UNA Pressroom

UNA Announces 2024 Homecoming Award Winners

Aug. 06, 2024



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@36837a.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Winners of the 2024 Homecoming Awards have been announced by officials at the University of North Alabama. Homecoming is set for Oct. 11-12 and will include the annual Homecoming Celebration with alumni and friends, and kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Braly Stadium with the North Alabama Lions taking on Wildcats of Abilene Christian.

 “There really is no time on UNA’s campus like Homecoming,” said Justin “Bishop” Alexander, the Director of Alumni Relations. “We work throughout the year preparing to welcome back our alumni and friends, and this year’s award winners are a special group that represents our Colleges and many academic programs. They are outstanding examples of UNA and where a UNA education can take you.”

 The 2024 Homecoming theme is Shine On, Gold, a mirror of the name of the comprehensive campaign to raise $100 million for the University of North Alabama that was launched in September of 2023.

 This year’s winners, who will be formally announced at the Homecoming Celebration on Oct. 11 as well as on the field at the beginning of the game, are: 

  • Lifetime Achievement: Pat Burney, ’88, of Florence.
  • Alumni of the Year: Dawn Victor-Herring, ’92, of Burlington, N.C.
  • Friend of the University: UNA’s Lion Crew.
  • Young Alumni: Hannah Hopkins, ’17, Huntsville.
  • Military Service: Capt. Christina M. Hicks, ’00, Columbia, Md.
  • Public Service: Kerry L. Underwood, ’90, Tuscumbia.
  • Educator of the Year (Higher Education): Dr. Thomas Chase Hagood, ’04, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Educator of the Year (K-12): Jennifer S. Herrmann, ’00, Florence.
  • Community Service, Lawrence Davis Jr., ’80, Orlando, Fla.
  • Faculty Alumni Service, Dr. Wendy Darby, ’84, Florence.
  • Staff Alumni Service, Laurie L. Holder, ’10, Florence.

 Tickets to the annual Homecoming Celebration, which will take place at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center, are available and may be purchased at this link. The event is presented by The Florence-Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: 36837a.com and 36837a.com/unaworks/.