USC Volunteer Recognition Dinner

Tom Henkenius ’00, MS ’19

Tom Henkenius is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ Trojans. A longtime member of the USC Lambda LGBT Alumni Association (USC Lambda) Board of Directors, he served as the 2020-2021 board president. During his tenure, Henkenius played an integral role in raising money for scholarships. He helped organize USC Lambda’s 2021 Scholarship Benefit—a virtual celebration of distinguished LGBTQ+ alumni—that surpassed its fundraising goal, thanks to online contributions from LGBTQ+ and ally Trojans, friends and supporters. Now serving as immediate past president of the USC Lambda board, Henkenius will co-chair the organization’s 30^th anniversary gala in 2022.

Henkenius also volunteers his time and talent with the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. He co-chairs the board’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and serves on its Executive Committee.

An innovative digital content leader and Emmy award-winning journalist, Henkenius is the principal partner at Thunder Communications, a content strategy and production company. He is also director of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) degree programs in digital marketing and graphic design, and teaches courses at FIDM in design thinking and digital trends.

Henkenius earned undergraduate degrees in political science and broadcast journalism from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, respectively. He also holds a master’s in integrated design, business and technology from the USC Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.

Carmen Herrera ’89

Carmen Herrera is an entrepreneur and former corporate executive who has been giving back to USC and the Trojan Family for more than 20 years.

In 2010, Herrera became a member of the USC Latino Alumni Association (LAA) Corporate Advisory Council. Currently serving as the council chair, Herrera draws upon her professional expertise to help raise scholarship funds for Latino students attending USC. She has also served on numerous LAA committees over the years, including the 45^th Annual Scholarship Gala committee, and devotes her time and energy to mentoring students.

As well as volunteering for LAA, Herrera has been a member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors since 2018 and is presently serving on the Executive Committee. Developing the alumni leadership pipeline is a priority for Herrera, who regularly serves on panels and hosts events to cultivate the next generation of alumni leaders. In addition, Herrera served on the committees for the 87^th Annual USC Alumni Awards, the 2018 Alumni Leadership Conference, and the Class of 1989 30^th Reunion.

Professionally, Herrera worked at the Sempra Energy family of companies for nearly 19 years. In 2007, she became the first Latina to hold the position of director at this Fortune 500 company. Herrera is now launching Vida For Vitality, a juice enterprise focused on providing supplemental support for brain health in underserved communities.

Herrera earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the USC Marshall School of Business. She is also a certified public accountant.

Jennifer ’99 and Walter Carl Ladwig III ’98

Jennifer and Walter Ladwig are two of USC’s most engaged overseas alumni volunteers. The couple, who met on campus while working as USC tour guides, live in London with their two young sons.

After earning their degrees from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Ladwigs left Southern California for Washington, D.C. There they helped to engage local Trojans, with Jennifer serving as the region’s scholarship chair for a number of years.

The Ladwigs later moved to London and soon established themselves as leaders in the United Kingdom (UK) Trojan community. Both of them have served as president of the London alumni club, and Jennifer was a member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors from 2012 to 2015.

For more than a decade, the Ladwigs have played a vital role in bringing Trojans together in the UK. In 2012, Jennifer helped organize a reception for the USC athletes competing in the London Olympics. During Walter’s tenure as the club president, UK student applications to USC increased significantly, due in part to alumni recruiting efforts; this increase in student applications led to the opening of USC’s London office in 2018.

Supporting USC students is a top priority for the Ladwigs. Jennifer frequently hosts career and industry talks for students. The couple also support scholarships enabling current USC students from the School of International Relations and the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy to pursue government and nonprofit internships.

When not volunteering for USC, Jennifer is a partner at Q5, where she leads the firm’s organization development and culture practice. She also holds an MBA from London Business School and is an accredited executive coach. Walter, meanwhile, is an associate professor of international relations at King’s College London and an associate fellow in Asian Security at the Royal United Services Institution, the UK’s oldest think tank.

Janet Harris Tonkovich ’64

Janet Harris Tonkovich is a third-generation Californian and Trojan. Her local family history dates to the birth of her maternal grandmother, Ruth Dallman Launer, in 1892. When Launer graduated from USC in 1916, she purchased her graduation gown—and launched a family tradition. Since that time, family members have worn that gown in more than 40 USC graduation ceremonies.

The proud parent of three USC alumni—Diane ’92, Matt ’93 and Greg ’94, MS ’01—Tonkovich became an active volunteer in Greek life while her children attended USC. Most notably, she served as the president of both the Intersorority and Interfraternity Parents clubs, as well as a representative to the Greek Coordinating Council. In recognition of her outstanding service, the Greek honor society Order of Omega presented Tonkovich the John Hubbard Award for Continued Alumni Leadership.

Tonkovich has also devoted her energies to the university’s alumnae (women’s) groups. She served on the Alumnae Coordinating Council and as president of the Trojan Guild of Orange County. Her other affiliations include Town & Gown of USC and Trojan League of Orange County.

An enthusiastic member of the Half Century Trojans (HCT) Board of Directors since 2015, Tonkovich served as board president during the 2020-2021 academic year. She previously served as the HCT recording secretary.

A USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences alumna, Tonkovich received the Widney Alumni House Volunteer Award for dedicated service in 1994. Earlier this year, she was elected to the Skull and Dagger Society, USC’s oldest honor society.

Kim Barrios-Thomas ’84
Associate Senior Vice President of USC Educational Partnerships

Kim Thomas-Barrios serves under USC University Relations as associate senior vice president of USC Educational Partnerships.

Thomas-Barrios, who has worked in education for more than 38 years, was hired in 2002 to direct the USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative (USC McMorrow NAI). She continues to manage the initiative, which is among the seven programs and initiatives in the portfolio of the USC Educational Partnerships department.

The USC McMorrow NAI is a university-developed college access and success program focused on the South and East Los Angeles neighborhoods where USC’s two major campuses reside. Eligibility for the program begins in the 6^th grade for students (scholars) who attend partner schools in the community. Those who complete the 7-year program and are accepted to USC as freshmen or transfer students are eligible for a fully funded financial aid package. Since USC McMorrow NAI’s first graduating class in 1997, over 1,300 scholars have graduated the program and received acceptances to college. Over 80% start as freshmen at four-year colleges, and over 40% have attended USC as freshmen or transfer students.

In addition to the USC McMorrow NAI, Thomas-Barrios manages the USC Family of Schools network, the USC Community Computing Center, the USC Kid Watch program, the USC Kinder2College program, the USC Science Equipment Loan Program, and other USC outreach initiatives to the immediate community.

Thomas-Barrios began her career as a secondary science teacher at middle and high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She earned a BA in psychology from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Amy Alderfer JD ’99

USC Gould Alumni Association Executive Committee
USC Alumni Association Board of Governors

Marissa Borjon MA ’10

USC Annenberg Alumni Advisory Board
USC Alumni Regional Leader-Texas

Robert Campos ’91

USC Interfraternity Parents Council Board
USC Latino Alumni Association Board of Directors
USC Trojan Marching Band Alumni Association Board of Directors

Priya Rana Kapoor ’93, MFTH ’06

USC Alumni Association Board of Governors
USC Dornsife Gateway Internship Mentor Program

Chris Lord ’90

USC Marshall MBA Program Career Coach/Mentor
USC Marshall Master of Business for Veterans Executive Partners, Chairman

David Moreno ’16

USC Dornsife Alumni Advisory Council
USC Latino Alumni Association Young Leaders Council
USC Young Alumni Council

Ann Chambers Palmer ’75

Town & Gown of USC
Trojan Affiliates
Trojan Guild of Los Angeles

Charlene Shimada ’91, EdD ’19

USC Rossier School of Education Board of Councilors
USC Alumni Association Board of Governors

Victoria Graveline Waiss ’91

Class of 1991 30th Reunion Committee Co-Chair
USC Marshall Alumni Association Board of Directors – Orange County Region
USC Marshall Volunteer Leadership Council

Cheri Lall Wechsler ’82, MS ’86

Alumnae Coordinating Council
Intersorority Parents Council
Trojan League of Orange County