Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet was held the Friday of Homecoming Weekend, October 11, and recognized the 2024 award recipients.
Eric L. Conley '90
Eric Conley, a seasoned health care executive, serves as the executive vice president and president of acute and post-acute care at Sentara Health, where he has been making an impact since earlier this year. With a career spanning more than three decades, Conley has consistently demonstrated his dedication to improving health care systems across the country.
Before joining Sentara, Conley was at the helm of Froedtert ThedaCare Health’s South Region, where he also served as the president of Froedtert Hospital in Wisconsin. Under his leadership, Froedtert Hospital, the largest in the state and a Level I Trauma Center, achieved a #10 ranking in the Vizient database for excellence in high-quality care. Conley’s leadership was instrumental in enhancing operational effectiveness and patient care across the organization’s seven neighborhood and community hospitals.
Conley’s career is marked by his commitment to operational leadership, service line management and strategic planning. His roles have included:
Conley earned his bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Slippery Rock University in 1990 before obtaining his master’s degree in hospital administration from The Ohio State University.
He is an active board member of several professional and community organizations, including the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Black Arts MKE, the Mental Health Emergency Center and Vivent Health, the Leverage Network, Board Member, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, and the American Heart Association.
Eric Conley, a seasoned health care executive, serves as the executive vice president and president of acute and post-acute care at Sentara Health, where he has been making an impact since earlier this year. With a career spanning more than three decades, Conley has consistently demonstrated his dedication to improving health care systems across the country.
Before joining Sentara, Conley was at the helm of Froedtert ThedaCare Health’s South Region, where he also served as the president of Froedtert Hospital in Wisconsin. Under his leadership, Froedtert Hospital, the largest in the state and a Level I Trauma Center, achieved a #10 ranking in the Vizient database for excellence in high-quality care. Conley’s leadership was instrumental in enhancing operational effectiveness and patient care across the organization’s seven neighborhood and community hospitals.
Conley’s career is marked by his commitment to operational leadership, service line management and strategic planning. His roles have included:
- Division vice president at KentuckyOne Health, in which he established a system-wide service line structure.
- Vice president of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he oversaw daily operations and implemented strategies to improve patient care.
- Vice president of operations at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, as he helped launched a pediatrics practice that grew to 400 patient visits per month within nine months.
Conley earned his bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Slippery Rock University in 1990 before obtaining his master’s degree in hospital administration from The Ohio State University.
He is an active board member of several professional and community organizations, including the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Black Arts MKE, the Mental Health Emergency Center and Vivent Health, the Leverage Network, Board Member, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, and the American Heart Association.
Nicola Henry-Taylor ’93
Judge Nicola Henry-Taylor was elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in November 2021 and was assigned to the Family Division effective Jan. 3, 2022. Prior to ascending to the bench, she interned for Judge Justin Johnson, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and worked as a Law Clerk for President Judges Charles Alexander (Clarion County) and Thomas Doerr (Butler County). She was employed by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office in 2001 where she prosecuted Mental Health Court cases and joined them in the law firm of K&L Gates in 2007, before starting her own private practice in 2010 where she focused on family and criminal law.
Henry-Taylor’s work dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and access to justice includes time serving as the diversity director for the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. She served two terms as a commissioner on the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission, was a member of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness – Legal Academics Working Group, and was a former member of the Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Board of Advisors. She also served on the board of advisors for the Homeless Children’s Education Fund earlier in her career.
Over the span of her career, she has been an active participant in the legal community. She is a founding member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Diversity Collaborative (now known as the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion). She is the former chair of the ACBA Judiciary Committee and Women in the Law Division. She is active in the ACBA Homer S. Brown Division, Family Law Section, and Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee. She served as an inaugural co-chair to the PBA Legal Academics Committee.
She previously served two terms on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board Committee. Henry-Taylor was on the executive board of the ACBA when she served two terms as secretary. She is also a fellow of the Allegheny Bar Association Foundation. Henry-Taylor has been appointed to the ACBA nominating committee on a number of occasions in addition to ad hoc committees addressing issues such as the judiciary committee, police use of force and bail. She is chair of the ACBA Ad Hoc Committee regarding the Summer Diversity Clerkship Program.
With respect to leadership since she has been on the bench, Henry-Taylor was appointed by Chief Justice Debra Todd to the Pennsylvania Continuing Judicial Education Board of Judges in January 2023. She joined The National Association of Women Judges and The Clifford Scott Green Chapter of the National Bar Association in 2023 (Philadelphia). Henry-Taylor is an active member of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges in the Juvenile Section and appointed to the legislative committee for the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed Henry-Taylor as a member of the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethic Fairness in 2024.
Among her many awards, Henry-Taylor was the recipient of the 2022 OWN Onyx Woman of the Year Award, the 2021 Josh Gibson Foundation Civil Service Award, the 2019 Allegheny County Bar Association WLD Carol Los Mansmann Helping Hand Award, the 2017 New Pittsburgh Courier Women of Excellence, the 2016 Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania Susan B. Anthony Award, the 2015 Duquesne Women’s Law Association Woman of the Year Award, and the 2009 Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee Rising Star.
She graduated cum laude with her bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University in 1993 and enrolled as a first-generation law student at The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, graduating in 1996. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Coraopolis NAACP. Henry-Taylor was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Steel City Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, where she served as Parliamentarian.
Judge Nicola Henry-Taylor was elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in November 2021 and was assigned to the Family Division effective Jan. 3, 2022. Prior to ascending to the bench, she interned for Judge Justin Johnson, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and worked as a Law Clerk for President Judges Charles Alexander (Clarion County) and Thomas Doerr (Butler County). She was employed by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office in 2001 where she prosecuted Mental Health Court cases and joined them in the law firm of K&L Gates in 2007, before starting her own private practice in 2010 where she focused on family and criminal law.
Henry-Taylor’s work dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and access to justice includes time serving as the diversity director for the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. She served two terms as a commissioner on the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission, was a member of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness – Legal Academics Working Group, and was a former member of the Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Board of Advisors. She also served on the board of advisors for the Homeless Children’s Education Fund earlier in her career.
Over the span of her career, she has been an active participant in the legal community. She is a founding member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Diversity Collaborative (now known as the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion). She is the former chair of the ACBA Judiciary Committee and Women in the Law Division. She is active in the ACBA Homer S. Brown Division, Family Law Section, and Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee. She served as an inaugural co-chair to the PBA Legal Academics Committee.
She previously served two terms on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board Committee. Henry-Taylor was on the executive board of the ACBA when she served two terms as secretary. She is also a fellow of the Allegheny Bar Association Foundation. Henry-Taylor has been appointed to the ACBA nominating committee on a number of occasions in addition to ad hoc committees addressing issues such as the judiciary committee, police use of force and bail. She is chair of the ACBA Ad Hoc Committee regarding the Summer Diversity Clerkship Program.
With respect to leadership since she has been on the bench, Henry-Taylor was appointed by Chief Justice Debra Todd to the Pennsylvania Continuing Judicial Education Board of Judges in January 2023. She joined The National Association of Women Judges and The Clifford Scott Green Chapter of the National Bar Association in 2023 (Philadelphia). Henry-Taylor is an active member of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges in the Juvenile Section and appointed to the legislative committee for the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed Henry-Taylor as a member of the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethic Fairness in 2024.
Among her many awards, Henry-Taylor was the recipient of the 2022 OWN Onyx Woman of the Year Award, the 2021 Josh Gibson Foundation Civil Service Award, the 2019 Allegheny County Bar Association WLD Carol Los Mansmann Helping Hand Award, the 2017 New Pittsburgh Courier Women of Excellence, the 2016 Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania Susan B. Anthony Award, the 2015 Duquesne Women’s Law Association Woman of the Year Award, and the 2009 Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Bar Committee Rising Star.
She graduated cum laude with her bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University in 1993 and enrolled as a first-generation law student at The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, graduating in 1996. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Coraopolis NAACP. Henry-Taylor was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Steel City Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction, where she served as Parliamentarian.
John Sabo '01
Originally from Munhall, where he attended Steel Valley High School, John Sabo attended Slippery Rock University from 1997-2001, graduating with a safety and environmental degree in 2001.
Sabo was a member of the SRU football team, playing more than 40 games with one of the most successful teams in Rock football history. During his tenure with the team, he earned all-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first team honors, all-region honors, and he received an invite to the NFL Combine following his senior season. Following graduation, Sabo played arena football, semi-pro football and coached football at Steel Valley High School.
While continuing his passion for football outside of the college arena, Sabo was employed for seven and a half years at NIRA Engineers, performing quality control, technical field support, safety, and project management. He then moved to Travelers Insurance as a risk management consultant for construction and oil and gas, covering the company’s Appalachia, Permian and Rockies regions. For five and a half years, Sabo worked with large exploration and production companies and upstream oil and gas service companies nationwide.
John accepted a position as HSQE director with Deep Well Services in 2013, quickly progressing to more leadership responsibility in operations and to his current role as senior vice president of business development. He helped take the company from $7 million to $207 million in revenue in 10 years. During this time of growth, DWS developed core values and a culture under Sabo’s leadership that DWS now presents a yearly “Sabo Culture Award of Excellence” to two deserving employees each year.
In addition to hiring many SRU alumni to work at DWS, Sabo visits SRU often, spending time talking to students and supporting the safety management program, and helping with presentations and input for the petroleum and natural gas engineering program. He’s also on an athletics committee and is a booster and mentor for the SRU football team.
Sabo moved his family to Slippery Rock in 2015, where he lives with his wife, Tammi, and their children, John Jr., CJ and Samantha.
Originally from Munhall, where he attended Steel Valley High School, John Sabo attended Slippery Rock University from 1997-2001, graduating with a safety and environmental degree in 2001.
Sabo was a member of the SRU football team, playing more than 40 games with one of the most successful teams in Rock football history. During his tenure with the team, he earned all-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first team honors, all-region honors, and he received an invite to the NFL Combine following his senior season. Following graduation, Sabo played arena football, semi-pro football and coached football at Steel Valley High School.
While continuing his passion for football outside of the college arena, Sabo was employed for seven and a half years at NIRA Engineers, performing quality control, technical field support, safety, and project management. He then moved to Travelers Insurance as a risk management consultant for construction and oil and gas, covering the company’s Appalachia, Permian and Rockies regions. For five and a half years, Sabo worked with large exploration and production companies and upstream oil and gas service companies nationwide.
John accepted a position as HSQE director with Deep Well Services in 2013, quickly progressing to more leadership responsibility in operations and to his current role as senior vice president of business development. He helped take the company from $7 million to $207 million in revenue in 10 years. During this time of growth, DWS developed core values and a culture under Sabo’s leadership that DWS now presents a yearly “Sabo Culture Award of Excellence” to two deserving employees each year.
In addition to hiring many SRU alumni to work at DWS, Sabo visits SRU often, spending time talking to students and supporting the safety management program, and helping with presentations and input for the petroleum and natural gas engineering program. He’s also on an athletics committee and is a booster and mentor for the SRU football team.
Sabo moved his family to Slippery Rock in 2015, where he lives with his wife, Tammi, and their children, John Jr., CJ and Samantha.
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Past President's Service Award Winner
L. Michael Ross '77 Mike Ross has been President of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation in Chambersburg since its start-up in 1986. The corporation is responsible for initiating, implementing and promoting a comprehensive economic development strategy. The strategy is centered on the retention/expansion of existing companies, the selective attraction of new industries and the start-up of new businesses. Under Ross’ direction, the FCADC has facilitated more than 1,000 projects throughout the county. The projects have resulted in more than $3.4 billion of new investments. Most importantly, the projects have created and/or preserved nearly 62,000 employment positions. Prior to the FCADC, Ross spent more than eight years with the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, where he held several positions. The experience provided him with a diversified background in many facets of economic development. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Ross was elected to the SRU Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2010-2022. During his 12 year board tenure, he served in various leadership roles, including chairing the scholarship committee and serving on the Executive Committee, first in the role of Treasurer and ascended through board leadership to the role of President from 2019-2021, providing valuable insight and leadership. In his election materials, he noted that serving on the board was the best way that he could give back to the University, because his personal and professional success has been predicated on the foundation built at Slippery Rock University Ross has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Slippery Rock University and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute, Oklahoma University. He is married to Donna '76 and has three grown daughters, two sons-in law and three grandchildren. |
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