The IU South Bend Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes outstanding IU South Bend alumni who have made significant contributions to their communities or professions. Any living IU South Bend alum is eligible for nomination. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented at IU South Bend's Night of the Titans.
Recognizing outstanding alumni
Alumni are invited to make nominations for IU South Bend's Distinguished Alumni Award
Make a nominationAward recipients
2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Charles F. Nelson, M.S.Ed. '74
Chuck is the recently retired executive director of the Judd Leighton Foundation in South Bend, Indiana. In this position he inaugurated and held for 13 years, he assisted the board of director’s in carrying out the goals of the foundation in the areas of health, education, and economic development. These grants range from several thousand dollars to multi-million-dollar awards and include several recent grants to Indiana University South Bend for the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics, the new innovation and entrepreneurship center, as well as grants to the Indiana University School of Medicine, to expand their programs to benefit the local community.
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Past recipients
2020s
2023 Charles F. Nelson, M.S.Ed. '74
2022 Charlotte D. Pfeifer-Gillam, B.A '76, M.P.A. '81
2021 Diane Dudek Parmelee, B.S.N. ’84
2020 Michael L. Blakesley, B.A. ’74 (Mathematics)
2010s
2019 Robert H. Johnson, B.S. '79 (Business)
2018 Joseph A. Mancini, B.S. '78 (Business)
2017 Emil “Lucky” Reznik, M.S.B.A '76
2016 Frank K. Martin, M.S.B.A. '78, M.B.A. '92
2015 Jerry L. Thacker, M.S. '75 (Education)
2014 Isaac P. Torres, M.B.A. '00
2013 Christopher L. Craft, B.S. '89 (Business)
2012 Cheryl Little, B.A. '85 (Political Science), M.L.S. '09
2011 Christine Lauber, B.S. '70 (Business), M.S.B.A. '73, M.B.A. '89
2010 Michael J. Wargo, A.S. '81 (Criminal Justice), B.G.S. '82
2000s
2009 A. Bruce Burkart, B.S. '72 (Business)
2008 Kirk A. Root, M.S.B.A. '84, M.B.A. '89
2007 John J. Voorde, B.S. '68 (Business)
2006 Marsha P. Brook, M.S. '77 (Education)
2005 Larry E. Lentych, B.S. '69 (Business)
2005 Andre L. Anderson, B.A. '99 (Psychology)
2004 Charles R. Niemier, M.S.B.A. '83
2003 Jonathan W. Housand Jr., B.S. '69 (Business), M.B.A. '72
2002 Phyllis Wezeman, B.G.S '84, M.S. '90 (Education)
2001 Kurran Strunk, M.S. '98 (Education)
2000 Thomas N. Frederick, B.A. '70 (Political Science)
1990s
1999 Alma C. Powell, B.S. '70 (Education), M.S. '72 (Education)
1998 David Bloss Sr., B.S. '73 (Business)
1996 Katie Humphreys, M.S. '74 (Education)
1995 Fred S. Kahn, M.S.B.A. '75
1994 Michael P. Kube-McDowell, M.S. '81 (Education)
1993 Alan H. Hall, M.D., B.A. '73 (Sociology)
