Alumni Awards of Distinction 

Betsy LaCoe Hamm '01-'05M

Betsy LaCoe Hamm

Betsy graduated from Shippensburg University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications journalism and in 2005 with a master’s degree in business administration. She spent fifteen years at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, culminating her time at the company as director of marketing & promotions where she was responsible for driving revenue and creating brand awareness through the oversight of marketing strategy, media, and promotional efforts. In 2016 Betsy began her career at the Duck Donuts Franchising Company as director of marketing. She was named chief operating officer in 2017 where she was responsible for leading the strategy and guiding the team that provides franchise development, marketing, operations and training support for 100+ franchise locations throughout the country. And in April 2021, she was named chief executive officer where she focuses on ensuring the growth and success of the Duck Donuts brand. Betsy’s accolades include being named to the Nation’s Restaurant News Power 50 List 2022, Global Franchise Magazine Top 20 CEOs 2022, Smart Business Deal Makers 2021, and Women of Influence Central Penn Business Journal 2021. In the community, Betsy is a board member of the Harrisburg Capital Region Economic Development Corporation, as well as a board member for Central Penn College. Betsy served her alma mater as the December 2021 undergraduate commencement speaker. She resides in Harrisburg with her Shipmate, Matthew Hamm ’01 and her two children.

Steven Mentzer '88

Steven Mentzer

Steven received his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 1988 from Shippensburg University. He later received his master's degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis. Steven joined Pfizer in 1997 as a Corporate Auditor. He then moved into the Information Technology organization managing global infrastructure and subsequently to Pfizer’s Global Supply organization in Strategy and Business Development.  Since 2005 Steven has been a leader of acquisitions and divestitures of Pfizer’s businesses worldwide. This includes a number of Pfizer’s notable transactions such as; The technology transfer to licensees of the COVID-19 Oral Antiviral treatment Pfizer sells as Paxlovid, to serve 95 Low- and Middle-Income Countries, the integration of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the divestiture of the consumer business to GSK now Haleon; the Infant Nutritional business to Nestle and the spin-off of Pfizer’s animal health business creating Zoetis. Previous to Pfizer and graduate school, Steven was head of IT for the Department of Anesthesia at the Penn State College of Medicine, where he played a key role in the creation of the Cognitive Science and Simulation Development Laboratory. This lab was at the forefront in the use of simulation technology for medical training used widely today. Steven is married to Dr. Joy Nave-Mentzer and they have three children, Marlana (Boston), Anson (NY, NY), and Ellison a junior at home in New Jersey. Steven serves his alma mater on the Milton and Doreen Morgan School of Engineering Advisory Board and the Shippensburg University Foundation Annual Fund Leadership Team.

Amey Fisher Sgrignoli '90-'13M

Amey Fisher Sgrignoli

Amey R. Sgrignoli is President/CEO of Belco Community Credit Union, an 880M asset-sized credit union in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, Belco has grown to include 15 branches in 7 Central Pennsylvania counties with a current membership of 74,000. Belco employs 250 co-workers across its regional footprint. Recently named by American Banker as One of the Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions 2022, the not-for-profit credit union movement is at the heart of Amey’s professional and personal compass. Providing Belco members with the best products and services to meet their financial needs leads her development and management of Belco’s member driven mission. Guiding Belco’s operations through the current and future landscape, Amey is actively involved in bringing the latest technology and services to Belco members. Additionally, her leadership focus extends into the future of the financial landscape. How Belco will adapt to emerging issues such as workplace culture in a remote work environment, workforce development and talent acquisition to sustain the credit union mission. Appointed President/CEO in January 2014, Amey has held several leadership roles since joining Belco in 2004. Most notably, EVP of Operations, AVP of Lending and Consumer Lending Manager. Amey came to Belco after nearly a decade in the financial services industry at both commercial and regional banks. Throughout her career Amey has engaged in non-profit boards, area economic development volunteering and credit union industry specific leadership roles. Currently she serves on the board of directors for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) as well as the CrossState Credit Union Association. Other professional board involvement includes Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation (CAEDC), Community Depository Institution Advisory Committee (CDIAC) Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, Philadelphia, Pa. In addition, Amey serves on the World Council of Credit Unions, Global Women’s Leadership Network, The United Way of the Capital Region, Women’s Leadership Network and Shippensburg University’s College of Business Advisory Board. She has also served in leadership roles within Mission Central and The American Diabetes Association Harrisburg Chapter. Amey holds a master’s degree in organizational development & leadership, along with a bachelor’s of science in business administration from Shippensburg University. Additionally, she is a Certified Chief Executive (CCE) graduate of the Credit Union Executive Society’s CEO Institute and a Senior Certified Professional of Society of Human Resources (SHRM-SCP).

Dr. Rita Sterner-Hine '89-'90M

Dr. Rita Sterner-Hine

Rita received her bachelor’s degree in public administration from Shippensburg University in 1989, her master’s in public administration in 1990, and certificates in comprehensive social studies in 1990, and secondary and elementary administration in 1998. She received her letter of eligibility for superintendent in 2008 from Edinboro University and her doctoral degree in education leadership in 2012 from Widener University. Throughout her extensive career in education, Rita has served in many leadership roles in the Waynesboro Area School District. Starting as a social studies teacher in 1992, Rita served the district as high school assistant principal, elementary principal at both Hooverville and Summitview, assistant superintendent, and now currently serves as superintendent. Her educational philosophy is centered around comprehensive and holistic learning with a focus on preparing all learners for post-graduation success. Rita’s accomplishments in the school district include the implementation of the First Choice Initiative, Comprehensive Full Day Kindergarten, and Pre-K programs; establishing trauma-informed classrooms K-12; expansion of early graduation and early-to-college programs; and expansion of WASD virtual and alternative education.  During the COVID-19 pandemic she was significantly involved with keeping WASD schools open, resulting in the district receiving U.S. Congressional recognition. Rita was also recognized with the Governor’s Award for Academic Excellence 2012-2013 for Summitview Elementary as one of the Top 100 elementary schools in Pennsylvania. Rita has presented various workshops for national and state conferences. Her publications include: “The Antebellum Women’s Movement” – National Center for Teaching History and Math, “Reading and Writing Performance on the PSSA: Explaining Gender Differences using PVAAS” – Doctoral Dissertation, 2012. She has also worked as an adjunct professor for graduate studies at Wilson College. In July of 2023, she also received a Certificate of Leadership Development from the Commandant's National Security Program from the U.S. Army War College.  Rita is actively involved with her local community, participating in the Waynesboro Area Business, Education, and Community Foundation in several leadership positions, is a member of the YMCA Board of Directors, Board Member of the Alexander Hamilton Library, is a member of the Waynesboro Rotary Club and has served in various roles at her church Five Forks Brethren in Christ.  As an undergraduate student at Shippensburg, Rita was a member of Delta Zeta sorority, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and Order of Omega Honor Society.

Dr. Matthew Kerch '06-'08M

Dr. Matthew Kerch

Matthew received his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2006 and a master’s degree in counseling/college student personnel in 2008 from Shippensburg University. He received his doctorate degree in higher education administration in 2017 from the University of Alabama. Matthew has worked in higher education since 2006 at neighboring colleges-Wilson College, Dickinson College, and Lehigh University in the areas of student activities and residence life. He began his career at the University of Alabama in 2012 as the director of housing operations and currently serves as the executive director of Housing and Residential Communities and has additional responsibilities working with athletics and overall student life facility projects. He has an overall responsibility for over 40 professional staff members, oversees and leads an area serving over 8,500 on-campus students, over 43 residence halls & buildings, over 3.2 million square feet of residence hall space, and a $60 million annual budget. Matthew has presented on both the national and regional level and has published his research and projects. He is a committee member of professional organizations including the American College Personnel Assoc. (ACPA) and the National Assoc. of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Matthew most recently was the recipient of the Penny Allen Award (2020) at Alabama. As an undergraduate student at Ship, Matthew was involved in Student Senate, was a member of the Men’s Basketball team, and was a research assistant with Dr. James Griffith from the Psychology Department. As a doctoral student Matthew received the Award for Excellence in Dissertation Research from the University of Alabama.

John C. Yackovich, Jr. '08

John C. Yackovich, Jr.

John is a 2008 alumnus of Shippensburg University, having received a B.S. in Computer Science with a concentration in Software Engineering, and a minor in Mathematics. John received the PA Board of Governors and SU Foundation Scholarships. While at Ship, John was involved in Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers, SU Theatre, and Act V Productions. John was a member of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies, and worked on a pioneering GPS-enabled Campus Tour project sponsored by the PA Board of Governors. John continued his Computer Science education at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as a Teaching and Research Assistant and earned a Master of Science, publishing multiple peer-reviewed research publications. During his academic career John completed internships at Argonne National Laboratory and Robert Bosch LLC. After graduating, John spent three years at Compunetix, Inc working on industry-leading teleconferencing systems, and then joined Google Shopping in 2014. Today, John remains in his hometown in Pittsburgh as a Senior Software Engineer in Google Shopping and has served as a Tech Lead. John also serves his alma mater as a member of the Industry Advisory Council for Milton and Doreen Morgan School of Engineering, and as a member of the Annual Fund Leadership Team. John has served his community with Bike Pittsburgh, the Lawrenceville Tree Tenders, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Curling Club, and Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In his spare time, John enjoys bicycling, Jazz music, cocktail making, and crossword puzzles.

Dr. Felicia Brown-Haywood '85M

Dr. Felicia Brown-Haywood

Dr. Felicia Brown-Haywood graduated with her master’s degree in counseling/college student personnel from Shippensburg University in 1985. She also holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union University and a doctorate degree in adult education and lifelong learning from Penn State University. Felicia is a licensed professional counselor, licensed mental health professional, licensed cosmetology instructor, and a national certified counselor. She is also a member of a broad range of professional and civic affiliations. Named vice president for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusive Excellence (DE&IE) at Lebanon Valley College in 2021, Felicia provides oversight and vision in the administration of services, programs, policies and procedures for students, faculty staff and administrators related to advancing the College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B) DEI and belonging through the lens of Inclusive Excellence. The field of inclusive excellence is Felicia’s “enduring life purpose; not career” and she feels that this path is her life’s calling. Prior to being named vice president, Felicia served as chief diversity officer at Millersville University where she authored their 2020-2025 DEI Strategic Plan and developed policy for a university-wide bias reporting system and as the DEI Excellence Thought Strategist and director of student affairs and engagement at Penn State University-Harrisburg. Additionally, she provides supervision to a team of mental health clinicians and education specialists and is the CEO, founder, and owner of Harvest 3 Inc., a small non-profit organization focused on delivering community-based programming promoting mental, social, and financial health. She and her husband are founder and owners of Hair Liners Harrisburg. Through their salon they have a mentoring program designed to assist individuals interested in opening small community beauty and hair care-based businesses. She is the author of numerous publications; Her latest book “My Tee Shirt Is Speaking” is available at Amazon.com. She has facilitated countless workshops throughout the state of Pennsylvania, in contiguous states and up down the East & West Coast. Felicia’s work in the community and in higher ed has been recognized-she’s been honored as a Leader of Leaders, Diversity Champion, as a Woman of Excellence, Woman of the Year, Women Who Care, Mentor of the Year, and Outstanding Service to Students among many others.

Thomas L. Moriarty '65-'81M

Thomas L. Moriarty

Tom received his bachelor’s degree in history education in 1965 and his master’s degree in counseling in 1981 from Shippensburg University. During his time as a student on campus Tom was a resident assistant, president of the Young Republicans Club, a member of Sigma Tau Gamma, manager for the track team, and a member of the Student Athletic Committee. As an undergraduate student, Tom responded to a fatal incident at the Earl Street entrance of campus to assist those who were injured. This incident inspired what would become his lifelong involvement in emergency services. The year he graduated he joined the Cumberland Valley Hose Company Volunteer Ambulance Service and became a certified emergency medical technician and instructor for the PA Department of Health. Using his bachelor’s degree, Tom taught history for the Carlisle Area School District for two years and then worked as a caseworker supervisor at the Loysville Youth Development Center. In 1969, he was recruited to become the director of financial aid for Shippensburg University. During his 26 years as Director, he was on the committee that developed the Prep Program which later became the ACT101 program aimed to recruit and support minority students. While remaining active on campus and obtaining his master’s degree, he became a trauma consultant counselor for the Members Assistance Program for the Pennsylvania State Police. Tom also became a 9-1-1 dispatcher for Franklin and Cumberland Counties and a deputy coroner. Later he accepted a new position within the university as director of the Etter Health Center and Emergency Services. Throughout his career he has helped countless school districts, colleges, hospitals, businesses, and government agencies with emotionally traumatic events. He has trained eight critical incident stress teams in the state and has served as a trauma education consultant for the Pennsylvania State Police, Attorney General’s Office, National Park Service, United States Marine Corps, and the United States Army. He had much involvement in debriefings following the tragic attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and here in Pennsylvania for the Flight 93 crash site. He also did multiple debriefings after the Amish School shooting, He has served in leadership roles with many local, state, and federal committees and boards focused on public health, crisis prevention measures, and emergency procedures. In 2003 he was one of nine people from across the country to be selected to serve on the Emergency Public Health Information Committee to make recommendations to the US Secretary of Health for improving how citizens are notified of public health emergencies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors with Shippensburg Area EMS and still resides in Shippensburg with his wife Alana. Together they share six children and twelve grandchildren. Five of their six children are Ship graduates and one of their grandchildren graduated in Spring of 2023, making her a third-generation legacy student.

Marvin Worthy '86-'89M

Marvin Worthy

Marvin graduated from Shippensburg University in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and in 1989 with a master’s degree in college counseling and college student personnel. Marvin is president and CEO/owner of Worthy Consulting and Training. Worthy consulting provides a multitude of services including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging training, leadership training, executive coaching, business coaching, keynote speaking, youth development, professional development, and consulting. He has assisted corporations, government agencies, colleges, universities, school districts and non-profit organizations in building inclusive educational and workplace communities and culturally competent leaders and staff. Marvin has worked with thousands of participants each year and has made it his mission to “inspire and motivate his audiences to include not exclude, to accept not reject, and to act not ignore”. Prior to Worthy Consulting full-time, Marvin served the university as director of multicultural student affairs, associate dean of students, and director of organizational development and multicultural training. Marvin was recently a keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Library Association conference. On campus, Marvin is a frequent guest and true and valued supporter of students and young alumni of Shippensburg University. When you contact Marvin to ask for his participation with engaging students on campus, there is no hesitation-he is ready and willing. Marvin volunteers with the Office of Alumni Relations, with the Career Center, with the Multicultural Student Affairs Office, with the Fraternity and Sorority Life Office, with Admissions, and with the Academic Success Program where he meets with students providing advice on navigating college, sharing life skills, teaching networking skills and providing mentorship. Additionally, Marvin has presented to students at a lunch and Learn Leadership series and spoke on admitted student day panels. He also hosts job shadow opportunities for students. In addition, Marvin Worthy and his wife Dr. Linda Thomas Worthy are the co-founders of Racial Reconciliation (RR) Franklin County. The mission for RR: Is to nature, equip, and mobilize people to work for racial justice in Franklin County and belong.