Alumni Promise
Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize alumni who have achieved significant levels of accomplishment in the early to middle stages of their careers. It is designed to publicly acknowledge these “rising stars” who have exhibited exceptional talent and promise.
Winners
2023
Jordan Roach
Jordan Roach (‘16) graduated summa cum laude from the College of Arts and Sciences with an undergraduate honors degree in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. Roach is a physician-scientist trainee in the Division of Brain Tumor Research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As an aspiring pediatric neurosurgeon-scientist, he has a keen interest in pediatric neurosurgical oncology and the cellular and molecular features associated with some of the most aggressive forms of childhood brain cancer.
Roach works to identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities in patient-derived tumor models of pediatric high-grade glioma. These efforts are part of a broader collaborative initiative that Roach participates in with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute aimed at bringing together world-class expertise to accelerate discoveries for childhood brain tumors and other malignancies.
Apart from his laboratory-based research, he is committed to capacity building efforts that enhance access to neurosurgical care for children with central nervous system tumors in low- and middle-income countries. He currently works with members of the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine on projects pertaining to the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.
“My years as an undergraduate student at UT were, without question, some of the most enriching and memorable years of my early professional development,” Roach said. “The dual experiences of being exposed to basic science in faculty labs and spending a lot of time volunteering at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital helped me evolve my interests, but also pursue a career path where I could incorporate science to identify cures for some of the most devastating forms of pediatric brain cancer. It’s really a privilege and I am thrilled to be presented with this alumni promise award tonight in the natural sciences.”
Ericka Walker
Ericka Walker (’10) graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the School of Art. She lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she is an associate professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design – NSCAD University. Her work was included in the recent Knoxville Museum of Art exhibition Landfall Press: Five Decades of Printmaking.
In addition to her work as a printmaker, Walker extends her commitment to a publicly engaged practice through the painting of large-scale murals, a natural extension of her work as a printmaker. Her work on murals includes a recent project in Milwaukee commissioned by the Milwaukee Art Museum. Working with Curator of Prints and Drawings Nicki Otten, Walker created a limited edition print in conjunction with “Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret,” a major exhibition of Chéret’s posters held last summer. Walker was one of 25 artists in Canada selected for the 2019 long-list for the Sobey Art Award, which is the pre-eminent annual prize for contemporary Canadian art.
Walker has exhibited her prints widely throughout North America and other continents, and her work has found homes in multiple public collections. Her work appeared recently in exhibitions at the Huron Arts Gallery in San Francisco; the Civic and Cultural Center Numancia in Santander, Spain; the Novosibirsk Graphic Arts Triennial at the Novosibirsk State Art Museum in Russia; and the International Print Center in New York City. Walker won the Grand Prize at the 2018 Okanagen Print Triennial in Kelowna, British Columbia.
“I am in the middle of my career and thinking more and more every day about how I can shape my field and my discipline to make it something sustainable for the people coming after me so they can continue to do the work that all of you are doing and the careers you have shaped, like mine and Jordan’s,” Walker said. “What a wonderful night. I am honored to receive this award from the college.”
2022
Abigail Blount
Captain Blount is a 2014 alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences, graduating magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary degree in linguistics and Spanish. At the age of 30, she has reached the rank of US Army Captain, and is one of only 92 women ever to complete Army Ranger School. Captain Blount is one of an elite group of female AH-64 Apache Helicopter Pilots and is regarded by her peers as a motivator, mentor, and glass-ceiling breaker.
In addition to these accomplishments, Captain Blount won the Regional Golden Gloves Boxing Championship for the east coast in 2019 and was named Outstanding Female Boxer in North Carolina in 2019. She volunteers her time as a coach and mentor for youth at her hometown gym in Fayetteville, North Carolina, especially to young girls needing confidence to compete in combat sports.
Perhaps the most poignant summary of Abigail Blount’s character comes from one of her nominators, as follows:
“Abby has persevered to achieve her goals, never quit on her dreams and maintained an optimism about the goodness of humanity and the unlimited potential of every human being. But probably the quality I most admire, is that Abby never sees her achievements as an end in themselves – she wants to forge a path to motivate and lead others. I’ve always seen her go to bat for the underdog, or take time to really see others and help them believe in themselves. And consistent with that compassion is the humility I see, as she never draws attention to herself or her accomplishments, but always acknowledges the team members around her, the leaders who have invested in her, and her family who have loved and supported her. If anyone deserves recognition for outstanding achievements and character, it is Abigail Blount.”
2021
Achievement in Humanities
Jordan T. Kuck
Jordan Kuck is an assistant professor of history at Brevard College, where he teaches European and global history. He holds two degrees from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and obtained his PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2014. At UT, Kuck studied under Professor Vejas Liulevicius.
Kuck has published a number of articles and book chapters on the history of Latvia, including Kārlis Ulmanis, his authoritarian regime, interwar Latvia, and transnational fascism and totalitarianism. Two of his publications were solicited by the Latvian government and Latvian Institute of International Affairs as part of the centennial celebration of Latvian independence. He is currently working on a manuscript on the Ulmanis regime and his chapter on transnational totalitarianism in Latvia will appear in the forthcoming edited volume Dictatorship and Daily Life in Twentieth-Century Europe.
During his career, Kuck has received a number of prestigious awards, including a Fulbright, a U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship, and an Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) grant. While at UT, Kuck received the J. Wallace and Katie Dean Graduate Non-Service Fellowship, a number of departmental awards, and in 2011 was selected as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Extraordinary Professional Promise Award.
Achievement in Visual or Performing Arts
Alexandria Shiner
Shiner received her Master of Music from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2016 and her Bachelor of Music from Western Michigan University. She has garnered much critical acclaim in a short time. Shiner was a 2020 Grand Finals Winner in The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
She is a recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artists Program of Washington National Opera, which is one of the most prestigious training grounds for young operatic talents in the world. According to the Director of the Cafritz Young Artist Program, Shiner “is now the most remarkable young dramatic sopranos of her generation”.
She is a 2021 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition Third Place winner, 2019 Sara Tucker Study Grant recipient, and she placed second in the Young Artist category of the 2016 Orpheus National Music Competition for Vocalists. Shiner also competed as the Mid-South Regional Winner in the 2016 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Artist Awards in Chicago.
She visits UT several times a year to connect with faculty, alums, and local opera companies.
2020
Due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, there were no awards in 2020.
2019
Achievement in Natural Sciences
Morgan M. Steffen received her PhD in microbiology from UT in 2014. She is an assistant professor at James Madison University where she teaches and mentors students in research. Her area of focus is microbiology, particularly as it pertains to the toxic cyanobacterial blooms that are becoming a problem across the US and around the world. Most recently, Steffen led a team of university and government scientists that examined the potential causes of the Toledo Event in 2014, which resulted in shutting down the water supply to the City of Toledo, Ohio, during the August 2014 holiday weekend leaving approximately 500,000 residents without water. Her efforts combined molecular biology, limnology and satellite data with mathematical models to find the environmental drivers of the problem. Those data now inform utilities managers how to avoid the same circumstances in the future.
A brief review of Dr. Steffen’s CV will quickly reveal the level of respect she has earned from her colleagues both near and far. She collaborates with the best environmental microbiologist worldwide, reflecting her status as a recognized authority in environmental microbiology. She has received two NSF grants in the last three years. In 2018, James Madison University honored her with the Research and Scholarship Outstanding Faculty Award. Steffen has remained a tireless recruiter for the UT graduate program in microbiology. Fall 2019 will see a third student in just three years join microbiology from JMU biology. The ability to recruit the very best undergraduates from a top undergraduate biology program like that at JMU is a major advantage to UT faculty.
Achievement in Visual and Performing Arts
Crystal Wagner graduated summa cum laude in 2008 with her Master of Fine Arts in studio art with a concentration in printmaking. Wagner has already established herself as a significant artist with recognition of her work through major exhibitions and commissions both in the United States and abroad. Her promise is already realized, and her resume offers of record of the impressive work ethic of this young and very talented artist.
Wagner is gaining a significant international reputation for her work that combines printmaking and sculpture, which often uses recycled and repurposed materials in the creation of large-scale, site-specific installations. She maintains a diverse studio practice, which also involves the creation of smaller-scale dimensional print-works. When she was in graduate school in Knoxville, the Knoxville Museum of Art acquired one of her early pieces that combined print media and sculpture. Today, another work by Crystal graces the museum just beyond the entryway. Early on, the KMA recognized her significant promise, with a commitment to including her work in their permanent collection.
Wagner’s art is represented by galleries in San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Paris. She was a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Grant. The pace of her professional activities is astonishing. She has a number of exhibitions and projects scheduled into 2020, with a one-person exhibition at the prestigious international art festival Art Basel in Miami, Florida. Despite her growing international recognition, she has also remained present in Tennessee with a significant project during a residency in 2017 at the Cheekwood Fine Arts Center in Nashville. She also came back to Knoxville in 2015 to work with UT students in the creation of a major installation in the Art and Architecture Building for an alumni exhibition during the Southern Graphics Council International Printmaking Conference. Wagner’s professional record of exhibitions and commissions is notable, and anyone who sees her work can appreciate its sheer beauty and ingenuity. The ability of the arts to enrich our lives is clearly evident in her labors.
2018
Achievement in Natural Sciences
Peter Knappett earned a PhD in geology in 2010. After graduating, he received a prestigious Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Hemholtz Center for Environmental Health from 2010-11 in Munich, Germany, and from 2012-13, took another postdoctoral position at the Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. He is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University with plans to submit his tenure dossier this fall. Knappett’s research focuses on microbial contaminants and arsenic in alluvial aquifers in Bangladesh, Mexico, and the Southeastern United States. His accomplishments include 31 peer-reviewed journal articles, $430,000 in research grants, and advisor to a dozen graduate students. He also received the 2014 Kohut Early Career Award from the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America. Knappett collaborates with faculty in the UT Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, hosts speakers, and supports EPS with regular monetary contributions.
Achievement in Humanities
In 2000, Clayton McDonald graduated from the Language and World Business Program with a concentration in Spanish. Today, he is the head of global Sales for INTL FCStone, Inc., a publicly held financial services firm specializing in international currency trading in the developing world. He is one of the most active LWB alumni who returns to campus each year to guest lecture and attend poster presentations. His interactions with our students help them envision a career with a degree in Spanish. One student commented, “I had always viewed as being paid to travel as an aspiration I could only dream of, but after hearing from Mr. McDonald, it is now a goal that is more in reach.” In 2015, he established the Clayton McDonald Undergraduate Travel Abroad Scholarship for LWB students. McDonald began his career as a trader at INTL FCStone and worked his way up to his current position. His success reflects the message we try to get across about a degree in the humanities – it can lead to a successful and productive career anywhere in the world because the ability to communication in any language will always be a significant key to success.
2017
Achievement in Humanities
Katherine Sharp Landdeck (’02) earned a PhD in history and worked at the Center for the Study of War and Society while enrolled in graduate studies. She is an associate professor of history at Texas Women’s University with a research focus in public history. She has been recognized globally for her expertise on the Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II, including work with the media and in documentary films.
Katherine was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work as Contributing Producer and Historian on the film “Silver Wings, Flying Dreams: The Complete Story of the Women Air Force Service Pilots.” Other documentary film work includes as historian on the PBS station KERA’s Emmy-winning film “High Hopes” and the Gracie Award-winning film “We Served Too.”
Achievement in Performing Art
Conrad Ricamora (’12) received his MFA in theatre and in the five years since, has distinguished himself as an artistic talent, playing major roles on and off Broadway and on television. Conrad’s most visible and current work is as the featured character, Oliver Hampton, on ABC’s hugely successful legal series, How To Get Away With Murder, starring Academy Award winner Viola Davis. He has also just completed reprising his breakout role as Ninoy Aquino in a new production of the musical Here Lies Love, by David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim, for which he received a Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. Conrad is also a generous and eloquent supporter of UT and the Department of Theatre.
2016
Humanities Achievement Award
George Demacopoulos (’92) completed a bachelor’s degree in history at UT and a master’s degree in theological studies (with highest honors), at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1995. He went on to complete a master’s degree and a doctorate in religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the founding director of Fordham University’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center which is now a major research institute devoted to the history and culture of Orthodox Christianity.
Social Sciences Achievement Award
Cortney Piper (’03) earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. A member of the UT swim team, she was named to the Academic All-SEC team and the Lady Vol Honor Roll. She has been recognized as one of the top 40 under 40 in Knoxville, and is a member of the Political Science Advisory Board. Since 2008, she has served as president and founder of the Knoxville-based firm, Piper Communications, which specializes in clean energy communications consulting in the private and public sectors.
2015
Humanities Achievement Award
Chad Goldman (’93), who received a bachelor’s degree with a major in Spanish, is chief creative officer for OmniForce LLC, headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in four countries. The company and its subsidiaries, RaceForce LLC and CauseForce LLC, provide strategic marketing, sponsorship acquisition and production support, publicity, planning, logistics, training, and charitable components for athletic events.
Visual and Performing Arts
Kristin Lewis (’02), who received a master’s degree in music, is an internationally known operatic soprano. She formed the Kristin Lewis Foundation which provides scholarship funding for a promising vocal student to study for a week in Vienna, Austria.