Alumni Achievement Award

The late Dr. Owen J. Lynch was a professor and attorney who dedicated his profession to fostering public interest in law careers around the world and was an early leader in the movement to recognize the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. His areas of expertise were human rights, environmental justice and sustainable development, with a specialization in community-based property rights and their legal recognition in national and international law. He had a deep connection to the Philippines, where he was stationed while in the Peace Corps from 1980-’84, and went on to lead efforts to recognize the legitimacy of the ancestral land claims of aboriginal people of the Philippines. He most recently was a fellow at the Rights and Resources Initiative in Washington, D.C., and a professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law. Lynch’s considerable accomplishments and honors include special distinction from Yale University for his doctoral dissertation. Lynch’s career embodied Benedictine values as he applied his professional acumen to helping others in need and championing initiatives that contributed to the greater good with kindness, dignity, honor and grace. 

Helping people discover the benefits of happiness on their health and well-being is Tom Guetzke’s passion and profession. Known as The Happologist, Guetzke is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and expert in the science of happiness who is one of few people to hold the title of Certified Humor Professional. He has spoken to audiences around the world about The 5 Happy Habits, which he developed from research in the fields of positive psychology, neurology and sociology, and is a featured author in the best-selling book Think Positive, Live Happy. A former executive and entrepreneur who led the growth of Whirlpool Mexico and founded and expanded KitchenAid Europa, Inc., Guetzke has been recognized as one of C Level Focus Magazine’s Top 10 Inspiring CMOs, featured in U.S News & World Report and has served on the small business advisory boards for Fortune and USA Today. Today, Guetzke focuses on inspiring others to fill their lives with joy and laughter, from the people in his audiences to those who know him personally. As one nominator explained, he is a man of faith, hope, loyalty and integrity who generously shares his positivity and insightful possibility. 

Communities across Ireland have safer well water, and students at North Hennepin Community College have invaluable research experience, thanks to the initiative of Paul Melchior. Melchior, a biology professor at North Hennepin, created a faculty-led research program that allows students studying abroad in Ireland to sample and analyze water in holy wells from Cork to Donegal. People commonly drink from and wash their hands and faces in these historical, culturally important wells, which often are surrounded by pastures with sheep and cattle – common sources of food- and water-borne microbial contamination. Melchior and his students sampled and analyzed water from more than 50 wells in 11 counties in a decade-long pathogen monitoring project that culminated in 2024 and gave North Hennepin students the opportunity to conduct and publish research with Melchior’s guidance. It’s the kind of experience that can open doors for natural science students and the kind of research that can improve the health of communities. Melchior’s commitment to mentoring students is just one of many entries on his long list of service, achievements, published research and professional appointments, and its impacts extend from Minnesota to Ireland.  

An entrepreneurial mindset and a desire to improve his health motivated Todd Vande Hei to transform his life and career. Vande Hei established Irvine, California-based Stark in 2011 as a fitness studio catering to executives struggling to manage their own health. Stark since has blossomed into a concierge wellness studio with three locations in Southern California and a highly popular Instagram, Stark Naked podcast, blog and radio show. Vande Hei founded Stark with personal resources after experiencing physical problems ranging from neck pain and headaches to grand mal seizures in his early 30s. Stark’s dedicated staff of coaches, chiropractors and naturopathic doctors provide personalized lifestyle programs that include health coaching, personal training, naturopathic care and neuromuscular therapy. Vande Hei’s success probably comes as no surprise to his Saint John’s classmates who remember the popular on-campus barber business he started as a student. The well-being he champions reaches beyond his studios to the charitable foundations that benefit from his annual Stark Naked competition. 

It’s no surprise that Joe Deignan has cultivated a successful career in investment banking. Deignan, vice president at private equity firm Wayzata Investment Partners, graduated egregia cum laude with an economics degree, earning highest honors from Saint John’s University before getting his MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Deignan manages distressed and high yield debt with a focus on control-oriented private equity and special situations investments at Wayzata Investment Partners. He also serves as director at Atlantic Express Transportation Corp., chairman at Perkins & Marie Callender’s and on the board of directors at companies including Neff Rental and The Majestic Star Casino. In addition to being a standout student at Saint John’s, Deignan was a two-time All-MIAC basketball player under long-time coach Jim Smith. He remains a staunch supporter of SJU and CSB and a lead backer of Johnnie basketball.  

Spencer Sokoly’s community service is deeply rooted in Saint Paul. Sokoly supports a variety of charitable causes and volunteers throughout the Saint Paul area, specifically as part of the Saint Paul Jaycees. Sokoly is on the board of the Saint Paul Jaycees charitable foundation, which provides grants to numerous charities that serve and support the City of Saint Paul. He ran hundreds of events in 2007, when he served as the Saint Paul Jaycees’ 82nd chapter president. Sokoly balances his volunteer work with his position as Enterprise Finance Treasury Management vice president/lead finance analyst at Wells Fargo. An avid biker, he rides RAGBRAI every July in Iowa. One nominator described him as “a person of peace, compassion and respect.” 

His Saint John’s University dual economics and political science majors provided Gevon Moss an ideal foundation for a career focused on contributing to The Bahamas’ growth. His private sector leadership includes serving as manager at organizations such as Kerzner International and Atlantis Bahamas, which contribute to the tourism industry in The Bahamas. In the public sector, Moss advocated for cultural and infrastructural projects that contributed to the continued socioeconomic development of Nassau in his role as the executive director of Downtown Nassau Partnership. This commitment to development also has manifested itself in his work as a resource planning and administration specialist with the Inter-American Development Bank and in his current position as the head of human resources at the Central Bank of The Bahamas, the reserve bank that sets monetary policy. Moss also contributes his development expertise as three-term president of the national Anglican Church Men of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas & Turks & Caicos Islands.   

John Wander’s commitment to community formed the cornerstone of the successful medical practice he built in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains – a commitment that integrated his entire family. The five-star rating Wander had when he retired in April 2024 reflects his focus on individual knowledge and care for patients, which he delivered with integrity and humility, often in the face of insurance pressures. After earning his medical degree from St. Louis University Medical School, Wander served at a clinic in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina before establishing his family practice outside of Asheville. He, his wife Julie and their sons Paul, Tim and Luke established themselves in nearby Fairview, becoming a prominent family by dedicating themselves to civic involvement, supporting schools and their church for more than 45 years and earning the trust and respect of a deeply rooted community. With faith as his backbone, Wander has exemplified the Benedictine values in his practice and his life. “His intelligence and compassion have made him a trustworthy friend, father, husband, grandfather, brother, lay leader and community stalwart,” one nominator noted. “In all ways that matter, John is the real deal.”