back by helping strangers find their dream roles.