Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award is presented to a graduate who has excelled in his or her chosen field and is under the age of 40. (Award recipient must be under the age of 40 as of January 1 of the year the award is to be made.)
Notes: This award was known as the New Carolinian Award prior to 1989. This award was not presented in 2011 during the Capital Campaign Kickoff.
Recipients are:
2012
Anton Gunn, '94, '01, is the director of external affairs in the office of intergovernmental and external affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve under the leadership of HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius on August 13, 2010. He served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing Richland and Kershaw counties in district 79, and was the first African-American to represent that district. Working at the national, state, and community level, Anton was recognized by Families USA for his outstanding and tireless work on behalf of the nation’s consumers and named as Families’ 2007 Consumer Health Advocate of the Year.
2010
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Jan Jeffcoat is a 2000 graduate from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. She currently co-anchors FOX Chicago News at Noon where she recently received an Emmy Award nomination for a 30 minute special she delivered from Haiti after the disastrous earthquakes this year. Prior to joining the FOX station in Chicago in 2007, Jan worked as a reporter and/or anchor in Charleston, SC, Charlotte, NC, and Houston, TX. Jan has garnered many awards and accolades during her career, including a pair of Emmy nominations for Best Anchor while in Houston as well as honors for Best Feature Story. She twice earned Texas AP awards for Best Anchor as well as two Star Award nominations by the American Women of Radio and Television for Best On-Air Personality.
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2009
Sara Wardrip Armstrong, '94, '99 MBA, is director of member services for the Republican National Committee. Her division supports the 168 national committee members across the country, and she serves as a liaison to assist in recruiting and helping candidates become elected at the national, state, and local level. Prior to her current position, Ms. Armstrong served at the White House as deputy director of the first lady’s Correspondence Office and director of the Visitors Office during the administration of George W. Bush. In 2007, she became Laura Bush’s deputy chief of staff, coordinating office operations and overseeing special projects.
2008
Nioaka “Nikki” Campbell, ’96, ’00 M.D., will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which goes to a graduate of the past 10 years who has excelled in his or her chosen field. Campbell is an assistant professor of clinical neuropsychiatry for the General Psychiatry Residency Program within Palmetto Health/USC School of Medicine. She received multiple awards for her clinical work during residency and was also the recipient of the School of Medicine Distinguished Young Physician Alumni Award.
2007
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Ainsley Earhardt-McKinney '99 BA, receives the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which is presented to a graduate of the past 10 years who has excelled in his or her chosen field. McKinney is currently an anchor for Fox News Channel. She formerly worked as a news anchor for KENS 5 Eyewitness News in San Antonio, Texas. She was named Columbia Magazine’s 2004 Personality of the Year and was a former news anchor at WLTX in Columbia. She is currently living in New York City. |
2006
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Noel Brownlee, ’02 M.D., received the 2005 Pulmonary Pathology Society Research Award and was named the USC School of Medicine's 2006 Distinguished Young Physician. A 2002 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine with a Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Brownlee is a member of the surgical pathology faculty of Johns Hopkins University. He is an intra-operative consultant to surgeons, helping to diagnose disease by examining organs, tissues and cells. He also teaches residents and medical students, and works with a variety of clinical research projects related to lung disease and kidney cancer. Dr. Brownlee also serves as national secretary of the College of American Pathologists Residents Forum. |
2005
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Robert R. Hill, ’95 master’s, is the president and chief executive officer of SCBT Financial Corporation, the fourth-largest S.C.-based bank. Hill has been president of the bank since 1999. He was recognized as one of the top 20 business leaders by The State Newspaper and also was named Distinguished Young Alumnus by Carolina’s Moore School of Business. Robert has been a board member or officer in several organizations, including the S.C. Bankers Association, S.C. Bankers School, Central Carolina Community Foundation, S.C. Museum Foundation, Columbia Museum of Art, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the USC Business Partnership Foundation, and the USC Development Foundation. |
2004
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Darci Strickland Rush received her degree in Journalism at USC in 1997 and went to work at WLTX-TV in Columbia where her engaging personality and intelligent reporting earned her the evening news co-anchor role. Beyond her dedication to her profession Darci works hard in service to her community, speaking often to high school students about the importance of making the right choices in life. These qualities make her eminently qualified as the 2004 recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. |
2003 - Todd R. Ellis
2002 - Sally Tibshrany McKay
2001 - No selections due to University's Bicentennial Celebration
2000 - J. Michelle Childs
1999 - Stephen K. Benjamin
1998 - Rita Cosby
1997 - James E. Smith, Jr.
1996 - Jeff A. Norris
1995 - "Hootie & the Blowfish"
Darius C. Rucker
Mark W. Bryan
James G. Sonefeld
E. Dean Felber
1994 - Harry B. Gregory, Jr.
1993 - Steven D. Dillingham
1992 - Dr. D. Davidson Easson, Jr.
1991 - Abigail R. Rogers
1990 - Jiri Olmr
1989 - John Lyles Glenn, IV
1988 - John Stevenson Beckham, Jr.
1987 - Samuel R. Foster
1986 - Susan Aude Fisher
1985 - Leeza Gibbons
1982 - William Lee Bussell
1981 - Donna Gamble Traywick
1980 - Thomas E. Suggs