Alumni Achievement Awards

Knox will celebrate the 184th anniversary of its founding with a virtual presentation of Alumni Achievement Awards on Friday, February 12, 2021.

Amy Carlson '90

During her years at Knox, Amy Carlson was a member of Mortar Board, Rep Term, and track. But despite her active campus involvement in other areas, she knew early on that her real love was theater. She acted in several Knox productions, including Fifth of July, Noises Off, A Lie of the Mind, and School for Scandal. She also directed Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon.

After graduating cum laude with a degree in history and a passion for theatre, Amy headed to Chicago to study improv at Improv Olympic and acting at The Actor’s Center. There, she began a successful career in TV and film starring on the soap opera "Another World" from 1993 to 1998. This role launched the Emmy-nominated actor in television and movies. She has played such characters as Alex Taylor in Third Watch, Maggie Pistone in Falcone, Katie Owen in Peacemakers, Linda Reagan in Blue Bloods, and most recently bounty hunter Jackie Ward on FBI: Most Wanted. In addition, Amy realized one of her longtime goals last year when she directed The Letter, her first short film.

This multi-talented actor sings as well as acts. She is a member of the band Office Romance, founded under the indie record label Frenchkiss Records owned by her partner Syd Butler. Amy directs many of the music videos for the band.
In her acting career, Amy frequently plays the role of strong women, a role that she also embodies in her personal life. Her passion for the arts is only matched by her activism, a pursuit that took root as a student at Knox. In particular, her work centers on women’s rights and health, among countless other issues.

A few years after graduating, Amy went to post-war Rwanda to help with removal of landmines. She assisted with relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. She actively supports Habitat for Humanity and in one build was joined by her co-workers from Blue Bloods. Among the many humanitarian efforts and causes she supports are the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Equality Now, Heifer International, Black Lives Matter, Hearts of Gold, and Covid-19 relief.

She is also an ardent activist for those with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). She has worked tirelessly with lobbyists to bring awareness, to educate, and to fight for those with this crippling disease.

Otto "Casey" Jones '87

At Knox, Casey Jones was an athlete and letterwinner in wrestling. He majored in Spanish and studied abroad as part of the Barcelona program.

He has worn many hats since graduating from Knox. According to friends, he is an excellent cook and baker, accomplished cave diver, massage therapist, and graduate student. But today, he is being honored for the important work he has done as a clinical nurse specialist.

In 2007, Casey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Linfield College followed by a graduate degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 2016. As a Fellow of Global Health Clinical Education through Massachusetts General Hospital, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Global Health Service Partnership at Muni University in Uganda. This was his second time as a Peace Corps volunteer as he served in 1990, just a few years after graduating from Knox. His fellowship also included an appointment as an assistant lecturer in nursing and as a clinical nurse specialist.

At Muni University, Casey developed a nursing skills lab and brought palliative care courses to students. He encouraged members of the health care community to volunteer as teachers. He also worked in the medical wards and in service to those who needed end of life care. Additionally, Casey is responsible for raising funds for the skills lab, and worked tirelessly to bring a professional to teach students how to read EKGs. He was also instrumental in the acquisition of more than $160,000 worth of medical laboratory equipment for Muni University.

To use the words of his Knox classmate, Kenneth Peve ’87, Casey is “a relentless volunteer in giving back to the community. He inspires all around him to better things.”

Regine Rousseau '95

Regine Rousseau’s appreciation of wine began during her Knox study abroad experience in Besancon, France, at the table of her host family, where the father described the flavors of each bottle of wine they drank with the meal. Thus began her love affair with wine.

She launched her career as a wine salesperson shortly after graduating from Knox. Today, she is the CEO of Shall We Wine, a wine, spirits, and beer-tasting company that provides demos and hosts private and public wine-tasting events.

An engaging and talented entrepreneur, Regine has been named to the Top 40 Under/Over 40 Tastemakers List by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. She also was named to the Top 40 African-American Tastemakers worldwide by wine writer Sabrina Jackson, and UrbanMatter, a Chicago-based digital media platform, listed Shall We Wine as one of the 10 Black-Owned Businesses You Should be Visiting in Chicago. Last summer, she kicked off a partnership with Wonder Women of Wines A.L.L.I.E.S., which was created to give a voice to Black women in the wine industry. Regine was a Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Nominee-Wine Educator in 2020. She holds a Level II certification from the International Sommelier Guild.

Regine’s other passion was also influenced by her experiences at Knox. Here, she majored in theatre and developed an interest in playwriting. Her love of writing sustains her, and she is the author of a book of poetry, Searching for Cloves and Lillies. She is currently working on a second book. Regine also writes a wine column, has been featured in The New Yorker m, and created Champagne Diaries, an inspirational blog about friends, love, life, and Champagne. She has been a panelist at the Association of Writers and Writing Program conference and is contributor and columnist for The Chicago Defender.

Regine also gives of her time and talent to Knox College. She has returned to Knox twice as the keynote speaker for the Career Impact Summit. She is a member of ABLE, an Admission volunteer, and has met with members of the Chicago Business Club in Chicago. She continues to be an inspiration and mentor to students.

One of her nominators says, “Regine is an extraordinary businesswoman and a truly remarkable individual. She is a passionate advocate for others and a tremendous ambassador for Knox College!”

Virginia Steen '69

Armed with a chemistry degree from Knox, Virginia Steen went on to earn an M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, followed by an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She was then awarded a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Pittsburgh and an appointment as a professor at the medical school there.

Since 1995, Dr. Steen has been a professor of medicine at Georgetown University, where she serves as a primary care physician for systemic scleroderma patients and as the fellowship director of the rheumatology division. She also serves as a consultant in rheumatology at the arthritis division of National Institutes of Health and is the coordinating investigator for a 15-year observational study of more than 500 scleroderma patients at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. The study is vitally important since pulmonary hypertension is the most common cause of scleroderma deaths. 

Scleroderma, by the way, is an autoimmune condition that affects the skin, connective tissues, and internal organs. There is no cure, but treatment can ease patients' symptoms and improve their quality of life. Dr. Steen is a pre-eminent, internationally recognized expert in the study and treatment of scleroderma. She even has been characterized as the "absolute rock star of scleroderma physicians."

The complete list of Virginia’s research, scholarship, and accomplishments is so vast it fills more than 75 pages in her curriculum vitae. She worked with another researcher to develop the first worldwide registry and database for patients with systemic scleroderma. The database stores medical histories and allows physicians to access records to support care management for patients. This ongoing registry has tracked more than 4,000 patients over a 38-year period and has produced at least 150 research publications. She has been a guest lecturer, panelist, and presenter for an astounding number of conferences and meetings. During Knox’s 2019 Homecoming festivities, she even made time to serve on an alumni careers panel for students studying chemistry and biochemistry. 

Dr. Steenis the recipient of numerous awards, including the Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award and Clinical Science Award from the American College of Rheumatology, Doctor of the Year, Patient Service Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Scleroderma Foundation. She also received an Outstanding Achievement Award from Georgetown Women in Medicine. 

When Georgetown University Medical Center formally recognized Virginia’s teaching excellence in 2019, Steven Ray Mitchell, dean for medical education at the School of Medicine, noted her expertise in caring for patients with scleroderma. “There is no one, literally no one in the world, who has better understanding and also better information around that puzzling and terrible disease,” Mitchell said. “It’s a discouraging, frightening disease but there has been hopeful progress made, and much of that has relied on the careful epidemiological work of Virginia Steen.” 

2021 Young Alumni Achievement Award Presentations

Leah Heister Burton '08

As a student, Leah Heister-Burton took advantage of the many opportunities and activities available to her as a student. While earning her degree in political science and international relations with a minor in French, she found time for athletics, Delta Delta Delta sorority, and was an active student leader serving as student class president, on Student Senate, Union Board, Mortar Board, and as an alumni ambassador. After graduation, she has continued to serve Knox as an alumni engagement and as a campaign advisory committee member.

After receiving a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management with a focus in fundraising from Columbia University, Leah served as the director of development at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children and as associate director for the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in New York. She is currently the deputy director and chief advancement officer for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for the planning, management, and execution of the Museum and the Foundation’s strategic engagement with current and prospective donors regionally, nationally, and internationally.

In addition to raising funds for the Museum, she also oversees and leads the Campaign for the Guggenheim to increase their endowment. In this capacity, she works closely with the Museum’s board of trustees and is a member of the advancement committee of the board.

Leah is also a part-time lecturer at Columbia University in the Master of Nonprofit Management program, where she teaches Fundraising Fundamentals for Nonprofits. She is a member of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies Alumni Council, a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and a volunteer for the Delta Delta Delta Leadership Development Committee, which is responsible for identifying and cultivating worldwide leadership in the organization.

In 2017, Leah received the National Young Professional of the Year award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The award is presented to those who have shown exemplary work in raising funds, inspiring donors, helping manage campaigns, and giving back to the profession.

Melati Nungsari '10

Melati Nungsari did what many Knox grads do and turned a degree into a vocation to help those in need. While her degree is in economics, her passion is activism. 

An assistant professor of Economics at the Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she also serves as a research affiliate at MIT Sloan School of Management. She is an applied microeconomist whose research interests span industrial organization, public policy, market design, and economics education.

She has authored and co-authored articles in professional journals, textbooks, and policy papers on a wide range of topics from issues facing refugees and asylum-seekers to efficiency of private retirement systems, to using classroom games to teach market design and platform theory. 

Before assuming the position at the Asia School of Business, Melati taught at Butler University, Davidson College, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a Ph.D. in economics. At UNC, she served as president of the Economics Graduate Student Association and the International Economics Honor Society.

She has been honored with numerous awards including the Eurassian Business and Economics Society Conference Best Paper Awards, Royster Society of Fellows, Phi Beta Kappa, and was a finalist for The World Bank Group’s Sundaran Memorial Prize for Young Malaysian Researchers. Her list of research talks and papers is extensive. 

Melati has made it her mission to help others. During her time at UNC, she served as a companion at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center where she staffed a 24-hour crisis line, supported survivors of sexual assault by not only providing information but also accompanying survivors to receive treatment, file police reports, and meet with legal services. 

Melati works directly with refugee communities to document problems facing and testing potential systemic improvements.  She also organizes dialogue and collaborations among NGOs, and local and international governmental agencies for the betterment of refugees. As an example, she worked with the United Nations Refugee Agency to establish a yearly research workshop on refugee studies and forced migration. 

In addition, Melati is frequently asked for comments about economics and refugees by the media. She has done radio interviews, as well as news articles for the Free Malaysia Today, The Star Newspaper, The Edge Weekly, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.