Nevada Alumni Association Awards

Each year, the Nevada Alumni Association honors outstanding alumni and friends who have demonstrated remarkable professional achievement and dedication to their community and the University. If you know someone who bleeds silver and blue, let us know! They just may be who we're looking to recognize in the following categories:

  • Alumnus/Alumna of the Year
  • Community Service
  • Outstanding Chapter of the Year
  • Outstanding Recent Graduate
  • Exceptional Achievement
  • Silver and Blue Appreciation
  • University Service

View the award descriptions and selection criteria

Submit your Nevada Alumni Association Award nominations

Nevada Alumni Association Award Recipients

The following Nevada Alumni Association Award winners and College & Unit Distinguished Alumni will be honored during Homecoming 2023. For more information, please call the Office of Alumni Engagement at (775) 784-6620. Congratulations to all of our 2023 honorees listed below. Go Pack!

Alumnus of the Year

Kevin Melcher ’79, ’81 M.S. (physical education)

Community Service

Brian Williams ’13 (marketing)

Outstanding Chapter of the Year

Veterans Alumni Chapter

Outstanding Recent Graduate

Alexa Ard ’16 (journalism)
Samantha McBride ’13 (environmental engineering)

Exceptional Achievement

Kenneth Howard ’74 (managerial sciences)
Jeffrey Hutzler ’83 (elementary education)
Jason Naaktgeboren ’20 (certificate renewable energy)
Travis Walker ’09 (biology) ’14 M.D., ’20 MPH

Tammy Westergard ’87 (speech communications)

Silver & Blue Appreciation

Dragonfly Energy

University Service

Edgard Hitti ’01 M.S. (civil engineering)

College and Unit Distinguished Alumni

Athletics

Virgil ’10 (criminal justice) & Marianne Green ’11 (accounting)

College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources

J.J. Goicoechea

College of Education & Human Development

George Hardaway ’71 (physical education)

College of Engineering's James G. Scrugham Medal Recipient

Catriona Black ’95 (materials science and engineering)

College of Liberal Arts

Robert Boisson ’78 (art)

College of Science’s Samuel Abraham Goudsmit Medal Recipient

Leslie Sherrill ’00, ’03 M.S., ’06 Ph.D. (physics) & Manolo Sherrill ’03 Ph.D. (physics)

Mackay School of Earth Science and Engineering’s John William Mackay Medal Recipient

Timothy Crowley ’92 (geography)

Orvis School of Nursing

Denise Larsen Stahlbusch ’17 MSN, ’22 DNP

Reynolds School of Journalism

Lawrence Ryckman ’83 (journalism)

School of Public Health

Patrick Ronan ’94 (health education)

School of Social Work

Norma Moyle ’92 M.S. (social work)

The College of Business

George Peek ’65 (accounting)    

Honors College

Erin Edgington ’08 (French & sociology), ’18 M.A. (educational leadership)

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

John Gray M.D.

University Libraries Distinguished Alumnus Award

Jim Hulse ’52 (journalism), ’58 M.A. (history)