An awards ceremony on Oct. 9 hosted by Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, recognized the professional achievements of three distinguished university graduates and past deans of the college.
Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences honored three alumni during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend who lives reflect the heart of an Elon education.
The ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, family and friends to recognize Elizabeth McKee ’90, Tiffany Grace Perry ’01 and Stephanie Marken ’08.
Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Hilton Kelly, delivered remarks in Yeager Recital Hall on the impact the recipients have made on their professions and communities.
“These three alumni demonstrate what it means to graduate from Elon College: the heart of an Elon education,” Kelly said. “They have used what they learned in Elon College the College of Arts and Sciences to have impactful careers.”
Elizabeth McKee ’90 – Arts and Humanities
Elizabeth McKee earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Elon and a master’s in human development and psychological counseling from Appalachian State University.
McKee is the executive director of Leadership Charlotte, where she has served for two decades walking alongside thousands of leaders as they explore their own capacity to create positive change in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. Prior to joining Leadership Charlotte, she served as director of leadership initiatives at the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, where she developed leadership curriculum and programs for undergraduate and master of business administration students.
She has been recognized as a leader in the area including receiving the recognition as one of Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women in the greater Charlotte area
While at Elon, McKee published poetry and artwork in Colonnades, was involved with intramural water polo, worked in student affairs and worked with a group of students to create and promote a social honor code to accompany the intellectual honor code.
“I’m not sure I knew it at the time, but Elon taught me about being in a larger community,” McKee said. “It helped shape my ‘real world’ thinking regarding how I want to be in a community and what role I want to play in being a positive force within it.”
Tiffany Grace Perry ’01 – STEM
Tiffany Grace Perry earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Elon, a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She then completed seven years of neurosurgery residency training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including an enfolded orthopedic spine fellowship at Duke University. Following residency, she completed a post-residency fellowship in complex spinal disorders at The Cleveland Clinic, where she remained as a faculty member for two years. She also earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Perry is a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She also works with the Los Angeles Rams as a neurotrauma consultant. She is a consultant for Medtronic on anterior and posterior cervical instrumentation systems. Perry leads annual surgical missions to Uganda with a multidisciplinary team from Cedars-Sanai. She is a faculty member with the AI translational medicine PhD program at Cedars-Sanai, working with graduate students to create clinical projects that intersect the progressive power of AI with the clinical needs of medicine. Perry is also a consultant for Medtronic on anterior and posterior cervical instrumentation systems.
At Elon, Perry was active in the Honors Program, the Lincoln Premed Society, Alpha Omicron Pi, the National Panhellenic Society and Camerata.
“Elon encouraged me to be curious, explore beyond what was familiar, and say yes to experiences that challenged and shaped me,” Perry said. “Elon taught me to remain curious, embrace newexperiences and never stop learning. Those lessons have molded not only who I am personally, but also how I approach medicine, leadership, teaching and mentorship. I learned that success is not just about what we accomplish, but about the opportunities we create for others.”
Stephanie Marken ’08 – Social Sciences
Stephanie Marken earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Elon and a master’s degree in survey research from the University of Connecticut.
Marken is a senior partner at Gallup leading the U.S. custom research division, which includes research programs Gallup performs on behalf of foundations, agencies, corporations and high education institutions. She is responsible for the strategic direction of Gallup’s research in education, workforce development, climate, technology, and the social sciences, which includes complex, multimode qualitative and quantitative research projects. She previously served as chief methodologist for Gallup.
Prior to joining Gallup, she was a researcher in the education division at Westat, where she worked on large-scale, complex, multimode education studies for the U.S. Department of Education, including the National Household Education Survey, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, Fast Response Survey System, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, and other quantitative and qualitative research projects for education foundations and organizations.
While a student at Elon, Marken was an intern at the Elon University Poll and in Alpha Omicron Pi.
“Elon was where I found my voice and where I developed a passion for making sure others are heard,” Marken said. “Any success I’ve had since graduation belongs in large part to the faculty and staff at Elon who took a vested interest in me when they didn’t have to. In that regard, this award feels like an important example of the lasting impact that highly engaged mentors make, oftentimes without even realizing it.”
Recognizing past deans
The three past deans of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Steven House, Alison Morrison-Shetlar and Gabie Smith, were also recognized at the awards ceremony. Steven House served as the founding dean from 2001-2009 and guided the growth of Elon’s academic programs. House provided leadership for 17 academic departments and 19 academic programs. The number of Elon College faculty increased by 50 percent during her tenure as dean and the number of students majoring in liberal arts grew from 37 percent of the student body to over 50 percent. He also helped develop the Elon College Fellows program.
Alison Morrison-Shetlar served as dean from 2010-2014, where she continued to expand on a tradition of learning-focused achievements. She founded LIFE@ELON and organized the first North Carolina STEM conference at Elon, where nearly 100 faculty members from North Carolina colleges and universities gathered, making the conference the largest of the state and regional STEM network meeting held across the country.
Gabie Smith served as dean from 2015-2024, providing growth for academic programs and administrative leadership. During her time as dean, she created the bachelor of science in engineering program, developed more than a dozen academic major and minor programs and worked to establish the Innovation Quad. She also enhanced the Fellows and Scholars programs within Elon College.