UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Alumni Association presented 13 Penn Staters with the Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Alumni Association, on Sept. 20 at the State Theatre in downtown State College.
Watch the full 2023 Alumni Fellow Awards Ceremony here via the Alumni Association’s official recording, view the photo gallery from the evening, and learn more about the honorees on the Alumni Association's Alumni Fellows page.
This year’s honorees are:
- George Garrow '85g Med (Shenango*)
- Thomas Hoffman II '88 Bus (Behrend*)
- Roberto Lugo '14 A&A
- Fredrick Metzger, Jr. '81 Agr
- Judd Moul '79 Sci
- Ajay Nair '95 H&HD, '02g Edu (Edu*)
- Ryan Newman '01 Bus (Schreyer*)
- Brian Olsavsky '85 Eng
- Jane Rigby '00 Sci
- Charles Venditti '96g Med
- Gretchen Watkins '90 Eng
- Gil Wernovsky '82g Med
- Dean Winslow '74 Sci
*Honorees who were nominated by a college different than their graduating college have an asterisk next to their listing.
Award recipients each shared some words during their time on stage after a brief introduction by Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi.
The honorees expressed gratitude toward those who helped them achieve such great heights, and highlighted the magnitude of accepting a distinction like the Alumni Fellow Award. Following the singing of the Alma Mater, attendees shared each other’s company during a reception at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
The Alumni Fellow program is administered by the Penn State Alumni Association in cooperation with the University’s academic colleges, campuses, and the Office of the President, and is the highest honor presented by the Alumni Association.
Alumni are nominated by a college or campus as leaders in their professional fields and accept an invitation from the president of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators.
Learn more about the award on the Alumni Association's website.