Two loyal Gilmour Academy alumni were feted at the school’s annual Christmas at the Academy holiday party on December 15. During a special presentation, Cheryl Forino Wahl ’87 and Jim Conway ’67 were awarded the 2018 Alumni Woman and Man of the Year Awards.

 

Wahl attended Colgate University, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in classical studies with a minor in philosophy. She then earned both her master’s degree in medical ethics and her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been providing legal, regulatory and compliance advice in the health care industry for more than 20 years. She began working at University Hospitals (UH) in 2002 as associate general counsel. In 2005, she became the organization’s chief compliance officer and held that role until 2015. During that time, UH was recognized three times by Ethisphere Institute as a World’s Most Ethical Company. In 2015, Wahl began as the chief compliance officer at EnvisionRx Options, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rite Aid Corporation. Then, in 2017, she was appointed to a newly created position at The MetroHealth System. She serves as the senior vice president/chief ethics and compliance officer and is responsible for the overall program development, implementation and ongoing operation of an enterprise-wide comprehensive compliance program.

 

Wahl was recognized in 2016 as one of the Most Influential Women in Retail by Mass Market Retailers, in 2013 as a Top Ethics and Compliance Officer by Ethisphere Institute, and in 2004 by the YWCA as a recipient of the Women of Professional Excellence Award. In 2015, she was admitted into In Counsel with Women, a selective organization of executive women. Wahl serves on the boards of both Gilmour and St. Martin de Porres High School. As a Gilmour Trustee, she is a member of the Institutional Advancement and the Marketing & Enrollment Management Committees.

 

After graduating from Gilmour, Jim Conway attended Georgetown University, where he earned a degree in business administration before working for Arthur Andersen in Chicago for three years. He then moved back to Cleveland to work for Beverage Distributors, Inc. Conway and his father purchased Beverage Distributors Inc. in the mid-80s and he served as president from 1989-2012. Today, his son, Michael, a current Gilmour parent, serves as president and Conway works part-time as the company’s CEO. Conway and his wife, Mary, have three children – Kara ’94, Kristen ’97 and Michael. All three live in Cleveland with their spouses and children.

 

Conway and his family have supported Gilmour’s scholarship program for years and, in 2015, established the Conway Scholarship, which provides qualified students the opportunity to receive a Gilmour education. He has supported Gilmour in a number of other ways as well – as a past member of the Alumni Board of Governors; as a sponsor of the annual golf outing; as a charter member of Gilmour’s Blue & Gray Society; as a Class of 1967 leader for the Promise & Renewal campaign; and through his involvement as an alumnus, a parent and a grandparent.

 

Wahl was presented with her award by her longtime teacher Rich Grejtak, who inspired her love of Latin and her study of the classics at Colgate. Conway’s award was presented by his three children, who spoke of his extraordinary generosity in every part of his life.

 

Head of School Kathy Kenny closed the ceremony by reflecting on the lives changed by Wahl and Conway. Whether through Cheryl's work with the Board of Trustees or Jim's longtime support of the scholarship program, these alumni are impacting students’ lives.