awards & honors

accounting firm Somerville & Company PLLC. She began her career with Somerville after graduating from Marshall in 2004. During her career, she has been involved with several professional organizations, including the Huntington chapter of the West Virginia Society of CPAs, of which she served as president from 2015-2016, and the West Virginia Society of CPAs, of which currently she serves as treasurer and is slated to become president in 2025.

Aluise has also been involved with several local nonprofit organizations, including Hospice of Huntington; the Marshall Artists Series; and Generation Huntington, which is a subcommittee of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Marshall University Alumni Association board of directors. For many years, Aluise was a longtime board member and vice president of Girls on the Run of Cabell and Wayne County, which aims to empower elementary school-aged girls.

Christopher Taylor

Christopher Taylor is the recipient of the Young Alumnus award.

Taylor is the chief technology and information officer at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from Marshall in 2008 and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer forensics. After leaving Marshall, he worked with the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. As part of his work, Taylor, who grew up in Keyser, West Virginia, was able to travel to several major cities across the country. At present, Taylor has visited 43 states. He also owns his own company, Melanin Travels LLC, which encourages all people, but specifically people of color, to travel more. Through his company, he has traveled to Aruba, Dubai, Rome,

After leaving TSA and DHS, Taylor moved to South Korea and taught English as a second language at Noble Academy. When he returned to the U.S., Taylor moved to Washington, D.C., and worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission as a government contractor. In 2014, he received his Cisco Certification and moved to San Francisco. In 2017, he returned to the East Coast and moved to North Carolina. His ultimate goal is to become the chief technology officer or chief information officer of Google or Samsung, which are his two favorite tech companies.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR –SOUTHERN COALFIELDS ALUMNI & BIG GREEN CHAPTER

Since its formation in 2017, the Southern Coalfields Alumni & Big Green Chapter has experienced tremendous growth and was named the MUAA Chapter of the Year for the first time in 2021. Through outstanding annual events, a tremendous online presence and dedicated members, this chapter has truly brought Marshall University to southern West Virginia.

In 2022 alone, the chapter awarded four $1,500 scholarships to incoming freshmen in the four southern West Virginia counties. It has made significant contributions to Marshall, both in academics and athletics through a partnership between the Marshall University Alumni Association and Big Green Scholarship Foundation.

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR – MARSHALL ALUMNI OF THE MID-OHIO VALLEY

As one of the most successful Marshall University Alumni Association chapters ever, there is nothing this group of dedicated individuals can’t do. Through highly successful events and online outreach, this chapter supports alumni in Parkersburg and the surrounding communities.

In 2022, the chapter awarded eight scholarships for students in the area, bringing the chapter’s lifetime total to 112 scholarships awarded. The chapter also raised more than $20,000 for Marshall University through innovative events like a hybrid fundraiser, which included an in-person rally and online auction.

Awards Of Distinction

Individual Awards of Distinction were also presented during the event to honorees from each of Marshall’s schools and colleges. This year’s Awards of Distinction went to Sassa Wilkes (College of Arts and Media), Zach Meyers (College of Business), Lucianne Call (College of Education and Professional Development), Adam Weibel (College of Engineering and Computer Sciences), Denise Hogsett (College of Health Professions), Dr. Janine Janosky (College of Liberal Arts), Jody Ogle (College of Science), Dr. Robert J. Cure (Marshall University School of Medicine) and Dr. Sarah Dunaway (Marshall University School of Pharmacy).

Special Awards

In addition to the standard awards, two special awards were presented during the evening.

Special recognition was given to Mikala Shremshock as the outgoing president of the Marshall University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Shremshock is a 2006 graduate of Marshall with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. She has served as president since 2020 and ends her term in June. She was president during the COVID period and helped lead the board through a difficult time, using online resources to conduct complex board meetings to assure that the board did not miss a beat. She works for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and she is an ultramarathon runner.

Meanwhile, the Unsung Hero Award was presented to Richard Plymale for his work supporting students at Marshall University.

The Fort Gay alumni association has played an integral role in championing high school graduates in Fort Gay, West Virginia, who seek higher education. Plymale has been with the group for more than 25 years and served for 20 years as the president. He is a 1960 graduate of Marshall with a bachelor’s in business. Following graduation, Plymale had a 33-year career in sales and marketing with the Johnson & Johnson Family Companies. Plymale is a WWII veteran, having served in the Navy before coming to Marshall.

Through Plymale’s involvement, the group established the Fort Gay High School Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to students graduating from Tolsia High School in Fort Gay who attend Marshall. Since 1999, 36 students have benefited from the Fort Gay alumni association’s generosity. What began as a $500 annual award has now been endowed through the Marshall Foundation and grown to a value of more than $575,000, with more than $200,000 awarded to the students.