Two familiar Richmond faces who’ve impacted thousands of students and various community organizations are being recognized.
Earlham College is presenting Bonita Washington-Lacey and Len Clark with its Distinguished Service Award during Homecoming weekend.
Washington-Lacey was named vice president for student life and dean of students at Earlham in 2021.
Earlham officials say her four decades of service have shaped and enriched the student experience through roles across admissions, student life and academic affairs.
Washington-Lacey earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Social Relations in 1978, and later a Master of Arts in Religion from Earlham.
Meanwhile, Len Clark is described as a philosophy professor, longtime provost and dean, and dedicated leader who served Earlham for more than 40 years combined.
He taught in Earlham’s philosophy department from 1967 to 1981 before serving as provost and academic dean for an extraordinary 26 years under six presidents.
During his tenure, Clark chaired numerous academic and community organizations, directed Earlham’s program for integral education, and consulted at colleges nationwide.
Clark returned briefly to Earlham in 2021 as interim dean of the Earlham School of Religion and co-authored “Explanation: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science” with Jerry Bakker.
After retiring, Clark continued working as a consultant, author and lecturer while serving on numerous community boards and committees. He previously served as chair of Forward Wayne County and Wayne County Foundation’s board. Some of Clark’s recent service includes the city of Richmond’s Plan Advisory Commission and Urban Enterprise Association board.
This year’s Outstanding Alumni Award goes to Dr. Faizullah Kakar, a 1975 Earlham graduate.
Born on a wheat farm in Afghanistan, he came to the U.S. through the American Friends Service Committee. Kakar earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Earlham, a master’s in toxicology from IU Indianapolis and a doctorate in epidemiology at University of Washington.
After years of teaching, cancer research and higher education leadership, United Nations chose Kakar in 1997 as the World Health Organization’s medical officer and epidemiologist. He developed a disease early warning system that has received global recognition.
Kakar returned to Afghanistan as its deputy minister of public health, where he addressed maternal mortality and epidemics. In that role, he raised health concerns about mass spraying of fields with glyphosate.
He was later promoted to minister adviser to the Afghan president on health and education affairs and worked to eradicate polio.
Before retirement, Kakar was chief of staff to former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his nation’s ambassador to Qatar.
A version of this article appeared in the October 8 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.