NYU Alumni Association Awards
The NYU Alumni Association is proud to recognize outstanding graduates for their exceptional personal and professional achievements.
Recent Honorees
These honorees exemplify NYU's spirit through their contributions to their communities and around the world.
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William R. Berkley
STERN ’66
Chair Emeritus, NYU Board of Trustees
William R. Berkley (STERN ’66) [he/him] founded W. R. Berkley Corporation, a Fortune 500 property-casualty insurance holding company, in 1967. During his career, he has also founded a number of other public and private companies. He has been a member of the NYU Board of Trustees since 1995 and served as chair from 2015–2023. He also serves as a member of the NYU Langone Health Board of Trustees, NYU Stern School of Business Executive Board (former chairman), and NYU President’s Global Council. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Georgetown University, where he helped create the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, which is devoted to fostering interreligious dialogue with a goal of improving global cultural understanding. Berkley served as Chairman of Achievement First, a group of charter schools operating in the New York metropolitan area, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. He is also a former Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Connecticut.
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Don Katz
WSC ’74
Founder, Audible, Inc.
Don Katz [he/him] is the founder of Audible, Inc., the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Newark, NJ, since 2007, Audible serves millions of listeners and offers 800,000 downloadable Audible Originals, audiobooks, and other programs. Katz served as CEO of Audible from the company’s founding until 2020, when he moved into an executive chairman and then an advisory role. Prior to founding Audible, Katz was an award-winning journalist and author for twenty years.
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Keia Clarke
SPS ’06
CEO, New York Liberty
Keia Clarke, CEO [she/her] of the New York Liberty, spearheads all aspects of the organization’s business, overseeing P&L, operations, and strategic planning. With a pivotal role in the team’s successful transition to Barclays Center in 2021, she brings 14 years of experience with the Liberty, previously serving as COO and in various positions within the organization. Recognized for her achievements, Clarke has received numerous accolades from prominent publications including Crain's New York Business, Adweek, Sports Business Journal, and CNBC and received the NYU SPS Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020, solidifying her standing among distinguished women in sports business.
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Melissa T. Ojemeni
MEYERS ’18
Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Partners In Health
Melissa T. Ojemeni RN, PhD, [she/her] serves as the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at Partners In Health, providing strategic oversight to strengthen nursing and midwifery practice in eight countries. With over 15 years of experience in bedside nursing and teaching, Melissa strongly advocates for frontline worker participation in decision-making. Dr. Ojemeni has collaborated with both non-profit and educational institutions to advance the nursing profession through health services research, leadership capacity building, and workforce development.
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NYU Korean Alumni Association
Reunion Day
The Korean Alumni Association’s (KAA) annual, alumni-led NYU Reunion Day drew in over 200 alumni for a fun-filled night of mingling, drinks, and music.
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NYU Latinx Alumni Network
Breathe, Restore, Explore Series
In 2023, the NYU Latinx Alumni Network launched Breathe, Explore, Restore, a series of six programs centered in culturally relevant knowledge sharing, restorative grounding practices, and accessible wellness tools to care for Latinx alumni and their circles.
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Leighton Gordon
CAS ’06
NYU Alumni Club in the Bay Area
Co-Presidents of the NYU Alumni Club in the Bay Area Leighton [he/him] and Tammy [she/her] have gone above and beyond, hosting 30 events engaging over 300 local alumni in 2023.
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Tammy Dang
CAS ’00
NYU Alumni Club in the Bay Area
Co-Presidents of the NYU Alumni Club in the Bay Area Leighton [he/him] and Tammy [she/her] have gone above and beyond, hosting 30 events engaging over 300 local alumni in 2023.
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Barb Hickey
TSOA ’15
NYU Alumni in Portland
Barb Hickey [she/her] became an official NYU regional ambassador in late 2022 and has single-handedly organized and hosted six events for her small but mighty local alumni community.
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Kelly Kennedy Mack
STERN ’02
A longstanding alumni volunteer, Kelly [she/her] is a proud member of the NYU Board of Trustees and committee member for the Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at NYU Langone Health.
Distinguished
Alumni Awards
The NYU Alumni Association is proud to recognize outstanding graduates for their exceptional personal and professional achievements. Awardees are selected through a comprehensive nomination and evaluation process by the Awards Committee of the NYUAA Board. Their contributions to their communities and around the world exemplify NYU’s spirit. Each spring, honorees are recognized at the NYU Alumni Awards luncheon in New York City.
Alumni Volunteer
Awards
When alumni volunteers give of their time and their talent, they demonstrate what it means to have Violet Pride! As a way to celebrate our alumni volunteer community, the NYU Alumni Association celebrates and recognizes the exemplary commitment of officially-recognized clubs, groups and individuals through seven distinct award categories.
These awards are given to officially-recognized clubs, groups, and volunteers who have effectively engaged their alumni constituency and fulfilled or furthered the mission of the NYU Alumni Association through innovative events and community-building strategies, sustained leadership in engaging alumni, and cultivating the spirit of NYU pride.
Honorees are selected by fellow alumni volunteers and celebrated at the NYU Alumni Association's annual volunteer recognition event.
Nominations
Nominations will be accepted on a rolling basis. Submit your nominations today!
Past Honorees
View past NYUAA award honorees from 2014 to today. To reset filters, scroll back to the default title (i.e., if using the Industry filter, navigate back to the word Industry at the top of the filter.)
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Distinguished Alumni Award
GSAS ’90
2015
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Alumni Meritorious Service
CAS ’04
2018
Law
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
STEINHARDT ’65
2015
Education
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
WSC ’30
2015
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Distinguished Alumni Award
CAS ’00
2019
STEM
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
LAW '97
2019
Public Service
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Alumni Meritorious Service
SPS ’93, STERN ’94
2015
Finance
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STERN '96
2014
NYU Volunteer
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STERN '84
2021
NYU Volunteer
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New Volunteer of the Year
MEYERS ’15
2021
NYU Volunteer
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New Volunteers of the Year
2021
NYU Volunteer
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Innovation of the Year
2021
NYU Volunteer
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Event of the Year
2021
NYU Volunteer
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
TSOA ’09
2017
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Lifetime Service Award
WSC '50, LAW '52
2022
Law
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Lifetime Service Award
STERN '42, '51
2022
Non-Profit
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Distinguished Alumni Award
LAW ’77
2016
Real Estate
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Distinguished Alumni Award
GSM '79
2016
Public Service
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
STEINHARDT ’07
2016
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STERN ’81
2016
Education
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Alumni Meritorious Service
TANDON ’70, ’72
2016
STEM
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
LAW ’55
2017
Law
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Distinguished Alumni Award
STEINHARDT ’77, HON ’09
2017
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
2016
Education
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STERN ’94
2017
Finance
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Alumni Meritorious Service
GSM ’83
2017
Healthcare
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
GSAS ’78, ’82, MED ’81
2018
STEM
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Distinguished Alumni Award
LAW ’96
2018
Public Service
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Distinguished Alumni Award
STERN ’88
2018
Healthcare
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
TSOA ’04, MEYERS ’09
2018
Healthcare
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
TSOA ’09
2018
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Alumni Award
STERN ’76
2015
Finance
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STERN ’73
2015
Law
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
GSAS ’05
2015
Journalism
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Distinguished Alumni Award
ARTS ’55
2019
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
STEINHARDT ’07
2019
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
STEINHARDT ’07
2019
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
CAS ’13
2019
Public Service
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Alumni Meritorious Service
STEINHARDT '74
2019
Healthcare
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
CAS ’05, CIMS ’06
2014
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Distinguished Alumni Award
LAW ’98
2014
Finance
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Distinguished Alumni Award
MEYERS ’61, HON ’96
2014
Non-Profit
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
CIMS ’57
2014
Public Service
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
LAW ’75
2020/2021
Public Service
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Distinguished Alumni Award
GAL ’91
2020/2021
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
GLS ’12
2020/2021
Finance
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
CAS ’07
2020/2021
Public Service
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New Volunteer of the Year
SSSW '10
2020
NYU Volunteer
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New Volunteer of the Year
CAS '11
2020
NYU Volunteer
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Volunteer of the Year
2020
NYU Volunteer
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Event of the Year
2020
NYU Volunteer
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Volunteer of the Year
STERN '01
2020
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Club of Distinction
2020
NYU Volunteer
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Alumni Meritorious Service
GSAS '03, GSM '08
2020
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Distinguished Alumni Award
GAL '99
2023
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Alumni Award
DEN '92
2023
Healthcare
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
CAS '12, WAG '20
2023
Public Service
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
WAG '07, STEINHARDT '14
2023
Non-Profit
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
STEINHARDT '76
2023
Public Service
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Event of the Year
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Innovation of the Year
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Volunteer of the Year
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Club of Distinction
2022
NYU Volunteer
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New Volunteer of the Year
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Meritorious Service Award
GAL '14
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Meritorious Service Award
STERN '94
2022
NYU Volunteer
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Event of the Year
2023
NYU Volunteer
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Innovation of the Year
2023
NYU Volunteer
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Volunteer of the Year
CAS '06
2023
NYU Volunteer
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Volunteer of the Year
CAS '00
2023
NYU Volunteer
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New Volunteer of the Year
TSOA '15
2023
NYU Volunteer
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Meritorious Service Award
STERN '02
2023
NYU Volunteer
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service
STERN '66
2024
Finance
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Distinguished Alumni Award
WSC '74
2024
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Alumni Award
SPS '06
2024
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
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Distinguished Young Alumni Award
MEYERS '18
2024
Healthcare
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