College of Communication & Information Sciences

C&IS Alumni Recognized for Professional and Service Achievements

May 16, 2024

On April 5, 2024, the College of Communication and Information Sciences (C&IS) held its Honors Day ceremony and presented awards to nine alumni of the college.

Honors Day is a time-honored tradition on The University of Alabama (UA) campus and within C&IS. It serves as a day to recognize the accomplishments of our most outstanding alumni. Selected both within their academic units and college wide, the individuals honored have contributed excellence to the college and are distinctive representatives for their fields.

Alumni and Event Coordinator Brie Campbell enjoyed learning about the alumni achievements and was pleased to see the alumni celebrated.

“It was heartwarming to witness not only the accomplishments and inspirational testimonies of our alumni, but also the support and encouragement they received from their families,” Campbell said.

Below are the recipients and the awards that they received.

Kathy Geiger-Schwab ’79, B.A., received the Bert Bank Distinguished Service and Achievement Award. Geiger-Schwab is a retired senior executive with over 30 years of experience in the local search industry, such as the Yellow Pages and online search media. She has held several positions during her corporate career with AT&T and various subsidiaries, including chief strategy and transformation officer and VP of marketing and business development.

The Bert Bank Distinguished Service and Achievement Award annually recognizes an individual whose career has elevated the profile of the college, the University, the state or the nation, or who has shown exemplary and extraordinary service to those entities.

Manuel Torres ’00, M.A., received the Betsy Plank Distinguished Achievement Award. Torres is a senior editor at The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system.

The Betsy Plank Distinguished Achievement Award annually recognizes an individual who is a UA graduate with a longtime or lifetime distinguished career in any of the communication disciplines represented within the College of Communication and Information Sciences.

The Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes distinguished alumni for their exceptional achievements both personally and professionally. The honor is awarded to alumni of C&IS programs who have made outstanding contributions benefiting their profession, community, state or nation. Recipients are selected annually from each academic program in the college and from The School of Library & Information Studies.

This year’s Outstanding Alumni are:

J. Alison Bryant ’99, M.A., Creative Media.

Joseph D. Bryant ’01, B.A., News Media.

Eduardo Henriques ’03, B.A., Advertising.

Jennifer Kitt-West ’07, B.A., Public Relations.

Tonya Adams Nelson ’92, B.A. & ’93, M.A., Communication Studies.

Katherine M. Ruffin ’96, M.F.A., Book Arts.

Reba J. Williams ’20, M.L.I.S., School of Library and Information Studies.

Nominations for alumni awards are accepted each fall semester. To nominate a C&IS alum who has outstanding accomplishments in communication and information fields please go online when the portal opens during the fall semester.

Categories:

Alumni, News

Tags:

Alumni, Awards/Recognition

The College of Communication & Information Sciences, with a total enrollment of more than 3,400 students, was founded at The University of Alabama in 1973. Among three academic departments and one school, the College offers five bachelor’s, five master’s and one multidisciplinary doctoral program designed to hone students’ knowledge and skills within the communication and information sciences.

The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides an inclusive, forward-thinking environment and nearly 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.

Founded in 1831 as the state’s flagship university, The University of Alabama has always focused on being the best. This is Where Legends Are Made.

Leah Myers is an award-winning author and journalist in the College of Communication & Information Sciences. Her memoir, “Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity,” was named one of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Books of 2023 and received a rave review from The New York Times. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Craft Literary Magazine, and elsewhere.