As founder of the Guatemala-based Range of Motion Project (ROMP), Eric Neufeld ’98 has worked to provide more than 1,500 custom-made prosthetic limbs to people in developing countries since 2005—people who, without Neufeld’s help, might have never regained mobility.
With B.A. in Biological Aspects of Conservation, Neufeld represents one of the 13 outstanding alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison honored with this year’s Forward under 40 awards from the Wisconsin Alumni Association, nine of which are alumni of the College of Letters & Science.
These nominees all embody the Wisconsin Idea, the century-old guiding philosophy that UW-Madison outreach efforts should positively impact the lives of people in Wisconsin and throughout the world.
Honorees are featured in the fourth edition of Forward under 40, a publication distributed in March 2012.
The 2012 L&S award recipients are:
- Tamara Grigsby MS’00, Milwaukee. Grigsby is a Wisconsin Representative for Assembly District 18, and a vocal advocate for African-American and low-income families.
Jon Hardin ’08 and Scott Resnick ’09, Madison. Hardin is President and CEO at Hardin Design and Development, an industry leader in mobile applications and software development. Resnick is Vice President of the company, and serves on the Madison Common Council.- Rustem Ismagilov PhD’98, Pasadena, Calif. A professor at the California Institute of Technology, he is contributing to the field of chemistry by revolutionizing medical diagnostics through microfluidics.
- Shisir Khanal MIPA’05, Madison and Nepal. Khanal is executive director of Sarvodaya USA and president of Sarvodaya Nepal, international nonprofit organizations guided by Nepali values that work toward sustainable development.
- Justine Nagan ’00, Chicago. Creator of an award-winning documentary on art and industrialism in a small Wisconsin town and executive director of Kartemquin Films, she heads a nationally recognized filmmaking organization focusing on social justice.
- Eric Neufeld ’98, Chicago. Neufeld is director of the Range of Motion Project, a non-profit that provides prosthetic limbs to people in developing countries, and managing partner and certified prosthetist/orthotist at Scheck & Siress.
- Casey Rotter ’05, New York City. Rotter is a major gifts officer and manager at UNICEF Next Generation, a fundraising initiative focusing on engaging young donors to support UNICEF’s humanitarian programs for children around the world.
- Caroline Savage MA’02, MA’04, Washington, D.C. Savage is a foreign service officer who was a top leader in Russian and Eurasian diplomacy; she is training to become head of public affairs for the U.S. embassy in Mozambique.
- Demondrae Thurman MMusic’98, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Thurman is associate professor of music at the University of Alabama, director of the University of Alabama’s Symphony Orchestra, and a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Sotto Voce Quartet.
Honorees receive a commemorative silver medallion designed by artist Jason Noble '07, and are invited to engage with alumni, students and the campus community throughout the year.
Interactive profiles of the 2012 and previous year’s award winners are available at forwardunder40.com.
Original story by Hannah Geise, WAA, revised by News & Notes Team, College of Letters & Science