Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2020

During our 2020 Charter Day Celebration, the Southwestern University Alumni Association honored the following members of the SU community who exemplify the core values of the University and the mission of the Association. Distinguished Professional: Susan Slagle Rogers ’83 Susan Slagle Rogers is one of the animation industry’s most talented producers. Rogers graduated fromSouthwesternwith a B.F.A. in theater and speech communications. She began her career in the theater world, managing 60 productions before transitioning to film. As productionmanager at PDI/DreamWorks, Rogers oversawa teamthat worked on such theatrical blockbusters as Minority Report , Mission Impossible 2 , and A.I. Artificial Intelligence . After joining DreamWorks Animation, she served as senior productionmanager, associate producer, and coproducer for a number of popular animated films, including Kung Fu Panda , Turbo , and Monsters vs. Aliens . She’s a strong supporter of Southwestern, hosting a President’s Table Dinner at her home in Glendale, California, for alumni, parents, and high-school counselors in the area in 2018 and an Alumni Home Reception for students accepted to Southwestern in 2019. Distinguished Alumni Awards 2019–2020 Medal of Honor: Robert W. Karr ’71 Robert W. Karr served as chair of Southwestern’s Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2018. Under Karr’s leadership, the Board becamemore transparent and fully engagedwith the Southwestern community. Karr challenged trustees to become involved with at least two committees and encouraged them to meet one-on-one with faculty, staff, and students. He championed diversity, ensuring the Board reflected the changing alumni base, and led important changes in the Board’s operations, including the redesign of committees, the revamping of the trustee orientation process, and the formalization of the Board’s role in approving faculty promotions. He also oversaw the completion of the first phase of the Fondren–Jones Science Center expansion and renovation. Karr, a board-certified physician in internal medicine and rheumatology, has served as chief strategic officer of Pfizer Inc. and CEO and chief scientific officer of Arch Oncology. Today, he provides consulting services related to drug discovery and development. B Y D E B B I E R I T E N O U R 36 SOUTHWESTERN