IU alumni Michael T. McRaith and Gregory Carter will be honored at this year’s eighth annual IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association Celebration weekend.
Weekend events will be both on-campus and downtown and will include an alumni reception, the GLBTAA annual board meeting and a social where McRaith and Carter will receive their awards, according to an IU press release.
McRaith, who is being presented the 2016 GLBTAA Distinguished Alumni Award, graduated from IU in 1986 with a bachelor of arts in English and psychology. He practiced commercial litigation in Chicago for 15 years before becoming the director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, according to the release.
In 2011 McRaith was appointed to be the inaugural director of the Federal Insurance Office.
He has also served on the board of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago for nearly a decade and has recently been designated director emeritus.
“This year, we are honored to award this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award to an outstanding individual,” GLBTAA President Steve Bretthauer said in the release. “I’m always grateful to see the number of alumni and friends from across the nation who join us for this special weekend in Bloomington.”
Carter will be honored with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services Center Spirit Award. A clinical assistant professor in the IU School of Nursing, Carter received a bachelor of science at IU-Bloomington in 2011 and a master of science in nursing at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in 2013, according to the release.
Carter has led his students to become advocates for patients, especially those of marginalized groups. According to the release, Carter encourages these students to create “respectful and compassionate” environments for patients.
The event where McRaith and Carter will be awarded will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center.
The Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival will run Jan. 28-30, concurrently with GLBTAA Celebration weekend.
“This is a wonderful celebration of spirit, pride and fellowship,” IU Alumni Association CEO JT Forbes said in the release. “The GLBTAA has put together a festive and memorable experience for all alumni.”
Carley Lanich
