2024 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Jaime Arroyo ’06—Lancaster City Councilman and CEO of ASSETS

Jaime Arroyo ‘06, an advocate for community-driven progress and graduate of JP McCaskey High School, serves as Vice President of Lancaster City Council and CEO of ASSETS, a local nonprofit cultivating entrepreneurial leadership for underserved communities. Raised in Lancaster City after his family moved from Puerto Rico, Jaime overcame challenges to become the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating from Millersville University with a B.S. in Business Administration. His career began at Fulton Financial Corporation, where he developed a passion for client service and economic development.

Driven by a commitment to learning, Jaime earned an M.B.A. from Drexel University with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. At ASSETS, he transformed the organization into a leading micro-lender in Pennsylvania while promoting ethical business practices.

As Vice President of Lancaster City Council, Jaime led initiatives such as the COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund and reforms to housing ordinances for lead poisoning prevention. He led efforts to allocate $15 million from the American Rescue Plan Act for affordable housing and community facilities, demonstrating his dedication to community development.

Beyond his professional achievements, Jaime finds strength in family life with his wife, Linette, a nurse, and their son, Miles, in northeast Lancaster City. His vision for the city reflects his belief in inclusivity, prosperity, and limitless opportunity, driven by a desire to build a better future for his son and the community at large.

 

Rebecca DeWinter-Schmitt ’86—Educator and Human Rights Advocate

Dr. Rebecca DeWinter-Schmitt ‘86 has dedicated her career to ensuring companies are held accountable for their impact on people and planet. In her current position as Associate Director of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, an initiative of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, she connects institutional investors and their allies with the tools and strategies to promote responsible business conduct.

 

Rebecca is an expert in business and human rights whose over two-decade career spans key advocacy, academic, and consulting roles. Prior to joining the Investor Alliance, Rebecca resided with her family in Berlin where she supported public and private sector organizations, to include the German government and automobile industry, in fulfilling their commitments to respect human rights throughout global supply chains. She has advised companies in various industries and co-founded a consultancy specializing in helping organizations manage human rights risks associated with operating in complex environments. She has contributed extensively to corporate standard setting in the private security industry.

 

Until August 2019, she directed the Human Rights in Business Program housed at American University Washington College of Law’s Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law. The Program promoted justice for people adversely affected by economic activity and educated the legal and business communities on corporate responsibility issues. Before joining the Center, Rebecca was an Assistant Professor at the School of International Service in the peace and conflict resolution program. Rebecca earned her PhD for research pertaining to the anti-sweatshop movement. During her studies, she led American University’s chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops for which she earned the Brady Tyson Award for excellence in human rights work.

 

Rebecca started her career as Program Associate in Amnesty International USA’s Just Earth! Program dedicated to protecting environmental defenders. Since then, she has continuously served on AIUSA’s Business and Human Rights Group as a volunteer thematic expert.

Rebecca earned her undergraduate degree from Dickinson College and her master’s degree from the University of Marburg, Germany. She has spoken at numerous professional and academic conferences and has published in leading journals in her field, including Ethics and International Affairs and the Business and Human Rights Journal.

 

Edward Flick ’59—Banking VP and Non-Profit Community Leader

Ed Flick was born and raised in Lancaster and graduated from J. P. McCaskey High School in 1959. While at McCaskey Ed played on the basketball and football teams and was a member of the 1957 Central Penn Championship football team.  He then served four years in the U.S. Air Force.

Returning to Lancaster he found a job with Fulton National Bank as a bank messenger. Forty-three years later he retired as a Senior Vice President.

Ed was involved with Hospice and Community Care for 37 years, having served on its Board for 12 of them. For 16 years he was the chairman of the Hospice Sports Memorabilia Labor Day Auction and helped raise $575,000 for the organization.

He has been on the Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame Board for 13 years, seven of them as chairman, as well as serving more than 40 years on the board and as Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Recreational Vehicle & Camping Association. For his service to PRVCA he has received the John Serro Achievement Award and the Rebecca Lenington Volunteer of the Year Award. Other community involvement has included with the Breakfast Optimist Club, serving on the Kris Wilson Foundation Board, and on the board of Lancaster Dollars for Higher Learning.

For his community involvement he has received the following awards:

  • The Service to Mankind Award from the Sertoma Club of Lancaster.
  • The Service to Mankind Award from Sertoma West Central District.
  • The James “Jimmy” Sheckard Meritorous Community Service Award from the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame.
  • Breakfast Optimist Club-Optimist of the year.

In addition Ed has been involved in officiating sports for over 40 years. He was a ASA fast pitch softball umpire for 23 years, a PIAA basketball official for 33 years, and a PIAA baseball umpire for 15 years.  He also officiated women’s college softball and basketball.

His sports awards are as follows:

  • The Scott Spagenburg Memorial for fast pitch softball.
  • The H. Grant “Tick” Hurst Memorial Award for Lancaster-Lebanon basketball official of the year.
  • Induction into the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame.
  • The J. Freeland Chryst Sports Achievement Award and induction into the Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame.
  • The George Kirchner Memorial Award from LNP/Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame.

Ed’s wife, Sarah Alexander Flick, was his high school sweetheart and also a McCaskey alumna. They raised two daughters—Laurie Lynne, deceased, and Holly Breneman wife of Shawn, and have two grandchildren, Alexander and Julia Breneman.

 

Joe Nguyen ’97—Attorney and Commercial Litigator

Joe Nguyen ‘97 is a partner at law firm Stradley Ronon in Philadelphia. He is a highly-sought-after commercial litigator who counsels financial services institutions in high-stakes class-action and single-plaintiff suits. Joe represents some of the largest companies in the United States and leads a nationwide team of seasoned litigators.

A recognized leader within the firm, Joe serves on the firm’s board of directors. In this role, he provides oversight and strategic direction for the firm and its more than 200 lawyers. Joe also serves on the firm’s diversity committee and Asian Pacific American Engagement Group.  Outside of the firm, he is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA)’s Minority Bar Committee, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, and the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys.

Joe has been frequently recognized for his legal work and greater community involvement, including being named to the 2023 Impact 75 list by City & State Pennsylvania, which features the state’s “most influential difference-makers” who positively impact their respective communities and industries.

Additionally, he received the Diversity in Business Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal for his diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Joe recently helped his family create Vietnam Society, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people of the Vietnamese diaspora — the first group of its kind in the nation. Through the Vietnam Society, the group hopes to inspire the world through the beauty of Vietnamese art and culture and impact the lives of young and future generations who desire to learn about Vietnam.

Joe is also deeply committed to supporting the Greater Philadelphia community at large. Joe has volunteered with Philadelphia Reads, a Philadelphia mayor’s office program that helps inner-city youth improve their reading skills. He also volunteered for Minority Law Day, an annual PBA program designed to introduce inner-city high school students to the practice of law and encourage them to consider pursuing a career in the legal profession.

 

Armenta Washington ’80—Research Coordinator in Health Equity

Armenta L. Washington ‘80, M.S., received her Master of Science in Health Education from Saint Joseph’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Millersville University.  She currently serves as a Research Coordinator Senior with Penn Medicine – Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  In her role with the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, Armenta utilizes her expertise in building community partnerships to raise awareness, educate and innovate approaches to address health disparities and decreases social determinate of health in underserved communities.

She has co-developed a Clinical Trial Community Ambassador Program to increase African Americans’ participation in cancer clinical trials.  Along with her colleagues she also developed an internationally recognized colon cancer clinic to mitigate the 90% reduction of colon cancer screening during the height of COVID-19.  Other successes and awards include:

  • Served as an advisor on the President’s Cancer Panel report, “Closing Gaps in Cancer Screening: Connecting People, Communities, and Systems to Improve Equity and Access.
  • Named the Be Well Philly 2021 Health Hero by Philadelphia Magazine.
  • Received the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from Millersville University and served as the 2023 Millersville University May Undergraduate Commencement Speaker.
  • Awarded the 2024 Champion in Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Award with her multidisciplinary team, which aims to reduce health disparities and provide accessible healthcare for all.

Prior to her position at Abramson Cancer Center, Armenta served as Program Manager at Fox Chase Cancer Center’s – Office of Community Outreach.  She has served as a Training Manager for the Family Planning Council – TRAINING 3 (now known as AccessMatters). In her role she provided technical assistance and training programs for healthcare providers throughout HHS Region III. She coordinated numerous training and professional development activities for local and regional healthcare provides, often working collaboratively through grant projects with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Office of Population affairs (OPA).

She currently serves as a member of Penn’s Center for AIDS Research – Community Advisory Board where she is the co-chair of the Black Men’s Health Initiative.