LFA News

Lake Forest Academy welcomes alumni, family and friends to campus for 2023 Reunion on Oct. 13-14. Highlighting the celebration is the annual Woman of Distinction honor and the Hall of Fame induction class.

The Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction Induction Ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Reid Hall at Lake Forest Academy. Registration is required by Friday, Oct. 6. For more information on LFA’s Reunion, a complete schedule of events and to register, visit lfanet.org/reunion.

2023 Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction

Jeff Ackman ’73 – Service to Society

• Merged his passion for helping children with his interest in orthopedics and today serves as a top surgeon at one of the country’s most esteemed research hospitals.
• Earned his undergraduate degree at Colorado College. From there, Ackman attended the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine for his medical degree, Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Chicago for his internship and residency, and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children for his fellowship.
• Joined Shriners Hospital for Children (now Shriners Children's) in 1989, where he found his professional home. Today, he holds the title of Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon and Chief of Staff of Emeritus at Shriners. He also helps train the next generation of doctors as an assistant professor and instructor at the University of Illinois, Rush University School of Medicine and Marquette University.
• At Shriners, perfecting pediatric prosthetics became his mission and where he became known as the surgeon who took on cases that others dismissed as impossible. Dr. Ackman is a tireless advocate for his patients with insurance companies and consistently earns top ratings from families.
• An author and contributing researcher to dozens of publications, Dr. Ackman continues to propel orthopedics technology forward, giving hope to countless families whose children struggle with mobility.

Ursula Bailey ’83 – Service to Society

• An esteemed attorney who has dedicated her career to bettering the lives of residents in her beloved state of Tennessee. Her advocacy for underserved populations was recognized by the highest office in her state when she was appointed by the governor to the Tennessee Post Conviction Public Defender Commission and the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.
• Attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant Management. After earning both her master’s in business administration and her law degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Bailey began her career as an attorney for two Knoxville-based law practices and as an adjunct professor for the University of Tennessee, College of Law.
• In 2011, she opened her own firm, the Law Office of Ursula Bailey, where she specializes in criminal defense, contract law, and civil rights.
• A loyal member of her community, she has served dozens of professional organizations, including as a board member of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, whose mission it is to preserve Knoxville history and the history and culture of African Americans in East Tennessee, and the Executive Women’s Association.
• Her honors include Fellow of both the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Knoxville Bar Foundation. Bailey has made a career of bringing justice and equality to underserved populations in Tennessee.

Rodger Owen ’68 – Achievement in the Arts

• While in college, Owen first began to buy and renovate rental properties. But his interest in design blossomed exponentially when his studies, and his life, took him to Europe and he developed a deep respect for the work of 16th-century Italian master Andrea Palladio as well as other classical architecture.
• Earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He also immersed himself in study overseas at the Universidad de Madrid, Spain and the Universite d’Aix-Marseille, France.
• After a decade as president of his own real estate development company, in 1986, he founded BGD&C Custom Homes, a full-service design and build firm specializing in custom designed homes within Chicago’s Lincoln Park and Gold Coast neighborhoods.
• A lifelong believer in giving back, Owen has served as president of Bright Promises Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving at-risk children, and is past president of the Lincoln Central Association, a local group that celebrates the social, cultural, and physical enrichment of the community.
• Owen was recognized in the Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame, a testament to his achievements in architectural design. Additionally, his firm has won numerous other industry awards. He has dedicated his professional life to beautifying Chicago neighborhoods and improving the lives of those who live there.

Sandy Pope ’73 – Woman of Distinction

• A lifelong advocate for the rights of workers and a woman in the male-dominated field of union leadership, Pope has given a voice to the voiceless for nearly five decades.
• After graduating from Ferry Hall in just three years, she began Hampshire College with an eye to becoming a lawyer. Her first job post-college was as a ward attendant position at a state psychiatric hospital where she witnessed the power that unions offered for workers.
• Pope has acted as the Executive Director of the Coalition Labor Union Women in New York City and President of the Local 805 chapter of the Teamsters in Long Island City. At a time when there were only 16 chapters of Teamsters run by women, she ran for general President of the entire organization.
• Today, she works as the Director of Bargaining at the Office and Professional Employees International Union, which currently has over 100,000 members.