New Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni Class Announced
Five outstanding graduates who have been deeply involved in supporting the university will be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni at a ceremony in April.
The Class of 2026 inductees into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni have excelled in a varied range of fields—obstetrics and gynecology, addiction prevention and treatment, veterinary medicine, football and entrepreneurship, and government and insurance industry leadership—but they all share a uniquely Scarlet bond: A significant, unwavering devotion to supporting the university where they began their journeys.
The incoming class selected by the Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) Board of Directors is as follows:
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Gloria A. Bachmann NCAS’70, RWJMS’72, is an internationally recognized physician and a true trailblazer. After earning her bachelor’s in biology and chemistry at Rutgers–Newark and her master’s in medical science at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), she was among the first women to complete a four-year obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Winner of the RWJMS Meritorious Service Award in 2018, she has been a Rutgers faculty member since 1978 and is now an associate dean and co-director of the school’s Women’s Health Institute. She serves on the Rutgers University Senate and previously served on the Rutgers Board of Trustees.
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James F. Dougherty RC’74, GSNB’75, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at Rutgers College and a master’s in animal science at Rutgers–New Brunswick, is a retired veterinarian who has generously supported the university. Cofounder of Metropolitan Veterinary Associates in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served on many Rutgers committees and is vice chair of the Board of Governors. As chair of the Board of Trustees, he was instrumental in establishing the Scarlet Promise Initiative. His gifts support the Rutgers–New Brunswick Honors College, the Honors College LGBTQ+ Learning Collaborative, and the Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair in LGBTQ+ Public Health.
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Creighton Drury RC’92, who earned his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rutgers College and co-captained the men’s basketball team, is the CEO of Partnership to End Addiction. A nationally recognized nonprofit leader, he has dedicated his career to empowering young people and families. He has led dynamic organizations and initiatives that raise millions of dollars annually to strengthen programs, practices, and policies delivering resources and opportunities for millions—advancing education, mental health, housing, community development, addiction prevention, and more. He serves on the Leadership Council for the Addiction Research Center at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and speaks with Rutgers student-athletes about resilience and mental health.
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James H. Rhodes CCAS’94, who graduated from Rutgers–Camden with a bachelor’s in political science, retired as Camden County’s deputy county administrator and is vice president and executive director at PERMA Risk Management. He has served—and continues to serve—on numerous government committees and nonprofit associations, including chairing the Camden County Board of Social Services for more than 20 years. Rhodes has been a member of the Rutgers Board of Trustees and chaired the Rutgers–Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council. He served as inaugural chair of the RUAA Board of Directors from 2008–2011, leading restructuring of the association to connect all of Rutgers’ chartered alumni associations.
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Eric LeGrand SAS’14 earned his bachelor’s in labor and employment relations from Rutgers three-and-a-half years after suffering a spinal injury during a 2010 Rutgers football game. A motivational speaker, entrepreneur, sports analyst, philanthropist, and author, he has been widely recognized, including receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at ESPN’s ESPY Awards and the retirement of his Scarlet Knights number 52, the only one retired in Rutgers football history. His business initiatives include founding LeGrand Coffee House and cofounding Eric LeGrand Whiskey. His many charitable efforts include establishing Team LeGrand, which has raised more than $2 million for the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and his tireless support of Rutgers Athletics.
“These exceptional alumni have made tremendous strides in their fields, and the world is a better place because of their courage and creativity,” says Rutgers President William F. Tate IV. “They are shining examples of the Rutgers edge, serving with empathy and achieving success in helping our communities in New Jersey and beyond to flourish.”
Rutgers University Foundation President Kimberly A. Hopely says the inductees have been devoted champions of their alma mater. “The tireless and generous efforts of this new class of inductees into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni are truly inspiring,” Hopely says. “They have been selfless supporters of the university who have always stepped up to continue to help us make this great university even better.”
Introduced in 1987, the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni’s first class of inductees included Paul Robeson and two Nobel Prize winners—economist Milton Friedman and scientist Selman Waksman. Since then, more than 250 alumni have been inducted, including five former New Jersey governors, Emmy Award-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Carli Lloyd, a professional soccer star who led the U.S. team to two Olympic gold medals. Inductees are selected by the RUAA Board of Directors, which presides over an association of 615,000 Rutgers alumni worldwide.
“Our Rutgers alumni body—all of whom belong to the RUAA—is a vast and talented community that spans the state of New Jersey, the nation, and the world,” says Talib Morgan NCAS’96, RBSG’98, chair of the RUAA. “The Hall of Distinguished Alumni is a wonderful annual celebration that honors extraordinary graduates who represent the rich history of the Rutgers experience by demonstrating exceptional passion and pride in everything they do.”
The five new inductees will be honored and formally welcomed into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony at Park Chateau in East Brunswick. Tickets for the ceremony will be available in January. For more information on the award and past recipients, please visit hda.rutgers.edu.
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