ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø Alumni Awards are the highest honors presented by the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø Alumni Association on an annual basis. Selected through a highly competitive process, each recipient has made a lasting impact on society and on ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø through outstanding professional, philanthropic or volunteer accomplishments.
2023 Alumni Award Honorees
The Alumni Association is proud to announce the 2023 Alumni Award honorees. These individuals are recognized for their outstanding achievements in their professional fields and for their dedicated service to the University.
These prestigious awards are presented at the annual Alumni Awards Dinner the evening before Spring Commencement. Our current recipients are:
2023 Class of 1931 Award - Christopher Hughes '89
Chris Hughes ’89 is the founder, president and CEO of OsteoRemedies. He started the company in 2013 after 20 years of working his way up in the medical device industry. Hughes earned a bachelor’s in marketing at ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø, and after graduation he served four years in the Army, rising to the rank of captain. He later earned an MBA. Hughes’ volunteer work includes being board chairman of One Family Memphis/Memphis Rox.
2023 Young Alumni Award - Jalem Robinson '20
Jalem Robinson M.Ed. ’20 is an education professional trained in English education, educational leadership, religion and philosophy, and youth programs and services. He is the director of community collaboration at Tampa-based Metropolitan Ministries. Robinson, a Tampa native, is also the founder and CEO of Brothers United Building Brothers Alliance, an organization he started in 2014 that is dedicated to improving the lives of young men through mentorship, tutoring, and empowerment services.
2023 Alumni Achievement Award - Donna Palumbo-Miele MBA '09
Donna Palumbo-Miele MBA ’09 is the founder and COO of Concordia Supply Chain Group. She started the company in 2020 after more than 20 years in startups and Fortune 50 and 100 companies, including Ernst & Young and The Walt Disney Company. Palumbo-Miele is also on the board of directors for the Women’s Forum of New York, an organization of more than 500 women recognized as New York City’s thought leaders.
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2023 Esse Quam Videri - Patricia Messina '82
Trish Messina ’82 retired as CFO of Mad Mobile, where she led finance, accounting and human resource functions. She also founded a financial advisory firm and co-founded a B2B software company. Messina earned a bachelor’s in accounting at ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø and has an MBA from Harvard. She has been an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø and has served on the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø Board of Fellows and the Sykes College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.
