The Rising Hawk Award

The Rising Hawk Award is given to alumni under the age of 40 who demonstrates success early in his or her career and is active in the life of the university or the life of their community.

Nominated by peers, Julianne Touhy ’15 is the recipient of this year's The Rising Hawk award.

Quincy University prepared Julianne Touhy’15 in and outside the classroom.

“The leadership and planning opportunities at QU gave me the confidence and experience that has led to my early success in the meetings and events industry,” said Touhy.

Exceptional Talent from the Start

As a student, Touhy joined Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII) and immediately joined their leadership council. She ran all AOII’s social and philanthropy events and became heavily involved on campus. One event dear to her heart was a campus-wide Safety Week after a dear friend was hit by a car. Touhy also sat on the committee to institute the Stride for Shannon 5k.

“Even as an undergraduate, Julianne's success has always reflected exceptional talent combined with the determination to make the most of opportunities that would be easy to overlook,” said Barb Schleppenbach, PhD, associate professor of communication. “In true Franciscan tradition, she has generously employed her gifts in service to others. Without a doubt, she will continue to shine and to brighten the lives of everyone she encounters.”

A Succesful Career Path

Today, Touhy works as a senior meeting planner for the American Bar Association (ABA). She manages registration and housing for the two large association-wide meetings and helps manage the registration system used association-wide, Cvent. Her department also serves as a resource for virtual meetings, hybrid meetings, and on-site covid protocols for all ABA Meetings.

She is very involved in the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Greater Midwest Chapter. PCMA recently named Touhy as a member of the PCMA’s 20 in Their Twenties Class of 2022.

“I was so excited and humbled when I received the call that I won this award,” said Touhy. “20 in their Twenties helped validate all the time and hard work I have put into my career so far. This award shows that the career path I chose is not only something I love but something I can be successful in.”

Her career path was not always so clear. Her favorite professor, the late John Schleppenbach, Ph.D., entered her life at a crossroads.

“I am a strong leader and resilient because of the people who believed in me and got me here to where I am today.” —Julianne Touhy ’15

“He was kind and encouraging. He saw great things in me that I didn’t see yet,” said Touhy. “He helped me navigate college and gave me the confidence I never knew I had. I owe a lot to him and miss him greatly.”

Connecting to Give Back

Many professors and administrators became her friends and mentors and impacted her along the way including, Brian Borlas, PhD, Travis Yates, MAS, MS.Ed., Barb Schleppenbach, PhD, Christine Tracy, Ed.D., Neil Wright, PhD, Kristen Liesen, MA, and Sam Lathrop.

“I am a strong leader and resilient because of the people who believed in me and got me here to where I am today,” said Touhy. “I want to give of myself, my time, my attention, and my experiences to whomever I can.”

To accomplish that, Touhy participates in student panels and mentoring opportunities within her profession because she understands the positive impact it can have on someone.

Touhy also remains involved with QU, where she developed life-long friendships and has some of her best memories.

“I owe a lot to QU, so it’s important to me to remain connected and give back as much as I can,” said Touhy.