Distinguished Alumni 2018

Each spring, the Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to an alumna and alumnus who has brought honor and distinction to herself/himself and to Cranbrook Kingswood through career achievement, public service or contributions in other areas. This year’s recipients provide a wonderful illustration of the range of talents and passions our alumni bring to all of their undertakings after graduation. Writer Jennifer Sibley Clement ’78 and tech entrepreneur Jay Adelson ’88 will represent our alumni, speaking at the commencement services for the class of 2018 this June. The following day, they be honored as Distinguished Alumni at the alumni assembly at reunion on Saturday, June 9 at 11 a.m. at Kingswood Auditorium.

 

Celebrating her 40^th reunion, Jennifer Sibley Clement is the President of PEN International, a community of writers that promotes literature and freedom of expression. She is the first woman to be elected since the organization was founded in 1921. Clement is the author of four novels: Prayers for the Stolen, A True Story Based on Lies, The Poison That Fascinates and Gun Love. Among many other awards, Prayers for the Stolen was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Book. She also wrote also wrote the acclaimed memoir Widow Basquiat on New York City in the early 1980s and the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Clement’s books have been translated into 30 languages

 

A member of the class of ’88 Adelson is a pioneer in Internet infrastructure and a serial entrepreneur. Starting his career at Netcom, one of the first global internet service providers, Adelson found a place at the forefront of the startup revolution. He is known for founding and growing cutting-edge tech companies that include Equinix, Digg, Revision3, SimpleGeo and Opsmatic. Adelson has been included in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. His passion for Internet infrastructure and communications led him to co-found Center Electric, an early-stage technology venture capital firm designed to leverage the growth of the Internet of Things. Adelson and his class celebrate their 30^th reunion this spring.