Four Carroll University alumni received Distinguished Alumni Awards at the university's annual Celebrating Success event April 19, 2011. The DAA awards recognize Carroll's most notable alumni and acknowledge their commitments to their communities, professions and to Carroll. The 2011 recipients are:

• Dr. Howard L. Fuller, a 1962 Carroll graduate, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement. A former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools and now director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University, Fuller is respected nationwide for his efforts to improve educational opportunities in Milwaukee, specifically for low-income African-American children. A co-founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, Fuller is also a former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations, former dean of Milwaukee Area Technical College, and former director of the Milwaukee Department of Health and Human Services. He is a founder and Chair of the Board of CEO Leadership Academy, and serves on the Charter School Review Committee for Milwaukee and Quest Milwaukee, Partners for Developing Futures and Milwaukee Charter School Advocates. He is an Advisory Board member of the Big Picture Company, the National Association for Charter School Authorizers and Partners for Developing Futures.

• Victor Hsu, a 1973 Carroll graduate, who also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement. Considered an expert on contemporary international issues, he works for international human justice and as an advocate to indigent populations across Asia. He has directed the United Nations program of the World Council of Churches, been director of the Asia/Pacific Department for the National Council of Churches USA and recently ended his tenure as national director of The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at World Vision International. Hus is a visiting professor in the Master of Public Policy in Economic Development program and Director of International Aid and Development at Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management. He has written extensively, is frequently invited to be a keynote speaker on international relations, and has provided private briefings to Congressional leader on both the DPRK and religious freedom in China. He lives in Waldwick, N. J.

• Alfred L. Block, a 1950 Carroll graduate, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community Service. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran of World War II, Al was a teacher and school administrator for more than 50 years, including stints at Milwaukee Boys Technical School, West Milwaukee High School, Franklin High School, Milwaukee Area Technical College, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Mount Mary College. His administrative experience includes more than 25 years in the Franklin Public Schools. His passion for education spread to East Africa, where he oversaw construction of a school in Kenya in honor of his late wife, Carol. Ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, he has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, the We the People Program, the National Ice Age Trail Foundation, Franklin Historical Society and Ducks Unlimited. He has three adult children and lives in Milwaukee.

• Charmaine (Fischer) Ponkratz, a 1977 Carroll graduate, who received the P.E. MacAllister Distinguished Alumnus Award for Service to Carroll. Ponkratz has dedicated nearly 25 years to advancing Carroll's mission. She is a retired vice president of marketing at Marshall and Ilsley Corp. She was active in the Wisconsin Bankers Association and was a faculty member for several professional schools sponsored by the WBA. She is a contributing author to "The Handbook of Marketing for the Service Industries." Charmaine re-engaged with Carroll as a member of the Alumni Council only a few years after graduation. She served on the Carroll Board of Trustees from 1988 to 2008 as well as on the Business Advisory Council. She was re-elected to the Board of Trustees in 2009. She and husband Gary have five children and 10 grandchildren and live in Punta Gorda, Fla.