Albion College alumni-award recipients honored

April 11, 2025

This year’s Albion College Alumni Award recipients included a college administrator, a college professor, a supermarket CEO, two physicians, a labor union attorney and a publishing publicist. All were recognized during an award ceremony April 11th on campus.

“Our mission at Albion College is to prepare students and graduates for lives of purpose characterized by meaningful careers and responsible leadership with local and global impact,” said Amy Everhart, senior director of alumni engagement and annual campaigns. “Our alumni award recipients certainly embody this commitment through their professional accomplishments and contributions to their communities. We are proud that Albion College has played a role in each of their journeys, and to be connected to them.” 

Recipients were chosen based on their demonstrated excellence in career achievements and contributions to community and humanity. The Distinguished Alumni Award winners are:

Marita K. Abram ’08

Abram is a professor of biology and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Throughout her career, she has consistently devoted herself to developing the talent and potential of others while maintaining an unyielding commitment to making a positive difference in her community. Abram began her career in postsecondary education at Sinclair College in 2011 as a biology instructor.

She was appointed assistant professor in 2015, granted tenure in 2016, achieved the rank of associate professor in 2019, and was promoted to professor in 2024. Abram earned a bachelor of arts in biology from Albion College, a master of science in biology from Wright State University, and a doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University.
 

Thomas B. Cochrane ’89

Cochrane is senior labor counsel of Air Line Pilots Association, International, AFL-CIO, in Westerville, Ohio. Previously, he was director of labor relations for the Ohio Nurses Association and associate general counsel for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AFSCME Local 11, where he successfully advocated for Ohio to end sexual orientation discrimination in civil service. In addition, he helped draft Westerville, Ohio’s anti-LGBTQ discrimination ordinance.

As a student at Albion College, Cochrane helped lead the student movement urging divestment from companies operating in South Africa. After graduating summa cum laude in 1989 with a degree in history and public service, he worked for the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in its struggle against apartheid. Upon his return, Cochrane continued his studies at the University of Michigan Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1996. 

 

Matthew Jonna ’94

Jonna is CEO and co-founder of Plum Market in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After leaving the Whole Foods National Operations Team, Jonna and his brother, Marc, opened the first Plum Market in 2007 with a focus on natural, organic, and locally sourced groceries, alongside exceptional service across the food and beverage, travel, and food service industries.

Plum Market operates nationwide, with more than 35 locations across Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Virginia, California, and Nebraska. Jonna has been recognized for his leadership and success with many awards, such as Best Grocery Store (Miami New Times), Top 10 Super Markets (Food & Wine Magazine), Best Specialty Market (Detroit Metro Times). He has also been named one of Detroit’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders. He graduated from Albion in 1994 with a degree in economics and management. While at Albion, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

Jennifer Kaiser-Blase ’99

Kaiser-Blase is an OB/GYN at Women First OB/GYN Center in Royal Oak, Michigan, the largest all-female OB/GYN practice in Metro Detroit, where she also is a partner.  She earned her medical degree from Wayne State University and completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak (now Corewell Health East). After graduation, Kaiser-Blase joined the practice and helped it grow from a four- to an 11-physician group. 

Kaiser-Blase earned the medical student teaching award and was appointed as the medical student coordinator for the program. Since then, she has been named a “Top Doc” by Hour Detroit magazine two years in a row. Before graduating from Albion College in 1999 with a degree in biology, Kaiser-Blase was a SOAR leader and president of Kappa Delta Sorority. She was also a member of the Women’s Choir and Panhellenic Council. She has served as a Girl Scout leader and mentors girls who want to pursue fields within STEM.

The James L. Curtis ’44 Alumni Leadership Award, recognizing accomplished Black alumni who have made significant contributions of time and effort to Albion College and its students, went to 

Bobbie Denise Cole ’07.

Cole is assistant vice president of student life at William Peace University in
Raleigh, North Carolina. Since earning her master’s degree from Grand Valley State University in 2009, Cole has been a dedicated educator, shaping transformative student experiences across a diverse range of institutions in various roles. She has also served as the residence education director on the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International Executive Board, helping to shape best practices for student housing professionals nationwide. Cole also is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., having joined the sisterhood in 2006 while at Albion College.

She now supports the Omega Lambda Omega chapter in North Carolina. As part of the Pearls in Partnership Foundation, she works with the chapter to uplift and empower communities through education, service, and philanthropy. Outside of her work in higher education, Cole turned her passion for journalism and storytelling into a successful career as a content creator. Her ability to translate complex ideas into engaging narratives has positioned her as a trusted voice in lifestyle, beauty, and travel content.  

The Young Alumni Award was presented to:

Katie Boni ’18

Boni is a senior publicist at Simon & Schuster in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She previously worked with HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group. Boni has led successful publicity campaigns for a wide range of New York Times bestselling authors, spanning from picture books to young adult titles. Notable authors she has worked with include James Patterson, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Becky Albertalli, Ava Reid, Lev Grossman, Craig Melvin, Gordon Korman, Marc Brown, and many more. 

Before graduating from Albion College in 2018, Boni double-majored in English Literature and communication studies. She completed five publishing internships, including two during her time with the New York Arts Program. Her extracurriculars included working on The Albion Review, The Pleiad, and performing in the British Eighth Marching Band. She was also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and served as a PathFinder Ambassador for the Career and Internship Center.

Alena Farooq ’18

Farooq is a program officer at Enterprise Community Partners in Detroit. She supports the Detroit Home Repair Fund at Enterprise Community Partners, a $20-million initiative that provides critical home repairs to address health and safety hazards for income-qualified homeowners. She also serves on the board of Higher Ground Abodes, which focuses on developing cooperative housing for extremely low-income individuals. 

During her time at Albion College, Farooq designed an individualized, tri-departmental major called social entrepreneurship. She also supports Albion students by serving on the Alumni Advisory Board for the Ford Institute. In May 2025, she will begin pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Southern California.

 

Adam Kudirka ’15

Kudirka is a physician at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He is in the midst of completing a fellowship in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at Henry Ford, where he previously completed an internal medicine residency in 2022. He has received several awards for teaching and patient care; and he worked in a clinic for underserved communities while mentoring both medical students and residents. Kudirka also has presented at national conferences as well as published several articles in medical journals.

He credits his personal experience being a young cancer survivor and the support he received from the Albion community with how he approaches his work today. Kudirka graduated magna cum laude from Albion College in 2015 with a degree in biology. While at Albion, he was a member of Global Brigades, performed research in the lab of Brad Rabquer, and was a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. Subsequently, he attended Michigan State’s College of Human Medicine, where he obtained his doctorate in 2019.