ARA to present Gold Medal, Distinguished Alumni, Meritorious Service awards

Rice University News & Media

Rice trustee emeritus and alumna Lynn Laverty Elsenhans ’78 and longtime professor Dennis Houston will receive the Association of Rice Alumni’s (ARA) highest award — the Gold Medal — for their extraordinary service to the university at this year’s annual ARA Laureates Dinner May 13. The association is also honoring nine others for distinguished accomplishments and meritorious service.
The descriptions below were provided by the ARA.
Gold Medal
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans ’78
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans’ passion and dedication to Rice, along with her estimable professional achievements, are simply remarkable. Even as an undergraduate student at Rice, Elsenhans distinguished herself among her peers. She earned recognition as a member of the women’s basketball team during its formative years and was honored with the Student Service Award for her achievements both on and off the court. She went on to earn an MBA from Harvard University in 1980 before embarking on her 28-year-long career with Royal Dutch Shell, where she rose to executive vice president of global manufacturing.
In 2008, Elsenhans became the first woman to lead a major oil company as president and CEO of Sunoco, a role she held until 2012. She has received numerous professional awards in recognition of her remarkable career, including being named to the Forbes “Most Powerful Women” list for four consecutive years.
Elsenhans has served Rice through involvement in the Rice Annual Fund, the Nanoscale Leadership Committee, the Jones School Council of Overseers, the Association of Rice Alumni Board, Women’s Athletics, the Advisory Board of the Brown School of Engineering and the Board of Trustees, for which she served from 2002 to 2015. She has been an outspoken advocate for student professional development and has influenced the creation of Owl Edge externships and internships, Sallyportal and other impactful professional development programs.
As one nominator summed up, Lynn’s tireless dedication to the university and enthusiasm for making lasting ...

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