Outstanding Alumni Award Recipients

The Outstanding Alumni Award honors alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, achievement and influence in their field and/or in their community activities. If you would like to nominate yourself or a fellow alum, please fill out the nomination form here.

1984

George Roy Hill '39 Film Director
1985  Suzanne R. Hiatt '54

Episcopal Church Women's Movement

1986 Atherton Bean '26 Twin City Business

1987

Joan Argetsinger-Seitz '58

Medical Research

1988

Eva Seed Auchincloss '51

Women's Athletics

1989

John Raynolds '47

Volunteerism

1990

Al Franken '69, Tom Davis '70

Comedy/Entertainment

1991

Mary Case Warner '29

Animal Safety/Protection

1992

Marcia McNutt '70

Geophysicist

1993

Alfred K. Moir '42

Art Historian

1994

Patty Bagley Clifford '34

Volunteerism

1995

Charles Parks Ritchie '57

Educator

1996

Patricia Donovan Baker '49

Volunteerism

1997

Whitney MacMillan '47

International Business

1998

David Ellwood '71

Leading Scholar on Poverty/Welfare

1999

Sarah Pillsbury '69 
Sallie Sheldon '69

Film Producer
Biologist and Milfoil Expert

2000

Wallace Corliss Dayton '39

Environmental Activism

2002

Anne Sivertsen Conner '50

Public Health Nurse

2003

Ray Plank '40

Business Leader

2004

Angus '52 and Margaret '63 Wurtele

Civic Leaders

2005

Steve Adams '55

Business Leader

2006

Peter Gillette '52

Business Leader

2007

Mary Lee Dayton '43

Volunteerism

2008

Shepard Harder '68

Childrens' Advocate

2009

Barbara Forster '55

Business Leader

2010

Peter '54 and Anne Mintener '54 Heegaard

Philanthropic, Business Leaders

2011

Douglas Smith '81

Author, Historian, Translator

2012

Bruce Dayton '36

Businessman, Philanthropist

2013

Kelley Lindquist '71

Arts Leader

2014

Dave Goldberg '85 & Rob Goldberg '89

Entrepreneurs

2015

Diana Nelson '80

Business Leader

2016

John Crosby '53

Educator and Community Leader

2017

Lucia Watson '72

American Chef, Restaurateur and Cookbook Author

2018

Donald McCarthy '66

Astronomer, Researcher and Professor

2019 Mark Dayton '65 Civil Servant and Minnesota's 40th Governor
2020 Jenifer Neils '68 Archaeologist, art historian and academic
2021 Stephen Hoge '94 Physician and scientist 
2022 Cathy Countryman Maes '85 Non-profit leader
2023 Andrij Parekh '90 Cinematographer
2024 Megan Murray '76 Educator/Medical Researcher