Nate Miles, ’82, and Al Sugiyama, ’84, both prominent UW alumni and leaders in the community, received significant honors in recent months:
Miles, who represents OMA&D as a UW Foundation Board director and is the director of state government affairs for the Northwest Region of Eli Lilly, was named the FirstThursday Seattle’s 2011 Man of the Year. He was honored at FTS’ VIP Black Community Business Empowerment Reception at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club on January 6. He is one of the founding members and is the current board chair of FirstThursday Seattle.
Sugiyama, founder and former executive director of the Center for Career Alternatives, was the recipient of several community awards in the months following his retirement. He was presented a proclamation recognizing his lifetime work from the Seattle City Council in November, received the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle 2010 Spirit Award in December, and was selected as both the “Favorite Local Community Activist” and the “Favorite Executive Director of an Organization” by a 2010 reader poll for the International Examiner. Sugiyama is currently a member of the President’s Minority Community Advisory Committee.