2026 Recipients of the
Charlie A. Carmody
Distinguished Alumni Award

The Grand Blanc High School Alumni Association is pleased to announce our 2026 honorees for the Charlie A. Carmody Distinguished Alumni Award!

These individuals have distinguished themselves in their careers and communities, making substantial differences in the lives of thousands of people. At their induction during the homecoming festivities, they will join an esteemed group of over eighty individuals who have earned the title of Distinguished Alumni.


Sharon (Reppenhagen) Ketchum (Class of 1969)	Joe Barone (Class of 1989)

2026 Honorees

Sharon (Reppenhagen) Ketchum (Class of 1969) has devoted her life and career to public service as a psychologist and Foreign Service Officer. After earning a bachelor’s in Sociology and Journalism from the University of Michigan, Ketchum moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she worked in mental health services for adolescents. Among her many accomplishments during this period, she was President and member of the Arizona Adolescent Health Association from 1998 to 2004, where she successfully advocated for increased funding for teenage mental health services. She was a member of the Advisory Board for the Corporation for National and Community Service from 2000 to 2003 and Training Director for the Arizona Prevention Resource Center at Arizona State University from 1994 to 2003. In these roles, she collaborated with governmental and non-profit organizations to identify training needs, developed curricula, and implemented training programs for people working in adolescent mental health services. In 2004, Ketchum shifted her career, joining the U.S. Foreign Service. Her work took her to Ecuador, Moldova, Iraq, and Italy, where she deployed her training as a psychologist in diverse activities for the State Department. She interviewed visa applicants, coordinated cultural and media programming, trained diplomatic officials, oversaw public information offices, designed and led tours for officials, and led educational initiatives on the role of women in agriculture around the world. She retired in 2016 to Franklin, Tennessee.

Joe Barone (Class of 1989) has earned recognition as an attorney, elected official, and judge in southeast Michigan. After earning his law degree from Cooley Law School, Barone practiced law in the Plymouth, Canton, and Northville areas where he specialized in criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, and municipal issues. In 2024, he was elected to the 35^th District Court, which is based in Plymouth and serves communities in western Wayne County. In his short time on the bench, Judge Barone has earned a reputation as a fair, professional, and organized judge.

Beyond the courtroom, he has been widely involved in the community. He served as a Wayne County Commissioner from 2015 to 2018, a board member on the Canton Chamber of Commerce, and a board member on the Plymouth Township DDA & Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. Additionally, he has volunteered his time as a volunteer trial attorney for the Schoolcraft College Policy Academy and as an attorney advisor for the Canton Homeowners Advisory Council. In recognition of his accomplishments and involvement, the Canton Chamber of Commerce recognized him as their 2013 Business Person of the Year.

Alumni Dinner

The Alumni Dinner will be held at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club on Saturday, September 26^th beginning at 6:00pm. Tickets are $75. We encourage friends, family, and community members to come support our distinguished alumni! Please join us in congratulating these remarkable alumni!

RSVP to Alumni Dinner

Since 2003, the GBHS Alumni Association has honored dozens of alumni with the Charlie A. Carmody Distinguished Alumni Award.

Honorees are selected based on their substantial career success and the significant impact they have made in their communities. Our honorees have come from as close as right here in Grand Blanc to as far away as California and Sweden!

Nominations are accepted for distinguished alumni throughout the year, and induction classes are generally announced late summer. Honorees are invited home to Grand Blanc the week of Homecoming. They ride the streets of Grand Blanc in the Homecoming parade and are then introduced to the community at halftime of the football game. On the following Saturday, we host our Alumni Dinner, where honorees receive their award plaques and share memories from their time in high school.

Pictures and biographies of our Distinguished Alumni are hung in the Alumni Hallway at Grand Blanc High School's East Campus.

Induction Class of 2025

black and white photo of a woman (marietta baba)

Marietta BabaMarietta Baba (Class of 1967) has been an esteemed scholar, leader, and educator for five decades. An anthropologist by training, she was Dean of the College of Social Science at Michigan State University from 2001 to 2015. Before that, she was a Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Wayne State University. Her research has focused on the anthropology of work, organizations, and institutions; technological innovation in organizations, policy, and the history and theory of applied anthropology. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications. Currently, she is Executive Director and President of the Foundation for Women and Children Enslaved in War, an organization providing support services to survivors of human trafficking in conflict zones who now reside in the United States.

photo of man (henry mendelsohn) in a demin shirt and camo hat

Henry Mendelsohn
Henry Mendelsohn (Class of 1969) is an accomplished librarian, educator, and Foreign Service Officer. For sixteen years, he worked as an academic librarian, predominantly at the University of Albany. Mendelsohn developed collections that supported research in social welfare and criminal justice and taught students how to access those resources. In 1994, he joined the Foreign Service and spent twenty years in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Among his activities abroad, Mendelsohn managed libraries at U.S. Embassies, served as a regional consultant to embassies, and taught foreign students, journalists, and academics how to find accurate and authoritative information. The recipient of numerous State Department honor awards, as well as a Fellowship by the American Library Association, Mendelsohn currently works part-time reviewing documents for release under the Freedom of Information Act.

Mark Ignash

Mark Ignash (Class of 2004) has fostered a career in public service focused on industry, community, talent development, and investment within the state of Michigan. He currently serves as Interim Executive Director of the Michigan Defense Center and Senior Sector Development Director & Defense Advisor at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Ignash is responsible for the State of Michigan’s economic development portfolio related to the aerospace and defense industries, which have a multi-billion-dollar impact. His work has centered on initiatives that attract business, drive industry innovation, and advocate for Michigan on the local, national, and international stages.