2026 Alumni Award Winners
Distinguished Undergraduate Alumni Award
Michael G. Lawrence (WRC ’76)
Michael Lawrence retired from the Smithsonian Institution in 2025 after more than seventeen years in the Office of Exhibits of the National Museum of Natural History, capping a 40+ year career in architecture and museum work. As Assistant Director for Exhibitions for eight years, Michael led the Museum’s staff of exhibits professionals in the planning, development, design, execution and maintenance of all permanent and temporary exhibitions. He was responsible for management of the Deep Time Initiative, including the 30,000 square foot renovation of the Fossil Hall, the largest exhibit project in the Museum’s history. Prior to this position, Michael served for ten years as Chief of Design for the Office of Exhibits, and he was personally responsible for the design of the museum’s Garden Lounge and the award-winning 2017 exhibition Objects of Wonder.
From 2011 through 2016, Michael also served, in conjunction with the SI Office of International Relations, as the Smithsonian design liaison to the US Department of State for an extensive project to update “American Spaces” in over a dozen locations worldwide. Leading a team of architects, designers, and content specialists, Michael personally traveled to and led architectural design projects in the DRC, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, and headed the development of a Design Guide that was adopted by American Spaces in many other locations over several years.
An architect with many years of experience in the adaptive re-use of historic structures for contemporary use, Michael served as the design liaison between the Office of Public Programs and Smithsonian Facilities for projects within the Museum. Before joining the Smithsonian, Michael served as Senior Architect and Designer for MFM Design, Inc., a Washington DC exhibit design firm. He contributed to the planning, content development, architectural planning and design of major exhibitions for the Smithsonian Institution, Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, National Park Service, and such private museums as the Frazier International History Museum in Louisville, KY and the Tomo Kikuchi Museum, Tokyo. Earlier in his career, he served as the Assistant Curator for Architectural Records at the Cuyahoga County Archives and as an instructor at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Michael completed undergraduate studies in fine arts and education at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH, and received a Master of Architecture degree with honors from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. He has served as an instructor in architectural history at the University of Maryland and at Catholic University, and as a design instructor and thesis studio chair at the latter institution.
Michael has remained an engaged member of the CWRU community, lending his expertise to groundbreaking new spaces on campus such as the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building. His insights have helped us take these projects to the next level of success and impact, and his continued philanthropy to the university and the Department of Art History has made a meaningful impact on students and the entire campus community.
Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award
Sidonie Smith (GRS ’71, English)
Dr. Sidonie Smith is the Lorna G. Goodison Distinguished University Professor Emerita of English and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan and Past President of the Modern Language Association of America (2010). She received her BA and MA from the University of Michigan in 1966 and her PhD from Case Western Reserve University in 1971. Dr. Smith went on to teach at Roosevelt University, the University of Arizona, Binghamton University, and the University of Michigan. She has a long history of administrative positions at the deaconal, departmental, program, and institute levels. Her major research interest is in autobiography studies, with specialties in women’s life writing, life writing and human rights, and contemporary genres of life writing in textual, graphic, performance, and online media. Dr. Smith has authored five books, among them Where I’m Bound: Patterns of Slavery and Freedom in Black American Autobiography (1974), A Poetics of Women’s Autobiography: Marginality and the Fictions of Self-Representation (1987), Subjectivity, Identity, and the Body: Autobiographical Practices in the Twentieth Century (1993). She coauthored Human Rights and Narrated Lives (2004) with Kay Schaffer. With Julia Watson she co-authored three editions of Reading Autobiography: A Guide to Interpreting Life Narratives (2001, 2010, 2024) and the retrospective volume Life Writing in the Long Run: A Smith & Watson Autobiography Studies Reader (2017). With Julia Watson, she has co-edited six essay collections and two anthologies. Her many essays have appeared in leading journals in the fields of autobiography studies, feminist studies, and literary studies, including Publication of the Modern Language Association, Signs, Biography, Oxford Encyclopedia of Literary Theory, and journals in Europe, China, and Australia. She held fellowships at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, the University of Toronto, and Adelaide University, Murdoch University, Curtin University, the University of Queensland, and the Australian National University in Australia. She grew up on the west side of Cleveland.
Sid has also been a dedicated and engaged alumna of the college, serving on the College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee since 2017. Her consistent philanthropic generosity has fueled the Roger B. Salomon Dissertation Fellowship in the English department and positively impacted graduate studies overall at the university.
Distinguished Professional Achievement Award
Yale I. Paprin (WRC ’76)
Mr. Paprin is the President and sole owner of Yale Realty Services Corp. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1976, Mr. Paprin immediately served under the University Vice President, with specific responsibilities including handling the University’s outside real estate investment portfolio. Subsequently, he worked for a national real estate company that owned a portfolio of strip shopping centers in Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
In 1990, Mr. Paprin formed Yale Realty with the intention of investing in the then distressed real estate market. Today, as a licensed Real Estate Broker in New York, Mr. Paprin presides over a portfolio of revitalized, highly profitable shopping centers, and is continually expanding his portfolio.
Mr. Paprin has served as a board member of the Westchester Business and Professional Council of UJA and as a co-chairman of the Real Estate Council of Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he was a member of the Board of Governors and also served as Finance Chair Person of the Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, New York. For 10 years Mr. Paprin had been a member of the Board of Trustees of Carmel Academy, in Greenwich, Ct, where he also served as a Vice President of the school. Currently Mr. Paprin serves on the Advisory Board of the New York Philharmonic.
He has been a dedicated philanthropic supporter of CWRU for many years and donated the founding grant for a scholarship fund in honor of Patricia B. Kilpatrick, the first woman to serve as vice president of the university and one of Yale’s mentors at CWRU. He was also appointment to serve on the CWRU Scholarship Committee.
Distinguished Service Award
Michael M. Metz (WRC ’77)
Mike has been a trailblazer in the energy trading world for more than four decades, with much of his career spent at the Vitol group. His journey has taken him across the globe, living and working in the three major trading centers—London, Singapore, and Houston. Mike earned his bachelor’s with a dual major in Natural Sciences and Humanities from Case Western Reserve University in 1977 and holds a master’s degree in International Studies from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Beyond his professional achievements, Mike is deeply committed to philanthropy and civic engagement. He actively supports many leading nonprofit and charitable organizations, including Case Western Reserve University, St. John’s School, Houston Methodist Hospital, and the Astros Foundation. Through his philanthropy, he has provided flexible funding to CWRU that reflects his belief in strengthening institutions that expand access to education, healthcare, and opportunity.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award
Hilary T. Mohs (CWR ’12)
Hilary Mohs has dedicated over a decade to volunteering with CWRU. She co-leads the Chicago Alumni Chapter, organizing panels and events that connect alumni across generations to the city and each other. She also serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee, where she aims to empower students to translate their experimental, research-focused education into careers that are professionally fulfilling and personally meaningful.
Her commitment to empowering students, was shaped by her own experiences at CWRU. From the classroom, to the research lab, to extracurriculars, she was consistently encouraged by her teachers, mentors and peers to pursue her interests, even when they diverged from the traditional path.
That same mindset has defined her career. Working for several healthcare technology startup companies, she helped them grow from early stage through successful exits. Hilary has built product functions from the ground up, launched products that generated multi-million dollar revenue with best-in-class customer satisfaction scores, and pioneered machine learning solutions that measurably improved clinical care. Her contributions have consistently driven company revenue growth and enabled acquisitions.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award
McAllister Castelaz, DMD, MS (CWR ’13)
McAllister Castelaz, DMD, MS, is a dental public health leader dedicated to improving oral health through policy, workforce development, and community-centered care. A 2013 graduate of Case Western Reserve University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History (American Studies) and Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism, an interdisciplinary foundation that continues to shape her approach to dentistry by integrating science with an understanding of communities, systems, and the social context of health.
Dr. Castelaz earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine from Boston University and a Master of Science in Dental Public Health from the University of Iowa. She began her career providing care in community health centers and now serves as a Dental Policy Consultant supporting the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, where she works on Medicaid oral health policy. She also serves as Supervisory Dentist for the Blackhawk Technical College Dental Hygiene Program.
Nationally, Dr. Castelaz is a Board Member of the National Network for Oral Health Access as well as the American Institute on Disparities in Public Health, and holds leadership roles in several professional organizations, advancing workforce innovation, teledentistry, and equitable access to oral health care.
McAllister has served on the College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee since 2024, helping to guide the college’s vision and strategy. Through her philanthropy to the Baker Nord Institute’s Humanities@Work program, McAllister supports opportunities for current students pursuing non-traditional healthcare careers.
About the Awards Program
The purpose of these awards is to recognize graduates of the college and its predecessor schools (Adelbert College, Cleveland College, Flora Stone Mather College, Western Reserve College, and the math and science programs of the Case Institute of Technology) to:
- Celebrate their achievements
- Honor the legacy of excellence
- Encourage and inspire future alumni
The College’s Awards
Distinguished Undergraduate Alumni Award
This is the highest honor bestowed upon an undergraduate alumnus or alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences or its predecessor schools. It recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves with distinct achievements in their professions or community service and have made significant contributions through demonstrated leadership.
Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award
This is the highest honor bestowed upon an alumnus or alumna with a graduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences or its predecessor schools. It recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves with distinct achievements in their professions or community service and have made significant contributions through demonstrated leadership.
Distinguished Service Award
This award recognizes a dedicated alumnus or alumna for his or her outstanding volunteer service and/or impact to the community since graduation.
Distinguished Professional Achievement Award
This award recognizes alumni who have had outstanding achievements and accomplishments during their career.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award
This award recognizes alumni (graduates of the last decade and/or age 40 or younger) who have had outstanding achievements and accomplishments early in their career.