Philanthropist Margrit Mondavi will be among a diverse group of alumni and friends of the University of California, Davis — including an African conservationist, an expert in medical chemistry, an investment adviser, a plastic surgeon, a political consultant, and the host of National Geographic Channel's "Monster Fish" show — who will be honored at a banquet in downtown Sacramento on Saturday, Feb. 5.

The Cal Aggie Alumni Association will present awards to Mondavi of Yountville, Calif.; Bret Hewitt of Arlington, Va.; John "Tico" McNutt of Maun, Botswana; Sundeep Dugar of San Jose, Calif.; John Osborn of Sacramento; Zeb Hogan of Reno, Nev.; and Brian Micek of West Sacramento.

The public is invited to attend the 2011 Alumni Awards Gala beginning with an alumni winemaker reception at 5 p.m. at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St., and followed by a dinner and awards ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Sacramento Grand Ballroom, 629 J St.

For the first time, the alumni reception will also include a Sacramento tribute to The Campaign for UC Davis, a universitywide initiative to raise $1 billion in philanthropic support from 100,000 donors.

For more information, please contact event organizer Jennifer Thayer at (530) 754-9098 or jsthayer@ucdavis.edu.

Award winners

Bret Hewitt of Arlington, Va. — Hewitt, a member of the class of 1976 who earned first a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree, will be presented with the Jerry W. Fielder Memorial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the alumni association, in recognition of his service to the association, the UC Davis Foundation and the university. Hewitt is a managing director of the global investment consulting firm Cambridge Associates. He is serving his fourth term as a trustee of the foundation and is chair of its development committee. A life member of the alumni association, he is a former member of its board of directors and served as chair of its membership and marketing committees. Hewitt is also chair of the College of Letters and Science Deans' Advisory Council and a generous donor. He and his wife, Deb Pinkerton '77, give to support many areas at UC Davis, including graduate students in history and political science; undergraduate students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; the arboretum; and the Department of Music to support free noon concerts.

Margrit Mondavi of Yountville, Calif. — Mondavi, vice president of cultural affairs at Robert Mondavi Winery, is the first recipient of the Distinguished Friend of the University Award recognizing extraordinary service that has advanced the university and made significant and lasting contributions to the campus. A pioneer of the modern-day California wine industry, Mondavi developed original cultural and culinary arts programs that are now benchmarks for the wine world. She is a dedicated volunteer for UC Davis, an honorary co-chair of the university fundraising campaign and a founding member of the honorary board of the Robert Mondavi Institute. With her late husband, Robert, Mondavi has been one of UC Davis' most generous benefactors. In 2001, the couple made a substantial gift to name the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. In early 2010, Mondavi pledged a gift the design and construction of UC Davis' Museum of Art.

In June 2004, the university presented Robert and Margrit Mondavi with the UC Davis Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the university to honor individuals who are "extraordinarily special" members of the university family. Margrit Mondavi was recognized in 2008 as a recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Award of Distinction. 

John "Tico" McNutt of Maun, Botswana — McNutt, Ph.D. '95, program director and principal investigator for the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, is the recipient of the Emil M. Mrak International Award for his distinguished career outside the United States. He began the trust as a doctoral candidate in 1990 with a focus on the African wild dog, a species endangered by habitat destruction and hunting. One of the trust's projects combines wildlife research and biochemistry to identify the chemicals that tell a wild dog if land is occupied. McNutt has been a part of a number of wildlife films including the BBC's "Planet Earth" series.

Sundeep Dugar of San Jose, Calif., — Dugar, Ph.D. '84, president and chief executive officer of the international pharmaceutical research company Sphaera Pharma, is the recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award in recognition of his exceptional achievement for promoting innovative change and making professional contributions to the community and UC Davis. Dugar, co-inventor of two anti-cholesterol drugs, has been associated with scientists at Schering-Plough, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Scios, and Johnson & Johnson. He is a trustee of the foundation and a founding member of the College of Letters and Science Deans' Advisory Council. Dugar, who helped to establish the R. Bryan Miller Symposium and guarantee its funding for years to come, is one of three individuals given the UC Davis title of Senior Fellow of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

John Osborn of Sacramento — Osborn, '64, will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award for exemplary conduct and achievement. A clinical professor of plastic surgery with the UC Davis Health System, he travels to Peru periodically to teach and perform corrective and reconstructive plastic surgery on children with cleft lip and palate deformities. A life member of the alumni association, he serves on the board of directors of and contributes to the School of Medicine Alumni Association. He has a successful practice with the Plastic Surgery Center in Sacramento.

Zeb Hogan of Reno, Nev. — Hogan, Ph.D. '04, an assistant research professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and host of "Monster Fish," is recipient of the Young Alumnus Award, which honors a recent graduate for outstanding professional contributions. As a graduate student, Hogan developed the Megafishes Project, which works to conserve the largest freshwater fish in the world. Now as director of the project, he works with nearly 100 scientists in more than a dozen countries with expeditions to study the most diverse freshwater systems in the world. He was named a 2004 National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Brian Micek of West Sacramento — Micek, '99, a consultant for the California Senate Majority Caucus, will receive the Aggie Service Award in recognition of his recent dedication of time, energy and leadership in support of the alumni association and UC Davis. A life member of the alumni association, Micek volunteers with the Sacramento Alumni Network and the alumni association's nominating committee, scholarship program and student recruitment programs. He regularly attends Sacramento alumni events at which he networks with students and shares his career and campus experiences.