Alumnus of the Year

Marla Smith-Nilson
Alumnus of the Year 2006

Marla Smith-Nilson graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1991. While attending the UA, Marla was a Flinn Scholar and interacted closely with Honors faculty and staff. Marla was inspired to make a difference in global water issues during her Flinn travels in Turkey and Egypt. Since the UA is internationally renowned for its research and outreach on water issues, it is even more appropriate that we honor Marla Smith-Nilson.

After graduating from the University of Arizona, Marla continued her graduate education receiving a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina-chapel Hill. There she met Gary White, her co-founder of WaterPartners. For fifteen years, WaterPartners has provided sustainable water systems to communities in the developing world. Their vision is to provide water systems for families around the world. Marla is undaunted by the enormity of the challenge because she focuses on the smaller steps that achieve the goals. The first year, WaterPartners was able to provide a water and latrine system to a village of 400 people in Honduras. By 2003, the organization had grown so that over 100,000 people were served by WaterPartners water projects. Marla is committed to collaboration and partnerships to sustain and facilitate change. Each water project involves a strong partnership with the local community. Marla’s perspective involves understanding the local cultural and political context, mobilizing people to participate in building the infrastructure, training residents to maintain their new systems, and educating the community about health and safety issues.

Marla’s systems approach derived from engineering facilitates her community building around the world. Marla’s Flinn experience created a deep appreciation for interdisciplinary teamwork and her UA Honors education gave her the confidence to pursue her passions. She learns what she needs and does what has to be done to reach her goals. In 2005 Marla launched Water 1st to educate people about water issues and to provide them with opportunities to be involved in bringing safe water to the 1.1 billion people without access to safe water. Through this new endeavor, Marla continues her commitment to sustainable, community-based solutions to water issues.

Honorable Margaret M. Houghton
Alumnus of the Year 2004

A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi, Peggy graduated with Honors in Anthropology in 1973. Her senior Honors thesis “Male and Female Lawyers in Pima County: Does Gender Make a Difference?” was the catalyst in her decision to attend the UA College of Law, from which she earned a degree in 1976. Peggy co-founded the Arizona Women’s Law Association, a vibrant organization that provides peer mentors to beginning law students, raises funds for domestic violence prevention, and is particularly effective in increasing the representation of women on the bench.

The breadth and depth of Peggy’s accomplishments as a lawyer and judge reflect her commitments to excellence and social responsibility. In her legal career, Peggy contributed at many levels, first as a prosecutor in the Tucson City Attorney’s Office, then in private practice and finally as a judge in Pima County Superior Court. During her distinguished judicial career, she presided over the domestic relations and probate courts and was very active in legal reform. The interests of women and children always are close to her heart. She was a member of the advisory group that designed Arizona’s first domestic violence legislation and helped develop child support guidelines to ensure that support awards would be adequate to meet the needs of custodial parents and children. She received many honors and awards over the years acknowledging her contributions in the area of family law. Peggy was a co-founder of both the Gender Bias Task Force in Pima County and the Arizona Women’s Lawyers Association and nationally recognized for her leadership in the National Association of Women Judges.

In her personal and professional lives, Peggy demonstrates the courage to face uncommon challenges, a characteristic we nurture in Honors students. A survivor of both polio and breast cancer, Peggy speaks about medical and personal challenges, advocates for women and children’s issues, and is a supportive and selfless friend to other women in crisis. She met the challenges posed by these medical conditions in her daily life and found the stamina to lecture in India about family law, women’s issues and alternative dispute resolution, raise her own family, mentor countless women law students, and pursue an active career. She was a compassionate judge who cared deeply about the families whose problems brought them into the courtroom. Although she retired in 2000 from the bench, Peggy continues to be an advocate for diversity at the local, state, and national level.

John Olsen
Alumnus of the Year 2002

Professor John Olsen is a distinguished graduate of the Honors program who has been an ardent supporter of Honors throughout his career. John graduated with Honors in Anthropology; his senior Honors thesis was influential in shaping the directions of his graduate work at the University of California-Berkeley. John is an international known archaeologist focusing his research on Mongolia. A Fulbright Scholar in 1992, he is the co-director of the Joint Mongolian-Russian-American Archaeological Expeditions.

John has contributed significantly to the mission of The Honors College , specifically our efforts to provide special opportunities, academic, intellectual, and cultural, to academically talented undergraduates. John serves on the faculty advisory committee for International Studies, lending his expertise to the development of the culture track within that program. John enhanced undergraduate students’ research opportunities by serving on the Undergraduate Research Grant committee and by promoting grant applications from students in the social sciences. As department head from 1998 to 2002, John encouraged Honors opportunities in Anthropology by insuring a strong advising system for Honors students, encouraging faculty to offer Honors courses, and providing mentoring and career explorations activities. John has been highly supportive of Honors activities: responding to requests to contact prospective students, mentoring young Honors students, and attending events on campus that build student-faculty contacts outside of the classroom. Appropriately, he was the speaker at our first Honors Alumni dinner. Despite his dedication to research, his commitment to his own students, and his responsibilities as department head, John’s allegiance to Honors is evident and unquestionable. We are grateful for all he has done and continues to do to build our community of scholars.