The University of Pennsylvania honored these distinguished alumni for their outstanding service to the University at the 82nd Annual Alumni Award of Merit Gala on October 28.

 Alumni Awards of Merit

Alan Levin, C’64, G’65, has built several successful businesses, and is now president and owner of Fine Arts Industries, one of the largest manufacturers of framed pictures in the United States. As president of the Penn Club of Colorado for more than 25 years and as a volunteer for the University’s Alumni Interview Program for more than a decade, he has been active in raising Penn’s profile in his home state, welcoming faculty, coaches, teams and cultural groups to Colorado. He is also an active member of his class, serving on reunion committees and as co-chair of his 50th reunion.

Paul Levy, L’72, founded the private equity investment firm JLL Partners Inc. in 1988 after a successful career as an executive in the investment banking and fashion industries. He has continuously supported Penn as a strategist, philanthropist and motivator. He is an emeritus member of Penn’s Board of Trustees, a former Overseer of Penn Law and member of the Penn Medicine Board. Mr. Levy was also a member of the Steering Committee for the University’s Making History Campaign and chaired Penn Law’s Bold Ambitions Campaign from 2006 to 2012. Together with his wife Karen, he endowed the Levy Scholars program, helping to transform legal education at Penn and established the Levy Conference Center. 

William Mack, W’61, has had a successful career in the family commercial real estate firm the Mack Company, and in 2013 co-founded the Mack Real Estate Group with his sons, Richard and Stephen, both Penn alumni. He was a dedicated University Trustee since 1997, now emeritus, and served as Vice Chair of the Board in addition to chairing several committees, including the Facilities and Campus Planning Committee and the Making History Campaign Steering Committee. In addition, he has served on Penn’s Health System Trustee Board from 2000-2003 and on its Executive Committee. With his wife Phyllis, he is a longtime supporter of the Institute for Contemporary Art and Wharton. In 2001, they established the Mack Center for Technological Innovation, and helped it transition into the William and Phylllis Mack Institute for Innovation Management, with their newest leadership gift helping to establish the Institute’s new home, the Mack Pavilion. (See page 1)

Jayne Davis Perilstein, W’80, founded Students Helping Students, a peer mentoring program, during her time at Penn. Now, she continues to honor Penn through a personal peer leadership model as an alumna. She is a member of the Wharton Committee of the Alumni Affairs Mentor Program and co-chaired the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women, its Philadelphia Regional Events and Programming Committees before becoming TPCW chair in 2012. Ms. Perilstein is a member of the Alumni Class Leadership Council, and currently serves as class president and chair of both the gift and reunion committees for the Class of 1980. She and her husband Ronald P. Perilstein,  W’80, were partners in The Arjay Group Inc., the insurance brokerage he founded. She then ran an event planning firm before joining the Shoah Foundation in 2012.

Ehsan “Nanau”El-Tahry Zayan, CW’73, had a successful career in finance that took her to New York, Cairo, London and beyond. Throughout her career and following her retirement, she has been active in club activities and founded the Penn and Wharton Bermuda Alumni Association, when her job took her to Bermuda in 1992. She has served on Penn Museum’s Board of Overseers and the Penn Alumni Board of Directors, and currently participates in the International Advisory Board of the Huntsman Program and the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women. Honoring Penn’s impact on her life, Ms. El-Tahry Zayan established two endowed scholarships: The Mac El Tahry Scholarship Fund and the M.M.A. Zayan/M. El-Tahry Memorial Endowed Scholarship, named for family members.

Creative Spirit Award

Jonathan “Jon” Avnet, C’71, received the 2016 Creative Spirit Award for his lifelong commitment to and excellence in the arts. Mr. Avnet is a writer, director or producer of more than 70 films, TV shows and theater productions.

His motion pictures, TV movies and Broadway plays include the 1983 blockbuster Risky Business, plus Black Swan, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Burning Bed, Spamalot and History Boys, among others. 

Mr. Avnet has supported the arts at Penn as a donor, leader and mentor. He has served as an Arts & Sciences Overseer since 2002, and established the Avnet Screenwriting Fund bringing visiting screenwriters to teach on campus. He has also been a regular guest at the Kelly Writers House and a dedicated mentor and industry resource, offering Penn students sponsored internships at his film company, Brooklyn Films.

Young Alumni Award

Lauren Hedvat, earned dual degrees in engineering and economics in 2005 and 2006, then a master’s degree at SEAS. She is currently capital markets director at Angel Oak Capital Advisors following positions at Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs. As a young alumna, she has continued to show leadership skills established at Penn serving on the Young Alumni Committee of the Penn Club of New York and chairing her fifth and tenth reunions, helping to achieve record-breaking attendance and winning the David N. Tyre Class Communications Award. Along with her siblings, Ms. Hedvat also created the Hedvat Ijadi Family Scholarship at Penn in 2012.

Class & Club Recognition Awards

The Class of 1986 received the Class Award of Merit, its second win; the first was in 2011. This year’s win was for its remarkable outreach, leadership, creativity, teamwork, organization and innovative programming that led to exceptional results for its 30th reunion. The class strategy resulted in record-breaking attendance for the reunion of 421 alumni and reunion gift of nearly $6 million.

The Class of 1966 received the David N. Tyre Award for Excellence in Class Communications for its use of various platforms ranging from music and video to print and social media to connect with classmates concerning its 50th reunion. The campaign resulted in 328 attendees, and together members of the class gave more than $5 million across the University.

The Penn Alumni Club of Washington DC received the 2016 Club Award of Merit. This year the club attracted new members and engaged others through more than 40 creative events, including “a sneak peek” at the National Museum of African American History; hikes; and happy hours and collaboration with affinity groups including PennGALA, representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender alumni, and the Black Alumni Society.