On June 8, 2019, Seton Hill presented the University’s Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award to 10 alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in one or more of the following areas: education, business and professions, science and technology, arts, voluntary services, military service and philanthropy.  The alumni honored include: Sarah “Sally” Lyon Loughran (SHU ’63) of Greensburg, Pa.; Audrey Fedyszyn Jakubowski Lazarus (SHU ’64) of Durham, N.C., whose sister, Mary Schafer accepted the award; Kathleen Moloney (SHU ’69) of Frederick, Md.; Patricia Boyd Giuli (SHU ’69) of Boulogne, France; Debbie Englert Tripod (SHU ’74) of Island Heights, N.J.; Sharon McCullough Nies (SHU ’79) of Latrobe, Pa.; Elizabeth Grinnell (SHU ’79) of Las Cruces, N.M.; Lisa Anne Scales (SHU ’84) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Jessica Picklo (SHU ’04, MBA ’08) of Johnstown, Pa.; and Katie Aikins Monsour (SHU ’06) of Blairsville, Pa.

Seton Hill University established the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awards in 1987 to recognize graduates who demonstrate outstanding achievement and leadership in education, business and professions, science and technology, arts, voluntary services and philanthropy. The Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award is one of the highest honors given by Seton Hill to a graduate. The Distinguished Alumni Leadership Young Alumni Achievement Award and the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Service Award are two additional awards the University presents to recognize outstanding Setonians.

Sarah “Sally” Lyon Loughran (SHU ’63) is an active community volunteer. Sally graduated from Seton Hill with a bachelor’s degree in art – a degree that she has used extensively in her volunteer work in the community. Her association with The Westmoreland Museum of American Art goes back to 1969 when she began serving on its Women’s Committee. She remains a member of the committee 50 years later and served as its vice president for a term. In 1984, she began volunteering as a docent at the museum and has mentored other volunteer docents over the years. Sally is a member of the board of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, which sponsors an annual juried art show at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier. She is also a member of the Bishop’s Council for the Heritage Center for the Diocese of Greensburg, a repository for Diocesan history and treasures. She has been active with the Diocese of Greensburg in other ways, having worked as a marriage preparation coordinator for 17 years and establishing the Sponsor Couple program to help guide young people entering marriage. She served on the Parish Council at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral and is presently on the parish’s Bethlehem Project Advisory Committee to fight homelessness. Sally’s service to Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital as a volunteer and as a Hospital Auxiliary Member goes back to 1966. She currently volunteers at the St. Vincent DePaul Store in Greensburg, recruits Bell Ringers for the Salvation Army and is a board member of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. For her good works, she was awarded the Bishop’s Medal of Honor in 2013 and received the Cribs for Kids Woman of Achievement Award in the Arts in 2017.

Audrey Fedyszyn Jakubowski Lazarus (SHU ’64) spent her career in leadership roles for major pharmaceutical companies. After graduating from Seton Hill with a degree in Chemistry, Audrey earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She spent most of her career handling regulatory affairs for major pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Inc., DuPont Merck, SyStemix Inc. and SuperGen. At DuPont, she served as Vice President of Worldwide Regulatory Affairs, managing a global staff of 100 people responsible for both development and marketed product. She initiated a Diversity Task Force at DuPont Merck to facilitate organizational awareness of women and minority needs in the workforce. While working at SuperGen, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel oncology drugs, Audrey lived in China for three years where she served as a visiting professor at Peking Union Medical College. She also served the Minister of Health and the President of Peking Union Medical College as a consultant. Audrey retired in 2018 after serving as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at Targazyme, Inc. During her professional years, she served as a member of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Regulatory Affairs Steering Committee and chaired its Task Force on FDA Advisory Committees. Audrey was also an invited speaker at numerous professional meetings, both in the United States and in Europe, sponsored by the Drug Information Association, the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, and the Food and Drug Law Institute.  

Kathleen Moloney (SHU ’69) has served others through her work as a journalist and through her volunteer efforts. After graduating from Seton Hill with a degree in European History, Kate began her career in journalism and public service. She worked as a reporter and editor at a variety of publications, including The Jersey Journal, the Dayton Journal-Herald, The Houston Post, The Gazette Newspapers, Knight-Ridder Tribune Wire Service and Stars and Stripes. Within a year of graduating from Seton Hill, Kate received an award from The Newspaper Women’s Club of New York for a series of articles she wrote about the problems experienced by the elderly in Hudson County, New Jersey. She also spent a year working in the offices of Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman and Senator John Glenn as part of the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship program. In addition, Kate earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and a Master’s degree in Communication from American University in Washington, D.C. While bringing up her children, Kate took on volunteer roles, serving as president of their elementary school in Minneapolis and writing and editing at community newspapers and newsletters in Minnesota and Texas. And she has long been committed to giving back to Seton Hill, serving in a number of alumni leadership roles, including as a board member, secretary, vice president and president of the Seton Hill Alumnae Corporation. Kate recently endowed a new fund for editors of Seton Hill’s student newspaper the Setonian - The Hollowood Grant – in honor of her mentor and former adviser Sister Miriam Jane Hollowood from whom she learned a great deal about newspapers.

Patricia Boyd Giuli (SHU ’69) has used her skills in both French and English to allow everyone from elementary school students to high-level business leaders to communicate effectively between languages. After earning her Seton Hill degree, Patricia began her career teaching English to French pupils in the primary schools of Arles, France as part of an exchange program between York, Pennsylvania and the ancient city. Over a nearly 50-year career, Patricia taught English to adult students in Paris, offer instruction to the engineers and managers of a rubber importing company in Puteaux, and provided coaching to directors of two Parisian banks. As an instructor for high-level bank directors, Patricia taught English but was also an advisor, public speaking coach and even psychologist during private lessons that extended many years. She has also had varied experiences as a translator in such diverse fields as advertising, medicine and surgery, financial texts and even poetry. Patricia has been called on to conduct simultaneous translation in international conferences at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Patricia has also taken an upfront role in organizing international medical and surgical congresses held by the World Organization for Specialized Studies in Diseases of the Esophagus, an organization founded by her husband. She has organized gala events at the Versailles Palace and at the Conclave Hall in Avignon where Cardinals gathered in the 14th Century to elect the Pope. Patricia also earned both her Master’s degree and Doctorate in Compared Literature from the Sorbonne in Paris. 

Debbie Englert Tripod (SHU ’74) has focused much of her life on family - both bringing up her four children and running the family business. After graduating from Seton Hill with a degree in accounting, Debbie began working in the accounting department of Heublein, a company whose brands included Smirnoff, Inglenook wines, Kentucky Fried Chicken and A-1 sauce. Over her 12 years with the company, she moved up to sales and then became manager of the mergers and acquisitions department. While working at Heublein, Debbie earned her MBA from the University of Hartford. After the company was sold to R.J. Reynolds, Debbie joined her family’s business, Englert Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of metal roofing and gutters. She became President and Chief Executive Officer 20 years ago. Over that time, Debbie grew the company from 200 employees to more than 800. She sold the company in March 2019. Debbie has given back to her community in numerous ways. She served as Vice Chairman for Raritan Bay Hospital for 10 years and was also on the board for CPC Behavioral Healthcare, a provider of choice for mental health, substance use and special education services for children, adults and families. Recently, Debbie began working with Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham, New Jersey to serve as a mentor to the university’s business students.  

Sharon McCullough Nies (SHU ’79) has spent her entire career with First Commonwealth Bank – moving up the ranks from bank teller to Vice President – while also serving as a community volunteer. Sharon joined First Commonwealth Bank as a teller shortly after graduating from Seton Hill with a degree in merchandising. Through her career, she has held many roles, including customer service representative, assistant branch manager, branch manager, commercial portfolio specialist and corporate relationship manager. Sharon is currently a vice president in First Commonwealth’s Corporate Banking Division. In the community, Sharon has served on the Board of the American Heart Association, Westmoreland County Chapter, as secretary. She represented First Commonwealth Bank as a Loaned Executive with the United Way of Westmoreland County and is currently a member of the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Westmoreland County. Having previously served on the Winners’ Circle of Westmoreland County Award Committee, she is now a member of the YWCA of Westmoreland County Rising Star Award Committee and is involved with Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Westmoreland as a member of the Board of Directors and the Fall Gala Committee. A member of Saint Vincent Basilica Parish in Latrobe, Sharon and her husband enjoy volunteering as hosts for the annual Saint Anne Home Progressive Dinner. Sharon gives back to Seton Hill as a member of the Doug Wood Memorial Golf Classic Planning Committee and has facilitated partnerships between Seton Hill and First Commonwealth over the years, including the establishment of an endowed scholarship. 

Elizabeth Grinnell (SHU ’79) has had three careers since graduating from Seton Hill working as a Navy Commander, a Diocesan Chancellor and the Executive Director of a foundation.  Elizabeth entered the Navy after earning her psychology degree from Seton Hill. During her 21-year Naval career, Elizabeth was responsible for military security and law enforcement in the southern Florida Keys; commanded a Military Entrance Processing Station in San Antonio, Texas for all branches of the armed forces; and served as the Navy’s subject matter expert for Education and Training Management by developing curricula for eight universities.  After retiring with the rank of Commander in 2000, Elizabeth began her second career as Chancellor for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico. While there, she helped restructure diocesan offices to ensure vital services were provided to parishes and missions, especially during the economic recession. An advocate for those impacted by domestic violence, Elizabeth was privileged to coordinate a series of public hearings and listening sessions for Bishop Emeritus Ricardo Ramirez as he wrote, “Speaking the Unspeakable – A Pastoral Letter on Domestic Violence.” In 2007, while still working as Chancellor, Elizabeth began her third career in philanthropy by serving as Vice President and Executive Director of the Enchanted Life Foundation, her family’s foundation started by her mother, the late Norma J. Lutz Spina, a 1950 Seton Hill graduate and herself a Distinguished Alumna. Elizabeth built the foundation’s structure, including developing the policies and procedures for grants, training and developing the board, and planning for succession. The Enchanted Life Foundation supports Seton Hill students through scholarships. 

Lisa Anne Scales (SHU ’84) has dedicated herself to ending hunger as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, but her initial career path started in a different direction. After graduating from Seton Hill, she earned her law degree from Boston University - following in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as attorneys. But she realized she was more passionate about ensuring basic needs are met than she was about the law and, in 1992, became part of Just Harvest, a Pittsburgh advocacy group that works to reduce hunger and poverty. Four years later, Lisa joined Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank as supervisor of its Green Harvest program. She was promoted to the Food Bank’s Chief Operating Officer in 2002, and, in 2012, was selected as the president and CEO. Lisa is looking to not only meet people’s immediate needs but to help stabilize their lives so they no longer need food assistance. Under her leadership, the Food Bank has developed innovative partnerships with the medical community to improve health outcomes; created a community impact department that maximizes the use of data and technology to measure performance; and established a new distribution model to ensure the delivery of more fresh food to families. Lisa has served as an elected member of the National Council for Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and served as co-chair of its Produce Enterprise Strategy Committee. She currently serves as vice-chair of Feeding Pennsylvania. In 2018, Lisa received the Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Award for her outstanding efforts in the community.

Jessica Picklo (SHU ’04, MBA ’08) has managed human resources for a variety of companies. Jessica, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Information Management and Human Resource Management from Seton Hill, began her career at JWF Industries in Johnstown as a human resources assistant. While working there, she earned her Seton Hill MBA in 2008. After taking on a variety of roles at JWF over the next 11 years, including strategic management roles, Jessica pursued opportunities at Environmental Tank & Container as production manager and at DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center as a compensation analyst. Three years ago, she began working as Human Resource Director for LifePoint Health Business Services, where she developed all human resource policies and procedures for the new facility, has established recruiting relationships with area educational institutions, and created flexible work schedule policies to increase employee satisfaction. She led the recruitment of more than 200 new employees to the venture. Jessica is active in the Johnstown community. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, actively participates in United Way events and the Johnstown MS Walk and is a past member of the JWF Cares Committee. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Business Management with a specialization in human resources. 

Katie Aikins Monsour (SHU ’06) has taught at the college and graduate levels for more than a decade, but she has found her greatest joy teaching eighth and ninth graders in the Marion Center School District. After graduating from Seton Hill with a bachelor’s degree in English literature, Katie went on to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to earn her master’s degree in Teaching English. She has taught at a variety of higher education institutions throughout southwestern Pennsylvania at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including: Westmoreland County Community College, Seton Hill University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Butler County Community College.  For six years, Katie served as the Coordinator of English Education at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where she received the Mountain Cat Award as Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year in 2016 and was named Sigma Tau Delta’s English Professor of the Year in 2014. In 2016, Katie earned her Doctor of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She served as Interim Executive Director of the Evergreen Boys & Girls Club in Indiana, Pennsylvania before joining the Marion Center School District in August 2018, as an English teacher. Katie is active in her community as a board member of Four Footed Friends and the Evergreen Afterschool Club. She has been a liturgical assistant at United Presbyterian Church of Blairsville and a volunteer with the Blairsville Area Historical Society. She has given back to Seton Hill as a co-founder of the Community Advocate Scholarship, a fund for students who want to serve as interns in community service organizations. Katie led her senior seminar students at Seton Hill to social action projects to raise funds for the scholarship. 

Photo Identification: (Seated, Left to right): Jessica Picklo, Patricia Boyd Giuli, Kathleen Moloney and Elizabeth Grinnell; (Standing, Left to right): Katie Aikins Monsour, Sharon McCullough Nies, Lisa Ann Scales, Mary Schafer (accepting the award for Audrey Fedyszyn Jakubowski Lazarus), Debbie Englert Tripod and Seton Hill President Mary C. Finger.