Rutgers Alumni a Fivesome of Excellence

Honorees newly inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni are renowned for a wide range of innovations that range from developing heart surgery procedures for infants to groundbreaking legal leadership on judicial benches and beyond.

The outstanding alumni were officially inducted Thursday night during a ceremony attended by more than 300 held at the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey. 

Judge Gregory E. Jackson RC’73, NLAW’78, who served as a judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court for 20 years, led off the inductions and was joined by the following inductees:

• Julie A. Domonkos DC’83, an attorney who spearheaded efforts in New York to protect survivors of domestic violence, punish abusers, and prevent violence against women. 
• Dr. Constantine Mavroudis RC’68, an internationally influential pediatric heart surgeon whose career of almost 50 years included developing complex congenital heart repair procedures.
• Judge Esther Salas RC’91, NLAW’94, a U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey who was the first Hispanic woman appointed to that position. She turned tragedy into change through advocacy for legislation to enhance security for judges after her only child was murdered in an attack at her home targeting her.
• Donald Cameron Clark Jr. CLAW’79, an attorney whose accomplishments include winning prominent legal cases involving religious liberty and capital punishment, opening a successful live performance magic theater, and producing works for stage and screen.

Jackson, who played basketball for two years at Rutgers and held a position in the provost’s office in New Brunswick, said the foundation he built as an undergraduate and law student at Rutgers sustained him throughout his career. After finishing his law degree at Rutgers Law School in Newark, he worked as an attorney at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an Assistant United States Attorney, and general counsel for the Washington, D.C. Department of Corrections. He joined the District of Columbia Superior Court in 2004, and his tenure included presiding over a court that helped rehabilitate those charged with drug offenses. “My years at Rutgers University, both as a student and employee, prepared me for the challenges that I have faced and strengthened my resolve in the service of others,” he said.

Domonkos, who earned a law degree at New York University after graduating from Douglass College at Rutgers–New Brunswick, said her service as a volunteer leader and benefactor for Rutgers University’s Douglass Residential College segues perfectly with her career working to protect survivors of domestic violence, punish abusers, and prevent violence against women. She also was instrumental in helping the state of New York pass landmark legislation to prevent stalking and human trafficking. “My work in domestic violence and sex trafficking is directly connected to my passion for helping Douglass College educate, support, and launch her students to make change in our world,” she said. “Serving on the Douglass Advisory Board has enriched my life immeasurably.”

Mavroudis, a native of Greece who emigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of 11 months, said his time at Rutgers College was transformative. He went on to become an internationally renowned pediatric heart surgeon and led programs at prestigious institutions, including Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University Medical School, and authored more than 575 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as textbooks. He says humanities courses at Rutgers inspired his path, which he compared to the journey of Odysseus. “It’s very much like a young and preternaturally confident immigrant child who saw a vision and set his course on achieving that goal,” Mavroudis said, noting that his journey “started here at Rutgers College.”

Salas, who earned her undergraduate degree at Rutgers–New Brunswick and law degree from Rutgers Law School in Newark, shared her gratitude for the support she has received from family, friends, and member of the Rutgers community. A U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey since 2011, previously she served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, becoming the first Hispanic magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey. After her son, Daniel Anderl, died in the attack on her home in 2020, a coalition of donors and friends of Salas’s family created two endowed scholarships at Rutgers honoring his memory. “As I look around this room, especially at the people who came to support me, I don’t think I could adequately express my immense love and appreciation for each of you,” Salas said.

Clark, who earned his law degree at Rutgers Law School in Camden, described his vast experiences: “I had a robust and varied legal career; counseled religious institutions; led charitable and civic organizations; and, most recently, have engaged with the arts at the Chicago Magic Lounge, on Broadway, and elsewhere.” He said the arc of his career has been more about the journey than the destination, and that his law degree at Rutgers played a foundational role. “None of my experiences and learnings would have been possible without the foundation laid during my time at Rutgers,” he said. “Rutgers was a gateway to my continuing education, instilling in me abiding intellectual curiosity, the courage of my convictions, and a passion for justice.”

Introduced in 1987, the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni’s first class of inductees included Paul Robeson and Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman. Since then, more than 200 alumni have been inducted, including five former New Jersey governors, Emmy Award-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Carli Lloyd, a professional soccer star who led the U.S. team to two Olympic gold medals. Inductees are selected by the Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) Board of Directors, which leads the association made up of more than 600,000 Rutgers alumni worldwide.

Visit the Hall of Distinguished Alumni news page to read profile articles and watch videos about each inductee. To go directly to the video profiles, visit the Hall of Distinguished Alumni YouTube page. 

The RUAA welcomes nominations for the Hall of Distinguished Alumni Class of 2026. The deadline for nominations is July 30.