NSU to Honor Mike Jackson, David Horvitz, and Francie Bishop Good with Chancellor’s Community Award at Celebration of Excellence

Alumni of Distinction also to be recognized at annual event on Jan. 20

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will award the university’s highest honor, the Chancellor’s Community Award, to philanthropists and business leaders Mike Jackson, chairman and chief executive officer of AutoNation, Inc.; and David Horvitz, chairman of WLD Enterprises, Inc.; and Francie Bishop Good, an artist and arts advocate.

NSU’s annual Celebration of Excellence begins at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2011.  The Chancellor’s Community Award, formerly known as the President’s Community Award, is bestowed annually to individuals whose leadership and support provides the foundation for continued growth of the university.

Jackson is credited as transforming the automotive retail industry since he assumed the role of chairman of AutoNation in 2002. Under Jackson’s guidance, AutoNation maintains its position as America’s largest automotive retailer, the only retailer in history to have sold more than 7 million vehicles.

For his work in the automotive industry, Jackson was named one of the “Fifty Visionary Dealers” of all time by Automotive News in 2009 and Automotive Hall of Fame Industry Leader of the Year for 2003. In 2006, Jackson received the Excalibur Award, given annually to a South Florida business leader of the year by the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, and was named CEO of the Year by South Florida’s CEO Magazine. Jackson also was inducted into NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jackson’s active participation in several South Florida civic and philanthropic organizations sets the tone for his company employees also to be involved with the community. Currently, he serves as the chair of the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University.

Horvitz’s role as chairman of WLD Enterprises, Inc., has made this private investment firm dealing in real estate and securities one of South Florida’s premier businesses. Horvitz and his wife, artist Francie Bishop Good, are committed to nonprofit and charitable work, following the example his father, William. Horvitz, along with the late Paul Newman and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf founded Camp Boggy Creek, a year-round camping facility for children with life-threatening diseases and chronic illnesses. Horvitz is also chairman of the board of Hole in the Wall Camps, the umbrella organization of 13 existing camps and several in development are associated with Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Horvitz is a member of the Board of Trustees for Nova Southeastern University. He also is the Vice Chairman of the Governing Board of the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University. He is a member of the Broward Workshop and the Alexis DeToqueville Society of the United Way of Broward County. He is also a member of the board of the Musical Arts Association of Miami (Cleveland Orchestra). Horvitz is a past board member of the Community Foundation of Broward County, and the Jewish Federation of Broward County.

Horvitz served on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Kenyon College in Ohio, from 1988-2007. During his tenure, he chaired two capital campaigns, including the recently concluded, “We Are Kenyon,” which raised $235 million for the college. From 2003 through 2007, he chaired the board.

Artist Francie Bishop Good’s community commitment is as far-reaching as her photographs, which have been shown in galleries around the world. In South Florida, she has served on the Governing Board of the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University and is a member of the board of the Young at Art Children’s Museum, where she chairs its capital campaign. She also is a member of the board of North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

In 2003, she co-founded Funding Arts Broward, a non-profit arts organization committed to preserving the arts in Broward County.  In 2010, Funding Arts Broward was the recipient of a prestigious Knight Arts Challenge Grant, one of 24 grants awarded out of 1,500 applications.  She was honored in 2004 with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Broward County’s Arts for the Future initiative.  Bishop Good and Horvitz established in 2006 the Girls’ Club, a private foundation and alternative art space to produce exhibitions, educational programming, publications, and events. Located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Girls’ Club focuses on female artists and offers specialized workshops for women and girls in Broward County. In 2010, she also received a South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship.  Bishop Good will have a one-person show of new photographs February 12 to March 5 at the David Castillo Gallery in Miami, which represents her.

NSU’s Celebration of Excellence is a premier event held at Davie’s Signature Grand.  Since 1997, the annual awards presentation brings together community leaders and industry pioneers who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities.

Individual seats may be reserved for $75 each and sponsorship opportunities are available by calling (954) 262-2110.

NSU will also present the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Awards to graduates of the university’s schools, colleges and centers. Honorees are:

David Barclay, J.D., 1990 (Shepard Broad Law Center)
As principal for B4 Capital, L.L.C. , Barclay serves his clients through his areas of expertise, which include merger; acquisitions and joint ventures; regulatory compliance; restructuring and bankruptcy; corporate governance; public and private financing; and debt and equity offerings.

Deborah Brown, Pharm. D., 2000 (College of Pharmacy)
For her work as director of Pharmacy Services and Pharmacy Consultant for Cardinal Healthcare, Brown was the recipient of the 2010 Pharmacist of the Year award given by the Florida Society of Hospital Pharmacists.  Brown also has acted as a mentor for NSU’s College of Pharmacy students.

Kenneth Boyle, O.D., 1994 (College of Optometry)
Now in private practice, Boyle also serves as President-elect of the Florida Optometric Association; is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and is past President of the Brevard Optometric Association.

George Fulk, Ph.D., 2005 (College of Allied Health and Nursing)
Published in numerous academic and scientific publications, Fulk is primary investigator of a National Institute of Health grant and has received funding from the New York Physical Therapy Association for stroke research.

Catherine Grus, Ph.D., 1993 (Center for Psychological Studies)
As deputy executive director for the American Psychological Association, Grus provides leadership for the group’s activities, programs, and initiatives related to professional education and training. In 2010, Grus received the Friend of the Association of Directors of Psychology Training Clinics award.

Anil Idiculla, D.M.D., 2004 (College of Dental Medicine)
Practicing in the Denver area since graduation, Idiculla serves on the board of directors for Kids in Need of Dentistry, providing treatment to underserved patients. He is also a clinical instructor at the University of Colorado Health Science Center, Department of Orthodontics.

Tina Jaeckle, M.S., 2004 (Criminal Justice Institute)
As a licensed clinical social worker in Florida with nearly 18 years of mental health experience, Jaeckle is an assistant professor in the social and behavioral sciences at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., and an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.

Jacqueline Kraveka, D.O., 1994 (College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Kraveka is an assistant professor in pediatrics in the division of hematology-oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina where her clinical practice focuses on pediatric oncology and pediatric stem cell transplantation. Kraveka has the only research laboratory in the state dedicated to pediatric cancer.

Bryce Lucas (Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies)
A graduate of the Mailman Segal Institute, Lucas is a young adult with self-identified Asperger’s Syndrome. He is currently enrolled at Broward College, with hopes to attend NSU. Bryce showed an early passion for performing arts and has appeared and directed school and regional theater productions.

Erik Neugaard, M.S., 2003 (Oceanographic Center)
Neugaard is the South Florida Environmental and Planning Leader at Reynolds, Smith & Hills (RSH), a leading facilities and infrastructure consulting firm in the U.S.  He is responsible for all environmental and planning projects in South Florida. Neugaard’s efforts earned him the Outstanding Performance and Contribution Award from the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management.  He also is president of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals.

Sunil Patel, B.S., 2002 (Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences)
Sunil is currently in his fellowship in Nephrology and Hypertension at Kansas University Medical Center. Sunil is a Goldwater Scholar and has been published in research journals in applied science.

Jodi Aronson Prohofsky, Ph.D. 1992 (Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences)
As Senior Vice President of Health Management Operations at CIGNA, the global health services company,  Prohofsky is  oversees daily operations for disease management, behavioral health, employee assistance programs, lifestyle management programs, and the 24-hour health information line, among others.

Grace Strattan, 2010 (Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University)
While at the Museum’s Studio School, Strattan discovered her talent in art.  The Museum has been a major factor in her decision to major in studio art, and she is currently seeking a BFA from the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she received the USF Scholars’ Award Scholarship.

Robert Urwiler, Ph.D., 1997 (Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences)
Urwiler currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Vail Resorts Management Company.   In 2009, under his leadership, Vail Resorts was the recipient of CIO magazine’s CIO 100 award because of its innovations to improve the skier experience.

Kenneth Whitmore, M.S., 1982 (Fischler School of Education and Human Services)
Combining an entrepreneurial mindset with military contract experience, Kenneth Whitmore partnered with his wife, Lynne, to found Coalescent Technologies, a professional engineering firm headquartered in Orlando. Kenneth Whitmore also is founder and CEO of Windsor Continental Corporation, a $24-million Federal Defense Simulation and Virtual Reality firm. In 2002, he founded a virtual reality lab in Orlando,  producing Virtual Battlefield Systems, the nationally syndicated program used throughout the U.S. Military.

Brenda Yester, M.B.A., 1995 (Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship)
Yester oversees Carnival Cruise Lines’ revenue management functions, including pricing and inventory as senior vice president of revenue management. She also serves on Carnival’s executive committee, providing guidance and oversight regarding all aspects of the company.

Michael Zager, 1987 (University School)
Zager is the managing partner of Emerald Planning, a boutique financial services firm that assists individuals and businesses nationally with insurance planning, estate analysis, retirement, charitable giving, business insurance, and employee benefits.  Zager has received numerous industry awards by some of the largest insurance and financial service companies.

Media Contact:
Julie Spechler, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5348 (office), 954-591-3361 (cell), julies@nova.edu

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