The School of Nursing honored their award recipient during an event from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 in the Wilson Atrium in the Center for Natural Sciences as a part of IWU’s Homecoming celebrations.

Joan Alverzo ’72 graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BSN in nursing. She then went on to receive her MSN from Seton Hall University in 1978 and her PhD in Nursing from New York University in 2004. Alverzo is an accomplished academic, researcher and practitioner in her field. In 2004, she received a research grant from the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation to fund her doctoral research. Her articles have been published in numerous peer reviewed nursing and medical research journals, and she has been presenting her research at different conferences for over 20 years. In addition to her own research pursuits, Alverzo has been a member of the editorial board for the journal Rehabilitation Nursing since 2010. From 2008-2014, she was an Associate Professor in Nursing at Rutgers University, where she taught a course in Economic and Financial Management in Nursing. Her expertise in this area is shown through her career as a nursing executive at healthcare company, Select Medical. She has been with Select Medical since 2009 and has served as their Senior Vice President for Clinical Operations since 2013. In this role, she has established a total of 23 Rehabilitation Hospitals with 8800 employees in 10 states and an annual revenue of 750 million dollars. In 2019, she established a Patient Safety Organization with Select Medical Corporation, one of 77 federally sanctioned organizations recognizing 120 hospitals owned by Select Medical with federal designated status for excellence in Patient Safety. In January 2022, she retired to Ocean City, Md., with her husband Richard and their lab Molly.

Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens, PhD. ’78 was recognized during a ceremony from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, September 23 in Young Main Lounge at the Memorial Center. The event was part of IWU’s Homecoming celebration.

Marsha A. Guenzler-Stevens, PhD. ’78 has spent her career in higher education. Her undergraduate career at Illinois Wesleyan University studying biology and political science was complemented by out-of-classroom learning as a student leader – from Student Senate, Model United Nations, orientation, AOII and the Panhellenic Association – and a federal work-study job in the Dean of Students Office. With an undergraduate degree from IWU, a master’s in counseling and student personnel from Miami University, and a Ph.D. in higher education policy and planning from the University of Maryland, Guenzler-Stevens has crafted a career in higher education that spans over 40 years. She currently serves as the director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union – Center for Campus Life. Guenzler-Stevens is also responsible for managing the University’s interface with 14 recognized chaplaincies and overseeing the University’s Memorial Chapel. Guenzler-Stevens has been particularly active in serving the school’s veteran community. She has been recognized as the Outstanding Staff Member at the University of Maryland at College Park, won the institution’s “Woman of the Year,” and has been recognized for her work in advancing diversity on campus. She was named by the University System of Maryland Board of Regents as the winner of the staff award for Extraordinary Public Service to the University and Greater Community, and named a “Woman of Influence” by AAUW, NASPA, and the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders. She teaches a freshman course, “The Student and the University,” an upper-level “Women and Leadership” course, and a graduate seminar. Guenzler-Stevens speaks nationally on topics such as women’s leadership and organizational development, and has served and volunteered her time to a number of organizations. At IWU, Guenzler-Stevens has served as president of the Alumni Association and a member of the Board of Trustees. Guenzler-Stevens is married to Randy Stevens and is the daughter of two IWU graduates, the late Robert Guenzler ’53 and Mary Ann Hagmeyer Guenzler ’53, past IWU Loyalty Award winners. She shares Illinois Wesleyan memories with her sisters Susan (Guenzler) Getz ’77 and Pam (Guenzler) DeBoer ’82, brother-in-law Herb Getz ’77 and niece Amy DeBoer ’15.