Annual Day: 2011

It has been two weeks since Annual Day; we are pleased to announce that the day ran smoothly! The day ran with minimal difficulty, and that is all thanks to the many people who contributed to the event over the past seven months.
We would like to thank everyone who was involved in Annual Day this year, especially our wonderful speakers:
Thomas Reeves
Nicola Rooney
Csaba Csere
Dr. Steven Gay
Maria Thompson
Clayton Bruce Bartley
Barbara A. Tucker
Brian Delaney
Aradhna Krishna
Thomas Hoatlin
Julia Hawley
Carolyn DeChants
Tory Dicarlo
Howard Booth
Emily Blauw
Andy Buchsbaum
Professor Martin Katz
Susan J. Ashford
John Whittier-Ferguson
Elaine Chottiner

We also extend our thanks to our keynote speaker Michael Oneal and our panelists Christopher Farah and Professor Ralph Williams. We are grateful to have been able to work with you all.

In addition, we want to thank members of the class of 2012 who volunteered as greeters:
Sean Saint
Mathew Fligiel
Cameron Talbot
Sarah Higdon
Olivia Post
Ella Firnhaber
Katie Irani
Marina King
Marjorie Totten
Larisa Svintsitski
Lauren Satterwhite
Megan Doherty
Carrie Wixom
Maddie Csere
Anna Pan
Julia Kong
Katherine Krauss
Isabel Maier
Xander Johnson
Sarah Sloan

Thanks as well to Nick Strayer, Jeff Bord, and Shamik Ganguly for assisting speakers when they encountered technical problems.

Our speaker lounge refreshments were provided by Zingerman’s and Moonwinks.

This day could not have been possible without the assistance of the entire Greenhills faculty, including John Nickel, Susan Strange, Eric Gajar, Teresa Jong, Margarite Fourcroy, Dave Early, and our faculty advisor Dr. Roohi Baveja. Without her help, the day would have been a shadow of what it was.

It was deeply gratifying to us all to see 7 months worth of teamwork come together in a single day. We were thrilled to note how interested students were in all of their sessions, and in the lecture of keynote speaker Michael Oneal. After Mr. Oneal finished his speech about following his passion for journalism, students and visiting speakers alike were bursting with questions for him. During the day, the halls were strikingly silent, a significant contrast from the boisterous festivities of Spirit Week the day before. Looking into any classroom would give the observer a glimpse of genuinely focused students, hearing lectures on topics from medicine to law to music to service to pole vaulting. We would like to thank the students for their respectful participation.
Perhaps one of the most magical moments of the day was the afternoon assembly, in which students were spellbound by the captivating words of Professor Ralph Williams, who spoke about his experience working with writer/director Chris Farah on his latest film, Answer This! Both Farah and Williams then answered questions for the student body. Many students remained after the lecture was released to meet the panelists in person.
After viewing clips of the movie, students were eager to see the film in its entirety. More information on it can be found here: http://answerthismovie.com/
One of the most wonderful things about the day was that every speaker who set foot on campus was gracious and eloquent; every speaker has also had at least one student rave about their lecture to a friend on the committee. We would love to welcome back any and all of them someday in the future!
Thank you to the speakers, students, families, and faculty members for their contribution to the event.

Thomas Reeves

Tom Reeves is a project manager for Sithe Global. Sithe Global implements large scale, socially responsible power generation projects, often in places where success has proven challenging. Their web Site map highlights Guyana, a project on the Nile river in Uganda, Abruzzo Italy, and the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. (As well as the US.) http://www.sitheglobal.com/

Nicola Rooney

Nicola Rooney was born in Germany after the World War II, while her father was serving in the British Army. She has lived in Malta, Hong Kong, Belgium and Turkey before settling down to be educated at boarding school in England. She was the first female to graduate in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University, and stayed to complete a PhD in Fluidization. She spent 8 years working in the chemical industry in England before coming to Canada in 1982. In Canada she worked in Technical Support, Marketing and R&D for a synthetic rubber company. When the German company Bayer took them over, and offered a buyout too good to refuse, she took it, but having four children to educate, an income was necessary. From an advertisement in the Detroit newspaper, she bought the bookstore in Ann Arbor, and moved here in 1995. She is married with four children and six year old granddaughter and a two year old grandson. Her husband acts as business advisor to the bookstore, and runs a group of Physical Therapy Clinics in the Detroit suburbs as well as a consulting company. When she has time she enjoys gardening, cooking, knitting, and of course, reading.

Csaba Csere

Csaba Csere has spent almost his entire professional career working in the car industry. After graduating from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1978, Csere joined Ford in its Advanced Engine Engineering Office. After deter-mining that he was not cut out to labor for a big company, he joined Car and Driver magazine as its Technical Editor in 1980. The magazine had much greater appreciation for Csere’s intense passion for cars, as well as his enthusiasm for speed, which had lead him to achieve an expert motorcycle road racing license. In addition to inflicting his engineering prose on Car and Driver readers, Csere specialized in stories about technical issues and first-person experiences in various competition machines ranging from NASCAR stockers to Formula 1 cars. In the process, he has managed to snag rides in professional rallies, off-road races, and countless road races—including seventeen 24-hour events. He has driven over 200 mph on several occasions, once performing an automotive backflip at 215 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and achieving 253 mph in the 1000-hp Bugatti Veyron. Csere became Editor-in-Chief in 1993 and directed his energy toward strengthening Car and Driver’s position as the world’s largest circulation and foremost automotive magazine, while integrating Car and Driver’s TV, Internet, and radio extensions. Outside of Car and Driver, Csere has appeared as an authority on automotive issues ranging from product design to safety to energy policy in venues from the United States Senate to virtually every national television and radio news program. In 1998, Newsweek magazine dubbed him the "Car King" in the American media. After being Car and Driver’s editorial leader for a longer period than anyone else in the magazine’s 50-plus year history, Csere retired at the end of 2008.
(Source: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTENERGY/Resources/335544-1232567547944/speakers.htm#C)

Dr. Steven Gay

Dr. Gay is Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, the Director of Critical Care Support Services, the Director of the Bronchoscopy Service, and the Interim Dean of Medical School Admissions at the University of Michigan. His clinical and research interests include exercise physiology, pathophysiology of interstitial lung disease and outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dr. Gay is a member of the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society. He is a member of the FDA Advisory Committee on Pulmonary and Allergy Medications.

He received his medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and served his internship and residency in internal medicine at Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago. After completing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the U-M Medical Center, Dr. Gay earned a masters degree in clinical study design and biostatistics at the U-M School of Public Health.

Since joining the U-M faculty in 2000, Dr. Gay has been actively engaged in the Medical School Admissions Program, where he serves on the Admissions Committee, its Executive Committee and the K30 Executive Curriculum Committee. He was appointed Interim Assistant Dean of Admission in 2006.

(Source: http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/dean/deans/gay.htm)

Maria Thompson

Maria A. Thompson
Co-Founder, President and CEO T/J Technologies

Ms. Thompson was President and CEO of T/J Technologies, Inc., a nationally recognized Michigan company for proprietary alternative energy technologies, that she and her husband, Dr. Levi Thompson, co-founded in 1991. T/J Technologies was acquired by A123Systems Inc. in 2006. Combined, the organizations represent the largest lithium-ion R&D team in North America, with world-class expertise and management, and global manufacturing operations. A123Systems is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-power lithium-ion batteries. Applications include electric vehicles, hybrid electric and plug in hybrid vehicles, grid stabilization, power tools, defense and aerospace. A123Systems had a successful IPO in September, 2009. Maria A. Thompson ran the Government Solutions Group of A123Systems, Inc after the acquisition until she retired from A123 in 2010. She and her team worked with the DOD, DOE, the MEDC, Senators Levin and Stabenow, Congressman Dingell, Governor Granholm and Wayne County to secure over $249M in DOE grants, a pending DOE Loan, a $9M TARDEC contract, and $139M from the state of Michigan to build battery plants in Michigan. These plants will employ over 3000 people.

Under Ms. Thompson’s leadership, T/J Technologies attracted national and regional recognition. In 2008, she was honored by the Washington DC based Minority Enterprise Executive Council as one of 25 Powerful Minority Women in Business. The Small Business Foundation of Michigan honored Ms. Thompson as a Small Business Entrepreneur Extraordinaire 2008. She was chosen as one of Crain’s Detroit Business Most Influential Women for 2007. NASA Headquarters honored T/J Technologies with a “Special Recognition Award” presented by NASA Administrator, Dr. Michael Griffin. T/J Technologies was also named one of “50 Companies to Watch in Michigan” and Crain's Detroit Business chose the company as one of the “20 Largest Technology-Based Companies”. Ms. Thompson was invited to speak to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business as part of the Small Business Administration’s 50th Anniversary. T/J Technologies received the Nunn/Perry Award from the Department of Defense for its ultracapacitor development with Lockheed Martin. In 2000, Ms. Thompson was named one of Metro Detroit’s Innovators by Crain’s Detroit Business. Additional recognition includes awards from NASA Glenn Research Center, the Small Business Foundation of Michigan, and The Small Business Association of Michigan.

Ms. Thompson is a member of Ann Arbor SPARK’s Board of Directors, NextEnergy’s Board of Directors, the University of Michigan Technology Transfer National Advisory Board, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business Zell Lurie Institute Advisory Board, The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute External Advisory Board and United Bank and Trust Washtenaw Board of Directors. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Greenhills School. She served for 6 years on the Advanced Technology Advisory Board for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and is a former member of several non-profit organization boards. Ms. Thompson earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan Business School. Prior to starting T/J Technologies, Ms. Thompson worked at Steelcase and IBM, where she earned numerous company awards.

Ms. Thompson and her husband, Dr. Levi Thompson, have 2 daughters, Marissa and Sabrina.

Clayton Bruce Bartley

Mr. Clayton Bruce Bartley has worked at NSF International for 25 years principally in the areas of water quality research, testing and and standards development. He serves as a technical manager in the NSF Water Treatment and Distribution Systems Program. For the past 16 years he has been the NSF manager of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joint effort with NSF in the area of drinking water treatment known as the Environmental Technology Verification Program. He concurrently manages the NSF certification of public drinking water equipment.
He grew up by the water in Port Huron, Michigan and then graduated from Midland High School. He has two degrees from the University of Michigan: a Bachelors of Science in Zoology and a Masters of Science in Water Resources Science.
Mr. Bartley began his career with the University of Michigan in research related to coastal erosion and ecology. He worked for an environmental consulting company prior to his career at NSF.

Afternoon Presentation: Filmmaking Panel

We are pleased to announce that a panel on filmmaking will take place during the afternoon. Our guests will be Christopher Farah, writer and director, and Ralph Williams, professor and actor.

Writer/Director Christopher Farah has worked in entertainment, served as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East and spent at least one summer cutting meat in a deli. His web show “Sexy Talk with Dirty Jay” was nominated for a Webby Award for best comedy series. He has written for publications such as The New York Times, Salon.com, and The Jerusalem Report, and was assistant editor at Foreign Affairs Magazine. An Ann Arbor native who holds a Bachelors and a Masters from the University of Michigan and another Masters from Columbia University, this is his first feature film.

Prof. Ralph Williams played Prof. Elliot Tarson. When audiences watch Ralph Williams playing Professor Elliot Tarson, they always wonder – is he a real professor, or an amazing actor? The answer is both. One of the University of Michigan’s most beloved and iconic profs of English and Religion, Professor Williams also has extensive theatrical experience, including a long and fruitful relationship with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which he has brought to Ann Arbor on multiple occasions. This is Professor Williams's first foray into film acting, but based on the positive reviews he’s getting, certainly not his last.

We would be thrilled to have the student body submit questions for the panel ahead of time. Please either submit them in the comments or to our e-mail at annualday@greenhillsschool.org. If you have any interest in film, directing, writing, or acting, this is a great opportunity to pose your questions to real professionals.

(Photos, from top to bottom: Ralph Williams, Dr. Williams on set, Christopher Farah conversing on set with Dr. Williams, Mr. Farah on set, Mr. Farah.)

Barbara A. Tucker

Barbara A. Tucker is a Financial Planner who works with Insight Financial Group as an Investment Advisor Representative of MML Investors Services, Inc., Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow, and she has been a 14 Year Financial Services Professional. She provides a variety of Financial Services, such as:
-Securities, Brokerage Services-
-Life Insurance-
-Disability Income Insurance-
-Long Term Care Insurance-
-College Education Funding-
-Retirement Planning-
-Estate Analysis-
-Qualified Plans-
-Business Succession Planning-

She also gives seminars on:
-Investments-
-Asset Allocation-
-Life Insurance-
-Long Term Care Insurance-
-College Education Funding-
-Structuring Retirement Income-

She is a Member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. In addition,Barbara Tucker is a Registered Representative of and offers securities, investment advisory and financial planning services, through MML Investors Services, Inc.

Brian Delaney

Brian Delaney was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and studied classical piano at an early age. At age 12, he took up guitar and has been playing ever since. Simultaneously, he began a long study on guitar construction and repair. To the surprise and amazement of his parents, he began building and selling electric guitars at the ripe old age of 13. Brian's curiosity and love for the guitar has led him all over the world, working as a tech with various acts and playing a variety of styles of music on the instrument. Somewhere along the way, he discovered the music of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France. This led to an interest in early jazz and the formation in the late '90's of the gypsy-style jazz trio, Summers, Delaney & Sharp. After SDS, Brian asked Mike Karoub and Tom Bogardus to join him in the Royal Garden Trio. Since then, his focus has been on recording and instruction as well as his own continuing study of traditional and gypsy jazz. Brian finds inspiration in the likes of guitar pioneers Eddie Lang, Carl Kress and other musicians from the dawn of jazz guitar. Brian lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Meg and cat, Harold.

Aradhna Krishna

Aradhna Krishna is the Dwight F. Benton Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. She believes in making her job her hobby; she also believes in having fun. Building upon these two important principles, she has decided to make the academic world of business more sensual and exciting, and has pioneered the field of sensory marketing. Sensory marketing focuses on sub-conscious triggers that make people buy. In the seminar at Greenhills, you will explore the ways in which sensory perception sub-consciously influences consumer behavior and purchasing decisions. You will examine the manner in which a products’ look, feel, taste, sound, and smell contribute to how it is perceived, and how people respond to it.
If you really must know, Aradhna received her Ph.D. from New York University in 1989, her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 1984 and her BA in economics from Delhi University in 1979. Besides the Ross school, she has also spent time at Columbia University, New York University and the National University of Singapore. More importantly, she is a sensuist who enjoys drinking second flush Darjeeling tea in porcelain cups, collecting figurative art prints, listening to a-tonal jazz, cooking foods with strong aromas, and gardening without gloves.
Come prepared to play with Playdough!