Alan S. Zekelman is a successful businessman and philanthropist. A native of Windsor, Ontario, he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science in Applied Economics from the University of Rochester. He is an owner of various companies founded by his late father, Harry Zekelman, including JMC Steel, a leading manufacturer of steel construction and industrial tubing. The Zekelman family has an outstanding history of charitable activity, such as their generous support for the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Zekelman and his wife, Lori E. Talsky, ’96, provided a generous gift of funds to establish and sustain the Talsky Center and Zekelman Professorship at MSU Law. The endowment supports the couple’s goals of improving life outcomes for people, especially women and children who suffer—or are at risk of suffering—human rights violations. It also honors Professor Susan H. Bitensky, one of Talsky’s professors at the Law College, for her impact in the classroom and dedication to international human rights law.