The Distinguished Alumni Awards and Top 10 Under 10 award winners will be recognized at Alumni Awards Weekend on May 1-2.
The Office of Alumni Engagement will host Alumni Awards Weekend and recognize two distinct and deserving groups of alumni for their accomplishments since graduation.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Elon University will recognize five alumni for their leadership, accomplishments and service during this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony on May 1 at Snow Family Grand Atrium. Award recipients include:
Kent Strosnider ’91 P’25 
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award
This award is presented to an alumnus who has distinguished himself in a profession and in the community and brought honor to Elon.
A corporate communications major, Kent Strosnider is the managing director of The Strosnider Dudderar Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley, where he provides strategies and potential solutions to clients as they prepare for their financial objectives. One of Kent’s daughters, Sophie, also graduated from the university with a degree in strategic communications in 2025. Kent was a former Parents Council member from 2022-2025, and a member of the Elon Alumni Board from 2012-2015.
Joyel Crawford ’97 
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award
Awarded to an alumna who has distinguished herself in a profession and in the community and brought honor to Elon.
A psychology major, theater arts minor, and Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow, Joyel Crawford is currently the CEO, Founder, Career Coach and Motivational Speaker at Crawford Leadership Strategies, LLC. She holds 20+ years of leadership development experience with clients including the U.S. Senate, NASA, The New York Times, ESPN, and Aramark. She is a consistent contributor to Elon programming as a speaker, webinar host and guest, and in fall 2025, joined President Connie Ledoux Book on the “Elon Beyond the Bricks” podcast.
David Rich ’87 and Sue Hoggard Rich ’85 
Distinguished Service to Elon Award
Awarded to an organization, business, foundation or individual who has demonstrated outstanding service that promotes the advancement of Elon.
Alumni couple, David Rich and Sue Hoggard Rich, have shared many of the university’s moments and traditions. Sue, an English -journalism major, retired as the vice president of human resources at Glen Raven in 2023. David, a sociology major, retired as the global director – workplace etchnology support at Atos in 2022. Sue was a member of the Elon alumni Long Maroon Line at President Book’s inauguration and David served on the Elon Alumni Board from 2001-2007. David and his friends created the “Elon 7 a.m. Tailgate” that is hosted prior to every home football game. Together, the couple are members of the 1889 society and give generously to the university in their time and unwavering spirit.
Hon. Stephen M. Ross ’73
Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Awarded to an alumnus or alumna who has given extraordinary service to his or her community.
A political science major, Steve Ross has held a long career in public service. A Burlington native, Steve served as the city’s mayor for two terms and on city council for four terms. He is currently serving his sixth term in the North Carolina House of Representatives, chairing both the Commerce and Economic Development Committee and the Finance Committee. Steve has held various volunteer positions and has been named one of Triad’s Most Influential People by the Triangle Business Journal.
Top 10 Under 10
The Office of Alumni Engagement and the Young Alumni Council have announced the 2026 Top 10 Under 10 award recipients, who will be celebrated during a May 2 ceremony in Snow Family Grand Atrium.
These 10 accomplished alumni from the past decade have achieved professional success, continuously work to better their communities and serve as loyal alumni role models.
Morgan Bodenarain ’18 
Policy Director and Counsel, Congressional Black Caucus
Morgan Bodenarain graduated with degrees in policy studies and political science at Elon before completing law school at George Washington University in 2021. Morgan now serves as the Policy Director and Counsel for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in the 119th U.S. Congress, leading policy priorities and advocacy efforts for all 61 members. She was honored with the National Black Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 Award and the National Bar Association’s Nation’s Best Advocates Award in 2025.
Colby Bracy ’16 
Director of Human Resources & Philanthropy, The Nonantum Resort and Owner, Hello Humans Consulting
Colby Bracy graduated with a degree in accounting. Currently working at her family’s business, The Nonantum Resort, Colby has led the resort’s efforts to become a certified Recovery Friendly Workplace, championing the business’ efforts to hire individuals reentering the community following incarceration. Colby is also the owner of her own human resources consulting firm, Hello Humans Consulting, and holds many roles in local boards and committees. In 2024, she was honored with the North Star Award from the American Hotels and Lodging Association.
Michaela Fogarty ’19 
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist; Upstream USA
Michaela Fogarty graduated with a degree in international economics and began her professional career at Planned Parenthood Federation of America as a data analysis and visualization specialist before completing a Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins University. After graduating from Johns Hopkins, Michaela worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a data manager in the division of global women’s health, and is now the monitoring, evaluation and learning specialist at Upstream USA, a nonprofit working to expand contraceptive access for all.
Michael Goldstein ’17 
Investment Banking Associate, Guggenheim Partners
Michael Goldstein graduated with degrees in finance and accounting. As an Investment Banking Associate at Guggenheim Partners, Michael focuses on medical devices and technology and has helped advise on transactions exceeding $5 billion. In support of Elon students, Michael led the creation of the first annual award for an outstanding senior transfer student, as well as a new Goldstein Family Endowed Scholarship for transfer students in the Love School of Business.
Gary Grumbach ’16 
Legal Affairs Reporter, NBC News
Gary Grumbach graduated with a degree in journalism. As the Legal Affairs Reporter for NBC News, Gary covers the Supreme Court and federal courts on-air and in print. His reporting has been recognized with three NBC GEM Awards, and team honors for coverage of the Trump trial and 2020 and 2024 elections. In 2025, Gary joined President Connie Ledoux Book on the “Elon Beyond the Bricks” podcast.
Emmanuel Morgan ’19 
Sports Reporter, The New York Times
Emmanuel Morgan graduated with a degree in journalism. Having previously served as a Los Angeles Times sports reporter with a focus on the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, Emmanuel is now a New York Times culture reporter, covering the NFL and combat sports nationally. In 2023, Emmanuel was awarded the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Award – National Sports Coverage for his New York Times feature, “For Dreadlocked N.F.L. Players, Hair Is a Point of Pride”.
Daniela Pereyra ’16 
Real Estate Broker, Dalton Wade Real Estate Group and Founder, Dare to Jump
Daniela Pereyra graduated with a degree in cinema and television arts. Currently a real estate broker licensed in North Carolina and Delaware, Daniela was ranked as a Top Producer at Dalton Wade Real Estate Group in 2024. Daniela is also the Founder of Dare to Jump, a hybrid series of seminars and coaching sessions for individuals and groups, focused on cultivating a growth mindset to elevate productivity and sustainable efforts.
Jensen Roll ’16 
President, Roll Construction
Jensen Roll graduated with a degree in social entrepreneurship and was an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow. He is the President of Roll Construction in Graham, North Carolina, a custom homebuilding and remodeling company serving Alamance, Guilford, and Orange counties. Since Roll Construction’s launch in 2018, Jensen has completed projects ranging from tiny homes to breweries and built a real estate portfolio of more than 20 properties by age 30. Jensen also founded The Alamance Mill coworking space and has been involved in the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce.
Nikki Sanz ’18 
Founder & CEO, GIGGS
Nikki Sanz graduated with a degree in sport and event management. After moving to Nashville with the goal of working on the road in the touring industry, Nikki secured diverse gigs from Eric Church to Super Bowl LVII. Nikki publicly launched GIGGS, a professional career platform for the live event industry in 2024, and the site has drawn 20,000 users seeking roles in touring and live events across 1,000 companies. In 2025, Nikki was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in the music category.
Christian Seitz ’16
Postdoctoral Researcher for epidemic vaccine development, University of Chicago
Christian Seitz graduated with a degree in chemistry from Elon before completing a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics with a specialization in multi-scale biology at UC San Diego in 2022. His accolades at graduation included four first author and nine total publications focusing on global diseases and molecular recognition in influenza. Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago, Christian is working with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiative, designing vaccines to prepare the globe for the next pandemic through artificial intelligence in viruses and vaccine development.