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NORTH ALLEGHENY DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI GALA
Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s Distinguished Alumni Gala!
We are pleased to announce that throughout the night we raised almost $2,000 for the new Dede Rittman grant. To make a contribution in memory of Dede, donate here and note in the comments section that the donation is for the Dede Rittman Classroom Grant.Congratulations again to the 2024 honorees—Jay Dudt, 1977 (Arts); Julie Lancaster, 1992 (Business); Kathleen Beaver, 1984 (Community Service); Dr. Brian White, 1992 (Education); Dr. Thomas McNaugher, 1964 (Government); Anthony Ditka, 1988 (Law); Dr. Gary Schmidt, 1993 (Medicine); Mark Russinovich, 1985 (Science & Technology); and Sara Makin, 2010 (Young Alumni).
To see more photos from the evening’s festivities, click here and enter the password Alumni2024
For a video of the honorees’ acceptance speeches, click here.
Information about the 2025 Gala will be announced later this year. In the meantime, you can nominate a graduate of North Allegheny High School for the title of 2025 Distinguished Alumni by completing our online submission form. Applications for next year must be received by May 15, 2024.
Are you interested in becoming a sponsor of the North Allegheny Foundation?
Contact us at nafoundation@northallegheny.org to learn more about the opportunities that are available!
WHAT ARE THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS?
Since 2018, the Distinguished Alumni Awards have been sponsored by the North Allegheny Foundation. It is an honor bestowed upon graduates of North Allegheny High School to recognize alumni who have made significant contributions to society or outstanding professional accomplishments in the areas of: Arts, Business, Community Service, Education, Government, Law, Medicine, Science and Young Alumni (40 and under).
HOW TO NOMINATE AN ALUMNI
Do you know a graduate of North Allegheny High School who is deserving of the title of Distinguished Alumni? The nomination process is now available year-round! Applications must be received by May 15 of each year for nominees to be considered in the Distinguished Alumni class for the following calendar year. Nominations will only be accepted through our online from. Submissions are reviewed by members of the North Allegheny Foundation, previous recipients of the award, past & current NA teachers, as well as community members. Please note, alumni are only permitted to win the distinction of Distinguished Alumni once, regardless of how many categories they are nominated for.
To submit an individual to be considered for the 2025 Gala, complete our online application process today! Submissions are due by May 15, 2024.
PAST NA DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
ARTS
- 2018 Wayne Brinda, Ed.D. (1968)
- 2019 Jeff Sewald (1979)
- 2020 Dan Smyers (2006)
- 2021 (V) Greg Joseph (1981) and Rob Hertweck (1984)
- 2022 Jay Woffington (1990)
- 2023 Frank Nicotero (1987)
- 2024 Jay Dudt (1977)
BUSINESS
- 2018 Tom Bowman (1973)
- 2019 Yle-Hsin Hung (1980)
- 2020 Dave Robbins (1978)
- 2021 (V) Patty Hayes (1973)
- 2022 William Rothenbach (1972)
- 2023 Bernadette Coleman (1976)
- 2024 Julie Lancaster (1992)
COMMUNITY SERVICE
- 2018 Kimberly Boucek (1985)
- 2019 Larry Richert (1976)
- 2020 Steven D’Achille (2001)
- 2021 (V) Wayne Atwell (1965)
- 2022 Jay Adzema (1981)
- 2023 Alan Shuckrow (1987)
- 2024 Kathleen Beaver (1984)
EDUCATION
- 2018 Mark Nordenberg JD (1966)
- 2019 Gregg Behr (1991)
- 2020 Mark R. Dollhopf (1973)
- 2021 (V) Daniel M. Gurtner, Ph.D. (1992)
- 2023 Bob Tozier (1988)
- 2024 Dr. Brian White (1992)
GOVERNMENT
- 2018 Larry Schweiger (1968)
- 2019 Gloria Flora (1973)
- 2020 Hon. Melissa A. Hart, JD. (1980)
- 2021 (V) Brigadier General (ret) Gregory J. Touhill (1979)
- 2022 Bob Stone (1992)
- 2023 Bill Martin (1973)
- 2024 Dr. Thomas McNaugher (1964)
LAW
- 2018 Laura Ditka, Esq. (1981)
- 2019 Jerry Richey, JD (1967)
- 2020 Mark Allen, JD (1973)
- 2021 (V) Paul McTighe Jr. JD (1966)
- 2022 David Leslie (1967)
- 2023 Joseph Milcoff (1988)
- 2024 Anthony Ditka (1988)
MEDICINE
- 2018 Robert Hillman, Ph.D. (1970)
- 2019 William Kearns, Ph.D. (1970)
- 2020 Mark Lanasa, Ph.D., M.D. (1991)
- 2021 (V) Amanda J. McCoy, MD, MPH, FCS (ECSA)
- 2022 Mary Wall-Komorowski (1974)
- 2023 Robert Potter, MD (1974)
- 2024 Dr. Gary Schmidt (1993)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- 2018 Warren (Woody) Hoburg, Ph.D. (2004)
- 2019 Timothy Hoellein, Ph.D. (1996)
- 2020 Thomas Braun, DMD, Ph.D. (1965)
- 2021 (V) Anne Milasinic Andrews, Ph.D. (1980)
- 2022 Paula Garcia Todd (1998)
- 2023 Guy Gardner (1973)
- 2024 Mark Russinovich (1985)
YOUNG ALUMNI (40 & UNDER)
- 2018 Jessica Jackley (1996)
- 2019 Ben Butler (2010)
- 2020 Kirsten Lin, MD (1998)
- 2021 (V) Michael Semanchik (2003)
- 2022 Aishwarya Arjunan (2006)
- 2023 Rosanna Breaux (2007)
- 2024 Sara Makin (2010)
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
- Chris Jackson—PA Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, 2019
- Dean Boronyak—PA Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, 2020
- Eric Kofmehl, Ph.D.—Spirit of North Allegheny, 2021
- Dave Gray (1988)—Spirit of North Allegheny, 2023
