Armstrong

Chavis

Dottavio

Dull

Ernest

Jonsson

Madia

Scherr

Purdue Agriculture will honor the eight newest Distinguished Agricultural Alumni during a ceremony March 2. They bring to 142 the number of recipients since the award was established in 1992.

“These eight people represent who we are and what we do so well in the College of Agriculture,” says Randy Woodson, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “They are innovators.”

The award honors mid-career graduates of the College of Agriculture who have made significant contributions to their profession or society in general and have a record of outstanding accomplishments. The honorees are:

Robert E. Armstrong, Alexandria, Va. Armstrong, PhD ’85, is a decorated Vietnam veteran, and he is a senior research fellow with the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University.

Christie S. Chavis, St. Louis, Mo. Chavis, BS ’92, MS ’94, is director of commercial strategy and development for Monsanto. Chavis is a member of the Indiana Department of Agriculture’s Grow America Project to foster the public’s understanding of modern agriculture.

F. Dominic Dottavio, Tiffin, Ohio. Dottavio, PhD ’79, is president of Heidelberg College. He formerly was a professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University, where he taught courses on ecosystem management, society and natural resources, and environmental science and natural resources.

William J. Dull, Zionsville, Ind. Dull, BS ’86, is a partner and director of sales and governmental relations for BriarTek Inc. Dull’s company manufactures ORCA, a digital beacon system that can alert a ship if a crew member falls overboard, and is working with the U.S. Navy to install the ORCA safety system on every U.S. Navy vessel.

Byron L. Ernest, Sheridan, Ind. Ernest, BS ’85, is head of the agriculture science and business department for the Lebanon Community Schools. With Ernest as an adviser, Lebanon’s FFA program has been selected as Indiana’s top FFA chapter four times (1990, ’97, ’99 and 2001).

Colleen Jonsson, Birmingham, Ala. Jonsson, PhD ’90, is a senior research scientist at the Southern Research Institute, where she is program leader for emerging infectious disease research, drug discovery division. She also holds an adjunct faculty post in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

John Madia, Indianapolis. Madia, BS ’78, is vice president for human resources and site operations for Dow Chemical Co. Madia received Dow Chemical’s Genesis Award for Excellence in People Development in 1999, recognizing employees who display excellence in developing people at all levels of the organization.

Bruce A. Scherr, Memphis, Tenn. Scherr,
MS ’72, PhD ’74, is chairman of the board and CEO of Informa Economics Inc., an agricultural and commodity research, analysis and consulting firm for more than 750 food and agribusiness firms and organizations worldwide.

The eight distinguished alumni will be honored on Friday, March 2, with a reception at 2:30 p.m. and an awards convocation at 3:30 p.m., both in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom.