celebrating alumni from every era
Our 2026 Alumni Award recipients are Alan Overbey ’86, DePaul Mittman ’78, Angie Polk-Jones ’89, ’07 MSA, Kathy Foster ’84, ’92 MSN, Wayne Foster ’01, Preston Blakely ’17, Cordara Harper ’20 MM, ’21 PMC, Clinton Wilson ’07, and Anjan Basu.
The Alumni Awards honor alumni for exceptional achievement and significant contributions to their profession, community, society, or university. Awards are presented annually at an event during Homecoming weekend. This year, the awards ceremony will place on Friday, October 2.
Alan Overbey ’86
Minerva Award for Distinguished Service
Alan Overbey is a graduate of UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics. After beginning his career in the insurance industry, he returned to Greensboro in 1998 and founded an employee benefits agency that became Banyan Consulting Group, growing it into one of North Carolina’s largest independently owned employee benefits firms. HUB International acquired Banyan in 2017, and Overbey became practice leader for the Carolinas before retiring in 2020.
Overbey has remained actively engaged with UNCG since 1990. He currently chairs the Bryan School Advisory Board and serves as vice chair of the UNCG Foundation Board. His community involvement has included leadership with Scouting America, United Way of Greater Greensboro, Piedmont Land Conservancy, and Downtown Greensboro Inc.
An Eagle Scout, Overbey is also the father of two Eagle Scouts. He and his wife, Lovelle, a three-time UNCG graduate, have two sons and enjoy traveling together.
DePaul Mittman ’78
Professional Achievement Award
DePaul Mittman earned degrees from UNCG and N.C. A&T State University before beginning a distinguished career in education. At Western Guilford High School, he taught social studies and established Guilford County Schools’ first African American history course while mentoring future educators.
Mittman also made a lasting impact in athletics. As Western Guilford’s head women’s track and field coach from 1985 to 2008, he led the program to a 261-41-2 record, the 1999 NCHSAA 3A state championship, and numerous conference and regional titles. He later coached at T.W. Andrews High School.
Mittman co-founded the North Carolina Track and Cross Country Coaches Association and held leadership roles with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In 2019, Western Guilford named its track facility in his honor. Mittman has been inducted into four halls of fame recognizing his contributions to athletics, including the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.
Angie Polk-Jones ’89, ’07 MS
Professional Achievement Award
Angela Denise Polk-Jones is an educational leader, former NCAA All-American student-athlete, coach, and administrator with more than 35 years of experience in education and athletics. She currently serves as director of athletics and driver education for Guilford County Schools, supporting athletic programs across 35 middle and high schools.
Previously, Polk-Jones served as principal of several innovative high schools, including as the inaugural principal of the Middle College at UNCG. During her tenure, every graduating cohort achieved a 100% graduation rate, and the school received state and national recognition for academic excellence.
A two-time UNCG graduate, Polk-Jones was a Kodak All-American in women’s basketball and became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,585 points, a record she held for 27 years. She was also the first UNCG student-athlete to have a jersey retired. Polk-Jones has been inducted into four halls of fame and continues to mentor students, educators, and emerging leaders.
Kathy Foster ’84, ’92 MSN
WC Legacy Award
Kathy Foster spent 34 years with Cone Health, beginning in 1984 as a staff nurse in inpatient rehabilitation. After earning her Master of Science in Nursing from UNCG, she served as a clinical nurse specialist in inpatient and subacute rehabilitation before moving into quality management and, later, leadership with Cone Health Medical Group. From 2007 to 2018, she served as director of the Family Medicine Center.
Since leaving Cone Health in 2018, Foster has worked as a quality improvement coordinator for AuthoraCare Collective Hospice. Her honors include induction into North Carolina’s Great 100 Nurses in 1994 and UNCG School of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.
Foster’s community and university service includes serving on the board of the ALS Association’s North Carolina chapter, as president of the UNCG School of Nursing Alumni Association, and on the UNCG Board of Visitors.
Wayne Foster ’01 PHD
WC Legacy Award
Wayne Foster is a speech-language pathologist and audiologist who retired from North Carolina public schools after serving as a clinician, lead therapist, special education director, and director of a U.S. Department of Education grant project. He earned two master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from UNCG. He currently serves as audiologist and research coordinator for Cheshire Center in Greensboro.
A Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Foster has served in numerous leadership roles, including on its board of directors. He also served as president of the North Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association, which honored him with its inaugural Legacy in Leadership Award in 2026.
Foster currently serves on the UNCG Foundation Board and with the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Leadership Group. He and his wife, Kathy, are Spartan Club members and endowed their longtime nursing scholarship at UNCG in 2026.
Preston Blakely ’17
Young Alumni Award
Preston Blakely currently serves as the fourth mayor of Fletcher, North Carolina. An alumnus of UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina University, Blakely also works for his family business, Quality Janitorial Group.
Blakely has contributed his leadership to numerous regional and statewide boards and committees. His service includes the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, Land of Sky Regional Council, and the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery.
Through his professional, civic, and public service, Blakely remains committed to supporting his community and the people of western North Carolina.
Cordara Harper ’20 MM, ’21 PMC
Young Alumni Award
Dr. Cordara Harper is an award-winning music educator, choral conductor, and academic leader who serves as assistant professor of music education, director of choral activities, and coordinator of music education and vocal music at Grambling State University. A native of Cove City, North Carolina, and a first-generation college graduate, he teaches and provides leadership across the university’s choral, vocal, and music education programs.
Harper’s honors include Yamaha’s 2025 “40 Under 40” Music Education Excellence Award, the University of Louisiana System Outstanding Faculty Award, and Grambling State University’s Excellence in Teaching Award. He is also a two-time quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award.
Harper earned a Master of Music and post-master’s certificate in school administration from UNCG and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Memphis. He also holds degrees from North Carolina Central University and Fayetteville State University and remains active as a conductor, clinician, presenter, and mentor.
Clinton Wilson ’07
Young Alumni Award
Dr. Clinton A. Wilson is an educational leader, student advocate, and champion for mental health equity with nearly two decades of experience in public education and student services. He currently serves as executive director of student support services for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, overseeing programs that support students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
Wilson began his career as a school counselor at Ben L. Smith High School before moving into district leadership with Guilford County Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. He also co-founded Transcend Resource Solutions LLC, which works to reduce barriers to mental health and educational services for marginalized populations.
A Raleigh native, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise and sport science from UNCG and both a Master of Science in counseling and a Ph.D. in leadership studies and adult education from North Carolina A&T State University. His career reflects a commitment to expanding opportunities and supporting student well-being.
Anjan Basu
Honorary Alumni Award
Anjan Basu is a career educator whose connection to UNCG began as a transfer student from 1998 to 2001. While at UNCG, he was active in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Brother 2 Brother, NBS Dance Troupe, the NBS Political Action Committee, and student advocacy efforts supporting a multicultural center on campus.
Basu later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and African American literature from North Carolina A&T State University and is a doctoral candidate in African American literature at Howard University. He has taught at N.C. A&T since 2009, where his work has included efforts to improve first-year Black male student retention.
Basu has remained actively engaged with UNCG, supporting Homecoming efforts and raising approximately $60,000 for the Pi Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha’s General Student Body Scholarship. He and his wife, Maggie, have been married for 18 years and are the proud parents of twins, Amir and Leela.