Rochester Institute of Technology has long been recognized as a world leader in research and education in print media as well as advocacy and outreach in global sustainability. Professor Stephen Whittaker is being lauded for his efforts in combining both worlds.

Printing Industries of America is honoring Whittaker as this year’s recipient of the William D. Schaeffer Environmental Award, which recognizes an individual’s focus on advancing environmental awareness and action in the graphic communications industry.

“I am truly humbled and honored to have been selected as the recipient of the William D. Schaeffer Award,” Whittaker says. “It is recognition for the teams of people that I have worked with who have made sustainability within the graphic communications industry part of their culture. My role has been to teach, guide, educate, train and mentor these teams. I hope to be able to continue that for the rest of my life.”

Whittaker, a resident of Fairport, N.Y., was honored at Printing Industries of America’s annual spring meeting. He formerly served as vice president of Quality Management and Environmental Initiatives for the Rochester-based printing company Monroe Litho Inc.

He has taught for more than 20 years in RIT’s School for Print Media. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Whittaker has worked in the graphic communications/printing industry serving for nearly 29 years with Monroe Litho. He oversaw more than two dozen successful third-party quality system audits by major national Fortune 100 corporations including, Bausch & Lomb, Xerox, Eastman Kodak, Ortho McNeil Pharmaceutical and others.

Since 1996 he has been a certified manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence within the American Society for Quality, a certified quality auditor and a senior member.

He served Printing Industries of America as a member of its Continuous Improvement Advisory Committee from 2008 to 2010 and was named a member of the board of directors of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. In 2009, he was recognized by the Printing Industry Alliance of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as the recipient of the John Peter Zenger Medal for military bravery.