The IU South Bend Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest award presented by the IU Alumni Association South Bend Region. This award recognizes outstanding IU South Bend alumni who have made significant contributions to their communities and professions. Any living IU South Bend alum is eligible for nomination. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented at IU South Bend's Night of the Titans.
Recognizing outstanding alumni
Alumni are invited to make nominations for IU South Bend's Distinguished Alumni Award
Make a nominationAward recipients
2026 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Jim Conklin, M.S. Accounting '09Jim Conklin is the Founder and Executive Director of Cultivate Food Rescue, a northern Indiana nonprofit working to end the cycle of food insecurity through rescued food, frozen meal production, and innovative community distribution. Jim is dedicated to improving the health and nutritional quality of weekend food backpack programs, reducing food waste, lowering food insecurity in our community, strengthening educational outcomes for children, and preventing good food from going to waste.
Past recipients
2020s
2025 Howard Dukes Jr., B.S. '91, M.L.S. '15
2024 Randall E. Foster, B.S. '81
2023 Charles F. Nelson, M.S.Ed. '74
2022 Charlotte D. Pfeifer-Gillam, B.A '76, M.P.A. '81
2021 Diane Dudek Parmelee, B.S.N. ’84
2020 Michael L. Blakesley, B.A. ’74 (Mathematics)
2010s
2019 Robert H. Johnson, B.S. '79 (Business)
2018 Joseph A. Mancini, B.S. '78 (Business)
2017 Emil “Lucky” Reznik, M.S.B.A '76
2016 Frank K. Martin, M.S.B.A. '78, M.B.A. '92
2015 Jerry L. Thacker, M.S. '75 (Education)
2014 Isaac P. Torres, M.B.A. '00
2013 Christopher L. Craft, B.S. '89 (Business)
2012 Cheryl Little, B.A. '85 (Political Science), M.L.S. '09
2011 Christine Lauber, B.S. '70 (Business), M.S.B.A. '73, M.B.A. '89
2010 Michael J. Wargo, A.S. '81 (Criminal Justice), B.G.S. '82
2000s
2009 A. Bruce Burkart, B.S. '72 (Business)
2008 Kirk A. Root, M.S.B.A. '84, M.B.A. '89
2007 John J. Voorde, B.S. '68 (Business)
2006 Marsha P. Brook, M.S. '77 (Education)
2005 Larry E. Lentych, B.S. '69 (Business)
2005 Andre L. Anderson, B.A. '99 (Psychology)
2004 Charles R. Niemier, M.S.B.A. '83
2003 Jonathan W. Housand Jr., B.S. '69 (Business), M.B.A. '72
2002 Phyllis Wezeman, B.G.S '84, M.S. '90 (Education)
2001 Kurran Strunk, M.S. '98 (Education)
2000 Thomas N. Frederick, B.A. '70 (Political Science)
1990s
1999 Alma C. Powell, B.S. '70 (Education), M.S. '72 (Education)
1998 David Bloss Sr., B.S. '73 (Business)
1996 Katie Humphreys, M.S. '74 (Education)
1995 Fred S. Kahn, M.S.B.A. '75
1994 Michael P. Kube-McDowell, M.S. '81 (Education)
1993 Alan H. Hall, M.D., B.A. '73 (Sociology)
