Three Alums Honored for Leadership During Reunion Weekend
The Alumni Association bestowed its highest honors on James Gater ’71, MEd ’80, Susan Clayton Hibbard ’70, and Linda Suydam ’69 during Reunion 2009.
The Alumni Association bestowed its highest honors on three alumni on May 1. James Gater ’71, MEd ’80 was given the Distinguished Service Award, Susan Clayton Hibbard ’70 the Humanitarian Award, and Linda Suydam ’69 the Alumni Citation Award. The ceremony took place in the Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Concert Hall on TCNJ’s campus, as part of the Reunion Weekend 2009 festivities. Expanded coverage of the weekend’s events will be found in your June 2009 magazine.
A private donor, an active participant on various College and Foundation committees, and a visionary leader of TCNJ’s Alumni Association, Gater, of Pennington, has repeatedly demonstrated his energy and passion for the College and its community, both past and present. A 27-year veteran as an information systems professional almost entirely at Dun & Bradstreet in Short Hills, Gater has championed The College of New Jersey’s Alumni Association through some of its most formative years, serving as president from 2002–04. Under his leadership, numerous alumni affinity programs were created, underscoring his desire to catapult the Alumni Association as a service organization to its membership, which now exceeds 66,000.
During the College’s Sesquicentennial celebration in 2005, Gater played a key role in garnering enthusiastic support and involvement from the alumni association. His devotion also supported the development of the Sesquicentennial Alumni Scholarship.
Gater is currently a TCNJ Foundation board member and a member of the Homecoming/Reunion committee. Recently, he and his wife Kathleen made a contribution toward an eventual scholarship that will serve to support a non-traditional student.
Recognized as the Presidential Honoree of the Year at TCNJ Foundation’s 2005 Spring Gala for his exemplary service to the College, Gater was quoted as thoroughly enjoying “the challenge of creating a ‘buzz’ within [TCNJ’s] community to draw other alumni back to participate.”
Hibbard, of Toms River, has made a lifelong commitment to environmental and humanitarian causes. She served for 25 years on the executive board of Ocean County Citizens for Clean Water, and for six years as a naturalist at Island Beach State Park. Since 1986, Hibbard has held a New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife permit for wildlife rehabilitation, which has allowed her to raise and release thousands of small mammals back to the wild. She has also worked with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which responds to calls about stranded marine life that washes ashore on state beaches. Because of that work, Hibbard started an educational organization called Balloon Alert Project that warns of the impact balloon releases have on the environment.
For 11 years, Hibbard has served as a member of Zonta International, an organization dedicated to improving the status of women worldwide and has been instrumental in the formation of a countywide Task Force Against Elder Abuse. With the group she has also supported the Girl Scouts; Providence House, a local women’s shelter; Interfaith Hospitality Network; and Redeem-Her, a support organization for women recently released from prison.
Hibbard has been active in her church for 30 years, having served on its Board of Deacons and as chair of its Outreach Committee, coordinating collections for needy people in her town. She is a liaison to the Toms River Ecumenical Community fundraising project for Heifer International, and volunteers with the House of Hope, helping clients with skills to find new jobs and identifying potential employers.
Hibbard taught high school science for 35 years in several school systems, earning numerous awards. She is currently a student teacher supervisor at Rutgers University and Stockton State College and teaches a PRAXIS review course at Ocean County Community College.
Suydam (Rockville, MD) is the president and principal spokesperson for Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) under the guidance and direction of the CHPA Board of Directors. She joined CHPA as its president in June 2002. Since then, she has directed the establishment of CHPA’s educational foundation, whose goal is improved public health through safe and effective OTC use; has increased opportunities for synergistic cooperation between member firms by establishing the annual Market Exchange and retail immersion events; and enhanced the association’s positive relationship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through educational seminars, conferences, and joint learning opportunities.
Prior to joining CHPA, Suydam enjoyed a 21-year career at FDA, rising from an entry-level position to senior associate commissioner, the highest-ranking, non-political executive position in the agency. During her career, she received the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, the Department of Health and Human Services Distinguished Service Award, and the Public Health Service Superior Service Award. She left FDA for three years to serve as the associate vice president of the Health Sciences Center of the University of New Mexico with responsibility for planning, development, public relations, and marketing.
Suydam is a member of several boards of directors, including the World Self-Medication Industry Federation; the Food and Drug Law Institute, for which she serves as treasurer; and the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum.
At TCNJ, Suydam majored in social studies education and served as president of the College Union Board.
Posted on May 11, 2009
