Annual Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumni Banquet
The Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet is held the Friday of Homecoming Weekend, October 13, and it will recognize the 2017 Distinguished Alumni.
Merle Crawford ’79
Merle graduated from Slippery Rock with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. After teaching children with multiple disabilities for three years, she went back to further her education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill receiving a Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2004. She also has a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analytics and a Professional Development Certificate in Autism from Penn State University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, and a certified Early Start Denver Model therapist. Merle has been extremely successful in her field and has worked for a variety of social service agencies. Currently, she is self-employed and contracts with several counties in Central Pennsylvania working with infants and toddlers who have developmental delays. In addition to her work in Early Intervention, she works with an adult who has autism. Merle is the co-author of two books. “Early Intervention Every Day!” and “Autism Intervention Every Day!”, books that give strategies to Early Intervention professionals to help parents and other caregivers facilitate skill development. The first book soon will be translated into Turkish. Merle has been a guest reviewer for the Journal of Early Intervention and has presented at several conferences.
Not only has she had a successful career, but Merle and her husband, Greg, are philanthropists to the University. They have an endowed scholarship for special education majors, and also are members of The 1889 Society as they have a charitable gift annuity that benefits SRU now and in the future. Merle and Greg have a son, a daughter-in-law, and a 10-month-old grandson.
Merle currently resides in Hummelstown, PA with her husband Greg.
Education:
SRU B.S.– Special and Elementary Education, 1979.
UNC-Chapel Hill M.S.– Occupational Therapy, 2004.
Ron Hunt ’73, '75
Ron earned his BS in Health/Physical Education from Slippery Rock University in 1973. He was a multiple sport student athlete, who competed in Track and Field, and Football, and later went on to coach football and basketball at SRU. He was later inducted into the SRU athletic Hall of Fame. In 1975, Ronald earned his MEd in Administration and Curriculum of HPE from Slippery Rock University and ultimately an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University in 1983.
Ron currently serves as Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager of corporate banking at S&T Bank in Pittsburgh. Prior to this Ron worked as a commercial lending executive for two large regional banks and through the years has collectively managed assets in excess of $3 Billion dollars for companies that compete in the middle market and mid-corporate sectors.
He has always been one to stress the importance of giving back. His philanthropic spirit is evident throughout the community. He serves as treasurer for the NEED Foundation, an organization that provides career and college access services, and last dollar scholarships for Pittsburgh area youth. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the board of directors, and Chairman of the Audit/Compliance Committee for The Highmark Caring Foundation. The Caring Foundation provides model programming that supports the needs of grieving children throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Ron sits on the executive committee of the Rho Boule and holds the office of Thesauristes, and is currently serving as the Capital Campaign Chairman for the Lota Phi Foundation. He is an active board member for the Mount Ararat Community Activity Center. He is a former Board of Directors member for the Heritage Valley Healthcare system and a former Trustee for the Tuskegee Airman Memorial of the Greater Pittsburgh Region, Lastly, he has been a valuable member of the Slippery Rock University Foundation Board of Directors where serves as a member of the finance committee.
Ron currently resides in Pittsburgh PA with his wife of 44 years, Karen.
Education:
SRU B.S.– Health/Physical Education, 1973
SRU M.Ed.– Adminisration and Cirriculum of HPE, 1975
PSU M.B.A.—Marketing and Finance, 1983
Gail Paserba ’90
Gail enrolled at Slippery Rock State College in 1972 as an Education Major and is where she met her husband, Tom. They were married in 1973. Gail chose to pause her pursuit of an academic degree to start a family. Once her two sons were in school full time she re-enrolled at Slippery Rock University to achieve her goal of earning a Bachelor’s degree, graduating in 1990 with a BS in Elementary Education.After graduation, Gail worked for the Butler County Children’s Center, Glade Run Lutheran Youth and Family Services, and was a GED for Intermediate Unit IV. In 1995, Tom and Gail decided to take a chance and start their own business, International Quality Consultants, to provide Quality Assurance and Quality Control Services. Together, they built a successful international business. IQC offers inspections services to a wide variety of industrial categories including: ISO consulting and auditing services, Quality program development and Training classes to the Nuclear, Fossil, Renewable Energy and Transportation Industries, etc.
Tom passed away in 2013. Gail, with the assistance of her two sons, has been able to continue running and growing International Quality Consultants. With the knowledge she gained working side by side with her husband, Gail stepped into the role as IQC’s President. Under her leadership, IQC has maintained its status as an industry leader providing Quality services around the globe e.g. Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America.Gail is committed to volunteering her time to the Butler Community. Gail is a trustee for Butler County Community College; she sits on the Boards of Butler Health System’s Foundation, Pine Richland Youth Center, and The Endowment for Butler County. Gail works with the Thomas E. Paserba Memorial Scholarship, established to honor members of the Butler High School Track Team. She has been involved with GFWC Junior Women’s Club of Butler, MHY Board of Directors, and CAC of Butler County. Gail has never forgotten the important role Slippery Rock University played in her life and has continued to be loyal supporter of the University.
Gail currently resides in Butler, PA.
Education:
SRU B.A.— Communications, 1985
Elke Suber ’93
Elke Suber is a senior executive with a passion for issues related to technology, intellectual property and diversity. Elke currently serves as the Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft and leads the legal team that supports Microsoft’s physical and digital stores around the world. At Microsoft, Elke has served in a variety of roles, including lead counsel for several of the company's leading consumer products and lead copyright lawyer for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, including Xbox.
Elke is the first African American woman to ascend to the position of Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft. Outside of Microsoft, Elke serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. Elke is a member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Board of Visitors. She also serves on the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sport Industries. Elke is a sought-after speaker and has served as speaker for the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and American Law Institute, BESLA and several law schools, among others. Elke has been featured on the cover and in articles in the Corporate Counsel and MCCA’s Diversity and the Bar magazines, as well as the Huffington Post and Rolling Out Digital Magazine. Elke is a 2011 Fellow of the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity and was named one of the National Bar Association and IMPACT’s 2012 Nations Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers under 40. In 2017, she received the National Bar Association Entertainment Lawyer of the Year Award.
Elke resides in Kirkland, WA.
Education:
SRU B.S.— English Writing, minor in German, 1993
University of Pittsburgh Juris Doctorate, 1996
Merle graduated from Slippery Rock with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education. After teaching children with multiple disabilities for three years, she went back to further her education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill receiving a Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2004. She also has a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analytics and a Professional Development Certificate in Autism from Penn State University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, and a certified Early Start Denver Model therapist. Merle has been extremely successful in her field and has worked for a variety of social service agencies. Currently, she is self-employed and contracts with several counties in Central Pennsylvania working with infants and toddlers who have developmental delays. In addition to her work in Early Intervention, she works with an adult who has autism. Merle is the co-author of two books. “Early Intervention Every Day!” and “Autism Intervention Every Day!”, books that give strategies to Early Intervention professionals to help parents and other caregivers facilitate skill development. The first book soon will be translated into Turkish. Merle has been a guest reviewer for the Journal of Early Intervention and has presented at several conferences.
Not only has she had a successful career, but Merle and her husband, Greg, are philanthropists to the University. They have an endowed scholarship for special education majors, and also are members of The 1889 Society as they have a charitable gift annuity that benefits SRU now and in the future. Merle and Greg have a son, a daughter-in-law, and a 10-month-old grandson.
Merle currently resides in Hummelstown, PA with her husband Greg.
Education:
SRU B.S.– Special and Elementary Education, 1979.
UNC-Chapel Hill M.S.– Occupational Therapy, 2004.
Ron Hunt ’73, '75
Ron earned his BS in Health/Physical Education from Slippery Rock University in 1973. He was a multiple sport student athlete, who competed in Track and Field, and Football, and later went on to coach football and basketball at SRU. He was later inducted into the SRU athletic Hall of Fame. In 1975, Ronald earned his MEd in Administration and Curriculum of HPE from Slippery Rock University and ultimately an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University in 1983.
Ron currently serves as Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager of corporate banking at S&T Bank in Pittsburgh. Prior to this Ron worked as a commercial lending executive for two large regional banks and through the years has collectively managed assets in excess of $3 Billion dollars for companies that compete in the middle market and mid-corporate sectors.
He has always been one to stress the importance of giving back. His philanthropic spirit is evident throughout the community. He serves as treasurer for the NEED Foundation, an organization that provides career and college access services, and last dollar scholarships for Pittsburgh area youth. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the board of directors, and Chairman of the Audit/Compliance Committee for The Highmark Caring Foundation. The Caring Foundation provides model programming that supports the needs of grieving children throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Ron sits on the executive committee of the Rho Boule and holds the office of Thesauristes, and is currently serving as the Capital Campaign Chairman for the Lota Phi Foundation. He is an active board member for the Mount Ararat Community Activity Center. He is a former Board of Directors member for the Heritage Valley Healthcare system and a former Trustee for the Tuskegee Airman Memorial of the Greater Pittsburgh Region, Lastly, he has been a valuable member of the Slippery Rock University Foundation Board of Directors where serves as a member of the finance committee.
Ron currently resides in Pittsburgh PA with his wife of 44 years, Karen.
Education:
SRU B.S.– Health/Physical Education, 1973
SRU M.Ed.– Adminisration and Cirriculum of HPE, 1975
PSU M.B.A.—Marketing and Finance, 1983
Gail Paserba ’90
Gail enrolled at Slippery Rock State College in 1972 as an Education Major and is where she met her husband, Tom. They were married in 1973. Gail chose to pause her pursuit of an academic degree to start a family. Once her two sons were in school full time she re-enrolled at Slippery Rock University to achieve her goal of earning a Bachelor’s degree, graduating in 1990 with a BS in Elementary Education.After graduation, Gail worked for the Butler County Children’s Center, Glade Run Lutheran Youth and Family Services, and was a GED for Intermediate Unit IV. In 1995, Tom and Gail decided to take a chance and start their own business, International Quality Consultants, to provide Quality Assurance and Quality Control Services. Together, they built a successful international business. IQC offers inspections services to a wide variety of industrial categories including: ISO consulting and auditing services, Quality program development and Training classes to the Nuclear, Fossil, Renewable Energy and Transportation Industries, etc.
Tom passed away in 2013. Gail, with the assistance of her two sons, has been able to continue running and growing International Quality Consultants. With the knowledge she gained working side by side with her husband, Gail stepped into the role as IQC’s President. Under her leadership, IQC has maintained its status as an industry leader providing Quality services around the globe e.g. Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America.Gail is committed to volunteering her time to the Butler Community. Gail is a trustee for Butler County Community College; she sits on the Boards of Butler Health System’s Foundation, Pine Richland Youth Center, and The Endowment for Butler County. Gail works with the Thomas E. Paserba Memorial Scholarship, established to honor members of the Butler High School Track Team. She has been involved with GFWC Junior Women’s Club of Butler, MHY Board of Directors, and CAC of Butler County. Gail has never forgotten the important role Slippery Rock University played in her life and has continued to be loyal supporter of the University.
Gail currently resides in Butler, PA.
Education:
SRU B.A.— Communications, 1985
Elke Suber ’93
Elke Suber is a senior executive with a passion for issues related to technology, intellectual property and diversity. Elke currently serves as the Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft and leads the legal team that supports Microsoft’s physical and digital stores around the world. At Microsoft, Elke has served in a variety of roles, including lead counsel for several of the company's leading consumer products and lead copyright lawyer for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, including Xbox.
Elke is the first African American woman to ascend to the position of Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft. Outside of Microsoft, Elke serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. Elke is a member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Board of Visitors. She also serves on the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sport Industries. Elke is a sought-after speaker and has served as speaker for the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and American Law Institute, BESLA and several law schools, among others. Elke has been featured on the cover and in articles in the Corporate Counsel and MCCA’s Diversity and the Bar magazines, as well as the Huffington Post and Rolling Out Digital Magazine. Elke is a 2011 Fellow of the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity and was named one of the National Bar Association and IMPACT’s 2012 Nations Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers under 40. In 2017, she received the National Bar Association Entertainment Lawyer of the Year Award.
Elke resides in Kirkland, WA.
Education:
SRU B.S.— English Writing, minor in German, 1993
University of Pittsburgh Juris Doctorate, 1996