Three Alumni to be Recognized During Great Lake State Weekend 2024

Oct 01, 2024

Three Alumni to be Recognized During Great Lake State Weekend 2024

(Sault Ste. Marie, MI)  – Lake Superior State University (LSSU) and the LSSU Alumni Association will pay tribute to three highly accomplished alumni at the annual Alumni Awards Reception beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 19, in the Walker Cisler Center as part of Great Lake State Weekend 2024. 

The public is welcome at the reception to honor Outstanding Alumnus recipient Robert Stephen Mulholland, MD ’83, Kenneth J. Shouldice Award recipient Steve Davies ’77, and Paul E. Ripley Award for Young Alumni recipient Jeanna Trotman ’12. Reservations are $15 each and must be made by October 10 for this event.  Reserve your spot online, at the Lukenda Alumni House on LSSU’s campus, or by calling the LSSU Alumni Office at 906-635-2844.

“Celebrating the outstanding achievements of our alumni underscores the lasting impact of Lake Superior State University,” stated LSSU President Dr. David Travis. “Your successes exemplify the spirit of innovation and dedication that defines our community. Congratulations to each of our recipients for their remarkable contributions, which continue to enrich the legacy of LSSU and inspire future generations.”

Dr. Robert Stephen Mulholland MD ‘83

Dr. Robert Stephen Mulholland has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award, recognizing his remarkable contributions and achievements since attending the university from 1979 to 1983. Established in 1968, this award is the highest honor that the university bestows on graduates. The Outstanding Alumnus Award recognizes recipients for their personal and professional accomplishments and their involvement with LSSU, highlighting the significant achievements of alumni who serve as leaders in our region, state, and nation.

Dr. Mulholland was a standout player for Laker Hockey from 1979-1983, leading the team in scoring for all four seasons—making him the only NCAA Division I hockey player to achieve this feat. During his career at Lake State, he was named CCHA Rookie of the Year, an Academic All-American, and was on All-CCHA teams, serving as team captain in his senior year. He finished with 205 points over four years and remains one of the top all-time scoring leaders in the Division I era. Off the ice, Dr. Mulholland excelled academically, graduating with a double major in biology and chemistry with a GPA of 3.97 and as a Magna Cum Laude gold medalist.

“I look back on my years at Lake State as truly transformative,” commented Dr. Mulholland. “Beyond the competitive athleticism of being a student hockey player, I formed very strong relationships with professors and members of the community that have influenced and shaped my life and career. I am certain any success I have has been forged, in no small part, by the years spent in the Soo.” Dr. Mulholland has generously supported his alma mater’s Laker Hockey Locker Room Renovation campaign, reflecting on those who mentored and inspired his journey.

After graduating from Lake State, Dr. Mulholland spent one season playing professional hockey in the Swedish Division 1 circuit, where he led the league in scoring, followed by a stint with the NHL Calgary Flames’ farm team in Denver.

Dr. Mulholland retired from hockey and attended the prestigious University of Toronto Medical School, graduating as the Honor Silver Medalist. He then completed the University of Toronto’s Plastic Surgery Residency Program and followed it with an advanced fellowship in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Oncology, Microvascular Reconstruction, and Craniofacial trauma. He served as a consultant at the Hamilton Regional Cancer Center, performing complex head and neck cancer excisions and reconstructions, as well as facial trauma repair.

In 1997, Dr. Mulholland opened SpaMedica Plastic Surgery in Downtown Toronto. Over the next 25 years, he built an international reputation as one of the most talented and renowned cosmetic plastic surgeons in the world. He has also innovated procedures, developing patents and trademarked techniques in the minimally invasive, non-scalpel-based space.

Dr. Mulholland has trademarked and patented over ten procedures and technologies and co-founded two multi-billion-dollar market cap companies, both publicly traded on NASDAQ. His most recent company, InModeMD (INMD), is valued at $3 billion and sells his co-patented technologies, Morpheus8 and BodyTite, worldwide. He sold SpaMedica medical spa in 2021 and retired from excisional surgery to focus on his capital equipment company and his new software venture, BoomerangFX.com—a cloud-based, AI-infused practice management, marketing, and e-learning portal for the non-managed care space.

Dr. Mulholland has been prolific on television, co-creating the reality cosmetic surgery makeover show “Skin Deep” and serving as the guest plastic surgeon on the national show CityLine for over 20 years. He has also appeared on The Today Show, The Doctors Show, and various news outlets including Fox, NBC, CBC, and ABC. Dr. Mulholland is married to the love of his life, Ann Kimberly Kerr Mulholland, who holds an MBA and PhD in business and built and sold the largest private consumer financing company in Canada. The couple has six children and maintains homes in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Toronto, and London. They were featured in season one of the Real Housewives of Toronto and now live in London, where they own and operate a 1,000-year-old castle, recently finishing the first season of a reality show titled “Queen of the Castle.”

Steve Davies ‘77

Steve Davies will receive the Kenneth J. Shouldice Professional Achievement Award at the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony. The Shouldice Award, established in 1994, honors individuals whose personal and professional successes serve as outstanding examples to LSSU graduates. Dr. Shouldice is, in many ways, a founding father of today’s Lake Superior State University, guiding the campus from a two-year branch of Michigan Technological University to an autonomous four-year college as its first chancellor and president (1965-1982).

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Davies was recruited to play hockey at LSSU (then Lake Superior State College) by Ron Mason and Rick Comley, receiving a four-year hockey scholarship. During his time at LSSU, he was part of the 1974 team that won the NAIA National Championship. Davies and his 1973-74 teammates were inducted into the LSSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, being the first team in school history to win a regular season CCHA title alongside the national championship. His coach for three seasons was Rick Comley, who now serves as the Athletic Director at Northern Michigan University. “Rick was a tremendously supportive coach who provided me with the opportunity to develop as a hockey player but, more importantly, taught me the discipline necessary to compete at my best,” said Davies. He graduated from Lake Superior State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.

Davies’ business career spans over 45 years as an entrepreneur, during which he has founded and built many companies, most notably Hespeler Hockey and Winnwell Hockey—two iconic hockey equipment brands. “Each of these hockey equipment companies had a unique focus: addressing the high cost of the game by providing high-quality hockey equipment at affordable prices in an attempt to grow the game,” commented Davies. “Every kid should have the opportunity to play this great game, regardless of household income.”

When asked about his time at Lake State, Davies fondly remembered his mathematics professor, Thomas Mickewich. “Professor Mickewich reinforced the importance of understanding the ‘process’ as opposed to the end result,” recalled Davies, “something that has served me well in my business career.”

In addition to his impressive career as an entrepreneur, Davies served on the board for Alpine Ontario Alpin from 1998 to 2002, leading and promoting the joys of ski racing.

Davies has supported Laker hockey over the years, most recently through the Laker Hockey Locker Room Renovation campaign, recognizing Tom Coates and Andrew Rubinstein for their fundraising efforts.

Davies is married to Susan, and they currently reside in Etobicoke, Ontario. They have four children: Brandon, Kimberly, Matt, and Kristin—and three grandchildren: Jack, Sam, and Rowan.

Jeanna Trotman ‘12

Jeanna (Radzinski) Trotman has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Paul E. Ripley Award for Young Alumni. This award, established in 1994, is presented to graduates who have enjoyed exceptional personal and professional success early in their careers.

Trotman graduated Cum Laude in 2012 with an honors degree in Bachelor of Arts in Communication and minors in PR and Professional Speaking. During her time at LSSU, she was a four-year NCAA Division II student-athlete, playing volleyball for the Lakers. During her junior year, she completed an internship at WXYZ in the Sports Department with Don Shane and Tom Leyden. After college, she went on to complete a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism with a specialization in Sports Reporting at Boston University.

“I did everything I could do at Lake State, and I am so grateful for the range of opportunities that I was able to take advantage of and learn from,” commented Trotman.  While she was a student at LSSU, she created Communication Alliance, a club for students in the communication program, and hosted a weekly radio show on WLSO.  She also wrote for the local paper and university website, including video and photo stories for LSSU.

“As a member of the honors program, I completed honors courses in addition to my regular credits,” said Trotman. “I finished my career at Lake State with a trip to Costa Rica as part of my tropical ecology class, documenting the honors program with video and photos.” She went on to say, “My honors thesis was a 60-plus page study on the landscape of women in sports broadcast journalism.” Trotman was also a member and leader of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing LSSU in the entire GLIAC.

Trotman’s first job in television was in 2014 at KAAL, the ABC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota, where she served as Sports Director. She returned to her home state of Michigan in 2017, working as Sports Director at WEYI/WSMH, the NBC and FOX affiliate in Flint. In 2021, Trotman rejoined the sports department at WXYZ  where she once interned. Covering everything from the NHL playoffs and the NCAA Basketball National Championship to the Ryder Cup and high school state championships, Trotman prides herself on storytelling with an emphasis on local sports. Transitioning from a small market to her hometown of Detroit, she values and understands sports’ role in a community.

Trotman grew up in the Detroit area and was raised on Detroit sports. She enjoys being active in the community and staying in tune with her viewers. She married Zach Trotman in 2017 after they met as student-athletes at LSSU. “My teammates stood up in my wedding and are still my very best friends,” Trotman commented. “I feel so lucky to have found my soulmate and my husband on the hockey team.” Zach retired from the NHL after nearly ten years of playing for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Trotman family resides in Metro Detroit with their son, Luca (3), and daughter, Quinn (1).

Contact:

Andrew Rubinstein, Annual Fund & Athletic Development Director, Alumni/Advancement, 906-635-6219, arubinstein@lssu.edu