UWRF honors outstanding alumni at Evening of Excellence
UW-River Falls honors outstanding alumni at Evening of Excellence
May 14, 2026 — The accomplishments of four outstanding University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates were celebrated during the university’s annual Evening of Excellence Wednesday.
The UWRF Alumni Association presented four honors during the event: the Distinguished Alumni Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Outstanding Young Alumni Award and Outstanding Service Award.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Mary Ella Jerome
Mary Ella Jerome lives by the philosophy that “God gives you a gift, and you need to use it,” a principle that has shaped her life and career as a musician, teacher, business leader and philanthropist.
A resident of Barron, Jerome credits her first teachers—her parents, Wallace and Marion Jerome, and her siblings, Jerry, Larry, Candace and Julie—for her foundation. After attending Barron Public Schools, she earned a music education degree from UW-River Falls, where professors nurtured her passion for music. She recalls fondly performing with her piano duo partner, Frances McNamara Cohler. Jerome taught vocal music to hundreds of middle and high school students.
She earned her MBA at UW-Madison before teaching management courses at a public university and for the family business, Jerome Foods, Inc. The company, founded by her father, was a pioneering, fully integrated turkey operation that eventually became the Jennie-O Turkey Store.
Beyond her professional life, Jerome served as a choir member, director and organist for Barron’s First United Methodist Church. As president of the Mary Ella Jerome Family Foundation, she has supported Barron community initiatives and stands as one of UWRF’s most impactful donors. Her contributions support many scholarships across multiple disciplines and fund the Frances Cohler Coffee Concert Series and the Butterfly Concert, which feature UWRF music faculty and Barron grade school students.
“Mary Ella’s commitment, her enthusiasm for our students and her leadership in bringing events like the Coffee Concert Series and Butterfly Concert to life are evidence of her extraordinary impact,” said Paul Budde, chair of the UWRF Music Department. “She is a richly deserving recipient of this honor.”
Jerome earned the UWRF Outstanding Service Award in 2006 and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association Community Service Award in 2007. In the last decade, Jerome has contributed to two books and in 2024 co-authored a heartfelt tribute to her late brother, Larry Jerome.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Duane Hall
Duane Hall, originally of Roberts, earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics at UWRF before establishing a remarkable career in health physics.
After graduation, Hall earned a master’s degree in physics from Vanderbilt University under an Atomic Energy Commission fellowship. He managed the radiology physics department at the Elk River Reactor in Minnesota and later served as an environmental energy engineer for Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in Buffalo, N.Y. For more than 30 years, Hall served 3M Corporation as manager of ionizing radiation, where he served on 3M’s Isotope Committee. He is an American Board of Health Physics Certified Health Physicist and has co-authored several articles in nuclear and physics publications.
Hall is also an accomplished singer and member of the St. Croix Valley Croix Chordsmen Barbershop Chorus. He was a long-time member of the Autumn Serenade Barbershop Quartet that entertained audiences for more than three decades.
Over the years, he has remained highly engaged with UWRF, supporting student scholarships and serving on the UWRF Foundation Board of Directors. Hall and his wife, Fran, live in Woodbury, Minn.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Lamah Bility
Lamah Bility is a social entrepreneur, community builder and founder of Didomi, a purpose-driven company working to end the global water crisis.
As a UWRF student, Bility launched Didomi Bottle, selling high-quality reusable water bottles and using 50 percent of the resulting profits to provide clean, safe water to communities in Africa and Central/South America. To date, Didomi has improved the quality of life and health of more than 60,000 people. At the Clinton Global Initiative Conference in New York City, Bility announced an expanded goal to impact 250,000 people through sustainability partnerships with higher education institutions and water access projects.
Since graduating from UWRF in 2020 with double majors in marketing communications and communications studies, Bility, who was born in Liberia and raised in St. Paul, has dedicated his career to creating opportunities for others. As the alumni and advocacy manager for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, he manages a six-figure scholarship portfolio and has helped secure millions of dollars in public funding for Minnesota youth.
Bility has served as a Saint Paul Neighborhood Sales Tax Revitalization board member, helping to provide competitive funding for residential, economic, commercial development and capital improvement projects. He serves as an impact advisor at Lift Up, a Minneapolis-based organization that inspires investments in projects that help lift those in need out of poverty by providing medical equipment, hunger relief, clean water and other infrastructure needs.
Outstanding Service Award: David Drewiske
A dedication to community service has been the hallmark of David Drewiske’s life. Originally from Ellsworth, Drewiske earned his UWRF degree in agricultural land management before obtaining master’s degrees in real estate and urban planning from UW-Madison.
Drewiske spent 31 years at 3M as a real estate analyst and corporate real estate manager, implementing consistent real estate processes and capital budget allocation to accommodate global business operation strategies and growth and guiding site selection and environmental remediation. He also served as a resource development agent for the University of Wisconsin Extension Service and interim executive director of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust.
A prominent leader in Hudson, Drewiske has been an active member of the Daybreak Rotary and has led several fundraising efforts, including a $5.5 million renovation of the Hudson Sports and Civic Center, where one of the rinks is named in honor of Karen Drewiske, David’s wife, who passed away in 2014. As chair of the UWRF Foundation Board of Directors, he championed the largest grant in the Foundation’s history to support the new Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech). He was also instrumental in the acquisition of Wildflower Farm, a 72-acre estate gift now used as a UWRF environmental learning and research center.
“Dave was the engine that made Wildflower Farm happen,” said Holly Dolliver, chair of the UWRF Plant and Earth Science Department. “His knowledge of land acquisition and legal processes was invaluable.”
Drewiske and his wife, Ann, live in rural River Falls.
Photo: Four UW-River Falls graduates were honored during the university’s annual Evening of Excellence Wednesday. Pictured l-r: Interim Chancellor John Chenoweth, David Drewiske (Outstanding Service Award), Lamah Bility (Outstanding Young Alumni), Mary Ella Jerome (Distinguished Alumni) and Duane Hall (Lifetime Achievement Award).