Utah State University Celebrates 138 Years of 'Aggie Legacy'

Utah State University is celebrating 138 years of excellence in 2026 with a special Founders Day and Old Main Society event on Thursday. The evening will honor three individuals and one couple whose contributions embody the theme “Aggie Legacy.”

“At our Founders Day and Old Main Society Celebration, we honor extraordinary individuals whose generosity and dedication have left an indelible mark on Utah State, their communities and the world,” said USU Vice President for Advancement and President of the USU Foundation Matt White.

This year’s Old Main Society Award honorees are Kent and Donna Alder, recipients of the Spirit of Old Main Award, and Ned M. Weinshenker, recipient of the Emeriti Old Main Award.

The Founders Day Alumni Awards will recognize Paul A.S. Wiebel, recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and Jill W. Anderson, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

Please join Utah State University to celebrate 138 years of Aggie pride and the remarkable individuals who continue to shape the institution’s legacy.

For more information, visit https://www.usu.edu/advancement/oldmainsociety/foundersday.

Old Main Society Awards

The Old Main Society was established in 1967 to recognize those seeking to continue the tradition of excellence at Utah State University by providing generous gifts that enhance funding from the state, research grants and other sources. The event celebrates Old Main Society members, both old and new, whose generosity ensures the future success of Utah State University and the students it serves.

This year’s festivities will include a reception welcoming 153 new members into the Old Main Society, joining more than 2,300 fellow Aggies. The university will also recognize 181 current members who will move up to new giving levels.

Spirit of Old Main

Kent and Donna Alder

Kent and Donna Alder exemplify the Spirit of Old Main through a lifetime of devotion to education, family and selfless service — strengthening Utah State University with both visionary leadership and steadfast, behind-the-scenes commitment. Together, they have advanced USU in ways that are deeply personal, widely felt and enduring.

A Logan native, Kent Alder ’74, ’80 earned degrees in finance and accounting from Utah State’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. He carried the Aggie work ethic into an extraordinary career in the technology and manufacturing sectors, where he became known for steady leadership, disciplined execution and principled decision-making. As the founding president and CEO of TTM Technologies, Kent guided the company through transformational growth, including a major expansion that elevated TTM into a global leader in printed circuit board manufacturing. Throughout his career — spanning leadership roles at Lundahl Astro Circuits, ElectroStar, Tyco’s Printed Circuit Group and other industry innovators — Kent has demonstrated how technical excellence and integrity can shape organizations and create opportunities for others.

The Alders’ story is not defined by professional achievement alone. Donna Alder, born and raised in Logan, met Kent in high school, and after their marriage in 1973, they built a home centered on faith, family and shared sacrifice. Donna’s leadership has been expressed through service — six children joined the family in nine years. Supporting their pursuits and creating a solid foundation enabled their family and community commitments to flourish. She has served in leadership roles in her church, been active in school communities through PTA and fundraising efforts, contributed her time to charitable causes and served on the board of CAPSA (Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse), reflecting a deep commitment to lifting and protecting others.

For decades, Utah State has been a constant thread in their family life. The Alders have attended many Aggie games — often with a full family section in tow — and have also embraced the university’s cultural and academic life through concerts, plays, lectures and campus events. Their love for USU has become a family legacy; even now, it’s common to find 20 to 25 members of the Alder family cheering together at football and basketball games, passing the tradition to their 17 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and beyond.

Their loyalty has also taken the form of meaningful philanthropy and leadership support, including significant giving to USU Athletics, the Huntsman School of Business and other areas that strengthen the student experience. They have been thoughtful stewards of impact, motivated not by recognition but by a desire for their children and grandchildren to see — and feel — how a university can shape lives.

Emeriti Old Main

Ned M. Weinshenker

Ned M. Weinshenker is a distinguished chemist, entrepreneur, educator and longtime supporter of Utah State University whose career spans more than six decades across academia, industry and government. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Weinshenker discovered his passion for chemistry at the age of 7, a curiosity that would shape a life dedicated to scientific discovery, innovation and mentorship.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Weinshenker pursued a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard University under Nobel Laureate E.J. Corey. After a short stint as an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Maryland, he began his varied journey in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, serving in senior management and executive roles at Silicon Valley startups, venture capital firms and medical device companies. In 1993 he moved to Utah to become the president and CEO of Salt Lake City-based IOMED, leading the company through a successful initial public offering in 1998, and later guided MantiCore Pharmaceuticals and Pharmadigm, Inc., as CEO. He is currently COO and a board member of iVeena Delivery Systems, Inc., a Salt Lake City startup company focused on ophthalmic therapies.

In 2006, Weinshenker joined Utah State University as vice president for Strategic Ventures and Economic Development. In this role, he led four key initiatives: technology commercialization, the USU Innovation Campus, the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, and the Business Accelerator. His tenure was marked by the construction of the USTAR research facility, the administration of major infrastructure grants, and the creation of USU’s first business incubator, helping bridge the gap between research and commercialization while fostering entrepreneurship throughout the region. He later served as executive director and technology commercialization advisor for USU’s Innovation Campus and has continued as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, mentoring students and advancing research, including collaborative work on CRISPR technology for potential use in cancer treatment.

Beyond academia, Weinshenker has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Utah Technology Council, Cache Entrepreneurial Council, The Leonardo at Library Square (chair), JSK Therapeutics, and the Kickstart Venture Seed Fund. He also spent a year in former Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr.’s administration as Utah’s life sciences cluster director. A passionate advocate for medical research, he was recognized as a 2024 MPN Hero for his work advancing awareness and funding for myeloproliferative neoplasms, a rare blood cancer he was diagnosed with in 2018.

An accomplished photographer and supporter of the arts, Weinshenker has exhibited his work in galleries in Salt Lake City and Logan and chaired the Cache Valley Center for the Arts Board of Trustees. Together with his wife, Gail, they have endowed scholarships at USU in the College of Arts & Sciences, reflecting their enduring commitment to education, innovation and community.

Founders Day Awards

Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service Awards are given on Founders Day to individuals or couples who have made significant contributions to their community, the university or the world at large.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Paul A. S. Wiebel

Paul Wiebel ’77 stands as a dynamic entrepreneur, community leader and loyal Aggie whose career reflects the resourcefulness and determination that define Utah State University graduates. A visionary in the national food packaging industry and a dedicated philanthropist, Wiebel has built a legacy rooted in innovation, service and family.

Raised in Parsippany, New Jersey, Wiebel grew up in an environment that nurtured both independence and responsibility. As a devoted Boy Scout for more than a decade and a recipient of the Silver Scout rank, he learned early the values of discipline, leadership and community engagement. After completing an associate degree at the County College of Morris, he came west to Utah State University to study marketing and design. It was here — balancing academics, athletics and hands-on work — that Wiebel’s entrepreneurial instincts first took shape, including founding a steeple-painting business and renovating his first home.

After graduating in 1977, Wiebel returned to New Jersey and launched Econo-Pak from the basement of his family home. Building on four generations of family experience in packaging, he transformed the small startup into one of the nation’s premier contract food packaging companies. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Paul expanded Econo-Pak’s operations, introduced advanced production technologies and secured FDA certifications that positioned the company as a trusted partner for major food brands. The company’s flagship operations in Milford, Pennsylvania, near the New Jersey border, marked a significant milestone in this era of growth. During the 2000s, Wiebel owned the Berthoud Pass Ski Area in Colorado, North American Sterilization and Packaging, In-Line Design Floor Graphics and Captive Audience in New Jersey. He also developed the commercial property at 1 Wiebel Plaza, which he continues to own and lease to a regional grocery partner — reflecting his entrepreneurial reach beyond manufacturing.

Even after a brief retirement and the sale of the company, Wiebel’s entrepreneurial drive brought him back. He repurchased Econo-Pak and, through strategic acquisitions and expansion, helped shape a national packaging enterprise. Today, as chairman of the board, he continues to guide the company’s long-term vision while his sons lead day-to-day operations. The goods packaged by Econo-Pak help feed America, and its products can be found in every state.

Wiebel’s commitment to service is equally extraordinary. Through the Wiebel Family Foundation, he has supported local charities, first responders, youth programs, scholarships, addiction-recovery initiatives and holiday-giving efforts across New Jersey. His many civic contributions earned him the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 2019. He has also remained connected to Utah State University — encouraging students, sharing his business expertise and supporting emerging entrepreneurs.

Distinguished Service Award

Jill W. Anderson

Jill W. Anderson ’95 embodies the highest ideals of public service — using her knowledge, initiative and individuality to strengthen both Utah State University and the communities it serves. An alumna of USU’s psychology program, Anderson has devoted more than three decades to ensuring safety, dignity and hope for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across Cache Valley and Northern Utah.

Anderson’s path with CAPSA, a sexual assault and domestic violence support center serving the Cache Valley and Bear Lake area, began in 1993. She started as a volunteer, drawn to the organization’s mission and the urgent needs of individuals and families experiencing abuse. In 1997, she stepped into the role of executive director at a pivotal moment. CAPSA had outgrown its small shelter, and basic operating conditions had become constrained — offices were squeezed onto stairways, and the organization faced possible closure due to building limitations. Anderson recognized that the community needed more than a temporary solution; it needed a lasting, expanded center of refuge, advocacy and prevention.

With determination and steady leadership, she guided a complex multi-year effort of planning, partnerships and fundraising to build a new victim advocacy center. The facility opened in 2002, followed by continued fundraising to complete the shelter. By 2004, CAPSA’s new home provided eight separate rooms, capacity for 32 adults, cribs for infants, family living spaces and multiple kitchens — an expansion that dramatically increased the organization’s ability to protect and support survivors in crisis. Under Anderson’s leadership, CAPSA has continued to grow beyond emergency shelter, strengthening prevention education, developing youth and teen programming focused on healthy relationships and expanding services that help survivors rebuild stable, independent lives.

Anderson’s impact has been recognized statewide and locally. She was named The Herald Journal’s 2013 Cache Valley Resident of the Year, received Utah State University’s Lifetime Achievement Award through the former Center for Women and Gender in 2016, and was cited by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox for exemplary service to survivors — earning the Governor’s Spirit of Service Award. Yet Anderson measures success not in accolades, but in changed lives: survivors who find safety, regain confidence, pursue education and step into leadership — breaking cycles of violence for themselves and their children.

A steadfast partner to Utah State University, Anderson has deepened connections between CAPSA and USU students, faculty and programs, creating pathways for service, learning and collaboration that strengthen both institutions and the broader community.