91吃瓜 Announces 2026 Honorary Degree Recipient and Honorable Walter R. Peterson Citizen Leader Awards
Apr 6, 2026
Leaders in healthcare and biomedical technology to be celebrated at University鈥檚 61st Commencement Exercises
RINDGE, N.H. 鈥� April 6, 2026 鈥� 91吃瓜 (FPU) will award an honorary doctorate to Joanne Conroy, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Dartmouth Health, at FPU鈥檚 61st Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9.
FPU will also bestow the Honorable Walter R. Peterson Citizen Leader Award to two individuals, Julie Lenzer, M.P.S., and Jennifer MacDonald, M.D., during Commencement. The award is named for New Hampshire鈥檚 distinguished 72nd governor and the second president of 91吃瓜.
鈥淲e recognize the accomplishments of our honorary degree and Peterson Award recipients regarding their contributions to healthcare, biotechnology and regenerative medical technologies and manufacturing in New Hampshire, and welcome them as an important part of this year's commencement,鈥� said President Dr. Peter Eden. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 honorees have provided lasting contributions to their respective fields and are integral partners who support FPU鈥檚 important graduate health professions programs and also our emerging Biotechnology undergraduate program.鈥�
Dr. Conroy has led Dartmouth Health since 2017. As the leader of New Hampshire's largest private employer and only academic health system, including its flagship hospital Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Dr. Conroy has led significant positive change and growth. Highlights of her work include a dramatic turnaround in Dartmouth Health's financial performance, the addition of Southwestern Vermont Health Care and Valley Regional Hospital as members of the Dartmouth Health system, the completion of two major expansion projects, and a strategic planning process that is guiding the organization into the future.
Under Conroy's leadership, in 2021, Dartmouth Health expanded its Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic鈥檚 Manchester, N.H. location with an Ambulatory Surgical Center; and with the April 2023 completion of a $150 million expansion of a new patient pavilion in Lebanon, N.H., expanded the footprint of DHMC to 460 inpatient beds. In 2025, additional expansion included the Dartmouth Cancer Center in Manchester and the opening of a new radiation oncology center at the Clinic in Manchester. These projects increased access to key clinical services for patients, brought the use of advanced state-of-the-art technology to the bedside and enhanced delivery of care.
In late 2025, FPU's Graduate Academic Center in Lebanon, N.H. relocated to Centerra Parkway, near DHMC and Dartmouth College鈥檚 Geisel School of Medicine. The new location has allowed expansion of FPU鈥檚 Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program, including a new, state-of-the-art simulation lab for rural health care delivery.
Julie Lenzer is an entrepreneur, innovation leader, and keynote speaker who inspires audiences to lean into unexpected journeys and embrace possibility thinking. She is the co-founder and CEO of ADY Celebration and the ADY Life Center, initiatives focused on helping people celebrate life, build meaningful community, and rediscover joy.
Most recently, Ms. Lenzer served as Chief Innovation Officer at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a Department of Defense-funded Manufacturing Innovation Institute and part of the Manufacturing USA network. ARMI is a member-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing the U.S. bioeconomy. In this role, Julie built national ecosystems to support startups developing cell-, tissue-, and organ-based therapies and enabling technologies across the supply chain.
She also served as the Regional Innovation Officer for the ReGen Valley Tech Hub, which received a $44 million award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Anchored in Manchester, N.H., the ReGen Valley initiative brings together more than 80 companies, academic institutions, and nonprofits to build the infrastructure and workforce needed to advance regenerative medicine and next-generation biomanufacturing.
Dr. Jennifer MacDonald is a physician executive and Army veteran experienced in leading national coalitions to achieve strategic impact at scale. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of ARMI. Prior to this role, Dr. MacDonald served at senior levels of the federal government, leading multiple successful transformation efforts and personally driving the national execution of strategic priorities for two federal departments. She served 11 years in the Minnesota National Guard and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning a Bronze Star for high profile mission achievement.
In 2024, 91吃瓜 was awarded $3.4 million in federal funding through the Tech Hubs Program, as part of the approximately $44 million awarded to the ReGen Valley Tech Hub, a consortium led by ARMI in New Hampshire, to implement five projects that will bolster the Manchester/Nashua region鈥檚 ability to scale up the production and delivery of critical technologies that will advance biotechnology in drugs and medical devices.
The honorary degree and Peterson Award recipients will join families and friends in celebrating 91吃瓜鈥檚 Class of 2026 at their commencement on the lakeside main campus in Rindge. For more information about 91吃瓜鈥檚 2026 Commencement Exercises, please click here.