Rodney A. Brown, vice president of family services for Lutheran Social Services, will receive the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award Friday, April 24.
Brown, of Hudson, Wis., is one of 12 alumni who have been named 2009 award winners. He will be honored at an April 24 dinner and ceremony hosted by the Minnesota State Mankato Alumni Association.
The Humanitarian Award goes to Minnesota State Mankato graduates whose lives exemplify service to humankind, and who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to humanitarian causes.
Brown didn’t intend to attend college until a high school teacher suggested it. He started classes in 1974; became a resident hall advisor; worked as conference director for the Vikings training camp; and served as president of the campus pre-law association.
He graduated with a degree in business administration in 1980, working for Control Data Corp. and Xerox Oracle, then starting a global consulting firm, SADAKA Technology Group. He became chief executive officer of Compatible Technology International, manufacturer of hand-powered tools for the developing world.
In 2008 he was named vice president of Family Services for Lutheran Social Service, responsible for more than 1,200 employees who oversee refugee and immigrant services, adoption services, housing development, financial counseling and family counseling.
Brown has volunteered for various community organizations including the Institute on Black Chemical Abuse, the YMCA, the Business Education Economic Foundation and the African Christian Fellowship.
His wife, Floriane, a native of Rwanda, spearheads development of a children’s village in Rwanda, complete with housing, schools, a chapel, a clinic, an administration facility, farming areas, a soccer field, and a swimming pool, to serve the massive population of Rwandan orphans.
Those who want more information about the Minnesota State Mankato awards may go to www.mnsu.edu/alumni/daa/.
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