Spotlight

Spotlight on Graduate Brothers

Alexandre R. Imbot (Pennsylvania 2020) & Eli Moraru (Pennsylvania 2021)

Penn brothers Eli Moraru (2021) and Alex Imbot (2020) recently started The Community Grocer (TCG), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit re-imagining nutritional assistance to fight food insecurity and promote health equity. Eli and Alex founded TCG after researching the relationship people on food stamps have with healthy foods. They found that 90% of people in their area wanted healthier food options, but there were too many obstacles (living in a "food dessert," not enough time to cook, no access to a working kitchen, etc.). Their conclusion was many people on food stamps need their healthy foods ready to go. Eli and Alex made it their mission to provide hot, healthy and accessible meals to those in need. Their solution was TCG, a store that sells meal kits in the front and provides a community kitchen to cook said meal kits in the back of the store. Additionally, Eli was one of five Penn seniors and graduates to receive the 2022 President's Sustainability Prize for TCG.

Peter A. Johnson (Case Western Reserve (1994)

Peter Johnson (Case Western Reserve 1994) volunteered in Oświęcim, Poland, with One Humanity Institute (OHI) from March 23 - May 3, plus a few weeks before and after assisting from the U.S. OHI is a U.S. and Poland-based charitable organization initially launched to support the Auschwitz Museum in Oświęcim, but the refugee crisis forced a pivot within the organization. During his time in Poland, Peter helped repair and furnish two 100+ year-old buildings that were donated to OHI into apartments and shared community spaces for Ukrainian refugees. Peter was also one of many volunteers who helped OHI hand out thousands of Teddy bears to refugee children. Professionally, Peter is a growth and scalability specialist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who coaches founders and startups through the early stages of their business development. To learn more about OHI, visit https://onehumanity.institute/

Stephen W. Ray (Oklahoma 1979)

Steve Ray (Oklahoma 1979) was named President and Managing Partner of Hall Estill (HE), Oklahoma's leading law firm, in June. Steve has worked for HE since 1992, serving in a variety of leadership roles. As president and managing partner, Steve will manage the day-to-day operations of HE, a full-service law firm with over 150 lawyers and other professionals, and he will continue to serve clients in the business and tax sectors. Throughout his career, Steve has received many awards and accolades. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for corporate governance, corporate compliance law and more; he was named Best Lawyers Corporate Governance Law - Tulsa in 2023, 2021 and 2018, and Chambers USA honored him with a ranking in corporate/commercial law in 2017. Outside of his career, Steve has been active with the Boy Scouts of America, having received the 2019 Silver Beaver Award, the highest award given to a volunteer Scouter. Steve earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 1979 and his law degree from the OU College of Law in 1982.

John J. Ruby (Northwestern 2000)

John Ruby (Northwestern 2000) is a TV and film actor, acting teacher and, most recently, podcaster. In November 2021, John launched The Moving Spotlight Podcast with partner and co-host Corbin Coyle. The podcast helps actors, artists and creators take control of their creative careers, and episodes are released weekly. Over his career, John has worked on TV shows such as CSI, Justified, For All Mankind, 2 Broke Girls, SWAT and Castle, and he has acted in movies and commercials. He spent over 10 years in casting, working on both TV shows and commercials. John left casting in 2017 to join The Storytellers Conservatory acting school, where he is an acting teacher and co-owner. To learn more about his podcast, visit www.themovingspotlight.com.

James L. Tuman (Michigan State 1964)

Jim Tuman (Michigan State 1964) and Jimmy's Kids received the Congressional Award (pictured) for their work on behalf of families in Metro Detroit, Michigan. A youth advocate and motivational speaker, Jim founded Jimmy's Kids in 1988. Jimmy's Kids serves thousands of children across the metropolitan Detroit area by partnering with local organizations and people of all faiths to set up gift-giving holiday parties. Jim and Jimmy's Kids were nominated for the award by Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th district.