Dickman ’82, Downs ’96 and Pyle ’83 are Distinguished Alumni honorees
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and its Alumni Association will award Distinguished Alumni awards to three deserving graduates at the Alumni Association Awards Night on Thursday evening, May 1, at the Weidner Center.
The 2014 recipients are:
• Craig Dickman, a 1982 Business Administration grad and the founder, CEO and chief innovation officer for Breakthrough Fuel, Green Bay. Dickman has won acclaim for his innovative approach to supply chain logistics and fuel cost management. In less than a decade, Breakthrough has grown to become a partner to some of American industry’s leading brands. Dickman is the inventor responsible for two patents for energy management and has additional patents pending with the United States Patent Office. He is a member of UW-Green Bay’s Council of Trustees and Foundation Board, and in December he delivered the commencement address at.
• Constance Downs received her master’s in Environmental Science and Policy in 1996. She is a longtime administrator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Since 2011 she has been associate director of the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory Program Division — a position that brings her into content with researchers including UW-Green Bay faculty members. Downs also led the EPA’s “E-Docket” initiative and Regulations.gov project which provide online access to all federal regulations and comments opportunities. She was previously a marketing consultant to companies in Japan, Australia, the United States and elsewhere doing business in Pacific Rim countries.
• Bob Pyle, a 1983 Business Administration grad and president and CEO of Pioneer Metal Finishing, is active in the Green Bay community in support of the University and local non-profits. He joined Pioneer in 1998 as vice president of sales and marketing, after previous experience with Fort Howard Corp. and KI. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2001 and president in 2002. Under his leadership, the company has grown from 450 employees to over 1,400. Pyle was a member of the Phoenix golf and team MVP in 1983. He is a longtime supporter of the Phoenix Fund and the Green Bay golf and basketball programs.
See photos and additional information on the Distinguished Alumni honorees.
Outstanding Recent Alumni are Miller ’01, Osman ’08
Also to be recognized at the May 1 Alumni Association Awards Night program will be JoAnn Miller ’01 and Crystal Osman ’08, recipients of the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award.
• JoAnn Miller, who graduated in 2001 with a major in Biology and minor in Environmental Science, was the 2013 Wisconsin State Teacher of the Year. She teaches college prep biology, Advanced Placement biology, and Intro to Human Biology (for college credit with UW-Green Bay) at Oconto Falls High School. She was named her district’s teacher of the year in 2012 and was recognized statewide with a prestigious Kohl Teacher Fellowship that same year.
• Crystal Osman, a 2008 graduate of the undergraduate program in Environmental Policy and Planning, is a widely recognized ambassador for Green Bay revitalization as program manager for the non-profit business improvement districts Downtown Green Bay, Inc., and Olde Main Street, Inc. Osman, in addition to advocating for business development, has championed green space, sustainability and cultural initiatives to enhance urban life.
See photos and more on Miller and Osman.
