Three Named 2023 SIC Distinguished Alumni

Charles G. Morgan, Dr. Laura Portee, and Dr. James Porter have been selected to join Southeastern Illinois College’s Distinguished Alumni roster for 2023. The three will speak at SIC’s commencement exercises May 12, at 7 p.m.

SIC President Dr. Jonah Rice said, “There are so many successful SIC graduates out there making a difference in the lives of others, changing the world in their fields, and just making their communities a better place. These are just three of them, and we are so proud to call them alumni.”

Charles G. Morgan
As president of Aurubis, Buffalo Inc., Charles G. Morgan has the overall responsibility of a $650 million copper and copper alloy foundry and finishing operation with 575 employees. The facility comprises 1.1 million square feet, producing copper and brass sheet used to manufacture a range of product lines: telecommunications, electronic connectors, heat exchangers, skyscraper panels, and much more.

Morgan, a native of Harrisburg, is a pre-engineering graduate from SIC and was a member of SIC Student Government and the Math and Science Club, announced all the Falcon home basketball games as the “Voice of the Falcons,” and played intramural basketball. He has an electrical engineering degree from University of Illinois, attended University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

His journey started in the copper industry with Olin Brass in East Alton, Illinois, in 1987 which included two years living in Germany and three years in Singapore. He then shifted to the zinc industry, working with Jarden Zinc in Greeneville, Tennessee, before returning to copper with Aurubis in Buffalo, New York. He also held brief positions as a vice president at both Global Brass and Copper and Wieland Rolled Products North America.

Morgan’s late father Alan Morgan taught math classes at SIC for more than 30 years. His late mother Barbara Morgan was named an SIC Distinguished Alumna in 1997.

His advice for new graduates is threefold. “1) You can’t win if you don’t enter. 2) Do not be afraid to try new things, accept new challenges, and step out of your comfort zone. 3) There is a whole new world out there, and SIC provides an excellent training ground to help you prepare for your future.”

He also attributes much of his success to getting a strong start at SIC, and felt well-prepared for University of Illinois.

“SIC also helped me learn how to work together in study groups and expand my circle of friends outside of Harrisburg High School. I developed friends at SIC that are still close friends today.”

Dr. Laura Portee
Dr. Laura Portee, a native of Carrier Mills, received an associate degree from SIC in 1987, then went on to University of Illinois to complete her education. She is a veterinarian at Central Hospital for Animals, with several Southern Illinois locations, and has been there since 1996. Her special areas of interest include canine reproduction, cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, and canine sports medicine. Her specialty in sports medicine was inspired by a vet school rotation on a greyhound farm in Wisconsin.

“I have always had a love for animals and their companionship with their owners, and I enjoy making sure they stay healthy as long as possible,” said Portee. “I’ve also learned that you sort of have to be a CSI in veterinary medicine, [since your patients can’t talk] constantly going over and over the storyline and asking questions until you can piece it together and figure out what the real issue is.”

Portee also enjoys training and showing German shorthaired pointers in conformation and obedience, occasionally breeds puppies, and rides horses for pleasure and in competition. She recently competed in the Quarter Horse World Show in Texas and finished in the number two spot in her class for ranch sorting and cutting. She also enjoys hunting and fishing, and is an avid gardener.

In the office, Portee is eager to counsel individuals considering a career in veterinary medicine and offers job shadowing in her office. Portee knew from the age of five that she wanted to be a veterinarian and claims she has never looked back and never regretted that choice.

Her advice to graduates is, “Do what your heart tells you to do. Just set a goal and stick to it. If you change your mind, fine, but don’t let others make that choice for you.”

Dr. James Porter
Dr. James Porter joined Deaconess Hospital in 2000 as an adult and pediatric hospitalist and was appointed Vice President of Medical Affairs in 2002.  He has been a part of the senior executive team which has seen Deaconess grow from a single hospital and small primary care physician group into a major referral and teaching facility for over 1.2 million people in three states over the past 20 years.

Today he leads the physician division of one of the top-rated health systems for quality, patient and employee engagement, and financial performance in Indiana.

Dr. Porter, a native of Equality, received his Associate of Science from Southeastern Illinois College and was a member of the Math and Science Club. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in microbiology, magna cum laude, from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and his MD from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky and is board certified in both specialties.

“Some people consider growing up in a small town or rural area or on a farm to be an obstacle to academic and career success. While it may have limited my exposure to some opportunities and experiences, I have always believed that it also provided me with other opportunities and experiences which more than made up for what I might have missed

He attributes his value of hard work, self-motivation, pride of craftsmanship, ingenuity, patriotism, faith, and community to growing up working on his family farm. He also credits his “outstanding instructors at SIC” with challenging him to make him a better student.

“When I transferred to SIU, the counselor who helped me sign up for classes warned that my grades would likely go down now that I was at a university. I very clearly recall my appointment with her the next semester when my grades were better than they were at SIC,” said Porter. “I have always been proud of my Southern Illinois roots and while others have seen it as an obstacle, I have always known it to be a great blessing.”

Porter is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American College of Physicians and of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is actively involved in his community, serving on numerous boards including the Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville Community Advisory Committee, Southern Indiana Graduate Education Consortium, Treasurer of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, Warrick County Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of the Boy Scouts of America Buffalo Trace Council. He is the former chair of the United Way of Southwest Indiana board and served as the 2019 United Way Campaign chair.

Porter has received civic awards from the United Way of Southern Indiana, the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and University of Southern Indiana, as well as the Key to the City of Evansville.

His advice to graduates is, “Believe in yourself. Have confidence in your ability to succeed, even when others assume you might struggle. Be proud of your heritage and who you are and know that you have developed life skills and an appreciation for humanity that will serve you well no matter where your life’s journey takes you.”

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