Rutgers Hall’s Class of 2017 features prominent businesspeople

The Rutgers University Alumni Association will induct four honorees into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 6, and the event will have a distinct business flair, featuring accomplished leaders in investing, construction, technology and health care.The Rutgers University Alumni Association will induct four honorees into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 6, and the event will have a distinct business flair, featuring accomplished leaders in investing, construction, technology and health care.

This marks the school’s 30^th annual awards ceremony.

“The Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni celebrates Rutgers graduates who move our society forward in life-changing ways,” said Donna Thornton, vice president for alumni relations, annual giving and communications. “This year’s honorees make all of us in the university community proud to be scarlet forever.”

This year’s honorees, and their achievements, include:

Ray Chambers, School of Business, 1964
Ray Chambers co-founded a successful private equity firm before embarking on a second career in philanthropy and as a United Nations special envoy. His work has had a profound impact on global health initiatives and on the cultural, educational and economic life of his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.

Alice Lazzarini, Graduate School of New Brunswick, 1976, 1996
Alice Lazzarini is a renowned medical researcher and the author of “Both Sides Now: A Journey from Researcher to Patient.” During the mid-1990s, she co-discovered the first gene mutation linked to familial Parkinsonism, changing the paradigm of Parkinson’s research.

SY Lau, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, 2004
SY Lau is a leader in the development of China’s flourishing internet industry. He is senior executive vice present of Tencent Holdings Ltd., the fourth-largest internet company in the world, and president of its Online Media Group.

Richard Weeks, School of Engineering, 1950
Richard Weeks is chair of Weeks Marine Inc., one of the leading marine construction firms in North America. The company handles projects throughout North and South America, from inland waterways to offshore sites in the Pacific and the Atlantic.

More information about the event and the inductees can be found on the event website.