When she graduated from Bridgeport High School, Deanna Alvaro Murlin never dreamed she would become an authority on heavy duty diesel lubricants, yet 17 years later she is heading up that facet of Lubrizol Corporation’s North and South America operations.

 

Lubrizol – a company that is not exactly a household name – provides products and technologies that are in things we use every day, in the shampoos and cosmetics we use, in our athletic shoes, and on the surfaces of or in the fluids in our vehicles. Within the specialty chemicals industry, Lubrizol is known for providing specialty chemical solutions to optimize the quality and performance of customers’ products while reducing the impact to the environment.

 

Now, the 2001 BHS graduate’s outlook on life is much like that of the company for which she works. At her home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, she is always looking for solutions to problems and has invested efforts in a couple of noble causes. Her work has recently earned her the prestigious tag of YWCA Distinguished Young Woman Award, joining other young professionals making a difference in Northeast Ohio.

 

She is honored with the recognition, but prefers the spotlight be on the causes that have captured her passion. Murlin serves on the board of directors at the Epilepsy Association and as volunteer chair of the Purple Day Committee. The Epilepsy Association is a Cleveland-based non-profit which works to improve the lives of those affected by epilepsy. The group’s mission is to create a caring community which allows victims of the disease and their families to find active ways to manage their seizures and take charge of their lives.

 

Lubrizol supports the cause; one which has affected Murlin’s own family.

 

“Someone close to me was diagnosed with a seizure disorder as an adult and the impact on his life can’t be understated,” she said. “Epilepsy is still not understood – or curable – and we’re seeing its personal impact.”

 

Among those impacts, she said, are physical limitations and a higher depression frequency.

 

Among other efforts, Epilepsy Association works to raise funds for and provide social services for those who suffer from seizure disorders, whose medical and mental health needs are often not entirely covered by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

 

She and her husband Joe are both involved in efforts to empower epilepsy victims and raise awareness about the disease. They are both also members of the Cleveland Zoological Society – a non-profit arm of the Cleveland Zoo. Murlin chairs the Zoo Society’s Ambassadors Circle young professionals program.

 

“It’s a group designed to create a pathway for future volunteers and philanthropists for the Zoological Society’s mission to inspire personal responsibility, conserving the natural world and connecting people with wildlife,” she said.

 

The young professionals program also provides outreach to students, giving them a better understanding of STEM careers. That’s where Lubrizol’s connection comes in, Murlin said, engaging young people in ways to engage in the community, choosing career choices that make a difference.

 

After graduating from BHS, Murlin pursued a pre-medical degree at West Virginia University. She changed her mind for various reasons.

 

“Those reasons included a fear of blood, plus I didn’t think I had the commitment to complete the medical training process,” she said.

 

Switching gears, she ended up with a degree in chemical engineering from WVU and went on to earn a Master’s of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University.

 

She began her career at Lincoln Electric, and then was hired by Lubrizol, she has spent the 12 years of her post-collegiate career in product and business management.

 

Murlin is happy with her career and her volunteer work; the latter, she said, inspired by her mom Beckie, dad Angelo, siblings Mark and Maria (Morrison) and the Bridgeport community.

 

“I look back and my desire to be engaged in the community and volunteer comes from the way our parents raised us. They were always hands-on and wanted to help,” she said. “And Bridgeport always has supported the schools and volunteer organizations. There is strong support and leadership structure.”