Kent State University’s Vice President for University Relations Iris E. Harvey and Trustee Virginia Albanese were honored at the 2014 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Awards dinner on March 14 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn Hotel in Akron, Ohio.
Harvey, a resident of Stow, Ohio, has been with Kent State since 2008 and oversees Kent State’s global branding initiatives and directs university communications, marketing and media relations, regional engagement and corporate affairs. She recently was selected by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for a U.S.-France International Education Administrators Seminar award, and spent three weeks in France learning about other higher education systems.
“I’m greatly honored by this award and humbled to be considered a humanitarian,” Harvey says. “In the sense that a humanitarian works to make people’s lives better, I’m fortunate that my work allows me to help young people understand the future benefits of higher education.”
Harvey earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and Master of Business Administration in international marketing from the University of Southern California, as well as an education specialist degree from George Washington University. Before joining Kent State, Harvey held senior marketing positions in higher education at Wright State University and the University of Maryland University College; was the CEO of an international consulting firm she founded and operated in Japan for nearly a decade; and held a vice presidency position at Citigroup Global Consumer Bank Group.
Albanese, a resident of Akron, received the 2014 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award in Business. Gov. John Kasich appointed Albanese to the Kent State Board of Trustees in 2013. Albanese is president and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical, North America’s largest, critical-shipment carrier. Since joining FedEx Custom Critical in 1986, Albanese has served in various roles, including as director of Safety, Recruiting and Contractor Relations, managing director of Service and Safety, and vice president of Customer and Strategic Operations.
“I’m honored to receive this award and to share the stage with so many deserving leaders and volunteers,” Albanese says. “Our community is shaped by those willing to lead and collaborate, and I’m humbled to be recognized with this achievement.”
Albanese earned both a Bachelor of Science degree and an Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Kent State. She is the immediate past chairwoman of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and serves on a number of other boards to benefit the Northeast Ohio community, including Akron Children’s Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club of the Western Reserve.
The Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award, sponsored by the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Akron, recognizes those who have made contributions in areas such as social action, government, business, medicine and law. The awards program honors Stubbs, a former Akron Municipal Court judge and Kent State alumnus. Stubbs was actively involved with the church, which since his death has annually recognized individuals for their community service with this award.
For more information about Kent State’s Division of University Relations, visit www.kent.edu/about/administration/ur.
For more information about Kent State’s Board of Trustees, visit www.kent.edu/bot.