Distinguished Alumni Award

Nominations for the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award for 2024 are now closed. Submissions for the 2025 award will be accepted beginning from July 15 to September 30, 2024.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards were authorized by the Board of Trustees in 1951. It is the University’s highest honor presented to its alumni.

Nominations may include living alumni of Penn State “whose personal lives, professional achievements and community service exemplify the objectives of their Alma Mater.” For your information, links are provided to lists of the current Society of Distinguished Alumni membership, as well as to lists of previous recipients of Alumni Fellow and Alumni Achievement Awards.

Current members of the Board of Trustees, current employees of the University, and current officers and members of the Executive Board of the Alumni Association are not eligible for the award.

Please direct any questions about the award or candidate nominations to the Board Office at brh12@psu.edu or 814-865-9567.

 

Eight Penn State alumni to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2024

Eight Penn State alumni selected by the University’s Board of Trustees will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, the institution’s highest honor presented to its alumni.

The following individuals have been officially notified of their selection by the board and were invited to accept the award from the University later this year:

  • Abdul F. Alias, former group president and chief executive officer of May Bank. He earned a bachelor of science from the Smeal College of Business in 1990.
  • Toni R. Ardabell, chief of clinical enterprise operations for Inova Health System. She earned a bachelor of science from the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing in 1976.
  • Barbara G. Cohen, retired founder and president of Kannon Consulting. She earned a bachelor of arts from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1974.
  • Gregory T. Lucier, chief executive officer of Corza Health, and managing director, RiverRoad Capital Partners. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Engineering in 1986.
  • Dr. Fred L. Metzger, founder and medical director of Metzger Animal Hospital. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Agricultural Sciences in 1981.
  • George H. Miller, managing partner and chief operating officer, Meier Partners. He earned a bachelor of science from the College of Arts and Architecture in 1973.
  • Ala Stanford, American pediatric surgeon and founder of R.E.A.L. Concierge Medicine. She earned a bachelor of science in 1991 from the Eberly College of Science and a doctor of medicine in 1997 from the College of Medicine.
  • Thomas M. Verducci, American sportswriter, commentator and analyst. He earned a bachelor of arts from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in 1982.