The 19th Corporate Leadership Awards will be presented at 5:15 p.m. June 20 at Wayne State's Hilberry Theatre. The awards honor the accomplishments of alumni and others who hold executive-level positions and are recognized as business and community leaders. Awardees include Osman Minkara of West Bloomfield; David Sowerby of Troy; Lin Cummins of Troy; and Walter Douglas of Bloomfield Hills.

Recipients reflect outstanding leadership in four distinct categories:

• The Emerging Leader Award honors a successful new entrepreneur, or someone following a second successful career path;
• The Distinguished Corporate Leader Award honors one who has enjoyed a lifetime of achievement in his or her chosen field;
• The 21st Century Award honors someone who is distinguished by personal achievement around one of WSU President Irvin D. Reid's pillars of excellence: the strength of our urban experience; the importance of our global presence; and the implementation of new technologies and our commitment to diversity; and
• The Corporate Citizenship Award honors an individual or an organization that has invested in the community and Wayne State and exemplifies a spirit of volunteerism and service. (This award may be presented to someone who is not a graduate of Wayne State.)
  

Recipients are:

Osman Minkara, managing principal of Capital Investment Group in Southfield, will receive the Emerging Leader Award. Minkara enrolled in the English Language Institute at WSU for training in English shortly after he came to the United States from Lebanon, and began his undergraduate studies a few months later. A 1993 graduate of the School of Business Administration, Minkara is on school's Board of Visitors.

David Sowerby, portfolio manager and chief market analyst for Loomis Sayles Equity Management in Bloomfield Hills, is the Distinguished Corporate Leader. A graduate of the College of Liberal Arts, Sowerby earned bachelors and master's degrees at WSU. His community involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the State of Michigan Pension Fund's Investment Advisory Committee.

Lin Cummins, senior vice president of communications for Troy's Arvin Meritor, a global supplier of components and systems for the automotive industry, directs the company's global marketing and communications. Cummins, a graduate of the colleges of education and fine, performing and communication arts, will receive the 21st Century Award. She is a member of the Economic Club of Detroit, the Adcraft Club and the Automotive Press Association. In 2001 she was named one of the 100 leading women in the North American auto industry by Automotive News. In 2002, Crain's Detroit Business named her one of Detroit's most influential women.

Walter Douglas, president and majority shareholder of Avis Ford in Southfield, will receive the Corporate Citizen Award. From 1972 to 1986 Douglas was president of New Detroit. His community involvement includes serving as chairman of the Skillman Foundation; as vice-chairman of the Henry Ford Health System; and as a trustee of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. His corporate roles have included serving as a board member and chair of the Health Alliance Plan; as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis; and as an investor/owner in a variety of enterprises.

For tickets and further information, call Carol Baldwin at (313) 577-6046.