John “Jack” D. Morgan Award for Lifetime Service
John H. Herbst was initiated into the University of Kentucky’s Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 1985. He served as the faculty secretary and circle coordinator of the circle from 1991-2019. From 2006-10, Herbst was a regional director for O∆K. He was national convention chair in 2002, when the Society’s conference was held in Lexington, Kentucky. Herbst has also been a member of the General Council and a faculty province director. He has also served as parliamentarian for the 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018 conventions. Herbst is currently National Parliamentarian and Trustee Emeritus.
A recipient of both the Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award and the Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award, Herbst chaired the Society’s National Public Relations Committee and the National Awards Committee. He was a member of the National Advisory Council from 2010-16. The University of Kentucky Circle Endowed O∆K Scholarship has been named in his honor.
At the University of Kentucky (UK), Herbst served as the executive director of the Student Center from 1997 until his retirement in 2019. Previously, he was the director of student activities at UK. Herbst has been recognized nationally as both the Outstanding Student Government Advisor (2000) and the Outstanding Student Activities Director (1985), and he has also served on the national Board of Directors of the National Association for Campus Activities. In addition to his responsibilities as director of the student center, Herbst also served as the University Commencement Committee Chairman and was on the university’s SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation Team. He has also been a University Student Affairs Crisis Response Team member and is FEMA certified as a Campus-Community Emergency Response Team Trainer.
Robert Morlan and Robert L. Bishop Outstanding Circle Officer Award
The 2022 Morlan-Bishop Outstanding Circle Officer honoree is Joel D. Hermann, a 2007 collegiate initiate of the Maryville University Circle. In the 15 years since his initiation, Hermann has been a devoted servant of the Society. When he arrived on the Fontbonne University campus as a young professional, he immediately set out to bring O∆K to his new institution. Since that time, the Fontbonne University Circle has been celebrated as one of the Society’s very best, receiving circle recognition honors in six different years.
The Fontbonne University Circle, under Hermann’s leadership as an advisor, has also secured two Clay Grants during his tenure. The circle always brings a strong contingent to the national gatherings. Hermann has supported the members of the Fontbonne University Circle in their efforts to collaborate with other organizations on campus, encouraged his circle members to achieve academically, and worked with them to increase the diversity found in the membership. He has been involved in planning the 2016, 2018, and 2022 national conferences and conventions. Hermann is a former member of the O∆K National Advisory Council, served on the Membership Committee, and is a former recipient of the Eldridge W. Roark, Jr., Meritorious Service Award. Professionally, he is the senior director of leadership and community engagement at Fontbonne.
O∆K Community Commitment Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity
Brent D. Scholar is a 2018 faculty/staff initiate of the Arizona State University Circle and a lecturer in the Department of Leadership and Integrative Studies at the university. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Diversity Leadership Alliance (DLA), the premiere diversity education organization in Arizona, and has been a part of the DLA’s education and conference committees. In 2020, Scholar began directing the DLA’s online Conversations to Ignite Change, providing education and discussion forums for more than 1,000 members about identifying racism, implicit bias, micro/macro aggressions, and how to be anti-racist. He also started the DLA’s Equity Corner – a one-hour follow-up to monthly workshops where members can come together to discuss their efforts to be more inclusionary in their organizations and lives. More recently, Scholar has collaborated with E. I. Games to include game simulations that are based on empathy. In 2019, he was asked to review the company’s Emotional Intelligent Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Game. Scholar’s thoughtful feedback ultimately led to the game winning a gold medal at the Serious Play Awards in 2020.
O∆K Emerging Leader for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Award
Kevin K. Dua is a 2017 initiate of the Eta Circle at William & Mary. As an undergraduate, he worked on everything from community building activities from service and leadership to residence hall community building. Dua even secured a Guinness World Record for the most people doing the Thriller Dance. He is currently a member of the William & Mary Student Engagement and Leadership Advisory Board. Dua was the Massachusetts 2017 History Teacher of the Year and is a two-time Massachusetts Teachers’ Association’s Human and Civil Rights awardee. He is a current member of the Ideation UpLift Legacy Cohort for K-12 Black Male Educators. Currently, Dua is a history and psychology teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Massachusetts. He introduced his expertise into discussions on anti-racism, unlearning, and strategies to increase equity in education in the age of Covid. Previously, Dua resurrected and served as an advisor to the award-winning Black Student Union in Cambridge. Over the years, he has become a relied upon leader and ally in examining the Black Lives Matter movement and its impact on teaching.
Pillars of Leadership Awards
Academics and Research
Rick A. Bright is a 1996 initiate of the Auburn University Montgomery Circle. After becoming a member of the Society, Bright was named his circle’s Leader of the Year in 1997. He eventually enrolled at Emory University, where he received his Ph.D. in immunology and molecular pathogenesis (virology). Bright has extensive experience in global public health, having served with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and scientific advisory boards for the World Health Organization. He has also held positions in the private sector, making significant advancements in vaccine and therapeutic developments for influenza viruses with pandemic potential and new vaccine, treatment, and testing technologies. Several organizations have recognized Bright for his ethical leadership through the COVID-19 crisis. He currently leads the Rockefeller Foundation’s collaborative efforts with other organizations to create a pandemic prevention institute. The institute’s goal is to stop future pandemics within the first 100 days after the earliest identification of a disease outbreak. Bright spoke at the 2021 O∆K National Leadership Conference, provided remarks during one of the 2020-21 virtual initiation ceremonies, and endowed an O∆K scholarship supporting collegiate members pursuing graduate education in the hard sciences.
Athletics
James “Jim” L. Caldwell is a 1996 initiate of the Wake Forest University Circle, where he was the football coach from 1993-2000. He was also the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11 and the Detroit Lions from 2014-17. Caldwell has been a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams in his career. He was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach of the 2006 Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI), who beat the Chicago Bears. He was also the offensive coordinator of the 2012 Baltimore Ravens (Super Bowl XLVII), who beat the San Francisco 49ers. Caldwell also served as an assistant coach in the college ranks at the University of Iowa, Southern Illinois University, Northwestern University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Louisville, and Pennsylvania State University. Caldwell was the first African American head football coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference and remains actively involved in professional football as a mentor to many.
Service to Campus and Community
Paul W. Chellgren is a 1963 initiate of the University of Kentucky (UK) Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. During his undergraduate career, he was an honors program student, a star intercollegiate debater, and student body president. Professionally, Chellgren is the retired chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Ashland, Inc. He is currently a partner with Snow Phipps Group, LLC, a New York City-based private equity firm. Chellgren served as a director of the PNC Financial Services Group for more than 20 years. Generously offering his expertise, Chellgren has been a long-time member of O∆K’s Investment Subcommittee. He and his family also established the Society’s Chellgren Family Scholarship Fund. With a significant contribution from Chellgren and his family, UK established the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence. In addition to his devotion to the UK, he has served on the boards of trustees of the University of Kentucky, Centre College, and the Marshall University Foundation. Chellgren has also been an advocate and advisor for both Eastern Kentucky University and Kentucky Wesleyan College. (173)
Communications
John J. Curley is a 1958 initiate of the Dickinson College Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. In addition to being a collegiate initiate of our Society, he is a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Currently, Curley is a professor, distinguished professional in residence, and co-director of the Center for Sports Journalism at Pennsylvania State University. Previously, he was the very first editor of USA Today. Curley was also the head of Gannett News Service, during which time the news service won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He retired from Gannett as chairman in January 2001 after more than 30 years with the company. During that time, Curley served as an editor at the Rochester Times-Union in Rochester, New York; as editor and later publisher of the Courier-News in Bridgewater, New Jersey; and later as the publisher of the News-Journal in Wilmington, Delaware. In May 1996, he was selected as chairman of the Newspaper Association of America, and in 1999, he was made an honorary alumnus of Penn State. The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State is named in his honor. (185)
Creative and Performing Arts
Everett D. McCorvey is a distinguished music faculty member at the University of Kentucky and a native of Montgomery, Alabama. His degrees, including his doctorate, are all from the University of Alabama (UA). McCorvey was inducted into the UA Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, as a graduate student, in 1981. In addition to being on faculty at Kentucky, he is the director of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. McCorvey is also in his seventh season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale of New York City. The 54-year-old National Chorale is a symphonic choir that performs at Lincoln Center. McCorvey is also the founder and director of the American Spiritual Ensemble (ASE). The ASE, established in 1995, has the mission to keep the American negro spiritual alive. The members of the ensemble travel the globe celebrating the music of African American enslaved peoples. Today, thanks to the work of the ASE, more than 3,000 negro melodies have been documented. McCorvey was one of the keynote speakers at the 2022 O∆K National Leadership Conference. (175)
Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Awards
Michael S. Cashman is a 2001 initiate of the SUNY Plattsburgh Circle. He was the 2002-03 president of the circle and has remained actively involved with the Society since. Cashman was a 2006-08 member of the Society Board of Directors, a 2006-10 regional director, and the 2008-10 chair of the Council of Regional Directors. In addition, he served as a long-time advisor to the SUNY Plattsburgh Circle and as national parliamentarian. He is a former recipient of the Society’s Eldridge W. Roark, Jr., Meritorious Service Award, and he is one of the people who set up the archives display at the 2014 O∆K convention and centennial celebration. Cashman currently serves as town supervisor for the Town of Plattsburgh, New York. (120)
Matthew W. Clifford is a 2001 initiate of the Davidson College Circle. He has served both the circles at Jacksonville University and Wake Forest University as an advisor. Clifford joined the Society’s Board of Directors in 2014 and served on the Foundation Board of Trustees. As national president from 2016-19, he was instrumental in creating a single governing board and became the first chair of the combined board for the Society Clifford served as board chair from 2019-20 and immediate past board chair from 2020-21. In addition to his involvement in O∆K, he is very involved with NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, where he is a past co-chair of the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community. Clifford also currently serves as the vice president for marketing and communication for the Southern Association of College Student Affairs. Professionally, he is the assistant vice president and dean of residence life at Wake Forest University. (153)
Cynthia “Cie” Chapel Cochran is a 2001 initiate of the University of Miami Circle. Her involvement in O∆K has ranged from serving as a circle president, a term as the East Caucus student representative for the Society Board of Directors, a member of the Council of Regional Directors for Region 1, and vice chair of that group for one term. Cochran has also served as a faculty secretary for the University of Miami Circle and a member-at-large on the Board of Directors. Previously, she served as the chair of the National Advisory Council and a member of the Society Board of Directors, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation. Cochran is a 2004 recipient of Omicron Delta Kappa’s Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award, and she was the co-chair of the Society’s 2020-21 Strategic Planning Task Force. She is the owner of SMT Grant and Nonprofit Services. (160)
Daniel C. Holsenbeck was initiated into the Auburn University Circle in 1963. By the mid-1970s, he began writing about leadership in the Society’s magazine, The Circle. When Holsenbeck returned to Auburn five years after graduation, he began working with the Omega Circle. As his career continued, he was involved with circles at four other institutions. Holsenbeck was eventually named province director for Alabama and Mississippi. He visited all of the circles in those two states during his tenure as a province director. As a province director, Holsenbeck also served on the Society’s National Council. He also was involved with the National Awards Committee for many years and chaired the Society’s 75th-anniversary celebration. In the mid-1970s, Holsenbeck was one of the champions for the admittance of women as members of the Society, and in 1981, he received the O∆K Leadership Service Award. Holsenbeck retired from the University of Central Florida, where he served as the vice president for university relations. (159)
Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Awards
Marguerite “Peg” K. Cornwell is a 1997 faculty/staff initiate of the St. Lawrence University Circle (SLU). For many years, she served as the advisor of the SLU Circle. During Cornwell’s tenure as the advisor, the circle twice received Presidential Award of Excellence honors from the Society. More recently, she served the Society as a member of its 2020-21 Strategic Planning Task Force. Cornwell has also been a champion for the circle at Rollins College. In supporting the program at Rollins, she has hosted initiations at her home and supported programming the circle has hosted on campus. Currently, Cornwell serves as the associate to the president for college and community relations at Rollins. (112)
Ralph E. Johnson is a 1982 graduate student initiate of the Florida State University Circle. He presently serves the Washington Adventist University (WAU) Circle as its circle coordinator. During Johnson’s tenure, the WAU received Circle of Distinction honors in 2017. Professionally, he is the vice president of the Center for Student Life at WAU. In addition, Johnson has been a member of the Scholarship Review and Selection Committee. His professional activities include service as president of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA), treasurer of the SACSA Foundation, and chairman of the Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation Board of Directors. Johnson is past chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and he is the current president of the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) in Higher Education. (135)
Lorrie M. Kyle is a 1997 faculty/staff initiate of the Rollins College Circle. Since her initiation, she has been an active member of the circle and has served as the circle coordinator for more than two decades. Kyle is devoted to the members of the circle and has helped develop the circle into one of the Society’s strongest. The Rollins College Circle received the 2012 and 2017 Circle of Distinction honors during her tenure as an advisor. Her nominator wrote, “O∆K is in Lorrie’s heart. She has been involved with O∆K for decades and is truly deserving of this recognition.” Kyle is the executive assistant to the president at Rollins College, a role in which she has served four different presidents and the college for more than 30 years. (129)
William D. Wilkerson is a 2012 collegiate initiate of the Virginia Commonwealth University Circle. He was the first president of the VCU Circle when it was re-chartered in 2012. Wilkerson’s leadership helped return the circle to active status and made it a vibrant organization at VCU. Since then, he has remained connected to O∆K by serving as a member of both the Mission Committee and the Scholarship Review and Selection Committee for several years. In addition to his membership in O∆K, Wilkerson is also a member of Golden Key, Order of Omega, and Iota Phi Theta. Currently, he serves Central Virginia Community College as its chief of police. (108)
