UNC Asheville celebrates Homecoming Feb. 20-22 and will recognize six outstanding alumni and faculty at the annual award ceremony on Friday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Highsmith Student Union, Blue Ridge Room. Tickets are $25 and tables for eight can be purchased for $200, with more information at homecoming.unca.edu.
Donna Glick ’75 will receive the Roy A. Taylor Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award in recognition of her work examining the role and influence of the arts in the way that individuals participate in society, which exemplifies the spirit of a UNC Asheville liberal arts and sciences education. Glick served as the director of Huntington Theatre Company’s Department of Education and Community Programs for 22 years. Her projects have included creating a residency for esteemed African American playwright August Wilson and providing space for young people to work directly with him; developing a documentary focused on the Massachusetts justice system; training teachers for an arts integration project; and providing workshops for Children’s Services through which student participants developed tools and found space to explore the complex and difficult realities of contemporary life. Glick also has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. She has also served as a consultant for the Boston Public Schools Arts Quality Consortium, Boston Museum Project, Hartford Performs, Friends of the Performing Arts in Concord, and Cultural Access Consortium. Her awards include a Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Award from Massachusetts Alliance for Education and an official citation from the State Senate of Massachusetts recognizing her years of service. She graduated from UNC Asheville in 1975 with a degree in literature and drama, earned an MFA in acting from Boston University in 1978 and a master’s certificate in creative educational leadership, also from Boston University in 2016.
Tate Lyda ’91 will receive the Thomas D. Reynolds Alumni Award for Service to the University for his instrumental work in raising funds for the Joe Frick Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which honors 1993 UNC Asheville alumnus Joe Frick who passed away in 2010. He has also dedicated much of his time and energy to create, promote and organize the annual Joe Frick Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the scholarship and the University. Lyda is the owner and president of Alliance Driveaway Solutions Inc., which is one of the fastest-growing truck relocation services and transport companies in North America. Prior to founding his company, Lyda accumulated more than 20 years of industry experience serving in various operational and leadership capacities with leading solid waste and recyclables collection entities. He graduated from UNC Asheville in 1991 with a degree in management.
Cerise Glenn-Manigault ’99 will receive The Order of Pisgah Award for Alumni Achievement. Now an associate professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she has dedicated her career to mentoring diverse groups in higher education, which includes directing the University Faculty Mentoring Program for tenure-track faculty. She directs that university’s African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, and she is a co-principal investigator on a $1 million multi-year National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, which strengthens organizational practices to recruit and retain women faculty in the STEM fields. Glenn-Manigault has been recognized nationally for her contributions to teaching and mentoring, and she has been awarded Outstanding Journal Article of the Year (2016) and Outstanding Book Chapter of the Year (2013) awards from the African American Communication and Culture Division of the National Communication Association. Glenn-Manigault earned a degree in sociology and Spanish and has served on the Alumni Board of Directors at UNC Asheville.
The Order of Pisgah Award for Alumni Achievement will also be awarded to Fatima Johnson ’98, who has dedicated her career to government service at the national level. She has been employed at NASA for 13 years and currently serves as the executive officer for the Agency Chief Information Office, where she leads and manages all interactions and responses to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other audit organizations on all matters related to information and technology. Prior to joining NASA, she served as the special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary for operations and management in the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She began government service as a presidential management fellow in the office of the assistant secretary for FHEO. Johnson earned a degree in political science with a minor in women’s studies at UNC Asheville in 1998, and she remains active in Alpha Xi Delta, where she served two terms as a national vice president and a term as president of Alpha Xi Delta’s National Housing Corporation.
Sergio Mariaca ’97 will receive the Francine M. Delany Alumni Award for Service to the Community. Throughout his career, Mariaca has shown true commitment to community service and is a strong advocate for children, education, and people living with special needs. He has extensive board experience serving nonprofit organizations such as the Economic Council of Palm Beach County in Florida, the Autism Society of America (2010-2016), the United Way of Palm Beach County, the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County (2002-2008), SunFest, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the Area Agency on Aging of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast, and, most recently, Nonprofits First in Palm Beach County. He has also served on the UNC Asheville Alumni Board of Directors. Mariaca graduated from UNC Asheville in 1997 with a degree in management and economics, and he served as student body president with appointments on the Board of Trustees and Foundation Board. He is an accredited investment fiduciary analyst and the president of Mariaca Wealth Management LLC, a Florida-based registered investment advisory firm that serves the financial and wealth management needs of people and businesses.
Keith Bramlett will receive The Alumni Distinguished Faculty Award. Bramlett is the retired Sara & Joseph Breman Professor of Social Relations at UNC Asheville. He taught courses including Sociology of Law, Service Learning in Restorative Justice, Difference and Inequality and The Changing Role of Women in the Criminal Justice System. Bramlett received a number of awards during his tenure including the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award in 1990, the Student Affairs Faculty Appreciation Award in 1990, the Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences Award in 1996, and the Distinguished Service Award in 2005. He was made a fellow of the Key Center for Community Engaged Learning in 2010. Bramlett was involved with the student LGBTQ campus organization, Alliance, and the Diversity Action Council, as well as with various nonprofit organizations in the greater Asheville community such as Youth OUTright WNC Inc.
UNC Asheville’s Homecoming celebration kicks off with a basketball watch party at Highland Brewing on Thursday, Feb. 20, basketball games and an alumni zone on Saturday, Feb. 22, and a closeout celebration at the Salvage Station on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. featuring alumni musicians. Student events will be taking place across campus as well. For tickets and more information, visit homecoming.unca.edu.
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