Six accomplished alumni were celebrated Oct. 24 as part of Homecoming 2009 on the Elon campus. The honored grads included Dr. William Herbert ’68, Deborah Yow-Bowden ’74, Rev. Dr. Walstein Snyder ’45, Audrey Seagraves ’02, Stephanie Newbold ’01 and Walter "Cam" Tims ’00.
Dr. William Herbert was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
Herbert is a leading educator in the field of maternal and fetal medicine, preparing the next generation of physicians to serve their communities and care for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. As chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Herbert trains doctors who will supervise tens of thousands of pregnancies, including many with complications, during their careers. His work has contributed to the use of new prenatal tests that measure fetal lung development and help determine whether a fetus is strong enough to survive early delivery. In recognition of his contributions to his field, the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the nation’s leading group of educators in the field, honored Herbert with its 2008 Distinguished Career Award.
After receiving a degree in biology from Elon College in 1968, Herbert earned his medical degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in 1972, and completed an internship and residency in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Vanderbilt University Hospital. He completed a fellowship in 1978 in the division of maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas Parkland Hospital. Following the fellowship, he returned to North Carolina and spent the next 22 years working at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University Medical Center before assuming his present position at the University of Virginia in 2000.
A respected scholar, Herbert has written numerous journal articles and book chapters and presents his research regularly at professional conferences. He serves on numerous professional boards, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Equally devoted to his alma mater, Herbert has been a member of the Elon University Board of Trustees since 1996. He was one of Elon’s first youth trustees and is the only Elon alumnus to be elected to the Board following service as a youth trustee. He was named Elon’s Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year in 1982. He and his wife, Marsha, have been generous benefactors to the university and are members of Order of the Oak.
Deborah Yow-Bowden was named Distinguished Alumna of the Year
Yow-Bowden is one of the nation’s most respected leaders in collegiate athletics, successfully guiding the University of Maryland Terrapin program for the past 15 years and championing excellence in her many leadership roles in NCAA Division I athletics. Following graduation from Elon College in 1974, Yow-Bowden began her career coaching high school women’s basketball. She then moved to collegiate athletics, successfully leading the women’s varsity basketball teams at the University of Kentucky, Oral Roberts University, and the University of Florida, and becoming the first coach in NCAA history to guide three never-ranked collegiate basketball programs to Associated Press Top-20 national rankings. She brought that same determination to athletics administration and fundraising at the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her position as athletics director at Saint Louis University.
In 1994, the University of Maryland named Yow-Bowden its director of athletics, the first woman to hold such a position in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. During her tenure, Maryland’s 27 teams and more than 700 student-athletes have enjoyed unprecedented success. The Terrapins have won a remarkable 18 national championships, including nine in the past four seasons, and graduated student-athletes at an enviable rate, placing Maryland among the nation’s elite intercollegiate athletics programs. Maryland is one of only three universities to win national championships in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football, joining Stanford and UCLA in achieving that distinction. Under Yow-Bowden’s goal-oriented leadership, Maryland’s athletics program has seen balanced annual budgets, enhanced academic support services for student-athletes, increased corporate and private giving, and construction of premier facilities, including the $125 million Comcast Center.
Her exceptional organizational and leadership abilities served Yow-Bowden well as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. She also served on the U.S. Department of Education’s Commission on Opportunities in Athletics, which was charged with strengthening enforcement of Title IX anti-discrimination laws. She is currently president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association and a member of the board of directors of the National Football Foundation, the board of directors of USA Football, and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Academic Enhancement Committee.
A teacher at heart, Yow-Bowden, who has earned two graduate degrees, has served as an adjunct faculty member in sports management at the University of Maryland School of Business and a guest lecturer on sports management at the University of North Carolina, West Virginia University and other institutions. She has authored or co-authored more than 40 books and articles on athletics management and human behavior, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences, including Harvard University School of Law’s conference, “Shaping the Future of Collegiate Athletics.”
Since 2006, Yow-Bowden has served her alma mater as a member of the Elon University Board of Trustees. She and her husband, William Bowden, are members of Order of the Oak and together have generously supported Elon University and Phoenix athletics.
The Rev. Walstein Snyder received the Service to Church and Society Award
During his 50-year career in the ministry, Snyder has been guided by his strong faith in God and driven by his passion for helping others.
He enrolled at Elon on the advice of his close friend and mentor, the late Rev. William Andes ’35. Following in his friend’s footsteps, Snyder studied religion at Elon and served as a student pastor in Rockingham County, N.C., before being ordained in 1943 at Bethel Congregational Christian Church near his hometown of Elkton, Va.
Snyder graduated from Elon in 1945 and later received his divinity degree from Duke University, as well as an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Elon in 1964. Snyder spent two decades pastoring in United Church of Christ parishes in Alamance, Caswell, and Orange counties in North Carolina, as well as in Chesapeake, Va. A central focus of his work at each church was developing youth programs and facilities, reflecting his passion for educating tomorrow’s leaders.
In August 1960, Snyder returned to Elon College, N.C., to become chief executive officer of Elon Homes for Children. During his 30-year tenure, Elon Homes became the first agency to be accredited by the National Association of Homes for Children. He oversaw construction of eight residential facilities and other buildings on the Elon Homes property, and helped establish satellite campuses in Charlotte, N.C., and Suffolk, Va. He also expanded services at Elon Homes to include foster care, daycare, therapeutic group home care, and crisis care, as well as afterschool programs for children at the facility and in the community.
Snyder worked tirelessly to ensure that the doors of Elon Homes remained open and that an excellent staff delivered quality education to the children. He and his beloved wife, the late Nell Mann Snyder ’47, worked hard to provide a loving home for the children. For Wally Snyder, this work fulfilled what he firmly believed was his mission in life — to encourage the children in his charge to embrace lifelong learning and the church.
In 1981, Snyder received Elon’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award, and in 1984, Governor Jim Hunt awarded him the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor granted in North Carolina. Snyder retired as chief executive officer of Elon Homes in 1990 and served as president emeritus there until 2000. In 2007, the Elon Homes campus was renamed The Walstein W. Snyder Campus. That same year, The Snyder Room in Elon University’s Johnston Hall, which served as his office when the building was part of the Elon Homes campus, was named in his honor.
Snyder has been equally committed to his alma mater. He has served on the National Alumni Executive Board and The Elon Society Executive Committee, and is a member of Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving society. In addition, he established the Walstein W. and Nell M. Snyder Endowed Scholarship in memory of his wife.
Snyder’s dedication to the ministry is surpassed only by his love for his family, which includes children Wesley, Elia and Rita ’76, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Audrey Seagraves was named the Young Alumna of the Year
Seagraves graduated magna cum laude from Elon University in 2002 with a degree in journalism and communications. Since 2006, she has served with distinction as director of programs and marketing at World of Good Development Organization, which is dedicated to improving the lives of millions of women and adolescent girls in the developing world.
At Elon, Seagraves distinguished herself as a member of the women’s soccer team, helping the squad capture the Big South Conference Championship in 2000. She also excelled in the classroom, earning National All-Collegiate Scholar distinction as well as induction to the Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national academic honor societies.
After graduation, Seagraves developed a passion for global engagement and a desire to make a difference in the world. In 2002, The Population Institute in Washington, D.C., selected Seagraves as a Future Leaders of the World Fellow. During her fellowship, she helped build a public relations campaign for the Educate America and World Population Awareness Week programs. In 2002, she represented The Population Institute at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the conclusion of her fellowship, she remained in Washington as a public relations and promotions coordinator for Foreign Policy magazine.
In January 2006, Seagraves, while considering applying to graduate school, followed the advice of a former colleague and moved to the San Francisco area to help launch World of Good’s nonprofit arm. She relished the chance to work directly with workers and artisans in developing nations. As World of Good’s director of programs and marketing, she applies her diverse communications skills to lead the organization’s microgrants program, economic development fellows, and the Living Wage Project. She also serves as chair of the World Fair Trade Organization’s Monitoring and Standards Committee.
Shortly after joining World of Good, Seagraves helped develop the Fair Wage Guide, a free online calculator that estimates the fair localized value of handmade goods produced by workers, providing an ethical method for comparing wages worldwide. Since its creation, the Fair Wage Guide has been adopted by more than 700 businesses in 61 countries. The software has increased wages for more than 50,000 low-income homeworkers by an average of 20 percent.
In September, The Tech Museum of Innovation named World of Good one of 15 Tech Award Laureates for 2009, an award that recognizes innovators from around the world who apply technology to benefit humanity. For her efforts in developing the Fair Wage Guide, Audrey was selected to accept the honor on behalf of World of Good at an awards gala in San Jose, Calif., on November 19, 2009.
Stephanie Newbold was named Young Alumna of the Year
Newbold graduated magna cum laude from Elon University in 2001 with a degree in public administration and political science, and a minor in women’s and gender studies. She went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration and a doctorate in public administration and public affairs from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, fulfilling the promise she demonstrated as a young scholar at Elon.
After teaching for three years at the University of Texas at Dallas, she joined the faculty at American University in Washington, D.C., as assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy, a program ranked # 6 in the nation in 2009 by U.S. News & World Report.
At Elon, Newbold earned membership in several national honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi (national honor), Pi Sigma Alpha (political science), Phi Alpha Theta (history), Pi Gamma Mu (social science), and Phi Eta Sigma (freshman honor). Also devoted to service, she volunteered at the Alamance County Women’s Resource Center for three years and completed an internship at NC Equity, a nonprofit organization supporting women’s advocacy in Raleigh, N.C. She also served as a White House intern working in the office of Chief of Staff John Podesta in spring 2000.
As an Elon junior and senior, Newbold won the university’s annual Philip L. Carret Thomas Jefferson Essay Competition, in which students reflect on the ideals and principles embodied in Jefferson’s life and career. This experience fueled Newbold’s interest in America’s third president, a topic she pursued as a graduate student at Virginia Tech and a research fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello in Charlottesville, Va.
Her dissertation, completed under the direction of John A. Rohr, professor emeritus of public administration at Virginia Tech and a leading scholar in the field, explored the role Jefferson played in shaping public administration in America. In October 2007, the dissertation, “All But Forgotten: Thomas Jefferson’s Contribution to the Development of Public Administration in the United States,” earned honorable mention recognition from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) for its significant contributions to the field.
A frequent presenter at national conferences and widely published in prestigious, peer-reviewed journals, Newbold has built a reputation for academic excellence that is rare for a young scholar. She sits on the editorial boards of Public Administration Review and The International Journal of Management Research and is a member of NASPAA, the American Society for Public Administration, the American Political Science Association, the Mid-West Political Science Association, and the Southern Political Science Association.
Walter “Cam” Tims received the Distinguished Service to Elon Award
Tims exemplifies quiet, effective leadership. From his days as an Elon student to his role as a youth trustee and his leadership of the Young Alumni Council, Tims has worked tirelessly to advance his alma mater and keep Elon graduates connected to the university.
Tims graduated magna cum laude from Elon University in 2000 with a degree in business administration and later earned a master of business administration degree from North Carolina State University. He was a member of Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi (national academic honor societies), Phi Eta Sigma (freshman honor), and Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor). He demonstrated early leadership potential as a business fellow in Elon’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, as a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the university’s professional business fraternity, and with Elon Volunteers! Following graduation, Tims served as a youth trustee on the Elon University Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2002.
Tims’ thoughtful, goal-oriented leadership proved invaluable in his role as the first president of the Elon University Young Alumni Council during 2007-2008. His ability to work effectively behind the scenes, find common ground among council members, and set and execute realistic goals helped the council develop into one of Elon’s most productive boards. In addition to his duties as president, Tims served on the council’s board effectiveness committee and chaired the membership committee, using sound judgment to develop policies that promote efficiency and openness. Currently, he serves as the council’s past president, helping to empower the next generation of alumni leaders.
One of Elon’s most loyal supporters, Tims is an active member of the Triangle Alumni Chapter. He serves on the chapter board, regularly attends events, and encourages alumni from all eras to become members. He has served as a class agent since 2001 and returns to campus regularly to mentor students, including participating in Elon’s Destination Raleigh event to help undergraduates learn about living in North Carolina’s capital city.
A generous benefactor, Tims co-hosted the Triangle’s first IGNITE NITE fundraiser for Elon’s young alumni giving program and has made generous annual and planned gifts to the university. He is a member of Order of the Oak, IGNITE, and The Elon Society Leadership Circle.