Lindenwood University has a long history of presenting alumni awards as a way to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of our alumni, their dedication to the university, and to the community. Nominations provide an avenue for all alumni, faculty, staff, and students to state why a particular alumnus would be a fit for one of these awards. Recipients are dependent on the nominations submitted and may not be awarded every year.
- 2024 Award Nominations have closed.
Alumni Merit Award
The Alumni Merit Award recognizes alumni who have enhanced the prestige of Lindenwood University by virtue of their character, integrity, career, and personal accomplishments. Traditionally, the medal has not been given in recognition of a single remarkable achievement but has been reserved for those alumni who have attained and maintained extremely high stations in their chosen fields of endeavor and in their service to society.
2023 Alumni Merit Award - Chasity Strickland
The Recipient of the Alumni Merit Award goes to Chasity Strickland '04. Chasity is an experienced, organized, inclusive servant leader with an affinity for success. She is a wife, celebrating 20 years of marriage this September, a mother of 2 and a new Gigi (grandmother). Chasity is a first-generation college graduate and has been with The Boeing Company for almost 20 years. She is an entrepreneur most evenings and weekends: As U Wish Event Planning, Strickly Taxes, and Travel by Chasity. Her favorite charity and a place that she loves to volunteer at is The Ronald McDonald House dinner program. Chasity is celebrating her 20th year of graduating from Lindenwood’s LCIE program and she is very grateful that such a program existed back then which focused on adult learning.
2022 Alumni Merit Award - Sarah Ehlen
The Recipient of the Alumni Merit Award goes to Sarah Ehlen. Sarah received her Masters in Business Administration from Lindenwood University in 2003. She has worked at The Boeing Company over the past 21 years and held a variety of positions. Today, Sarah is the Air Dominance Director of Systems Engineering. In addition to her corporate achievements, Sarah is also committed to giving back in her community. She is an involved, experienced, and qualified leader who is making a difference in her workplace and community and that is why she is a perfect fit for the Lindenwood University Alumni Merit Award.
2021 Alumni Merit Award - Whitney Knapp
We are honored to present Whitney (Cornick) Knapp ‘10 with the 2021 Alumni Merit Award. The Alumni Merit Award recognizes alumni who have enhanced the prestige of Lindenwood University by virtue of their character, integrity, career, and personal accomplishments. Traditionally, the award has not been given in recognition of a single remarkable achievement but has been reserved for those alumni who have attained and maintained extremely high stations in their chosen fields.
2020 Alumni Merit Award - John "JT" Taylor
We are honored to present Jon "JT" Taylor with the 2020 Alumni Merit Award. The Alumni Merit Award recognizes alumni who have enhanced the prestige of Lindenwood University by virtue of their character, integrity, career, and personal accomplishments. Traditionally, the award has not been given in recognition of a single remarkable achievement but has been reserved for those alumni who have attained and maintained extremely high stations in their chosen fields of endeavor and in their service to society.
Alumni Service Award
The Alumni Service Award recognizes Lindenwood University alumni who have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership to Lindenwood University – whether it be through volunteerism, philanthropy, recruiting, or any other means. Recipients have given significant time, talent, and effort to support the mission of Lindenwood University.
2023 Alumni Service Award - Dr. Jose Jones
Dr. Jones ('06, '07, '18) is a Licensed Professional Counselor, retired professional boxer, and founder of The Boxing Therapy. He has used his passion for boxing to create programs that help with stress, anxiety, ADHD, depression, and addiction. He offers tailored programs for adults, youth, and children with special needs, including Parkinson’s, autism, Down syndrome, and ALS. In addition to his work in the community, he also offers mental health support and resources to students at Lindenwood. He holds three master’s degrees and earned a doctoral degree in education from Lindenwood University.
2022 Alumni Service Award - Jodell Larkin
Jodell has been a member of the Lindenwood University St. Charles Alumni Chapter. She has set the example to members of the chapter, who are fellow alumni and friends of Lindenwood through her continued leadership and volunteer work with the Chapter and in the local community. In addition to running her own business and supporting her husband's fraternal organization, she has shown her leadership and volunteerism by serving as the Chapter Vice-President followed by serving as the current chapter President. Jodell also volunteers her time at the Scheidegger Center where she is an usher during the events. Her several years of support, volunteerism on committees and fundraisers, as well as holding several offices in the local chapter makes Jodell a deserving recipient for the Alumni Service Award.
2020 Alumni Service Award - Hollis C. Heyn
Hollis C. Heyn Receives Alumni Service AwardWe are honored to present Hollis Carolyn Heyn with the 2020 Alumni Service Award. Hollis is a 1975 alumna who obtained her bachelor’s in English from Lindenwood College for Women and a master’s in English Language and Literature from Southern Illinois University. Her focus for the last ten years has been American literature with a special emphasis in the 20th c. Southern writer William Faulkner's novels.
Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award recognizes the accomplishments of Lindenwood University alumni who graduated in the last 10 years. Recipients are up-and-coming talents and have demonstrated outstanding promise for contributions to Lindenwood and the greater community. Recipients have been active with events within the Alumni Association, networking opportunities, fundraising, and student recruitment.
2023 Young Alumni Award - Susie Evans
Since graduating in 2015, Susie has utilized her degree to further her career in the media world. Appearances on shows such as The Bachelor on ABC and various online podcasts, Susie is a true story of what "Real Experience. Real Success." is all about. Susie manages her own company that focuses on wedding videography and photography, all the while maintaining her role as a media personality. She uses her online platform in a way that is informative and helpful to the community by keeping them up to date on the latest trends and providing a place for the community to interact with her.
2022 Young Alumni Award - Jordan Boedeker
Jordan graduated in 2018 and is a member of Lindenwood's Sports Hall of fame. She has spent a ton of her own time as a member of two of Missouri's premier sporting teams - The St. Louis Blues and Kansas City Chiefs. Jordan is always looking out for others first. She truly wants to make sure that those around her are happy and this carries over both into her daily life and in the communities where she has left a mark. Not only is she a champion Lionette, but she also took things a step further, continued to pursue her dreams in dance, and became a member of two other championship teams. Jordan's story as a young alum is still being written, but it has been an incredible journey thus far.
2021 Young Alumni Award - Dr. TaJuan Wilson
We are honored to present Dr. TaJuan Wilson with the 2021 Young Alumni Award. He graduated from Lindenwood University in 2015 with his Doctorate - Instructional Leadership in Higher Education. He was recently named Managing Associate at Storbeck Search- part of the Diversified Search Group.
2020 Young Alumni Award - Kayla P. Stewart
We are honored to present Kayla Piers Stewart with the 2020 Young Alumni Award. She graduated from Lindenwood in 2014 with a religion degree, and currently resides in Chicago. She is the vice president of sales at an S&P 500 tech company. Kayla and her husband, Chase, have two Rhodesian ridgebacks and are expecting a son early next year. Chase is also a Lindenwood alumnus and the couple have remained active alumni, through both service and generosity.
