Alumni/Parent Programs honors five for service to community, University

Four alumni and a Salve Regina parent received special recognition awards during the University’s recent Fall Festival Weekend celebration. Michael Fisher ’06 (Outstanding Young Alumnus), Katherine Aldrich ’86 (Distinguished Alumna), Jason Maxwell ’01 (Mission Award), Rev. Kris von Maluski, Ph.D. ’12 (Distinguished Graduate Alumnus) and Georgine Hertzwig (Exceptional Parent Volunteer) were all honored.

Michael Fisher

Fisher is general manager at Fisher Bus, Inc., a multifaceted transportation company based in Somerset, Massachusetts, that charters motorcoach, van and school bus rentals throughout the region.

The owner of several investment properties in Fall River, Massachusetts, he received the 2013 St. Anne’s Neighborhood Association’s Home Ownership Pride Award in recognition of the significant improvements he made to his properties that have enhanced the community as a whole. He was also presented with the Somerset Lions Club 2015 Person of the Year Award.

In addition to his work in the community, Fisher has remained connected to Salve Regina as a sponsor of the University’s alumni and corporate golf tournaments, as well as the Governor’s Ball, Salve’s largest fundraising event. He credits his Salve education with providing him with the confidence and skills needed to succeed in a competitive industry.

Katherine Aldrich

Currently the deputy assistant general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel, Department of the Navy, Aldrich has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the field of military law.

She previously served as the associate counsel for fiscal and procurement law, Office of Counsel for the Commandant, USMC. In this position, she was responsible for advising staff on fiscal and procurement legal matters, as well as overseeing the day-to-day operation and management of a legal office – with approximately 85 attorneys and 30 staff – in seven major field offices in the United States and Japan.

While at Salve Regina, Aldrich was involved in a variety of roles on campus. She was a member of the Sigma Phi Sigma honor society, served as secretary of the Student Life Senate and was a resident assistant during her junior and senior years. The recipient of the college-wide Service Award in both 1983 and 1984, she was also a lector and Eucharistic minister.

Jason Maxwell

Maxwell is the founder, president and CEO of MassPay, which provides payroll and insurance services to small companies. He was 9 years old when he lost his father after a long battle with cancer and in 2010, he and members of his leadership team at MassPay founded Fed Up With Cancer, an initiative aimed at raising money to assist in cancer research and prevention.

Recently, MassPay presented the North Shore Medical Center with a check for $24,000 in support of research and patient programs. To date, the company has donated more than $300,000 through Fed Up With Cancer fundraising and Maxwell was honored for his efforts in 2013 by the Mass General Cancer Center.

Maxwell has also spearheaded numerous community service efforts, including organizing an annual toy drive and the delivery of holiday meals to both homeless families and the elderly through the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce. For his work in these areas, he was honored in the Boston Business Journal in the 2015 edition of “40 under 40.”

Rev. Kris von Maluski

Father Kris, who served as Salve Regina’s chaplain from 2009-2015, is currently pastor for both St. Mary’s and St. Augustin’s parishes in Newport.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, he attended Providence College for an intense year of theology and philosophy. He pursued his seminary studies at the American College of the Immaculate Conception at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he received a master’s degree in religious studies and an STB in sacred theology. In 2001, he was ordained by now bishop emeritus of Providence, the Most Rev. Robert E. Mulvee.

During his service as chaplain at Salve Regina, Father Kris quickly became respected and admired among the student body. He became known for his friendly, outgoing and inclusive personality coupled with a beloved sense of humor. Father Kris engaged the University’s greater community as a faith leader, and his passion for service impacted all with whom he came in contact.

Georgine Hertzwig

Hertzwig, whose son Tyler plays baseball as a member of Salve’s Class of 2018, was recognized for her steadfast support of the University’s baseball program, and as an orientation leader and resource for parents of Salve Regina’s first-year students.

She supported the University’s Brother Reynolds Field renovation project and continues to work closely with head coach Eric Cirella, his staff and parents to help with fundraising for the many other financial needs of the program. She has also participated on an orientation panel for freshman parents, and has hosted social events for new University parents.

“We truly are a Seahawk baseball family, and the sense of team is clearly evident on and off the field,” she says. “The thought of being able to share the journey we have had at Salve and give insight to parents as they prepared to send their children off in the fall was amazing.”