iNDICA NEWS BUREAU
Indian American Ram Shriram and Angela Nomellini were the recipients of the 2023-2024 Gold Spike Award, Stanford’s highest annual honor for volunteer service. President Richard Saller conferred the awards at an April 20 dinner held in their honor.
The Gold Spike Award is presented by Stanford Associates, an honorary organization of Stanford alumni who have demonstrated significant and long-standing volunteer service to the university.
The award, named for the gold spike that was the final link in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. A century later, the university established the Gold Spike Award as Stanford’s highest annual honor for volunteer leadership service. Stanford Associates assumed responsibility for the award in 1973.
Ram Shriram “is an intellectually curious changemaker whose far-reaching impact reflects his extraordinary generosity of spirit,” according to Stanford Associates. “A visionary leader across the university, he has been a staunch advocate and dynamic fundraiser for groundbreaking efforts including bioengineering and AI, as well as a trusted advisor on matters impacting the entire institution.”
A parent of two Stanford alumni, Shriram has served two terms on the Board of Trustees (including as vice chair), where he was known for his wide-ranging expertise and strategic counsel. As a trustee, he led the Board’s Special Committee on Online Education; sat on committees for academic policy, planning and management, agenda, compensation, development, finance, globalization, land and buildings, and trusteeship; and was an advisor to current and past university presidents and chairs of the board.
Stanford leaders credit Shriram with helping numerous schools and initiatives reach their strategic objectives. He has co-chaired the People-Centered Computing Task Force, spent seven years on the Stanford SEED Advisory Board, and currently serves on both the Stanford Health Care Board of Directors and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board. Shriram and his wife, Vijay Shriram, also served on the Parents’ Advisory Board, and the couple has been instrumental in supporting Stanford’s Data Science initiative, the new GSE campus, Stanford Medicine, and advances in synthetic biology.
Angela Nomellini “has brought unparalleled dedication to Stanford for 25 years, with a singular passion for the Graduate School of Education (GSE) and Stanford Athletics,” Stanford Associates said in its announcement. “Revered across the university for her deep knowledge, unflagging generosity, and boundless enthusiasm, Angela is a tremendous volunteer leader, fundraiser, advisor, ambassador, and fan,” the Stanford Report said.
A longtime member of the GSE’s Advisory Council (including seven years as chair), Nomellini has been integral in charting the school’s direction. She also served for over a decade on the Stanford New Schools Board, which established the East Palo Alto Academy (EPAA), and continues to champion EPAA’s success.
