Greensburg Salem to honor 2 distinguished alumni

The Greensburg Salem Education Foundation will honor a medical researcher and a hospital executive as the district’s latest distinguished alumni.

Dr. Susan Manzi and Albert Novak Jr. both graduated from Greensburg Salem High School in 1977.

Manzi is chair of the Medicine Institute at Allegheny Health Network, supervising 400 doctors.

She founded the Lupus Center of Excellence to care for Lupus patients and is nationally recognized as a leading researcher on autoimmune diseases, according to the foundation.

Novak is the vice president and chief development officer for Excela Health, leading the organization’s fundraising efforts.

He previously worked as vice chancellor for institutional advancement for the University of Pittsburgh. He also has worked in administrative positions at Carnegie Mellon University and Saint Vincent College.

They will be recognized at the foundation’s annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner on April 5 at Ferrante’s Lakeview Restaurant in Hempfield.

The education foundation established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014. Every year, the award is given to one or more graduates from Greensburg Salem High School “for their dedication to public service and their community, and most importantly, for being a role model for youth,” according to the foundation.

Former Greensburg fire Chief the late J. Edward Hutchinson, class of 1939, received the inaugural award.

Novak and Manzi will bring the total number of recipients to 11.