2018 Awardees
ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
Glenn Corlett, BBA ’65
Steadfast alumnus and astounding entrepreneur
- Director and corporate consultant at Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc.
- Former Director at Grange Insurance and Rocky Brands, Inc.
- Former Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of N.W. Ayer & Partners
- Former Dean of the College of Business, 1997-2007
- Member of the National Alumni Board of Directors, 1978-1986
- Member of the College of Business Executive Advisory Board
- Trustee for The Ohio University Foundation, 1985-1994
- Received the OHIO Alumni Association’s Medal of Merit in 1991
- Presented the Lifetime Business Achievement Award from the College of Business
MEDAL OF MERIT
Thomas "Thom" Brennaman, BSS ’12
Gifted broadcaster and consummate radio and television personality
- Announcer for Cincinnati Reds alongside his father, Marty Brennaman
- Former broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs
- Former broadcaster for the National Football League and Major League Baseball
- First television voice for the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Lead play-by-play announcer for the 2006 Bowl Championship Series
- Called for multiple games and series, including the BCS Championship Game, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the 2008 Sugar Bowl and many others
- Featured voice-over in video games such as Microsoft Baseball 2001, All-Star Baseball 2002 and All-Star Baseball 2003-2005
MEDAL OF MERIT
Ronald Burns, BSH ’85, DO ’89
Master physician and medical leader
- President-Elect of the American Osteopathic Association
- Florida Society of Osteopathic Family Physicians' Physician of the Year, 2015
- Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s Physician of the Year, 2002
- Board member of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
- Owns and operates his private practice of 26 years
- Board Chair of the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine, 2012-2014
- President of the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, 2004-2005
MEDAL OF MERIT
Luke Frazier, MM ’09
Extraordinary musician and accomplished director
- Founder and Music Director of the American Pops Orchestra and the National Broadway Chorus
- Artistic Director for Nouveau Productions
- Artist in Residence for the DC Youth Orchestra Program
- Conducted at several internationally acclaimed venues including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the White House and the Kennedy Center
- Named one of Washingtonian Magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2017
- Keynote speaker at the National Society for the Arts and Letters’ 2016 Awards for Excellence in the Arts
- Collaborated with some of the most distinguished singing artists of our time, including Darren Criss, Vanessa Williams, Betty Who, Laura Osnes, Marilyn Maye, Elaine Paige and many others
- Frequently guest conducts for numerous orchestras, such as the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
MEDAL OF MERIT
Qui Nguyen, MFA ’02
Revolutionary theater and television tycoon
- Award-winning playwright and screenwriter
- Co-founder and Co-Artistic director of OBIE Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Co.
- Author of 15 plays and 16 play publications
- Screenwriter for Marvel Studios
- Winner of 2016 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award
- Winner of 2016 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Pre-School Animated Program
MEDAL OF MERIT
Mark West, BSC ’78
Dedicated film editor and enthusiastic alumnus
- Produced sitcoms including “Melissa & Joey,” “Girl Meets World,” “Pair of Kings,” “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and “The Hughleys” as well as comedy and variety specials like “America’s Tribute to Bob Hope,” “Comic Relief” and “Stevie Wonder in Concert”
- Worked for broadcast giants that include NBC, Touchstone Television, Paramount Network Television, Merv Griffin Entertainment, BET Studios, 20th Century Fox Television and Sony Television International
- Earned three Emmy Awards (1988-89, 1989-90 and 1995-96), an International Monitor Award in 1990 and a Cable ACE Award in 1989
- Nominated for another five Emmys and another Cable ACE Award
- Inducted into the Ohio Communication Hall of Fame in April 2018
Distinguished Service Award
William A. “Erv” Ball, BSED ’77
Cherished volunteer and loving father
- Serves on the College of Health Sciences and Professions’ Dean’s Advisory Council
- Served as President of the CHSP Society of Alumni and Friends
- Chairs the Environmental Health Sciences Program Advisory Board
- Created the James Ball Scholarship in memory of his son
- Spearheaded CHSP’s involvement with Race for a Reason
- Supports OHIO at every home football game
- Presented the College of Health and Human Services (now CHSP) Alumni of Distinction Award
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Jennifer “Jen” Jones Donatelli, BSJ ’98
Passionate volunteer and accomplished writer
- Led the expansion of the Greater Los Angeles Alumni Chapter while serving as Co-President
- Awarded the Health Information Gold Award and the Hearst Editorial Excellence Award
- Served as Co-Director of the OHIO-in-Los Angeles program
- Established a “Big Sibs” program, matching OHIO-in-LA students with professional alumni
- Founding member of Cedars-Sinia NICU Parent Council and volunteer for Los Angeles-area nonprofits WriteGirl and Chyrsalis
- Author of more than 70 books for tween to teenage girls and for publishers such as Capstone Press and Enslow Publishing
- Regular contributor to a wide range of magazines and online publications, including Budget Travel, REDBOOK, Playboy, GOOD, MSN, E!Online and Ohio Today
CHARLES J. AND CLAIRE O. PING RECENT GRADUATE AWARD
Keith Hawkins, BS ’13
Accomplished scientist and model citizen
- Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin
- Earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy in 2016
- Chair of the King’s College Cambridge Graduate Society, 2014-2016
- Barry M. Goldwater Scholar and British Marshall Scholar
- Member of the American Astronomical Society
- Ongoing member of Honors Tutorial College Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a $7 million grant from the Department of Energy, an International Astronomical Union Travel Grant, a Simons Foundation Junior Research Fellowship, Simons Center for Computation Astrophysics Travel funds and a National Science Foundation Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Published in more than 20 periodicals and presented at more than 20 talks/workshops around the globe
HONORARY ALUMNUS
Peter Thompson
Superior lawyer and supportive husband
- Helped establish the Samuel and Susan Crowl Professorship in English Literature
- Established the Barbara Strom Thompson Memorial Scholarship
- Member of the Cutler Herrold Society
- Named a “Washington, D.C., Super Lawyer” (2007-2018)
- Founding board member of the Cincinnati Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
- Cincinnati Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, 1982
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Chorus of Washington, 2017-2018
THE KERMIT BLOSSER OHIO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Melissa Griffin, BSHSL ’08
Volleyball 2004-2007
- One of the most-decorated players in OHIO Volleyball program history
- Named All-American Honorable Mention in 2007
- Selected to AVCA All-Mideast Region in 2006 and 2007
- Received CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV honors in 2007
- Named MAC Player of the Year in 2007 and was a four-time All-MAC selection
- Named to the MAC All-Tournament Team twice
THE KERMIT BLOSSER OHIO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Tiffany Horvath, BBA ’07
Soccer 2003-2006
- Ranked in the top five in OHIO Soccer program records
- Received All-American Freshman Honorable Mention in 2003 and was selected three times for the All-MAC Second Team
- Earned Second Team, All-Freshman, All-Tournament, and Freshman of the Year honors in her first season
- Two-time Academic All-MAC selection
- Named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll twice
- Ranks third in career shots, career goals and career points
THE KERMIT BLOSSER OHIO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Marc Krauss, BSJ ’17
Baseball 2007-2009
- Drafted to Major League Baseball by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009
- Named to Louisville Slugger All-American First Team selection, CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Baseball Team selection, American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Mideast Region First Team, and First Team All-American selection — all in 2009
- Awarded MAC Player of the Year and First Team All-MAC honors in 2009
- Holds OHIO single-season records for home runs, total bases and slugging percentage
- Ranks No. 2 in the MAC for single-season home runs
THE KERMIT BLOSSER OHIO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
The 1968 Football Team
- Earned a perfect 10-0 regular season, a trip to the MAC Championship and an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl
- Held the MAC record for nearly 20 years, with 418 points in 11 games (average 37.6 points per game)
- Awarded OHIO’s first-ever appearance in the Top 20
- Landed 18th in the United Press International Coaches’ Poll and 20th in the Associated Press Writers’ Poll
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Bill Dillingham, BBA ’71
Stalwart supporter and industry leader
- President of Buckeye Business Products, Kroy, and Smith Corona
- Past member of the National Alumni Board
- Former Ohio University Foundation trustee
- Serves on the College of Business’ Executive Advisory Board
- President of the Ohio Bobcat Club Advisory Board
- Provided significant financial support for the construction of the Walter Fieldhouse and the Perry and Sandy Sook Academic Center
- Recipient of the OHIO Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award and Medal of Merit