Nominate a distinguished Malone graduate for one of our prestigious awards
Nominations are due by May 31 each year. Please choose a nominee for one of the categories below:
- Alumna/Alumnus of the Year
- Graduate Programs Alumna/Alumnus of the Year
- Degree-Completion Programs Alumna/Alumnus of the Year
- Young Alumna/Alumnus of the Year
- The Earl H. Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award*
Criteria
- The nominee must be a graduate of Malone University, Malone College, or Cleveland Bible College.
- Young Alumni are graduates from the past ten years who are 35 years of age or younger.
- The nominee should demonstrate success in his or her professional field.
- The nominee should demonstrate activity in two or more of the following areas: public service to community, non-profit organizations, educational organizations, professional organizations, the Malone University Alumni Executive Board, or Malone University.
- The nominee should be a recipient of other honors or recognition.
- The nominee must have high personal integrity and character demonstrating and living the mission of Malone University as a person of intellectual maturity, wisdom, and Christian faith committed to serving the church, community, and world.
Current Alumni Award Recipients
Alumnus of the Year 2025: David Yakley ’95
David Yakley ’95, currently in the role of creative director, has worked in the Office of University Relations at Malone University since 1999. As an employee, he has designed countless publications including the award-winning Malone Magazine, admissions recruiting materials, branding, campus signage, and visual communications for almost every department on campus. He has also had the privilege of producing materials for three presidential inaugurations, the name change to University, special publications for the 125th anniversary and other historic events, three website redesigns, as well as the 2005 devotional book, A Gathered Stillness.
In addition to his role in UR, David has taught numerous classes in the department of Communication, Visual, and Performing Arts; including digital page design, typography, visual communication in graphic design, and communication skills. He has been a member of Staff Council and the Athletics Hall of Fame committee, and has been the scorekeeper for men’s and women’s basketball for more than 20 years. Highlights of his service to Malone include co-leading service-learning trips with professor Barbara Drennan to paint murals on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (2000–04), and with Chorale director Jerry Geiger to sing and serve in Jamaica in 2005 and 2007.
As an undergrad at Malone, he majored in Communications Comprehensive (now Integrated Language Arts), graduating magna cum laude. David was selected as the outstanding senior in the Communication Arts and Education departments. He wrote for the Avisofor four years, serving as editor in 1994 and was in the first group of students to serve as course assistants in Malone’s GEN100 program. He also attended the Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown University. A valued highlight of his student experience was singing in Chorale for five years. He is grateful for the many friends and mentors who touched his life during his five years as a student. Significant role models include Dale King, Suzie Thomas, Susan Armstrong, and Kim Phipps.
After graduating from Malone, David attended the Yale Gordon College of Liberal arts at the University of Baltimore and earned an M.A. in Publications Design. He was part of a group that won the competitive Phillips Award for new media for work done on the culminating project for the program.
In his professional work, David represented Malone on the Board of Directors of the national University and College Designers Association (UCDA) for 10 years (2012-2021). He chaired the 2015 UCDA Conference in Orlando and hosted numerous workshops throughout Ohio. In 2022, the Association honored David with the UCDA Award. This award has been presented to 24 individuals since its inception in 1995 and recognizes those who have significantly contributed to the organization’s success. He also served on the local board of the Canton Advertising Federation from 2008-2012 where he was ADDY competition chair.
David’s community service includes sitting on the board of Canton Harbor High School (2012–22). He regularly does volunteer design work for YoungLife of Tuscarawas and Holmes Counties and the Sugarcreek Ministerial Association. He is a lifelong member of Ragersville Zion United Church of Christ near Sugarcreek.
David’s parents, Gerald and Beverly Yakley, reside in Sugarcreek. He would like to sincerely thank them for making the opportunity to earn a degree at Malone possible.
Young Alumna of the Year 2025: Megan Mauck ’16
Megan Mauck ’16 graduated from Malone with a bachelor of arts in business administration.
She spent seven years serving in Malone’s Alumni Relations office, first as assistant director under Deb Robinson ‘76 and later as director upon Deb’s retirement. Megan’s creativity resulted in alumni engagement initiatives such as the first student and alumni service-learning trip to England (including a climb up the real Pendle Hill) and expanded alumni engagement in Washington, D.C. She also helped establish the Athletic Hall of Fame breakfast as part of Homecoming Weekend.
In addition to her administrative leadership, Megan has been an instructor at Malone, teaching both the GEN 100 course and, more recently, hospitality courses in the business department. She has also led spiritual formation opportunities and collaborated with Student Development to support students in their understanding of what it means to remain connected with Malone after graduation. Megan has a heart for college-aged students and a great desire to see them know Christ and grow in their walks with Him.
While she was a student, Megan was active as a resident assistant in Fox Hall for two years and as a student worker in the Admissions Office and Student Development Office. She enjoyed participating in campus traditions like Davenport Derby, Airband, Little Saints, and Res Hall Palooza.
Beyond Malone, she is actively involved in her church community, Grace Church, Medina East Campus. In the past, she’s served on the worship team, children’s church, and as a leader and helper with Vacation Bible School. She currently serves on the First Impressions team and enjoys doing life with her life group on a weekly basis.
She currently works at Carolyn Valentine Co., Inc., a Canton-based tax planning and financial services firm, doing tax preparation, billing, and client communications. The consummate hostess, Megan loves to cook, go camping with her family, enjoys concerts and traveling, and is always game for a coffee run with friends.
Megan resides in Barberton.
Graduate Program Alumna of the Year 2025: Patricia Sommer ’19 ’24
Tricia earned a bachelor of arts in organizational management and later earned an MBA with a concentration in data analytics. She was inducted as a member of the Mu Upsilon chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda while she was an undergraduate, and was honored as the outstanding graduate of the 2023–2024 MBA cohort. Both of these degrees were earned while she balanced work and family life.
Tricia currently serves as Malone’s associate registrar. Her inclination toward planning and her giftedness in navigating technology and data led her to establish improved identification and tracking methods in the specialized College Credit Plus program. Her ability to learn and master several different technical applications allows her to keep the processes within the office streamlined and up-to-date with newer technologies. Working within an academic support office, Tricia’s ability to implement technological improvements helps the Office of the Registrar support students, faculty, and administration in serving our students.
But don’t let her skills with technology limit your view of Tricia to being a data ‘nerd’ – because her vibrant personality and ability to connect with students puts the information gained to work in helping them navigate their academic programs. She can decipher their needs and help them discern their next steps so that they can stay on track for graduation. Her desire to meet with them one-on-one or promptly answer faculty questions makes her an invaluable resource to all whom she serves on a daily basis. She makes all those who come in contact with her feel welcome.
Tricia’s commitment to Malone is evident in her work life and has been a testament to the founding principles Malone attests to; she engages in research, scholarly inquiry, working for justice, and contributes to the strengthening of community life. All of these characteristics reflect her growth and the manifestation of the Malone values embedded in the education she pursued as a Malone student.
Outside of her daily work, Tricia’s commitment to Malone’s values are also reflected in her strong sense of family! She is active in her community through Mt. Zion Country Church in Minerva, where her children serve as acolytes, and she often supports local youth sports.
But she is most proud of her role as mom to her three sons—Dathan, Trevin, and Declan.
Tricia and her family reside in Carrollton.
Pioneer Pinnacle Award: Eric Lund ’91
The Pioneer Pinnacle Award is presented to individuals or groups that have made a difference at Malone through their service, involvement, and support. Award winners have shown a desire to help Malone empower students to seek “Christ’s Kingdom First” both in their vocation and in their daily lives. They have adopted a mindset of service to God and to others, and have given their time, talent, and treasure to Malone University.
Eric Lund ’91 was chosen as this year’s recipient for his entrepreneurial thinking that continues to benefit his alma mater.
A native of Boardman, Eric received a bachelor of arts degree from Malone with concentrations in business, communications, and biology. During his senior year, he served as president of the student body and was a writer for the Aviso.
In 1997, Eric founded MedSource, a full-service clinical research organization (CRO), and served as its president for 24 years before selling it to a European company that was looking for an entry point into the U.S. market. He has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical development industry.
Under Eric’s leadership and direction, MedSource grew into an award-winning global research organization known for its oncology expertise.
Since selling MedSource, Eric founded Tidewater Ventures – a real estate holdings company– and is the chairman of the Lund Family Foundation. He also serves on the executive committee of the Malone Board of Trustees.
Eric was selected for the Pioneer Pinnacle Award by President Greg Miller. He has been a trusted adviser to Dr. Miller, especially in terms of leadership, and has worked to connect Malone with individuals who could be difference makers for the University.
Eric has served as a deacon at his church and taught adult Sunday school classes for 18 years. He also taught martial arts and self-defense for 15 years, and currently provides pro-bono business coaching and financial advice for local business owners.
He has been married to his wife, Vanessa, for 34 years and they have three adult sons. The family currently resides in Texas.
Previous Alumni Award Recipients
Since 1962, the Malone University Alumni Association has presents awarded annually in order to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding achievements of excellence, loyal support of Malone University, and exemplary service to their church and community. Awards are presented during Homecoming weekend.
Alumni of the Year
- 1962 — Worthy A. Spring ’26
- 1963 — Byron L. Osborne ’16
- 1964 — Emily R. Moore ’19, ’38
- 1965 — John O. Grafton ’30
- 1966 — Amos N. Henry ’27, ’50
- 1967 — Ralph Earle ’32
- 1968 — Harold B. Kuhn ’34
- 1969 — Charles S. Ball ’35
- 1970 — Clifton J. Robinson ’41
- 1971 — Harold B. Winn ’42
- 1972 — John P. Williams ’43
- 1973 — William D. Green ’43
- 1974 — David P. Rawson ’62
- 1975 — Edward L. Mitchell ’51
- 1976 — Edward Escolme ’16
- 1977 — Rev. Irving F. Chase ’45
- 1978 — Curtis A. Chambers ’46
- 1979 — Raymond P. Taggart ’21, ’38
- 1980 — Elsie (Lambright) Matti ’19
- 1981 — Earl M. Smith ’36
- 1982 — None Awarded
- 1983 — Edward O. Linton ’33
- 1984 — Howard S. Lauby ’39
- 1985 — Edward W. Kuehnel ’27 and David R. Van Valkenburg ’64
- 1986 — Charles E. Bancroft ’52
- 1987 — Elisabeth O. Robinson ’40
- 1988 — Howard W. Moore ’46
- 1989 — E. Anna Nixon ’39
- 1990 — Earl H. Bailey ’66
- 1991 — Frank R. Raymond ’66
- 1992 — H. David Bryant ’67
- 1993 — None Awarded
- 1994 — Olive Osborne ’32
- 1995 — Timothy J. Bricker ’74
- 1996 — Connie Hubbard ’75
- 1997 — Italo P. Ventura ’73
- 1998 — David P. Murray ’82
- 1999 — Paul N. Anderson ’78
- 2000 — Mark A. Engel ’78
- 2001 — Bill Casto ’62 & Priscilla (Parcell) Casto ’71
- 2002 — Mervin C. Yoder ’75
- 2003 — John P. Williams, Jr. ’67
- 2004 — Jim Bridges ’66
- 2005 — Meredythe Scheflen ’50
- 2006 — Rick Sams ’75
- 2007 — J. Larry Durstine ’73
- 2008 — Gary W. Mast ’71
- 2009 — John David Geib ’77
- 2010 — Russell Zinn ’54 and Esther Zinn ’54
- 2011 — Cedric Rodney ’58
- 2012 — Paul Miller ’66
- 2013 — Cyrus Mad-Bondo ’98
- 2014 — Jacalynn Stuckey ’77
- 2015 — Martha Mooney ’74
- 2016 — Teresa Purses ’86
- 2017 — Curtis Thompson ’84
- 2018 — Keith Cureton `85
- 2019 — Clark Hoopes `75
- 2021 — David Aufrance ’74 and Cynthia (Hershberger) Aufrance ’74
- 2022 — Deron Boring ’01
- 2023 — Stanley Anderson `80 & Marva (Anderson) Hoopes `76 `97
- 2024 — Charles Goldy ’70,
Graduate Programs Alumni of the Year
- 2002 — Nancy McCullough ’92
- 2003 — Thomas Michaels ’95
- 2004 — Tim Dodd ’02
- 2005 — William Sanderson ’96
- 2006 — Henry Beun ’89, ’06
- 2007 — Beth Clark-Thomas ’94
- 2008 — Ira Wentworth ’93, ’97
- 2009 — Stephanie Snow Werren ’99
- 2010 — Tammy Slayman ’00, ’04
- 2011 — Greg Nettle ’97
- 2012 — Tanya Hockman ’94, ’99
- 2013 — Ronald Crock ’88, ’01
- 2014 — Leopoldo “Polo” Paredes ’12
- 2015 — Susan Stewart ’05
- 2016 — Jane Miller ’97
- 2017 — LaToya Dickens ’06
- 2018 — Norm Wengerd `03
- 2019 — Chad Minor `15
Degree-Completion Programs Alumni of the Year: Leadership Excellence Award
- 2002 — Nancy Diller-Shively ’94
- 2003 — Donna Nedelk-Boyer ’92
- 2004 — Larry Smerglia ’90
- 2005 — Herb Miller ’89
- 2006 — William Thorla ’00
- 2007 — Carl Ralston ’92
- 2008 — Vicki Haines ’02
- 2009 — Paskel “Pat” Berry ’07
- 2010 — Terri Bate ’01
- 2011 — Yvonne Brake ’98
- 2012 — Melissa Carr ’10, ’12
- 2013 — Lori Jones Stokes ’01
- 2014 — Kathy Catazaro-Perry ’99
- 2015 — Gloria Talarico ’87
- 2016 — Jerome West ’08
- 2017 — Ronald Watson ’93
- 2018 — Barbara Lange `03
Young Alumni of the Year
- 2002 — Amber (Anderson) Johnson ’97
- 2003 — Eric J. Lund ’91
- 2004 — Sue (Doerschuk) Grabowski ’91
- 2005 — Tara (Stringfellow) Bond ’96
- 2006 — Barry A. Naum ’96
- 2007 — Gretchen (Ricklic) Polen ’99
- 2008 — Jason Shilling ’98, ’01
- 2009 — T. Jason Lantz ’02
- 2010 — Rebecca Haver Bell ’00
- 2011 — Deron Boring ’01
- 2012 — Joel Daniel Harris ’04
- 2013 — Brian Hollingsworth ’02
- 2014 — Beau Tiger ’04
- 2015 — Daniel Ziegler ’06
- 2016 — Dustin White ’07 and Jamie White ’10
- 2017 — Kristen (Garman) Foss ’08, ’14
- 2018 — Dishon Kamwesa `10
- 2019 — Joshua Eck `11
- 2021 — Amber Zwick ’14
- 2022 — Rachel Jenkins ’16
- 2023 — Michael Terry `15
*Earl H. Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award
The Earl H. Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Malone University Alumni Executive Board. It is not awarded every year; only when an individual is nominated for their exemplary foresight, courage, and significant achievement in their professional lives or for distinguished human service. Friends, faculty, and administrators will be recognized for their meritorious service on behalf of the mission and advancement of Malone University.
To be selected for the Earl H. Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award, nominees must have:
- Attained prominence in their professional careers or
- Performed distinguished human services (in their local community or the world) or
- Conferred meritorious service to Malone University
The individual must be a person of such integrity, stature, and demonstrated ability that the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Malone University will be inspired by their recognition.
Nominees need not be graduates of Malone but must demonstrate a love and commitment to Malone and Malone’s mission that inspires others to live with Pioneer spirit.
Malone University administrators, faculty and staff will not be eligible for the Earl H. Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award until they have completed 30 years of employment or after their retirement or terminating employment. Former students employed by Malone University or serving in a governing position of the university are not eligible during the term of their employment or service. Members of the Malone Alumni Association Executive Board or other governing position of alumni association groups are not eligible during their term of service.
Nominations will be accepted from the following:
- Any member of the Malone University Alumni Association
- Any member of the Malone University faculty or staff
- Any member of the Malone University Board of Trustees
- Any retired member of the Malone University faculty or staff
Past Recipients:
- 2011 — Earl Bailey ’66
- 2014 — Jack Hazen
- 2019 — Deborah (Murray) `76 and Ron Robinson `78
- 2023 — Karen (Leach) Warner `76 `95
Pioneer Pinnacle Award
The Pioneer Pinnacle Award is presented to individuals or groups that have made a difference at Malone through their service, involvement, and support. Award winners have shown a desire to help Malone empower students to seek “Christ’s Kingdom First” both in their vocation and in their daily lives. They have adopted a mindset of service to God and to others, and have given their time, talent, and treasure to Malone University.
Introduced for the first time in 2023, this award is given by the administration at Malone University and is not open to public nominations.
Past Recipients:
- 2023 — Rod ’99 and Liz ’99 Neuenschwander
- 2024 — ProVia