New Centurions Inducted
In 1982, during the University’s 85th-anniversary celebration, the Board of Trustees formed the Centurion Society as a way to honor exceptional Bradley alumni. Bradley has more than 65,000 living alumni, but only a select few have received this prestigious honor. These individuals are inspiring, accomplished and dedicated to their professions, their communities, and their Alma Mater.
The Centurion medallion was presented to our inductees by President Roberts. On the medallion is a lion’s head designed by 1993 Centurion Bill Hardin. This image was adapted from the lion on Westlake Hall, where it overlooks the Bradley quad, serving as a guardian of campus. Centurions fill a similar role, guarding Lydia Moss Bradley’s mission and the University’s character through their outstanding achievements.
--
Celso L. White '84
Celso has become one of the most widely respected leaders in consumer goods and a sought-after expert by many of today’s iconic brands, including: M&M/Mars, Campbell Soup, PepsiCo, Molson, Coors, Miller Lite. Celso graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His sister Nuria was inducted into the Centurion Society a few years ago making them the first brother/sister combo to be inducted in the Centurion Society. Both he and Nuria grew up in Panama and were recruited to Bradley back in 1980. They are shining examples of the great contributions that immigrants have made to our country.
--
Michele L. Sullivan '87, MBA '89
Michele is the Director of Corporate Social Innovation at Caterpillar Inc. and the first female President of the Caterpillar Foundation. Michele and the team at the Caterpillar Foundation have developed not just a brand but a mission…Together Stronger. She has taken this message and the Caterpillar Foundation from a transactional operation to a global and strategic foundation, placing human need first, not an afterthought of profit.
Through her work, Michele has been asked to serve as a U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and a member of ONE Board of Directors. Among her many honors, Michele was named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy by Inside Philanthropy, was named in the Diplomatic Courier Magazine's List of Top 100 Global Women in 2014 and was named a 2018 Influential Leader by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In 2016, Michele became the first Caterpillar employee to give a TED Talk. It is titled “Asking for help is strength, not a weakness.”
--
Jack Riley '80
Jack graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Administration of Criminal Justice and worked his way up to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, ultimately, becoming the first Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Fusion Center. In 2015, Jack was named the DEA’s Acting Deputy Administrator. Jack was highest ranking career Special Agent at the DEA. From the fight against cartel gangs in Chicago to overseeing every major mission to capture foreign drug kingpins in the past 30 years on to his greatest showdown, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, he has always fought for justice and what is right.
--
Learn more about the Centurion Society and see the other distinguished alumni online.