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Seven alumni were honored by ´óÏóÊÓƵ for their outstanding contributions to the college community as leaders, mentors, volunteers and financial supporters.

Each year, the College presents these awards during the Alumni Luncheon over Reunion Weekend. This year’s ceremony was held on Saturday, May 30.

Alumni Medal

The most prestigious award for loyalty and distinguished service, the Alumni Medal, dates back to 1937; its first recipients were Ida M. Tarbell and Lewis Walker, Sr., from the classes of 1880 and 1877, respectively.

This year’s awardee is Carmen Ramsey Ellington ’86. As a student, Ellington studied English while contributing to the Association of Black Collegians (ABC), The Campus newspaper, intramural athletics and the pom pom squad. Since graduating, she’s played leading roles on landmark committees and has served as President of the ABC Alumni Association since 2015. Ellington’s career has mainly been composed of nonprofit leadership roles at organizations like the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and former Hill House Association. She currently serves as Operations Manager for the faith-based nonprofit community outreach organization Macedonia Family & Community Enrichment Center, which supports residents of Pittsburgh’s Hill District and other Allegheny County Communities by encouraging the development of healthy families.

Blue Citations

Blue Citations — which have recognized outstanding service to the College since 1980 — were awarded to Karen Shakoske ’95, and Kurt Foriska ’01.
Shakoske has supported letter writing campaigns to accepted students, hosted incoming student gatherings at her Philadelphia home and served as a team captain for Gator Give Day.

The bulk of her service came from her eight-year term on the Alumni Council, which included a term as president through the 2021-22 academic year amid shifting college leadership and Covid-19 pandemic disruptions.

Foriska precedes Shakoske as Alumni Council president, serving during the 2018-19 academic year and contributing as a member from 2012 through 2020.

He has also maintained relationships with his peers as a Class Agent for more than a decade, represented Allegheny at college fairs, hosted alumni events in the Columbus area and served as a career mentor.

Gold Citations

A separate duo of alumni received Gold Citations, which acknowledge honor reflected upon the College through professional or volunteer activities. Gold Citations similarly date back to 1980. Bill Cooper ’68, and Tony Grace ’77, are this year’s recipients.

Cooper is a researcher and educator who has held roles at numerous institutions: Florida International University, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the University of California Irvine, the National Science Foundation and, most recently at the University of Maryland and the University of Florida.

In 1979, his work on the water reuse program as a U.S. Army commissioned officer in Fort Detrick, Maryland, helped pioneer the first annual Water Reuse Symposium, establishing his career in clean water studies and solutions. Cooper’s countless publications reflect a lifetime of scientific achievement and environmental advocacy.

Grace has spent over four decades as a professor of neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, gaining distinguished accolades for education and publishing peer-reviewed scholarship on psychiatric disorders that expanded the field of study. His works have been cited over 62,000 times with an H-index of 120, placing him among the top 0.05% of researchers worldwide.

Young Alumni Awards

Since 2023, ´óÏóÊÓƵ has presented the Young Alumni Award to graduates from the past 15 years who embody the College’s values of exceptional professional accomplishment, contributions to their community or dedicated service to Allegheny. This year has two recipients: Larry Hailsham and Alex Neal, both of the Class of 2015.

Hailsham’s career hasn’t taken him far from Allegheny; he’s worked on a number of recent Pennsylvania political campaigns, including Senator Bob Casey’s 2018 reelection bid, Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign in the Commonwealth and Josh Shapiro’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign. In October 2025, Hailsham was appointed Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and has leveraged his role to uplift students and bring elected officials to campus.

As a leader in nonprofit fundraising and development among Pittsburgh organizations, Neal has raised more than $25 million for education and medical care services throughout the metropolitan area. He also chairs the board for Contemporary Craft, an arts center in Pittsburgh, and is a trustee for the historic C. C. Mellor Memorial Library. Neal draws on his capital campaign experience to mentor nonprofit professionals — including ´óÏóÊÓƵ graduates — throughout the region.

Faculty and Staff Awards

At the end of the spring semester, the College also honored faculty and staff members who similarly embody institutional service and excellence in teaching.

The Thoburn Award was presented to Heather Brand, Eila V. Bush Endowed Professor of Art, who uses the classroom to combine and clarify complex ideas, from contemporary art and photography to digital media and critical theory.

Tomas Nonnenmacher ’90, Patricia B.Tippie Endowed Professor in Economics and Department Chair, has built a reputation for intellectual rigor paired with the uncanny ability to make economics accessible.

The combination earned him the Julian Ross Award.

Under the leadership of Kirsten Peterson ’78, Allegheny’s acceptance rates to post-graduate health professions schools consistently exceed national averages.

Peterson came to the College as a Health Professions Advisor, but recently took on Pre-Law advising and the title Associate Director of Pre-Professional Advising. This year, her outstanding commitment to her alma mater is recognized with the Robert T. Sherman Distinguished Service Award.