The awards highlight the impact of alumni across disciplines and communities and honor leadership in careers, service and philanthropy. In addition to the Alumni Fellow Awards for each of UofL’s schools and colleges, Louisville Alumni will present signature awards recognizing outstanding contributions in areas of inclusive excellence, military service and emerging leadership.

This year’s recipients include:

Alumnus of the Year

• Randall J. Bufford ’81

Bufford, a 1981 UofL College of Business graduate and founder of Trilogy Health Services, is a nationally recognized entrepreneur known for values-based leadership and a people-first approach. A former UofL Trustee and student manager for the 1980 NCAA Championship men’s basketball team, Bufford now leads 0924 Investments and the Bufford Family Foundation, which champions initiatives in health care, education and philanthropy, including scholarship support that is opening doors and changing lives for UofL students.

Alumni Fellows – Schools & Colleges

• College of Arts & Sciences: Elmer Lucille Allen ’02
• College of Business: David Krebs ’75
• School of Dentistry: Julie Watts McKee ’83
• College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development: Felicia Cumings Smith ’96, ’00
• Graduate School: Anees B. Chagpar ’09
• Kent School of Social Work & Family Science: Justin “Jay” Miller ’13
• Brandeis School of Law: Chadwick N. Gardner ’95
• University Libraries: Glenn Bossmeyer ’71, ’74, ’75
• School of Medicine: Steven T. Hester ’92, ’96, ’00
• School of Music: Amy I. Acklin ’98, ’00
• School of Nursing: Cynthia Logsdon
• School of Public Health & Information Sciences: Robin Elise Weiss ’01, ’12, ’15
• J.B. Speed School of Engineering: Peg O’Neil ’91
• Student Affairs Legacy Award: Kelly Hodges ’93, ’01

Signature Award Honorees

• Emerging Leader Award: Eric Wood ’08
• Inclusive Excellence Award: Loay Elbasyouni ’04, ’05
• Military Alumni Award: Al Riggle ’76
• Alumni Ambassador Award: Larry W. Horn Jr. ’08, ’11

“These honorees are leaders, innovators and difference-makers,” said Josh Hawkins, assistant vice president for alumni relations and annual giving. “Each recipient reflects the best of what it means to be a Louisville Cardinal; contributing to their fields, uplifting communities and proudly representing their alma mater.”

The 2025 honorees will be recognized during the annual Wilson Wyatt Alumni Awards ceremony on Oct. 23, as part of UofL’s Homecoming week festivities on the Belknap Campus.

The UofL community and public are encouraged to nominate graduates who deserve to be recognized for their career accomplishments, philanthropic endeavors and contributions to the community. A formal recognition ceremony for all honorees will take place in fall 2024 during Homecoming week on UofL’s Belknap Campus.

“Our annual Alumni Awards celebration is the signature event of our week of Homecoming festivities. These awards recognize distinguished graduates who are exemplary ambassadors for the university and reflect the high standing and character of their alma mater,” said Josh Hawkins, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving.

In addition to the Alumni Fellow awards designated for each school and college, Louisville Alumni will also present awards for Emerging Leader, Diversity Leadership, Military Alumni, Alumni Ambassador and the Wilson Wyatt Alumnus/a of the Year.��

The Wilson Wyatt Alumnus/a of the Year award personifies the qualities, mission and values of the university. The 2023 Alumnus of the Year was awarded to Steve Trager, executive chair of Republic Bank and Trust Company.

Students, graduates and friends of the university can submit online nominations to the Office of Alumni Relations through Friday, March 1.

Criteria for each award, as well as nomination forms, are available online at . Listings of previous Alumni Awards honorees can also be found on the website. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 502-852-6186 or visit .

Trager received his juris doctorate from UofL in 1985. As a student, he was active in Delta Theta Phi and the University of Louisville Brandeis Law Journal.

He has had a long career with Republic Bank, joining as vice president and general counsel in 1989 and being promoted to his most recent positions as chairman and CEO in 2012. Trager is a member of the UofL President’s Council and President of the Trager Family Foundation.

“We are excited and proud to announce Steve Trager as our 2023 Alumnus of the Year. Steve is profoundly committed to the university and the overall community. His work to improve Louisville is an inspiration to us all. We look forward to celebrating his accomplishments at this year’s Alumni Awards,” said Josh Hawkins, assistant vice president for alumni relations and annual giving.

Trager is the son of UofL adopted alumni Jean Trager and the late Bernard Trager. Through the generosity of the Trager Family and the Trager Family Foundation, the university is home to the Trager Field Hockey Stadium; the 90,000-square-foot Trager Center; Trager Plaza, located between the Miller Information Technology Center and Lutz Hall; and the Trager Institute and Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic.

The Alumnus of the Year honoree personifies the qualities, mission and values of the university. The award is presented to a graduate who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in professional and philanthropic endeavors and who has shown loyalty and support to the entire university.

Trager leads an exceptional group of 20 Alumni Awards honorees who represent each of UofL’s colleges, schools, libraries and student affairs division, as well as the signature award winners, who are recognized for extraordinary achievements in their profession and enduring service in their community.

New to the program this year is the first-ever Military Alumni Award, an honor that allows the university to celebrate its commitment, support and appreciation of UofL’s many military-connected alumni.

The 2023 Alumni Fellows are:

• Steve Trager ’85 – 2023 Alumnus of the Year
• Hank Conn ’64, ’69, ’72 – 2023 Alumni Ambassador (Awarded posthumously)
• Karina Barillas ’96, ’02 – 2023 Diversity Leadership Award
• Alex Frommeyer ’10, ’11 – 2023 Emerging Leader Award
• Michael L. Kaelin – 2023 Military Alumni Award
• Angela McCormick Bisig ’87,’90 – Brandeis School of Law
• Marianne Butler ’89,’93 – College of Arts and Sciences
• Camilla Abel Schroeder ’90 – College of Business
• Wade Houston ’66, ’73 – College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Cedric Francois ’04 – Graduate School
• Leo B. Jenkins, Jr. ’52, ’58, ’72 – J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Tomarra Adams ’96, ’97, ’04 – Kent School of Social Work and Family Science
• James Strull ’62, ’65 – School of Dentistry
• Thomas Whitley Uhde ’75 – School of Medicine
• Zhiyi Wang ’06 – School of Music
• Dedra Hayden ’97, ’09, ’19 and William “Bill” Hayden II ’90, ’97 – School of Nursing
• Kimberly Hockman Mascaro ’13 – School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Oscar Ronaldo Leon Oliva ’88, ’89 – Student Affairs Legacy Award
• Michael A. Kelly ’70 – University Libraries

The Alumni Awards are the highest honors bestowed by Louisville Alumni. The 2023 Alumni Awards will be held Thursday, Oct. 26. Read winner bios, get ceremony details and connect with UofL alumni at www.uoflalumni.org/awards.

The Alumni Awards are the highest honors bestowed by Louisville Alumni. Helm is one of 18 honorees who will be celebrated this fall during

Helm received a Bachelor of Arts with highest honors in political science in 1979 and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Brandeis School of Law in 1982. She was twice selected as a University of Louisville Alumni Fellow: in 2008, for the College of Arts & Sciences and in 2017, for the Brandeis School of Law.

She retired from Starbucks Coffee Co. after a prestigious 21-year career in legal and human resources roles, including serving on the company’s executive team as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary and executive vice president, chief partner officer (leading human resources).

“Lucy Helm is an extraordinary Cardinal who is deeply committed to UofL’s mission. We are proud and excited to recognize her accomplishments at this year’s Alumni Awards celebration,” said Josh Hawkins, assistant vice president for alumni relations. “Her commitment to excellence inspires all of us to follow her lead and make a positive impact on our community.”

At Starbucks, Helm was a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, including leading the company’s achievement of gender and racial pay equity in the U.S. She also created Starbucks’ pro bono services program, which became a model for other corporate law departments. Helm is now the global chair of the board of Mercy Corps, a global relief and development organization.

The Alumnus of the Year honoree personifies the qualities, mission and values of the university. The award is presented to a graduate who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in professional and philanthropic endeavors and who has shown loyalty and support to the entire university.

Helm joins the 2022 Alumni Fellows who represent each of UofL’s colleges, schools, libraries and student affairs division, as well as the signature award winners, who will be recognized for extraordinary achievements in their profession and enduring service in their community.

The 2022 Alumni Fellows are:

• Charles P. Denny ’75, ’80
• Sadiqa N. Reynolds ’93
• Evan Holladay ’13
• Lois S. Cronholm ’62, ’67
• Lynn Hampton ’78, ’83
• Amy B. Farnsworth ’92, ’95
• Awab Habib ’15
• Michael D. Anthony ’05, ’10
• Renee Campbell ’82
• Gulam Zade ’11
• Carol Friedman Abrams ’68
• Christa-Marie Singleton ’92
• Barry C. Johnson ’81, ’85
• Kimberly Meyer ’92, ’16
• Duke Appiah ’09, ’13
• Norbert E. Paulin ’70

For more than 30 years, the Alumni Awards have honored and celebrated the historic achievements of graduates who are exemplary ambassadors for the university.

“Louisville Alumni is grateful for the strong culture of alumni innovators, educators and collaborators who share the common bond of being UofL graduates,” Hawkins said. “The Alumni Awards is our opportunity to honor and celebrate our extraordinary alumni.”��

The 2022 Alumni Awards presented by Commonwealth Credit Union will be held Thursday, Oct. 20.

The three new awards and their recipients are:

. The inaugural Alumni Ambassador Award is presented to Randall J. Buford ’81. Bufford is the founder and chairman of the board of Louisville-based Trilogy Health Services, a health care company providing medical care, wellness and hospitality services to seniors. This new award is presented to recognize alumni as ambassadors for the university and leadership and service in their profession and community.

. The inaugural Diversity Leadership Award is presented to Steven D. Kniffley Jr. ’08. Kniffley, a board-certified clinical psychologist, is chief diversity officer and associate professor of Spalding University’s Center for Behavioral Health. This new award recognizes alumni for promoting diversity and inclusion through their professional or volunteer endeavors, aligning with the university’s goal of being the premier anti-racist metropolitan research university.

.��The inaugural Emerging Leader Award is presented to Whitney B. Austin��’03 and ’09. Impassioned after surviving a Sept. 6, 2018, mass shooting in Cincinnati, Ohio, Whitney and her husband cofounded Whitney/Strong, an organization focused on finding common ground to end gun violence through data-driven, responsible gun ownership solutions. This new award honors alumni who have achieved outstanding professional accomplishments at age 40 or younger.

These new awards join 14 others that recognize alumni accomplishment by UofL’s colleges, schools, libraries and student affairs division. Named as Alumni Fellows for 2021 are:

• ��’01, College of Arts & Sciences
• ’73, College of Business
• , ’72 and ’81, School of Dentistry
• ’12, College of ����ֱ�� & Human Development
• ��’08 and ’12, Graduate School
• ’06 and ’10, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work
• ��’62 and ’64, Brandeis School of Law
• ��’77 and ’84, University Libraries
• ��’70 and ’75, School of Medicine
• ��’75, School of Music
• ��’08 and ’16, School of Nursing
• ’99, ’01, ’02 and ’11, School of Public Health & Information Sciences
• ��‘87, ’89 and ’93; ��’86; and ’82, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• ��’71, Student Affairs Legacy Award

The university will formally announce its highest award recipient, the Alumnus of the Year, on Friday, Oct. 1.��

UofL’s Alumni Awards are sponsored by Commonwealth Credit Union and Buff City Soap. For information about all events planned for UofL’s Homecoming Week 2021, visit the

She was inspired by her great-grandmother to attend nursing school and was the first African-American nursing student to live in the student nurses’ home. At that time, Louisville General Hospital was the teaching and research hospital for the UofL Medical School.

, Ponder spent her career working to meet the health care needs of the underserved in collaboration with Sloane, who was a physician. She served as the head nurse of recovery and the Intensive Care Unit at the Louisville General Hospital from 1957-1958, and went on to serve as the head nurse at the Louisville and Jefferson County Health Department form 1959-1965.��

Ponder helped to establish and served as the Director of Nurses at the Park-DuValle Community Health Center. She assisted in establishing the first emergency transportation service at Park-DuValle, which later expanded to the city of Louisville. This evolved into what is today the Louisville EMS Service.��

Ponder currently serves as a nursing consultant to various health organizations. She is listed in the��Profiles of Contemporary Black Achievers of Kentucky��and the��Notable Kentucky African American��database.

In 1987, Ponder was recognized as an Adopted Alumna and is now a ��

The awards ceremony recognizes high achieving graduates based on their merit and contributions to the community. Each year, one alumna or alumnus of the year is selected along with 13 Alumni Fellows from each of the schools, colleges, libraries, and student affairs.��

Alumna of the Year

• Jenny L. Sawyer ’78,��executive director of��admissions��at the University of Louisville.

Alumni Fellows

• Brandeis School of Law
  Edwin S. Hopson, Sr. ’67, ’69, partner at��Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs.
• College of Arts and Sciences
  George Nichols, III ’85,��president and chief executive officer of the American College of Financial Services.
• College of Business
  Raymond E. Loyd ’68, founder of Derby Industries and Derby Fabricating.
• College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
  Linda F. Hargan ’71, ’73, ’93,��founder, president, and chief executive officer emeritus of CTL.
• J. B. Speed School of Engineering
  Gerald G. Hubbs ’64, ’76, retired vice president and director of engineering at the Brown-Forman Corporation.��
• Kent School of Social Work
  Ruby Gordon ’66, ’72, former social worker with JCPS and Hillebrand House.
• School of Dentistry
  Karen L. Pierce-West ’77, ’82,��dean and professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine.
• School of Medicine
  Shawn C. Jones ’82, ’86, ’93,��founder of Purchase ENT, an ENT-otolaryngologist specialty group in Paducah, Kentucky.��
• School of Music
  John M. Hoover ’63, ’69, former director of bands at the University of Louisville.
• School of Nursing
  Flora Ponder ’87, former head nurse at the Louisville and Jefferson County Health Department and director of nurses at the Park-Duvalle Community Health Center.��
• School of Public Health and Information Sciences
  Lewatis D. McNeal ’16,��assistant dean of administration of inclusive excellence and special projects at Northern Kentucky University.
• Student Affairs
  Todd A. Schmiedeler ’97,��Trilogy Health Service’s senior vice president of Foundation & Workforce Development and founder and president of Thumbprint Consulting.
• University Libraries
  Morris M. Weiss Jr. ’58, cardiologist with Medical Center Cardiologists and clinical professor of medicine in cardiology at the University of Louisville.

This year’s awardees will be honored at the 2019 Alumni Awards ceremony October 24.