It is only natural that playing along the Chagrin River and mixing chemicals in Neal Wheatcraft’s chemistry class are among Don’s fondest memories of his old hometown. In 1991, this former Eagle Scout was named director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency by Governor George V. Voinovich. As the top ranking EPA officer in the state, Don administers all laws and regulations dealing with environmental protection. He manages an agency of 1100 employees and a $70 million per year budget. Don has earned several prestigious awards for his work including the U.S. EPA Bronze Medal in 1989 and the EPA Superior Performance Award in 1976, 1982, 1983 and 1988.

Tim has been a leader in commercial real estate in Denver, Colorado for over 30 years with over $7.5 billion in transactions covering more than 34 million square feet. Early in his career he held the roles of President of The Denver Solar Energy Association & Partner at East-West Energy Co. (Denver, Colorado). Before recently retiring, Tim was Managing Director, CBRE Capital Markets Group, Colorado Region. Tim closed more than $1.37 billion in sales volume in 2007, including the Blackstone Denver CBD Office Portfolio for $770 million. This portfolio sale surpassed the highest recorded commercial transaction in Denver’s history by a factor of three. His success was noted with being honored with Commercial Real Estate Association Denver Chapter’s “Investment Broker of the Year Award” on three separate occasions. Tim also received the “Heavy Hitter” Award from the Denver Commercial Real Estate Association multiple times. Outside of real estate, he has been an avid volunteer for such groups as National Association of Office & Industrial Parks, Project Healing Waters, Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology, the Denver International School, & The Cultural Food Guild. What has given Tim the most pleasure is mentoring young people, whether they are just starting in their careers or are high school students in maximizing their potential.

Dr. Christine Schomisch Moravec is a Staff Research Scientist and Director of Basic Research in the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure at the Cleveland Clinic. Christine is also one of three Associate Directors of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute and holds secondary appointments in the Department of Molecular Cardiology and the Center for Integrative Medicine. Her specialty interests include heart failure, cellular malfunction in cardiac dysfunction, drugs that may improve contractility of the failing heart, and remodeling of the failing heart using both surgical and psychophysiologic interventions. Dr. Moravec also runs the human heart tissue bank at the Clinic. Christine was named an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. In addition to her research work, she holds academic appointments at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and at Cleveland State University. Christine serves as Chair of Graduate Studies within the Lerner Research Institute and as President of the Board of Directors of the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair, a regional science fair held each spring for 600 students from the Cleveland area. Widely published in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Circulation,Circulation Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, Dr. Moravec has authored numerous journal articles and abstracts describing work in her laboratory. She serves as a reviewer for scientific journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, the American Journal of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research, the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology and the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and is a member of local and national AHA peer-review study sections. Dr. Moravec has been invited to present her research at national and international meetings and conferences. Christine has also earned the Outstanding Educator Award from the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. James Thobaben is a professor and Dean of the School of Theology and Formation at Asbury Theological Seminary, one of the largest such institutions in the U.S. In addition, he currently oversees Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment, managing the decanal accreditation process for the institution. His academic fields are bioethics, social ethics, and sociology of religion. His special research interests include disability issues (especially traumatic brain injury related), social benefit from and concern with genetically-modified non-human organisms, the spiritual and cultural meaning of pilgrimage, ecclesial architecture, and rural life. As well as working full-time at Asbury, he serves as the pastor of a small, rural church, is a part-time professor in the University of Kentucky, College of Public Health, an adjunct professor at Trinity International University, and operates a small tree farm. Dr. Thobaben was Visiting Ethics Scholar in Molecular Biology at the University of Missouri. He is the recipient of several teaching grants for instruction on American rural life. His work, Healthcare Ethics: A Comprehensive Christian Resource, is used as a primary bioethics text in several graduate programs across the U.S. For both academic and spiritual reasons, Dr. Thobaben has twice walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela and several of the long pilgrimage routes in Great Britain. Prior to assuming his current position, he was vice-president of a physical rehabilitation facility centered on the treatment of those with traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. His academic degrees are from Oberlin, Yale, and Emory.

2010 CFAA Chagrin Falls Community Service Award

Steve has been able to participate and preside over the formation of three civic organizations that help enrich the Chagrin Falls Schools and community – Chagrin Falls Education Foundation, Downtown Chagrin Falls and the Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture. He has held the position of President in all three of these organizations as well as serving as treasurer of the Federated Church and was a long-time trustee for Chagrin Falls Township. Steve’s professional career has been as a trial attorney and general legal practitioner, with an emphasis on professional negligence. He has argued over 60 cases before Ohio and federal appellate courts, including three appearances before the Ohio Supreme Court. At least ten of these cases have established new legal principles.

Kirk has always had a knack at being a manager. In his days at CFHS, he ran the summer tennis program at the Rec Center. His managerial skills blossomed as well as his responsibilities. He has been in the role of President of Red Lobster; President & COO of Lifetouch, Inc., which includes 450 portrait studios; Senior Managing Partner of The Zyman Group; and Co-founder & Partner of McHugh Consulting. His expertise and leadership have also been greatly valued on the many community boards Kirk has served on over the years.

Soprano Steffanie Pearce has enjoyed a distinguished career throughout Europe and the United States as a singing actress. She has won The Pavarotti Competition, Montreal International, D’Angelo and the American Traditions competition among others. On the opera stage she is most noted for distinctive portrayals of tragic heroines including: Violetta, Leonora, Marguerite, Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, The Countess in Figaro and Tosca. She has performed with many opera companies including: Opera de Marseille, The Bulgarian State Opera, Opera Lisboa, The Opera Co. of Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, The Buxton Festival in England and many European and U.S. tours with Teatro Lyrico d Europe. Equally at home on the concert stage, she has performed with The Montreal Symphony and The Lexington Philharmonic. Steffanie has appeared as a soloist at many famous theaters including; Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. She enjoys performing solo recitals and teaching voice.

Beginning with performances on the stage of the Chagrin Falls Schools’ auditorium on Philomethian Street, Tina Shafer has become a successful singer/songwriter. She has written songs for some of pop music’s biggest stars, including Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Donna Summer, Sheena Easton, Phoebe Snow and many others. Her song “Love Is On The Way” was the featured ballad in the film “The First Wives Club.” Her debut CD “Backyard Sky” was dedicated to Chagrin Falls and her own backyard where she said, “so many dreams took seed.” Tina has a publishing contract with Artemis Music, a division of Warner Chappell. A great believer in bringing the work of songwriters to the public, Tina has been coordinator of The New York Songwriters Circle for the past 12 years. It has served the songwriting community as a stepping-stone to record labels and publishing companies. She is also a teacher and worked with major record label artists such as Vanessa Carlton and Avril Lavigne.

Jack Schron is a success in the business world and also as a public servant. He is president of Jergens, Inc., a privately owned manufacturing company that distributes manufactured products throughout the world. He is also president of Tooling University, which provides an online manufacturing training resource for individuals and businesses. It has over 120 industrial classes with 40 in Spanish. Jack is a member of the Cleveland State University Business School Advisory Board. In 2004 he received from the Ohio Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association one of 10 statewide Friend of Education Awards for contributions to education in Ohio. He has served his community through hours of volunteer service. Most notably, he served on the Chagrin Falls Board of Education for 12 years, seven as vice president and president. He is a licensed attorney with three years active duty with The U.S. Army JAG Corps and served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 28 years. Jack is also a founding member and current president of the Chagrin Falls Alumni Association.

This former Blossom Time Queen blossomed into one of our state’s best educators. In 1997, Suzanne became Ohio’s first recipient of the Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award. In 1994, she received the Outstanding Special Educator Award from the Northwest Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center. Suzanne has been instrumental in curriculum development in adapted aquatics. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she is a part-time instructor. She is also co-founder of Wood Lane Travel, which offers recreational activities for students with special needs.

A career of distinction was John Thomas’ 34-year experience with J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc. He served for twelve years as a member of the board of directors, five years as president of J.P. Morgan Trust Bank, the group’s operating company in Japan, and nine years as head of marketing. Currently, he is president of JRT Research of San Francisco, providing international management investment consultant services to private industry. He is a visiting professor at the Golden State University Graduate School of Business and is director of The Japan Society of Northern California. He has had several articles published in the Japan Security Analysts Journal. John earned a B.A. in economics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1961. He received his M.B.A., with distinction, from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1963. He was a superb athlete at CFHS and at Ohio Wesleyan, where as a halfback and linebacker, he was a two-time All-Ohio Conference selection.

The valedictorian of the class of 1951 chose the field of medicine to continue his practice of excellence. A graduate of Denison University (1955) and Harvard University (1959), Dr. Rodgers is a recognized expert in lipid research and has been published widely in medical journals. His research efforts were recognized by his election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the New York Academy of Science. For the past 36 years, he has been associated with Albany Medical College, where he earned the position of Professor of Medicine in 1974. He continues to be active in clinical research involving abnormalities in lipid metabolism and also in the area of liver disease. The Albany Medical Center recently honored him by establishing the Dr. John B. Rodgers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education in Gastroenterology.

A 1974 graduate of Purdue University, Chris was graduated from Harvard Business School in 1979. Currently, he is Chief Operating Officer for Inter-Con Security Systems, an 18,000 employee, privately held international security company in Pasadena, California. He is responsible for worldwide operations, including strategic planning and profit and loss of the company. From 1995 to 1998, he was president of Pacific Enterprises International, a Fortune 500 energy services company which included one of our country’s largest gas distribution companies, Southern California Gas. From 1990 to 1994, he was president of Pacific Energy, a $170 million business. During his tenure at Chagrin Falls High School, Chris honed his competitive instincts in football, wrestling and track.