Each year the Alumni Association honors alumni whose success and involvement make us all proud.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Hornet Hero Award
The Hornet Hero Award recognizes alumni of Shenandoah University who through their work on the front lines, their ability to assemble, lead, and rally to meet challenges, or individual works of compassion, make a positive impact on individual lives, their communities and the world.
Young Career Achievement
The Young Career Achievement Award recognizes alumni of Shenandoah University under the age of 35 who has made significant achievements in their chosen field or profession.
Service to the Community
The Service to the Community Award recognizes alumni of Shenandoah University who, through voluntary or paid work, has significantly contributed to the betterment of their community, state, nation, or the world.
Service to the University
The Service to the University Award recognizes alumni of Shenandoah University who has demonstrated ongoing dedication to the university and honors that dedication by selflessly serving the institution in an extraordinary manner.
Professional Achievement
The Professional Achievement Award recognizes distinguished alumni of Shenandoah University who has a successful career, and who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in their chosen field or profession.
Lifetime Achievement
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest alumni award that recognizes alumni of Shenandoah University can receive. It honors extraordinary accomplishments and a lifetime record of “unique and significant” service to their profession, the university and demonstrated community engagement.
The Shenandoah University Alumni Association invites nominations for candidates for the Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Nominations may be submitted by filling out the nomination form online, or by contacting the Office of Donor & Alumni Relations at alums@leela-thaimassage.com.
Past Alumni Award Recipients
2024 Hornet Hero Award: Tinesha Allen ’21
Allen graduated from Shenandoah University with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2021, after earning a Bachelor of Science in political science from Vanderbilt University in 2012. She pursued a career in public service, becoming an elected official in Stafford County and serving on the Board of Supervisors. Allen initiated a local food pantry service, played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and secured donations for non-profits. She organized a Juneteenth event to highlight black businesses and has been recognized as one of the most influential women in the Fredericksburg region. Her dedication to public service continues to drive her efforts in Stafford County and beyond.
2024 Young Career Achievement Award: Taylor White ’20
Taylor White received a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication from Shenandoah University in 2020. White continued her education at Wake Forest University, earning a Master of Arts in sports film documentary and storytelling in 2021.
Following her graduation from Wake Forest, White accepted the position of assistant director of football creative video with the University of Virginia (UVA) in May 2021. After just a year in this position, she was promoted to director of football creative media in May 2022. In addition to her role at UVA, White is also an adjunct professor in the Media and Communications department at Shenandoah, regularly teaching a course in sports video.
In addition to her roles at UVA and Shenandoah, she has had the privilege of working events such as the NFL Draft and the NFL Combine. White’s work also caught the attention of the NCAA, leading to a personal invitation to photograph the NCAA’s Women’s Basketball Final Four Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, in April 2023 and 2024.
2024 Service to the Community Award: Jerilynn Payne ’79
Jerilynn Payne earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music therapy from Shenandoah Conservatory in 1979. Payne continued her education by attending the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, studying fire science & technology, emergency medical services (EMS) and a host of other programs. She received a Master of Social Work degree with an aging specialization at the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore, Maryland.
In her career, Payne has served as a musician, music therapist, field representative for a non-profit organization, educator for secondary and post-secondary education programs, hospital critical care technician, firefighter, EMS supervisor, fire academy instructor and social worker. She is a life-long volunteer helping individuals in over a dozen organizations.
Payne is also a life-long learner and is a student of Judaism and Hebrew in the incipient stages of learning as she prepares for her presentation before the Bet Din and immersion in the mikvah. She has multiple licenses to drive everything from motorcycles to tractor trailers.
2024 Service to the University Award: Maurice “Marty” W. Martindale ’58
Martindale graduated from Shenandoah College with a junior college diploma in 1958, earned a Bachelor of Arts from Shepherd College in 1963, and a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in 1968. He served the church for over 35 years, pastoring in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and held leadership roles in the Van Wert and Columbus Districts, and as conference CEO for the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 2003, he received a Doctor of Theology from Slidell Baptist Seminary. Martindale has organized the Memorial Service for the Dayton Alumni Weekend since 2013 and has been a member of the Dayton Committee since 2010, contributing to various initiatives including the Dayton Gallery and the Dayton Alumni Scholarship. He also served on the Shenandoah University Alumni Board of Directors from 2011 to 2017.
2024 Professional Achievement Award: Violet Awo Amoabeng ’09, ’11
Amoabeng received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2009 and a Master of Business Administration in 2011 from Shenandoah University. She began her career in Ghana with UT Holdings Limited, eventually becoming head of the procurement unit at UT Bank Limited. In 2014, she founded Skin Gourmet, an edible skincare line, with just $45. Skin Gourmet sources natural ingredients from local Ghanaian communities and ships to over 25 countries, grossing more than $200,000 annually. The company has received numerous accolades, including nominations from The Ghana Beauty Awards and the Women’s Choice Awards Africa, and was a top ten finalist for the 2021 African Business Hero Award. Skin Gourmet has also been featured in Forbes, Elle, Pop Sugar, and Indian Cosmopolitan.
2024 Lifetime Achievement Award: Barbara Bryant McWhinney ’66, ’94
McWhinney earned an Associate of Arts in nursing from Shenandoah College in 1966 and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Shenandoah in 1994. Inspired by caring for her mother with tuberculosis at age nine, she worked at Valley Health’s Winchester Medical Center (WMC) for 55 years, retiring in 2023. McWhinney held various positions, including staff nurse, head nurse, and case manager, and helped create the neuroscience unit in 1970 and the Center for Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine in 2011. She has supported patients through crises like polio, AIDS, and COVID-19, and mentored many nursing students and alumni from Shenandoah.
2023 Hornet Hero Award: Thomas Sweitzer ’95, ’11
2023 Young Career Achievement Award: Monica Baranko ’19
2023 Young Career Achievement Award: De’Angelo Wynn ’19, ’20, ’21
2023 Service to the Community Award: Margaret Gonzalez ’12
2023 Service to the University Award: David Divine ’08, ’10
2023 Professional Achievement Award: John Bischoff ’02, ’08
2023 Lifetime Achievement Award: Don Kudrop ’75, ’92, ’03
2022 Hornet Hero Award – COVID-19: Ashley Dunbar Carson ’18
2022 Hornet Hero Award: Maura Sherlach Schwartz ’06
2022 Young Career Achievement Award: Desiree S. Dabney ’14
2022 Service to the Community Award: Tavan N. Mair ’04
2022 Professional Achievement Award: Mary-Colleen Hightower Ensogna ’09
2022 Lifetime Achievement Award: Thomas A. Wilkins ’78
2021 Young Career Achievement: Dr. Trey Kunz ’14
2021 Service to the Community: Brett R. DeVore ’98
2021 Service to the University: Dr. Jennifer Green-Flint ’09, ’15
2021 Professional Achievement: Jeremy Scott Blaustein ’06
2021 Lifetime Achievement: Robert J. Spiers, Jr. ’69
2020 Young Career Achievement: Nicholas J. Ruxton ’14
2020 Service to the Community: Molly Connor-Hall ’13, ’21
2020 Service to the University: Robert D. Crawford ’56
2020 Professional Achievement: Robert E. Beery ’69
2020 Lifetime Achievement: James E. Mason ’74
2019 Young Career Achievement: Shatora E. Lane ’12, ’14
2019 Service to the Community: Victor R. Gomez ’97
2019 Service to the University: Katelyn Miller Sanders ’11
2019 Professional Achievement: Sue Marston Boyd ’68
2019 Lifetime Achievement: Lisa L. Doumont ’95
2018 Lifetime Achievement: Dolly Stevens ’77
2018 Professional Achievement: Alan M. Baylock ’90
2018 Service to the University: Jane Danchisen Pittman ’89
2018 Service to the Community: Robert Cyparksi ’12
2018 Young Career Achievement: Kyle J. Weary ’05, ’08
2017 Lifetime Achievement: David M. McKee ’76
2017 Professional Achievement: Alan J. Lombardo ’02
2017 Service to the University: Carl D. Harris ’59
2017 Service to the Community: Ashley Henegar Plummer ’10
2017 Young Career Achievement: Amanda Reed Carter ’09, ’10
2016 Lifetime Achievement: Tommy Joe Anderson ’69
2016 Professional Achievement: Gregory Wanamaker ’91
2016 Service to the University: Jim Stutzman ’81
2016 Service to the Community: Gretchen Chomas ’07, ’10
2016 Young Career Achievement: Kenneth Green II ’05
2015 Lifetime Achievement: James R. Meredith ’74
2015 Professional Achievement: Yuling Huang-Davie ’93
2015 Service to the University: Ronald K. Collins ’60
2015 Service to the Community: Duncan Holmes ’70
2015 Young Career Achievement: Dr. Kerry Ann Peterson ’05, ’07, ’11
2014 Lifetime Achievement: Jordan L. Harding ’50
2014 Professional Achievement: Sherry McKean Trocino ’96
2014 Service to the University: Paul E. Delmerico ’88
2014 Service to the Community: Barbara Cramer Crouse ’66
2014 Young Career Achievement: Khaled O. Alshaibani ’11
2013 Lifetime Achievement Award: Richard P. “Dick” Bly ’58
2013 Professional Achievement Award: Mary K. Tedrow ’99
2013 Service to the University Award: Roy L. “Bo” Callahan ’58
2013 Service to the Community Award: V. Douglas Joyner ’82, ’09
2013 Young Career Achievement Award: Aimee Ruder Cloud ’07
2012 Lifetime Achievement Award: Paul B. Noble ’56
2012 Professional Achievement: Michael W. McMurray ’02, ’04
2012 Service to the University Award: Presley R. Phillips ’61 and Caroline Bateman Phillips ’61
2012 Service to the Community Award: M. Frank Heisey ’66, ’87
2012 Young Career Achievement Award: Daniel Brian Shores ’99
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award: Nicholas J. Nerangis, Sr. ’04
2011 Professional Achievement: Pauline “Tina” Barbour Anderson ’67
2011 Service to the University Award: Sue C. Robinson ’85
2011 Service to the Community Award: Roberta Lisonbee Szoka ’74
2011 Young Career Achievement Award: Tiffany E. Lawrence ’06
2010 Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Verne E. Collins ’84
2010 Professional Achievement: Dr. Wendy DeLeo LeBorgne ’94
2010 Service to the University Award: Constance Ware Payne-Stewart ’55
2010 Service to the Community Award: Dr. Zara Risoldi Cochrane ’08
2010 Young Career Achievement Award: Mary Willis White ’98
2009 Outstanding Alumni Award: Kathryn Rohlf Martin ’84
2009 Young Career Achievement Award: Dr. Jeffery W. Spray ’03