Northwestern University Alumni

The Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) relies on its dedicated volunteers to help fulfill its mission of inspiring alumni intellectually, socially, and professionally. These volunteers play a vital role in organizing programs that spark lifelong curiosity, connection, and growth among alumni. Their exceptional commitment and service were honored at the NAA Service and Club Awards on October 5, 2025.

2025

Service to Northwestern

Presented to alumni in recognition of leadership and service excellence rendered to the University via the NAA, an affiliated alumni group, school, or unit, or other University-associated program.

Mark D. Hassakis

Mark D. Hassakis ’73 has practiced law, including personal injury and workers’ compensation law, for more than 40 years. An alumni regent emeritus, he is a member of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle Board—Chicago Region and, an active member of the Northwestern University Club of Chicago. In addition, Hassakis co-chaired his 40th and 45th Northwestern class Reunions. He contributes to various University athletic teams and sponsors two scholarships, along with his wife. Hassakis, the first Greek American to serve as president of the Illinois State Bar Association, has also received the Illinois Bar Foundation’s award for distinguished service to law and society. A founding partner of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C., he works on legislation and rule changes promoting fairness for juveniles who have little family support or access to educational opportunities. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences before graduating from St. Louis University School of Law in 1976.

Larry Irving

Larry Irving ’76 chairman of the PBS board of directors since 2021, is also president and CEO of the Irving Group, an international consultancy focused on companies and nonprofits in telecommunications and information technology. Irving is a past president of the NAA Board of Directors, an alumni regent emeritus, and former member of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees. He has received the NAA Alumni Merit Award for distinguished professional achievement and is also a recipient of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association’s Salute to Excellence Awards. He has served on the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors and in numerous other volunteer roles for the University. Irving was one of the principal architects and advocates of the Clinton Administration’s telecommunications and Internet policies and appears in the Internet Hall of Fame for his pioneering efforts identifying the digital divide, a term he is widely credited with coining, and advocating for equitable digital access for all. He also holds a JD degree from Stanford Law School.

Samir Mayekar

Samir Mayekar ’06, ’13 MBA currently the managing director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, has led public, private, and nonprofit institutions. A former deputy mayor of Chicago focusing on economic development, he was also a member of the White House staff during the Obama Administration. Mayekar co-founded NanoGraf Corporation, a global manufacturer of advanced materials, while a graduate student in the Kellogg School of Management. He has served on the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and as president of the NAA Board of Directors. He has also served as a member of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors. A proud alumnus of the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band, Mayekar’s alumni service began as a board member of the Northwestern University Marching and Band Alumni. He also sits on the boards of many leading organizations, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia Festival, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Club Leader of the Year

Presented to alumni in recognition of leadership and service excellence rendered to an affinity, international, and/or local club.

Rachel Yihui Lin
NU Club of Beijing

Rachel Yihui Lin ’13 is the president of the NU Club of Beijing, which earned Club of the Year honors from the University in 2024. A club board member since 2016, she launched Northwestern University Echoes, an online channel that documents the life stories and career paths of Northwestern alumni in China. Lin also launched a podcast for the club, as well as several WeChat properties. These include the club’s official WeChat account, a WeChat video channel, and two WeChat groups that include approximately 1,000 Northwestern alumni in Beijing. In her role as club president, Lin maintains regular communication and shares resources with other Northwestern University and Kellogg alumni clubs in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Lin is also a member of the Board of Governors of Northwestern University Libraries. She is the CFO of the Little Yellow Elephant, a rapidly growing Chinese health food brand.

The Rising ’Cat

Presented to alumni in recognition of emerging volunteer leadership in a current role.

Leticia Elizondo Cabrera

Leticia Elizondo Cabrera, ’20 LLM, a partner at a boutique law firm in Mexico City, is president of the Northwestern University-Kellogg Club of Mexico. She also serves on the steering committee of the Northwestern Law Latinx Alumni Group. She has more than 10 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, sports, financial, and corporate law, with a special emphasis on cross-border transactions. Prior to earning her partnership, Cabrera previously practiced law at Fibra Educa and Galicia Abogados, S.C., both of Mexico City. She was awarded her master of laws postgraduate law degree in 2020 from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. An avid runner, her next goal is to run the Chicago Marathon in 2026.

The Rock

Presented to alumni in recognition of longtime service in a volunteer role and/or demonstrated advancement of alumni engagement at Northwestern.

Chris Eckels

Chris Eckels ’09 practices energy and natural resources law in Salt Lake City. A Utah native, he has led Northwestern’s alumni presence in the state since 2014, first as the chair of the Northwestern University Spirit Club of Salt Lake City. Following a successful multiyear effort to create an official chapter, Eckels became the founding president of the Northwestern University Club of Utah in 2019, an office he still holds. That same year, he earned a JD from the University of Utah. Eckels double majored in theatre and history at Northwestern, ultimately staging an honors thesis production of Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen that explored historical dramaturgy in the artistic process. While at Northwestern, he served on the board of the Jewish Theatre Ensemble and was involved—both on- and off-stage—in dozens of theatrical productions.

NAA Campus Partner Award

This award is given to the unit, school, or program partner who serves as a valuable and key player in collaborating with the NAA on various initiatives to cultivate alumni relationships and connections to Northwestern.

Belinda Lichty Clarke

Belinda Lichty Clarke ’91, ’93 MS has served as Director, Alumni Engagement at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications since 2005, after starting as an adjunct lecturer in 2002. She is also a freelance writer for the Evanston RoundTable. After earning her master’s degree, Clarke worked in public relations, corporate communications, magazine publishing, and website production. As a solutions manager at Xceed, a Chicago web firm, she was responsible for the redesign of the caterpillar.com site and the production of the first CSI: Crime Scene Investigation website for CBS. After Xceed, she became an editor at iParenting Media and was also a senior editor for both Pregnancy and Women’s Health & Fitness magazines.

NAA Staff Appreciation Award

The NAA has a team of dedicated individuals that work to ensure diverse and robust programming and engagement opportunities throughout the year and around the world on behalf of all Northwestern alumni. The NAA Staff Appreciation award is given each year to recognize one member of the professional staff who embodies that vision for an engaged global alumni community.

Hayley Wozny

Hayley Wozny joined the NAA in 2022. Currently, she manages 14 alumni clubs across nine states, although she has supported almost every club in some capacity, strengthening alumni connections and building community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from Western Illinois University and her master’s degree in higher education from the University of Mississippi. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their 4-year-old daughter, Edith.

Clubs of the Year

Presented to alumni clubs who have had exemplary alumni impact as well as club growth and innovation. Winning clubs must have also excelled in governance, finance/scholarship, programming, membership, and communication and achieved either the Wildcat or Arch levels in the Leading Strategies Model (LSM) in fiscal year 2025 (September 1, 2024–August 31, 2025).

NU Club of Switzerland–International Club

Northwestern University Pride Alumni Club (NUPAC)–Affinity Club

NU Club of Los Angeles–Large Club

NU Club of Phoenix–Small Club