North Hills Graduates to Receive the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award

North Hills graduates Kim McLoughlin, Ph.D., and David Andrew Strobel are the newest honorees to receive the district’s annual Distinguished Alumni Award.

They will be honored during the North Hills High School Awards Night slated for 6:30 p.m. May 16 in the North Hills Junior High School auditorium.

Both recipients are members of the North Hills Senior High School Class of 1986. Superintendent Patrick J. Mannarino said the two are a shining example to students and the district is honored to recognize them. 

“Dr. McLoughlin and Mr. Stroebel bring great pride to the North Hills School District community,” Mannarino said in a statement. “Their professional and personal accomplishments demonstrate the value of hard work and dedication.” 

According to the district, McLoughlin serves as a team leader and research chemist for the Medical Grade Product Development department at Sunoco Chemicals. She is a noted inventor, who patented polypropylene blends for use in fibers and non-woven fabrics. The invention removes the large amounts of undesired materials and increased smoke generation often present in processing of non-woven fabrics.

These fabrics include disposable medical and hygiene products and geotextiles that separate, filter, protect and drain soil and are used in civil engineering projects such as road, canal and dam construction as well as sand dune erosion protection efforts. 

She holds bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate in chemical engineering from Cornell University.

Stroebel is an emergency response and recovery professional, who has led humanitarian relief efforts on five continents over the past 20 years. Known globally as "Drew," he has dedicated his life to helping in a hands-on way those in need around the world.

Currently, he is working as a regional representative with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he is responsible for developing and managing programs in community health and disease control, water and sanitation, organizational development and disaster risk reduction.

In the past, he has helped communities rebound from natural disasters such as the 2007 southeast Asia tsunami, health emergencies, armed conflicts and other tragic events in Paraguay, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Guatemala, Ecuador, Thailand and Bangladesh.

A veteran of the Peace Corps, he is fluent in numerous languages and also worked to rebuild rural communities in the United States. Strobel earned a bachelor’s degree in mulitidisciplinary studies with a focus on international political economies from Capital University and a master’s degree in international affairs with a focus on Latin American studies from Ohio University.

North Hills School Board established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010. To qualify, nominees must be alumni of North Hills Senior High School or the former West View High School who graduated at least 10 years ago.

Distinguished Alumni nominations are evaluated based upon outstanding contributions made in nominees’ chosen profession, record of academic achievement, professional and/or business accomplishments as well as community or civic consciousness.