Distinguished Service Award

Matthew J. Desch

Matt Desch is the CEO of Iridium Communications, a global satellite communications provider. He has held that position for more than 20 years and led the company from post-bankruptcy obscurity to being one of the most highly valued public companies in the space industry. In addition to providing critical safety communications for explorers, first responders, the maritime and aviation industries, as well as for the U.S. Department of Defense, Mr. Desch helped create new services to help track airplanes for better air traffic control and safety, as well as help protect GPS from jamming or spoofing.

Mr. Desch started his technology career at AT&T Bell Laboratories and was an early pioneer in the wireless industry. He ran several large technology equipment companies as wireless technology proliferated around the world before joining Iridium. He has won numerous space industry accolades, including being named twice as the satellite industry Executive of the Year, being selected for the Satellite Industry Hall of Fame, and being honored as one of the top 100 technology leaders in the Washington, D.C., area for each of the last 10 years.

Born in Dayton, Mr. Desch was an active student leader at Ohio State, graduating with a B.S. in computer science in 1980. He attended on an Evans Scholarship and was President of the Ohio Unions Activity Board. He was one of the founders of the Student Alumni Council, was president of Sphinx, and was 1979 Homecoming royalty. Passionate about supporting today’s student leaders, he is the founder and Advisory Board Chairman of the Buckeye Leadership Fellows in the Office of Student Life, which has developed and graduated more than 400 student participants in its 15-year history.

An active fixed wing and helicopter pilot, Mr. Desch also serves on the board of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, the board of Unisys and Verisign Corporations, and has been a member of the White House’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee since being appointed by President Obama in 2011. He and his wife, Ann, live in McLean, Va., and Pinehurst, N.C.

Tahlman Krumm Jr.

Tahlman Krumm Jr.’s professional life has been marked by intellectual curiosity, public service, entrepreneurship and deep civic commitment. Dr. Krumm has pursued paths in journalism, communications, business leadership, education, government and philanthropy, contributing meaningfully across sectors.

A proud Buckeye, Dr. Krumm earned three degrees from The Ohio State University, including a PhD in communications in 1978. His early professional career unfolded in journalism, where he served in a variety of editorial and reporting roles with The Associated Press, including broadcast editor, state editor, and legislative correspondent.

Dr. Krumm later brought his communications expertise to higher education and public service. He served as an adjunct lecturer in Ohio State’s School of Journalism and held leadership roles within the university’s Office of Communications Services and the Office of the President, contributing as both a speechwriter and legislative liaison. His dedication to education is further reflected in his service as a trustee of Hiram College, the Columbus College of Art & Design, and Columbus Academy. Additionally, at Ohio State, he served on numerous campaign committees, including But for Ohio State and the Thompson Library restoration, as well as on numerous other university and alumni advisory bodies.

In parallel, Dr. Krumm built a successful career in business and investment, serving as a principal in broadcast companies, founding Omnicomm Enterprises, a communications consulting firm, and establishing Inquesta, LLC, an investment company. His board service has included leadership roles in healthcare, energy and civic enterprises.

Dr. Krumm has also held roles in politics, including as a member of the National Steering Committee and senior advisor and media coordinator for the George Bush for President campaign in 1988.

He has devoted decades to public service at the state and national levels, with appointments ranging from the Ohio Board of Regents, where he served a nine year term and later chaired the board, to advisory and leadership roles with UNESCO, the Peace Corps and the White House Fellowships Commission. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Through all phases of his career, he has demonstrated an abiding commitment to education, public leadership and service to the common good.

Edgar Lampert

Edgar Lampert is vice chairman of The Georgetown Company, a privately held, diversified real estate development firm recognized for complex, large scale projects in major U.S. markets. Georgetown has overseen and developed real estate assets valued at more than $3 billion, reflecting a long-standing commitment to innovative design, community impact, and economic vitality.

Georgetown’s development portfolio spans some of the nation’s most prominent and ambitious projects. These include the Frank Gehry–designed IAC Building in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood; participation in Easton and New Albany, two transformative “new community” developments encompassing approximately 1,200 and 20,000 acres in the Columbus region; and the planning and redevelopment of the historic Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California. Collectively, these initiatives illustrate a distinctive ability to blend architectural excellence, thoughtful urban planning and long term civic benefit.

During the past 24 years, Mr. Lampert has played a central role in shaping community oriented development efforts in Central Ohio. Most notably, over the last ten years he has helped formulate and oversee The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s $3.2 billion Master Facilities Program, a transformative initiative representing one of the most significant healthcare infrastructure investments in the nation.

Mr. Lampert earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Colgate University, before attending New York University School of Law as a Root Tilden Scholar. He received his LL.B. in 1965 and his LL.M. the following year. His professional association with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) began in 1977, advising its president on real estate matters, and he joined BAM’s board in 1987, further extending his civic and cultural leadership.

Together with his wife, Robin, Mr. Lampert endowed The Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs at Colgate University, which supports students engaged in off campus study and internships focused on science, technology, public policy, and global affairs. The Lamperts reside in Manhattan and are the parents of two children, Emily and Jonathan, and grandparents to Elizabeth and William.