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2021 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Rev. Dr. Melvin M. Motley ‘81
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Plain Dealer, WINT radio station and the News-Herald. Rev. Dr. Melvin M. Motley ’81 was born in Beckley, West Virginia. In 1960 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 11. In 1974 he moved to Painesville, Ohio where he was employed with First Energy Corporation. In 1976 he started his own business as general contractor, licensed plumber and electrician and sole owner/president of Motley Construction, Inc., which he has maintained and is still his current occupation. Rev. Motley received a bachelor’s degree from Lake Erie College in marketing and business; a bachelor’s degree from Grand Canyon University in theology; a master’s degree in theology from Grand Canyon University; and a doctoral degree in divinity from Newburgh Theological Seminary.
Rev. Motley is a serious and willing worker in his community. He serves on the NAACP Executive Board as 1st Vice President, Chairperson of Religious Affairs and the Membership Committee. His involvement extends to the “Begin the Conversation” committee. He serves on the organization’s educational sub-committee, planning educational events for the community. He has represented the “Begin the Conversation” committee being interviewed by the
He has taken a special interest in working to improve conditions at a children’s school in Uganda. Thus, in 2018 he started a 501c3 non-profit organization, named Jesus Christ Missionary Services, Inc. Donations are being distributed to the school to buy and install a water purification system, security entry gate and other necessities including their ministry, education, programs, etc. Also, monies may be and have been used locally where urgent needs may arise. He traveled to Uganda for three weeks out of each year in 2017-2019. His mission is teaching, preaching and counseling at conferences and schools there. Due to the Covid he was not able, nor allowed, to return in person to Africa but has maintained contact with friends and associates on the growth of the projects.
In addition to his busy construction schedule, those in the community are aware that he is readily available for their spiritual needs, should it be prayer, grief counseling, consoling, comforting, home visits to the sick, shut-ins and elderly, including visits to hospitals and nursing homes.
Rev. Motley was recognized by the Cleveland Magazine with an article in the January 2017 issue as one of the “Most Interesting People.” Motley and his wife, Shirley, reside in Painesville, Ohio. He is the Pastor of Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, Painesville, Ohio since November 14, 2020. He is also currently the vice president of Lake County’s NAACP.
John Paganini ’83 is currently the CEO of CrewTracker Software LLC, business operations management software for the snow and ice management and landscaping industries. He is president of Paguar Informatics Inc., a healthcare IT consulting firm which provides consulting, innovation development, system integration, strategic planning, marketing analysis, product and project management services. His prior roles include CEO and co-founder at DinkerBop, simple radio for people living with dementia. He was formerly chief operations officer at InSportz.com providing athletes personal branding through sports statistics to enable connections to coaches and colleges.
In addition, he was CEO of IoT Directions LLC, focused on consulting and education on the Internet of Things, Blockchain, AI and other emerging technologies. Managed operations, cybersecurity, interoperability, analytics initiatives, and logistics, events at the HIMSS Innovation Center in the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland.
John Paganini ‘83
Consulting engagements included the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. His projects have included enterprise imaging, immunization integration, retail clinic integration, IBM Watson, ophthalmology telemedicine, patient experience apps Experience includes the marketing, product strategy and product management at Applied Visual Sciences Inc. for radiology informatics, image management, computer-aided detection, advanced visualization technologies and digital microscopy tuberculosis detection product lines in pathology.
As co-founder of RIS Logic he was responsible for operations, applications development, database design and systems architecture, design of HL-7/DICOM engine services. He grew the business from three employees to a value of $12 million when it was acquired by Merge Healthcare and recently by IBM. Previous positions include General Manager for IBS International Corporation’s Singapore subsidiary, CIO of the Document Technologies Group in Rochester, NY. In 1995, he developed one of the first electronic medical record systems, MediMate©.
Paganini has over 35 years of startups, IT and healthcare information systems experience and is a respected authority in healthcare informatics and industry spokesperson. He is a Northern Ohio HIMSS Board member, Wisdom Collaborative member, Certified Professional in Healthcare Information Management Systems, a former Lakeland Community College Foundation Board member and served on the Shoreby Club’s Board of Trustees.
Paganini remains involved at LEC. He currently sits on the Board of Directors, has been asked to speak to classes at the College, has hosted alumni events, donates his time to the Arts Gala and attends most alumni and College events.
2021 young alumni award winner
howard washington ‘08
Howard Washington ’08 was torn between dance and basketball as a youth. He studied the demands of both as it came time to develop his senior project at Lake Erie College in Painesville. The results of his scholarship can now be found on the streets of Cleveland, in a group of inner-city kids, and at a school dedicated to helping them create solutions. Washington took his athletic dance team concept to Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, or E Prep - first in training, now in his career. The 22-year-old Euclid resident was hired recently as full-time physical education/hiphop instructor, joining the fledgling school’s staff of 20 teachers. His pet project involves 12 to 15 kids who audition for his in-school dance team, “E Hip-Hop.”
“I figured if there’s a student that comes along from similar situation that I did, I’m going to create a solution that stops that teeter-totter of ‘Should I do this, should I do that?’ “ he said. “We warm up like a sports team, communicate like a sports team and we may have consequences like a sports team.”
Washington is now the owner, creative director of ELEVATED Dance. He grew up in Akron, and received his fine arts degree from Lake Erie College with a specialization in choreography and minor in entrepreneurial studies. Within his 12 years of being in the Cleveland area, he has been a special guest teacher/choreographer at numerous schools and Universities including: Cleveland State University, Hathaway Brown, Padua High School, Brush High School, and Lake Erie College. In 2014, Howard started ELEVĀTED Dance Company for dancers who wanted to pursue hip hop as a career and did not feel the hip hop scene was well represented in Cleveland, Ohio.
He continues to be involved at his alma mater, teaching dance at LEC, performing at functions like the Art Gala and is interested in forming an arts partnership with the College.
