Saja Almogalli '23 has built a career in public service rooted in resilience, education, and supporting young people and families. A refugee from Iraq, she arrived in Vermont at 16, graduated from Burlington High School, and became the first in her family to attend college in the U.S. She served as a community service officer and police officer with the Burlington Police Department before working in the Winooski School District. She earned a UVM degree in health and society in 2023 and was elected to the Burlington School Board in 2022. She is currently training at the San Diego Regional Academy.

Ricky Strauss '88 has spent more than three decades shaping how audiences experience film and television. He held senior roles at Sony Pictures and served as president of Participant Media, overseeing socially relevant films including The Help, An Inconvenient Truth, and The Cove. At The Walt Disney Studios, he led global marketing for major releases including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Frozen, Moana, and Incredibles 2, and later helped launch Disney+. From 2023–2025, he headed global marketing at Apple TV+. A 1988 UVM graduate, Ricky earned a bachelor’s degree in English and theater minor, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude.

Diane Seder '74 joined her family’s Milwaukee Valve Company in the 1970s and rose to executive vice president and board chair, helping lead the business through decades of growth and its 2019 sale. A longtime civic leader, she has served organizations including the Jewish Federation of Madison, Hillel, and Planned Parenthood. Diane earned a UVM degree in art history and French in 1974 and has remained deeply engaged with the university for more than five decades. She served as chair of the UVM Foundation Board from 2020–2023 and continues to support UVM through philanthropy, mentorship, and service.

Steven Grossman '61, HON'22 has been a transformative philanthropic leader at UVM, contributing or inspiring more than $90 million through his personal philanthropy and the Grossman Family Foundation. A 1961 UVM graduate in manufacturing and management engineering, he spent 46 years at Southern Container Corporation, serving as CEO and growing it into a leading U.S. packaging manufacturer. His commitment to investing in people has shaped both his business and philanthropy. His support has strengthened UVM’s Grossman School of Business through faculty, scholarships, experiential learning, and innovative programs. In 2022, UVM awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.