Alumna of the Year: Joan Riehm
The Alumna of the Year is an Ursuline College Graduate of 1967, Joan Riehm, posthumously. Ursuline College and Bellarmine merged in 1968 and we are honored to welcome all Ursuline College alumnae into the Bellarmine University Alumni Association. Joan was born on June 17, 1945 and after graduating from Sacred Heart and Ursuline College, she received two master’s degrees, one in Journalism from Northwestern University and the other in Community Development from the University of Louisville. Joan’s distinguished career in communications, public service, and civic affairs spanned more than three decades – beginning as a journalist at Louisville’s Courier Journal and culminating in her serving for 15 years as deputy mayor of the city of Louisville. Joan also served as Manager of Government Relations at Humana, Inc. for six years, from 1979 through 1985. In 1985, then-newly-elected mayor Jerry Abramson, appointed Joan the first woman deputy mayor of the city of Louisville, a post she held through 1995 and again from 2003 to 2006. During this time Joan oversaw Louisville’s economic and community development, the human services and educational initiatives for the city, and was instrumental in the city government’s reorganization following the merger.  Joan was a vibrant, dynamic community leader throughout her life, with an abiding love for the City of Louisville and a commitment to service for the public good. She was particularly passionate about women’s issues, education, the environment, and the beautification of Louisville. She also served on Bellarmine’s Board of Overseers and on many other community boards and advisory committees. She was named one of the 50 most powerful people in Louisville by Louisville Magazine and the Most Admired Woman in Politics by Today’s Woman Magazine.  Joan had a great capacity for friendship and was famous for sending unique handmade greeting cards with poems and messages she collected and wanted to share. She loved her garden, and traveled extensively with her husband, Mel. Joan passed away on January 20, 2008 after battling pancreatic cancer for many months. Accepting the award on Joan’s behalf was her husband, Dr. Melvin Greer. 

Msgr. Alfred F. Horrigan Award: Dr. Robert Korn
Dr. Robert Korn was a member of the Bellarmine faculty for almost 40 years until his “semi” retirement in 2007. We say “semi” retirement because you can still find Dr. Korn around campus most every day of the week in order to conduct research and visit with his long time colleagues, and he also still teaches classes in the Bellarmine Veritas program as well as helping out with an occasional Bellarmine undergraduate course.  In addition to Dr. Korn being one of the most liked and well-respected Bellarmine Biology faculty members for the past 40 years, he has also been a visiting professor all over the world in places like Holland, Australia, and Israel, just to name a few. He has also taught seminars and many various colleges and universities including Harvard, the University of California, and Miami of Ohio.  In the summer of 2006 Dr. Korn was the keynote speaker at the International Botanical Congress in Viena. Dr. Korn has an international reputation and continues to publish in retirement, having just had 2 new articles published this past summer.  Dr. Korn celebrates his life with his wonderful wife, and has four children.

Scarlet & Silver Society: John and Jesse Flynn
John graduated first in 1970 with a degree in Secondary Education and Jesse followed one year later majoring in Business Administration. Both were active members of our fraternity, Alpha Delta Gamma during their time at Bellarmine and have supported of Bellarmine’s ADG Chapter as alumni.  The Flynn Brothers are the kind of people that do the right thing when no one is looking. In fact, many people often look up to John and Jesse, not just because of their 6 foot 3 statures, but out of respect for the two brothers who have built their business from their days of patching potholes, into Flynn Brothers Contracting being the regional leader in asphalt paving and site construction.  The Flynn Brothers have also been tremendous supporters of the growth and expansion around Bellarmine’s campus, having a large role in many of our grandest projects including Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, our new cross-campus road, Via Cassia and Ponte Juneja Bridge, the refurbishing of the tennis courts, and many other projects. The Flynn’s have each served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees, and John has also served on the Alumni Board of Directors and is currently serving another term as a Trustee. Both are also members of our Gallery of Distinguished Graduates and members of the Heritage Society.  In just that Flynn Brother kind of way, the family quietly began and has sustained an endowed scholarship fund for providing financial assistance to student athletes here at Bellarmine. Also, through their friendship as young alumni with Carolyn Williams, a supplier for their company who became a great mentor and friend, the Flynn Brothers were instrumental in Carolyn beginning one of Bellarmine’s largest endowed scholarships for Nursing. John & Jesse grew up on a farm in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky where they undoubtedly learned their unassuming dogged work ethic from their parents, John Sr. and Gladys Martin. John and Jesse were 2 of 11 children, all of whom went on to college. John is married to his college sweetheart, Linda, a fellow Bellarmine gradate, and together they have two boys, John James III and Aron. John James III just graduated in 2007 with his MBA from Bellarmine. Jesse and his wife, Elaine, also have two children, their son Patrick Daniel and daughter Kathleen. In addition to being a successful business man and father, Jesse is also a writer having published a book entitled, “Heroes from the Attic” in 2003 about his parents.

Gallery Of Distinguished Graduates

Donald Vish
As an attorney at Middleton Reutlinger, Don was recognized by Louisville Magazine as one of Louisville’s leading lawyers. He is a member of the Kentucky and Florida Bars and has spend most of his 37 years practicing law in the fields of mining law and general business counseling. In May of 2008, Don was elected a life member of the American Law Institute. But Donald Vish is so much more than a successful lawyer. As an avid photographer, he has shared his work pro bono with many social service and non-profit organizations. For the last three years, he has conducted a photography and mentorship program for inner city children at St. George’s Community Center in west Louisville. Donald is also an extremely active member of our community. Since 2000 he has served on the Thomas Merton poetry prize screening committee. He is the current Board chair of the Interfaith Paths to Peace, a board member of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, a Board member of the Louisville Bar Association, and a former Board member of Highlands Community Ministries, and the Louisville and Jefferson County Convention Bureau. Donald is a former trustee and Board chair of the Sayre School in Lexington and served as a board member of the Bluegrass Council Boy Scouts.  Don has also been a part-time adjunct Associate Professor of Mineral Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law and was coeditor and a contributing author of several law treatises. In 1989, Don accepted an appointment as associate solicitor in the United States Department of the Interior and served for two years in Washington D.C. Don’s also writes poetry and has been recognized in the “Kentucky Anthology: 200 Years of Writing in the Bluegrass State and his photo exhibition, Eccentric Views of Louisville, has been featured in galleries and on the Gallery Hop. Don graduated from St. Xavier High School and then Bellarmine University in 1969 and the Brandeis School of Law in 1970, with honors.

Greg Huelsman
Greg has been a visionary on diversity in business and a leader on why corporations need a plan relating to minority purchasing. Greg was voted “Best of the Decade” in diversity in 2003 by a major national minority magazine. He has amassed a successful 34 year career in people and supplier diversity with a leading Fortune 10 manufacturing firm. Greg’s leadership in directing the firm’s diversity initiatives and creating the firm’s purchasing policies and procedures, changing management initiatives, supplying a chain management plan and corporate responsibility strategies underscore his career in Operations and Purchasing. Under Greg’s leadership, his firm won top national awards in diversity including the coveted National Minority Supplier Development Council “Corporation of the Year” award in Supplier Diversity, a #4 ranking in America in employee recruitment and retention, and an 11th place ranking in America in overall workforce satisfaction and diversity. Greg is considered one of the top diversity professionals in America! Greg holds degrees from Bellarmine in Mathematics and Business Management. He is also a graduate of the University of Richmond Business Center Management Institute and has completed many advanced executive management programs at various East Coast Universities. In 1982, Greg earned his Certified Purchasing Manager Certificate and he is an authorized speaker and past president of the regional Institute for Supply Management chapter. Greg has served on numerous boards, chambers of commerce, civic groups, and has chaired numerous boards of directors.  Greg is also proud to be a past Diversity Information Resources board member and their national seminar educator and facilitator. In 2005 Greg accepted his current position as the President and CEO of the Kentuckiana Minority Business Council. Though passionate about his position, Greg is also now authoring a book which he hopes to market nationally along with his own creation of a national certification program for diversity professionals across America. Greg is married to his college sweetheart, Beverly and in 2009 they will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They have two children and three grandchildren. They enjoy canoeing, golf, traveling, and most all, spending time with their family.

Martina Veigl
Martina was born in Louisville and is one of nine children, two of which also graduated from Bellarmine. She was a member of Bellarmine’s first co-ed freshman class in 1969 and graduated as the first female graduate in Chemistry from Bellarmine in 1973. Martina then went on to Emory University where she earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and completed her postdoctoral work at Duke. Since 1986 Martina has been the Associate Professor of General Medical Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Her research work has been funded by a number of sources including the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Energy, the American Cancer Society, and multiple pharmaceutical companies.  Martina has dedicated her professional life to researching the epidemic of cancer. She has been a guest lecturer in places such as Turkey and Hawaii while at the same time serving as the Director of the Graduate Program in Environmental Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and mentoring countless MS and PhD students. Martina is also the Director of the Gene Expression and Genotyping Facility in northeast Ohio which serves to help researchers implement new technologies to analyze gene expression throughout the human and animal genome. Martina has also been an active member of the Evironmental Mutagen Society for more than 20 years, serving as multiple committee chairs, Vice President, and President in 2006 and 2007. Martina is married to a fellow professor at Case Western, David Sedwick, and together they have three children, Jennifer, Caitlin, and Jesse. Her hobbies include music, theater, and drama as well as sailing and national and international travel.

Bill Mudd
Bill Mudd is the current Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Churchill Downs Incorporated. Prior to working at Churchill Downs, Bill had a 16 year, distinguished career at GE holding various positions including: Senior Financial Analyst, Commercial Finance Manager, Manager of Global Financial Planning & Analysis, and two separate CFO positions. Bill is an accomplished and well-diversified finance professional with strong leadership ability, world-class international business process experience, and outstanding financial management skill sets. Bill graduated from Bellarmine in 1993 with a degree in Mathematics and Actuarial Science. He then earned his Masters in Business Administration from Webster University in 1996. Bill has completed a wide variety of General Electric Management Programs as well as earning a Master Black Belt in the Six Sigma Quality Program. Bill is also a Certified Purchasing Manager, an E-financial management program instructor, and is a Junior Achievement & Golden Field Day Volunteer participating in numerous community service projects. Bill also served our country for 14 years as a Captain in the United States Army Reserves.  He is married to his Bellarmine sweetheart, Michelle, who is also a Class of 93 graduate, and they have three beautiful sons, Alec who is 13, Jarred who is 11, and Lucas who is 7.

Kevin Bramer
Dependable. Determined. Driven to succeed. Loyal. Humble. Looks out for his family. His word is gold.All these are words that family, friends and colleagues use to describe Kevin Bramer. Kevin is the President & CEO of MedVenture Technology Corporation and has been with the Company since 1998, serving as CEO since 2001. Under Kevin’s leadership the company has changed strategic direction, restructured the organization, and achieved more than 400% growth in the last 7 years. It has been featured as one of Louisville’s fastest growing companies for the past several years. MedVenture has grown its employee base from 40 at the end of 2003 to more than 225 employees today. Kevin and his team recently completed the very successful sale of MedVenture to Ampersand Ventures, a Boston-based Private Equity Firm. Kevin worked his way through Bellarmine as an orderly at Methodist Evangelical Hospital and earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Health Care Management. After graduating from Bellarmine in 1989, he attended Xavier University earning his Executive Masters Degree in Hospital and Health Administration. Kevin’s professional experiences have been in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, business and product development, operations, medical research, and contract negotiation. Kevin also has served our community in a variety of roles. He is the past Chairman of the YMCA Safeplace, past Chairman of the American Heart Association, former Trustee for Norton Healthcare and, in addition to the Trinity High School Foundation board, now serves on the board of directors for Leadership Louisville, the Indiana Health Industry Forum, and Advamed’s Emerging Medical Technology Board out of Washington, D.C. Kevin is the proud husband to his wife and best friend Carey Bramer. They reside in St. Matthews where they are blessed to be able to spend most of their time with family and friends.

Andy and Landon Swan
Andy and Landon Swan came to Bellarmine from Evansville, Indiana and excelled in the classroom while balancing their full-time academic career with playing on the men’s basketball team. Upon graduation, Andy received a full scholarship to the Boston University School of Law and Landon tinkered with a possible career in corporate business but both quickly realized that their entrepreneurial spirit was leading them to venture out on their own. In 2000, the Swan brothers started a company called Daytrade Team, which was the first financial company to stream live video content over the internet through the entire trading day. Within six years, Daytrade Team was acquired by a private company. The entrepreneurial spirit was still within them both and they launched mytrade.com, which quickly became the #1 social network for investors. Just 11 months after the launch, mytrade.com was acquired by thinkorswin, a public company headquartered in Chicago. Andy and Landon are active in the Louisville startup and entrepreneur community and for any one that knows them, they have a really close bond as brothers and anyone with siblings should emulate the way they treat and look out for one another – so it is very fitting they receive this award together.