Alumni Awards
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Alumni Awards 2025
Join us to recognize and celebrate the outstanding impact and achievements of our alumni and students.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Lathem Hall, Chester Campus
Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumnioffice@widener.edu.
Recent Award Winners
The Outstanding Alumnus Award is awarded to a recipient who has brought honor, recognition and distinction to Widener/PMC, through service to their community, their profession, and/or by honors received, service rendered, or other accomplishments.
2025 Recipients: Marietta Mosco Borinski ’80 & Michael Borinski ’82
Marietta Mosco Borinski ’80
Marietta Borinski’s passion for nursing began with her mother, who served as a school nurse for generations of students. This passion flourished when she transferred to Widener from King’s College in 1978 and has defined her successful and highly respected career as a nurse and lead caregiver ever since.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in nursing, she worked on a surgical unit at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she became passionate about oncology. This inspired her to earn her Master of Science in nursing with a specialization in oncology at Catholic University, and after graduation, moved to Philadelphia to begin work as an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In this teaching hospital, she led orientation programs for house staff and education for patients and their families.
Marietta became actively involved in the Oncology Nursing Society at this time, serving as a lecturer and conference chair of the Society’s Fall Institute in Nashville. She remained active with the Society as she raised her children, working as a project manager in the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation department. Her dedication to creating, analyzing, and refining national exam questions set a high standard for oncology nurses across the country.
Her collaboration with School of Nursing leadership on enhancement plans has led the School to be awarded Center for Excellence Awards in Nursing over many years. She has generously funded The Anna Mosco and Marietta Borinski ’80 Simulation Lab in honor of her and her late mother’s passion for the profession. The new lab incorporates the latest virtual reality technology and equipment to give students an opportunity to simulate hands-on clinical situations, growing their confidence and skills before putting them to the test in actual practice.
Michael “Mike” Borinski ’82
Known as a leader from the time he stepped on campus, Mike Borinski ’82 began his service to Widener as a student. Advocating for the Widener community as a campus ambassador, student government official, and alumni relations liaison, he has long championed all things Widener.
Mike majored in accounting and economics at Widener and graduated in 1982 as the co-winner of the College Prize. He spent five years working in the tax and audit departments of KPMG, passing the CPA Exam in 1984 and then leaving KPMG for a controller’s position with a national public refrigerated warehousing company in 1987.
He joined Bradford White Water Heaters in 1999 as their controller before being promoted into the CFO role in 2008. He retired in 2022 and accepted appointments to Bradford White’s Board of Directors and as a Trustee of their Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Mike is Bradford White’s primary representative in the Employee Stock Ownership Community and often presents at local and national conferences.
He served many years on the Alumni Association, including as president from 1993 to 1995, and in 1999 he received the Alumni Association Service Award. Mike has held leadership positions throughout the School of Business and was presented with Beta Alpha Psi–Kappa Iota Chapter’s Distinguished Accounting Alumnus Award in 2011.
Mike is deeply involved in the School of Business and attends many student networking events and meetings. He has donated generously to provide CPA software for SBA Strategic Initiatives and supported the Finance Lab. He also supports The Borinski Accounting Scholars Annual Scholarship and is currently developing a financial literacy institute, in honor of Dr. Frank Lordi, which will support business students as they provide pro bono financial advice to community members.
Award Recipients
- 2025 - Marietta Mosco Borinski ’80 & Michael Borinski ’82
- 2023 - Marcia Zaruba O'Connor '90
- 2019 - Ron Romanowicz ‘68
- 2017 - Normajean Colby ’87,’91,’10
This award is granted for volunteer service to the university as a whole or to a particular sector or major within the university, and/or to the recipient’s profession where their education at Widener/PMC was a central factor providing the service. This award is be given to honor time, service, and commitment to the university.
2025 Recipient: Charles A. Cantley, Jr. ’69 ’75
Charles “Chuck” Cantley, Jr. ’69, a Philadelphia native, was introduced to Pennsylvania Military College (PMC) while working as a mechanic, when he worked on Dr. Clarence Moll’s car. He enrolled in 1965 and pledged to the PMC Pershing Rifles as a freshman. He was honored as a Distinguished Military Student and received the President’s Medal of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States.
Upon his commission as 2LT Infantry in 1969, he took a year’s deferment to work for Ford Motor Company before beginning his Basic Course at Fort Benning (Moore), GA. He then transferred to Fort Ord, CA where he was a Range Control Officer responsible for all training and firing ranges on post, before being promoted to Executive Officer in an Advanced Infantry Training Company.
After a brief return to Ford in 1971, Cantley began a 25-year career at the DuPont Company in 1972, working in finance, marketing, sales, organizational leadership, and strategic planning. He graduated with his Widener MBA in 1975 and continued to work for DuPont until 1997, when he moved to Florida to grow a business there. He later managed Fortune 500 global accounts for a commercial furniture manufacturer, including Coca Cola, EY and Delta Airlines, before officially retiring in June 2020.
Cantley has been instrumental in recruiting PMC class leaders to preserve the legacy of the college and grow the current ROTC program. The PMC ROTC Legacy Scholarship was created out of this effort, and the first scholarship was awarded at homecoming 2024.
Cantley currently resides in Canton, GA with his wife. He enjoys time with his children, taking the occasional cruise and golfing at his local course.
Award Recipients
- 2025 - Charles A. Cantley, Jr. '69, '75
- 2023 - Ryan M. Raiker '16, '17
- 2019 - Anthony Stanowski ‘84
- 2017 - Cynthia Sarnoski ‘74
- 2017 - Capt. Thomas Chiomento, Jr. USN (ret.) ’65
This award is given in the memory of John L. Geoghegan '63 to a graduate who has brought honor to the university through academic achievement, demonstrated leadership capabilities and community service.
2025 Recipient: Cmdr. (Dr.) Jason M. Duff ’96
Commander (CDR) Jason Duff joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1996. From there, he worked as a nurse, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and adjunct professor in Widener’s School of Nursing. He also holds an MSN from MCP Hahnemann/Drexel and an MS in Clinical Psychology and PsyD from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
CDR Duff began his career in the United States Navy in 2007 after securing the competitive Clinical Psychology Internship at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. For the past 18 years, he has served as a clinical psychologist in the Navy, providing expert psychological services at the highest levels, including with the USMC School of Infantry West, Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, & 7), Marine Barracks Washington, the White House, Guantanamo Bay, Camp David, Naval Hospital Okinawa, and HMX-1 (the Presidential Helicopter Squadron). He served on two nuclear powered aircraft carriers as the sole Psychologist for 7,500 Sailors and Marines. He is currently the Director of the Midshipmen Development Center at the US Naval Academy, which was recognized nationally in 2023 by Princeton Review as #1 for “Best Student Support & Counseling Services.”
CDR Duff’s innovative outreach strategies include the Armed Forces Network mental health talk show “Shrink Rap,” which reached an audience of over 50,000. He is active in the community as a youth sports coach and guest speaker. In 2017, he founded MISSION: Possible to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia after being diagnosed with lymphoma. He has also used this platform to highlight the importance of self-care and prioritizing psychological health. www.MISSIONPossiblePhilly.com
CDR Duff serves in a variety of roles around the Naval Academy due to his diverse skillset. For example, CDR Duff was hand selected to represent the United States and the Naval Academy as a liaison with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He personally led a team of Midshipmen to Vietnam in the Summer of 2024 to join a cadre of archaeologists, anthropologists, explosive ordinance disposal experts, foreign military personnel and local civilians working to locate, recover, and identify the remains of U.S. service members killed in action.
He and his wife Trisha Duff, nee Doyle ‘97 are the proud parents of three children: Wyland (12), Weston (11), and Declan (5).
Award Recipients
- 2025 - Cmdr. (Dr.) Jason M. Duff ’96
- 2023 - Col. William T. (Tom) Vossler '68
- 2019 - Robert J. Hawley, '62
- 2019 - Christian Nascimento '97
- 2017 - General John H. Tilelli Jr. USA (ret.) ’63, ‘96H
This award is given to an individual other than a graduate of Widener University who, in the opinion of the Alumni Association, has brought honor to the university through their acts and accomplishments. This award is a token of appreciation for the contributions to the university community through service to the university.
2025 Recipient: Fred Dohrmann (awarded posthumously)
Fred Dohrmann joined the Widener community in 1980 and quickly became a beloved figure on campus with his contagious smile and positive attitude.
A native of Philadelphia, Dohrmann earned his bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation from the University of Pittsburgh in 1978 and his master's in physical education from West Chester University in 1986.
During his 41-year coaching career at Widener, Dohrmann amassed nearly 700 career victories to become Widener's winningest coach in any one sport in school history. His softball teams won 20 or more games 16 times, and in 2009, he led the Pride to their first conference championship in program history. Dohrmann's 2017 season stands as one of the best in school softball history as the Pride went on to a 28-13 season record, won their first MAC Commonwealth Championship, and Dohrmann secured his 600th career win. With the conference title, the Pride punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and won a pair of games to finish fourth in the NFCAD3 poll.
Dohrmann also served as the head men’s soccer coach from 1981 to 2003 where he also holds the title of Widener's all-time leader in wins with 164. In 1985, Dohrmann became the director of physical education, where he would double the number of physical education courses offered at Widener. In 2022, Dohrmann was awarded the William David Eckard Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to the Widener community.
On April 9, 2024, the Widener Softball Field officially became Fred Dohrmann Field at Dougherty-Gillespie Park in his honor. He passed away in December 2024 at age 68 after a long battle with glioblastoma. This award is being lovingly accepted by his beloved family: his wife June, daughter Andrea, son Michael, daughter in-law Eleanna, and grandsons Theo and Myles.
Award Recipients
- 2025 - Fred Dohrmann, posthumous recipient
- 2023 - Jill Borin
- 2019 - Bill Campbell
- 2017 - Linda S. Durant
This award is given in the memory of John L. Geoghegan '63 to a current student who has brought honor to the University through academic achievement, demonstrated leadership capabilities and community service.
2025 Recipient: Lauren McCarthy ’25
Lauren McCarthy is a dedicated Widener nursing student set to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a minor in Allied Health. She has gained extensive clinical experience during her time at Widener, including as a Susan D. Flynn Student Nurse Fellow at CHOP, focusing on pediatric oncology.
Beyond her studies, Lauren served as Treasurer/Secretary and then President of the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP). She also served as the Widener University Student Nurses’ Association (WUSNA) fundraising chair for two years and was President during her junior and senior years. In her role as president, she organized meetings, attended state and national conferences, and volunteered at community events. She is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Lauren is passionate about civic engagement and has worked with SNAP and within Chester to host menstrual product drives for the local community. Her dedication to patient care and community service earned her the National Student Nurses Association Ambassador of the Year Award in 2024.
Lauren also works as a University Ambassador and a tutor in chemistry, anatomy, nutrition, and sociology courses. A member of the Honors Program in General Education and the Honors in Nursing program, she holds a 3.95 GPA and has been on the Dean’s List six times and the President’s List twice.
Award Recipients
- 2025 - Lauren McCarthy ’25
- 2023 - Donya Moore '24
- 2019 - Eric Guzy '19
- 2019 - Abigail Ferrie '20
- 2017 - Samantha DeCapua '17