Rhodes of Laconia & Estero Honored with Clarkson University's Most Prestigious Alumni Award

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Clarkson President Tony Collins, John "Dusty" Rhodes, and Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Steve Newkofsky.

POTSDAM, NY (08/20/2013)(readMedia)-- John "Dusty" Rhodes of Laconia, N.H., and Estero, Fla., recently retired from IBM, has been honored with the Golden Knight Award by his alma mater, Clarkson University.

Presented each year during Reunion Weekend, Clarkson's most prestigious alumni award is given to alumni who have distinguished themselves either by service to Clarkson through Alumni Association activities or have demonstrated outstanding career achievement, bringing distinction to themselves and to Clarkson.

Rhodes received his bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Clarkson in 1978. While a student at Clarkson, he served as a class representative to the Clarkson College Student Association and served on the College Union Board. Rhodes was also a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon social fraternity and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. In 1988, he received his master of business administration from the University of Chicago.

After graduation, Rhodes went to work for Olin Chemical in Lake Charles, La., and spent the next 15 years working in a variety of roles including research, process design, plant construction, and operations management. Throughout those years, there were job transfers to Louisville, Ky., where his son, Aaron, was born; Chicago, Ill., where his daughter Carly was born; and Stamford, Conn.

In 1993, he left Olin and joined Price Waterhouse as a business consultant. Shortly thereafter, Price Waterhouse merged with Coopers & Lybrand to form PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Rhodes made partner in 1998. In 2002, the consulting division of PwC was purchased by IBM and Rhodes became an employee of "Big Blue." Throughout this period, he served as a partner in the SAP, Oracle and Supply Chain Consulting Practices -- doing work in the areas of project management, custom development, package implementation, package maintenance and systems planning. During this time, he managed work for Hitachi America, Bestfoods, Harley Davidson, Rockwell International, Disney and many others.

Rhodes stays involved with Clarkson in a variety of ways. In 2001, he and his wife, Kathy, joined the Parents Committee and held various roles until their son, Aaron, graduated in 2005. Rhodes then joined the Business Leadership Council for the Clarkson School of Business and is currently the council chair. He has also served as a representative on the IBM/Clarkson relationship team and as the Clarkson recruiting leader for IBM. In this role, he was instrumental in interviewing, selecting and hiring well over 100 talented Clarkson students. Currently, Rhodes also sits on the Clarkson University Alumni Council, where he has been active for several years.

Rhodes and Kathy raised Aaron '05 and Carly in Danbury and Wilton, Conn., where Rhodes was very involved as a Little League coach and Boy Scout leader. Recently retired from IBM, he now splits his time between homes in Estero, Fla., and Laconia, N.H. He volunteers regularly for Habitat for Humanity and enjoys hiking, golfing, fishing, boating, skiing and traveling.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.

Photo caption: John "Dusty" Rhodes recently received the Golden Knight Award from his alma mater, Clarkson University. Left to right: Clarkson President Tony Collins, Rhodes, and Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Steve Newkofsky.

[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/jrhodes-gk.jpg .]