2026 Alumni Awards Announcement Toolkit

Contents

• Distinguished Service Award Recipients
• Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
• Luminary Award Recipients
• Forward Award Recipients
• How to Promote the Award Winners
• Communication Timeline
• Social Media
• Additional Resources

2026 Alumni Award Recipients

Bios, press releases, and photos for each recipient can be found at: go.uwalumni.com/waa-awards

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award acknowledges people who have had an unparalleled impact on UW–Madison. While many have contributed to the university in ways great and small, the Distinguished Service Award was created to honor those whose impact has been truly transformational. Distinguished Service Award honorees are chosen by the UW–Madison Office of the Chancellor, and the award is given in partnership with the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.

Deborah and Elzie Higginbottom
Elzie: Founder and Chair of East Lake Management & Development Corp.
1965; BS, Agricultural Economics

Marianne and Sheldon Lubar Sheldon
Founder and Chairman, Lubar & Co.
1951, BBA, Business; 1953, LLB, Law

Distinguished Alumni Award

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the longest-standing honor bestowed by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Since 1936, WAA has been presenting the award to the most prestigious graduates of UW–Madison for their professional achievements, contributions to society, and support of the university.

Laura Cha
Former Chair, Hong Kong Stock Exchange
1972, BA, French

Stephen H. Marcus
Chairman Emeritus, Marcus Corporation
1957, BBA, Accounting

Jay Smith
Board Chair, Teel Plastics
1963, BS, Economics

Luminary Award

The Luminary Award recognizes alumni who serve as aspirational examples for others through their accomplishments in the areas of leadership, discovery, progress, and service. It celebrates extraordinary Badgers who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their professions and/or service or philanthropy

Quilen Blackwell
Cofounder, Southside Blooms and Chicago Eco House
2006, BA, History

Kathryn Meurs
Randall B. Terry Jr.Dean and Distinguished Professor in Comparative Medicine at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
1986, BS, Integrative Biology; 1990, DVM, Veterinary Medicine

Nimesh Nagarsheth
Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Englewood Health; Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
1993, BS, Integrative Biology

Navrina Singh
Founder and CEO, Credo AI
2003, MS; Engineering

Jake Sunshine
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington
2005, BA, History

Tamara Thomsen
Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society
1991, BS, Horticulture and Agronomy; 1993, MS Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics

Forward Award

The Forward Award acknowledges rising stars in various fields who exemplify the Wisconsin Idea through an emphasis on service, discovery, and progress. Young alumni who have demonstrated exceptional early-career achievement and a positive impact on their professions or communities are eligible for this award

Ryan Clarke
Cofounder & Chief Scientific Officer, Syntax Bio
2014, BS, Biochemistry

Derek Ho
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania
2018, BS; 2021, MS; 2024, PhD; all degrees in Biological Systems Engineering

Katy Jinkins
Chief Executive Officer, Cofounder, SixLine Semiconductor
2017, MS, Materials Science; 2020, PhD, Materials Science and Engineering

Dakota Kaiser
Managing Partner and Clinical Director, Tall Pines Behavioral Health
2011, BS, Biology and Psychology, Certificates in Environmental Studies and Educational Policy Studies

Jessica Lyga
Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager, The Freedom Fund
2014, BA, International Studies

Patricia Paskov Director of Standards, AI Verification and Evaluation Research Institute (AVERI); Adjunct Researcher, RAND Center on AI, Security, and Technology; and Research Affiliate, Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative
2015, BS, Agricultural and Applied Economics; Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies; Certificate in Development Economics

How to Promote the Award Winners

Use the resources provided in this communications toolkit to help celebrate the recipients and highlight those from your school, college, or region by featuring them in your communications. In the past, some award recipients have returned to campus to speak to classes or at events and engage with students, alumni, and faculty in other ways. Please reach out to Andrea Berns at andrea.berns@supportuw.org if you’re interested in connecting with a recipient to engage them within your area.

Audience & Promotion

The audience is all Badger alumni and friends; please promote widely and within your school.

Important URLS

Websites

Wisconsin Alumni Association awards program: uwalumni.com/awards

Distinguished Service Award: go.uwalumni.com/dsa

Distinguished Alumni Award: go.uwalumni.com/daa

Luminary Award: go.uwalumni.com/luminary-award

Forward Award: go.uwalumni.com/forward-award

Nomination form: go.uwalumni.com/nominate

Shared files: go.uwalumni.com/waa-awards

General Wisconsin Alumni Association media resources and logos: uwalumni.com/for-news-media/

Communications Timeline

WAA general communications

• Social Media posts – August
• Publications: Badger Insider, Badger Vibes, Flamingle, and Badger Leader Connection – August through October

Press Release
Early July

Alumni Awards publication
First week of September

Forward Award recognition
October 1

Distinguished Service Award presentation
October 23

Distinguished Alumni Award presentation
October 23

Luminary Award presentation
April 15, 2027

TOP PRIORITIES

• Announce award recipients and share Badger pride in their accomplishments through media outlets
• Identify opportunities to deepen or develop relationships with award recipients

QUESTIONS

Andrea Berns
Senior Director, Administrative Programs
608-308-5172
andrea.berns@supportuw.org

Tod Pritchard
Senior Director, Media and Public Relations
608-308-5497
tod.pritchard@supportuw.org

Social Media

We’ve provided social media posts that can be customized to celebrate and highlight the alumni award recipients. Whenever possible, please use this hashtag in posts: #WisAlumni

HASHTAGS AND HANDLES
Schools and colleges are encouraged to help promote the alumni award recipients by using #WisAlumni and tagging Wisconsin Alumni Association (@WisAlumni) in social posts.

Please use these links when showcasing recipients:

Awards home page:
uwalumni.com/awards

Distinguished Service Award recipients:
go.uwalumni.com/dsa

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients:
go.uwalumni.com/daa

Luminary Award:
go.uwalumni.com/luminary-award

Forward Award Recipients:
go.uwalumni.com/forward-award

Facebook page tags:
Wisconsin Alumni Association: @WisAlumni

X (formerly known as Twitter) profile tags:
Wisconsin Alumni Association: @WisAlumni

Instagram tags:
Wisconsin Alumni Association: @wisalumni

LinkedIn tags:
Wisconsin Alumni Association: @WisAlumni

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING

Below are a few sample posts for use on social media channels. To access the graphics and sample copy below and more, please visit: go.uwalumni.com/waa-awards

Sample Feature Posts

A graphic of each recipient can be found at go.uwalumni.com/waa-awards.

Additional Resources

Please visit go.uwalumni.com/waa-awards go to access these additional promotional resources.

Kiosk Digital Slides
Access suggested copy for individual school and college kiosks highlighting your award winners.

Headshots
Access publicity shots for each award recipient to use in print, with press releases, or on your website.

Press Release
Access the official press releases, which include bios and information about all of the award recipients.

Digital Awards Publication
Read the digital version of the 2023 Alumni Awards magazine.