Distinguished Alumni Awards

Jeana Dunlap is an urbanist and community development practitioner who last year was awarded a 2019 Harvard Loeb Fellowship.

Dunlap, who earned her Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Martin School in 2006, was one of nine members of the 2018-19 Loeb Fellowship class at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. This prestigious fellowship recognizes exceptional mid-career practitioners from around the world for their achievement and potential, and includes a year of independent study at Harvard.

Greg Hager grew up on a farm in Kentucky, learning the value of work and an appreciation for agricultural policy. Thinking that he wanted to be a lawyer, he majored in political science and earned his bachelor’s degree at UK. Hager discovered that he was more interested in public finance and administration than law. He was admitted to the Martin School in 1983, receiving his master’s degree in public administration in 1985.

Karen Wilson has worked in Kentucky state government for 21 years in the cabinet overseeing environmental protection, natural resources, and energy programs. She has had roles in communications and outreach, legislative, regulatory and intergovernmental affairs, and strategic planning. Karen has assisted in the development of two com-prehensive energy plans and has been involved in a number of stakeholder initiatives. As part of a National Governors Association Policy Academy, she is currently involved in an initiative to encourage broad discussion on factors affecting Kentucky’s electric power sector. She has a BA in English from UK, in addition to her MPA from the Martin School. She and her husband Steve Gardner, also a UK alumnus, live in downtown Lexington.

Larry W. Gray is president of Baptist Health Louisville, a 519-bed hospital that is part of Baptist Health, a Louisville-based healthcare system with more than 21,000 employees in its facilities across Kentucky and southern Indiana.

Gray began his 35-year career with Baptist Health as a clinical chaplain, becoming director of pastoral care in 1986. In 1993, he took on executive duties at Central Baptist Hospital (now Baptist Health Lexington), becoming vice president for System Support and Administrative Services in 1997, a role that included the Environment of Care, Education, Community Outreach, Human Resources, and Workforce Development departments. 

John has served in the Kentucky State government for over 31 years, and 24 of those were with the State Budget Office. Since 2005, John has been the Deputy State Budget Director for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He manages the budget and support staff in the office and oversees much of the development and execution processes.

For twenty-five years, Peggy Graymer served in administrative and executive roles in many settings, including the NC Governor’s State Budget Office, the University of Kentucky, the University of North Carolina, and UCLA. Prior to establishing a consulting firm for institutions of higher education and not-for-profit organizations, she was Associate Dean of the Division of Continuing Education and University Extension at UCLA, the largest continuing education organization in the United States. She has had responsibility, over her professional life, for over $1.5 billion, almost 2,300 employees, planning for/implementing five computer systems, and close to a half million square feet of space.

Ron has enjoyed a very rewarding career in health care administration and education for over thirty-four years. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and CFO of Commonwealth Health Corporation. At CHC, Ron led the organization to its first-ever bond rating by Standard and Poor’s and oversees the finances of over $1 billion gross revenue operations. Ron is actively involved in healthcare policy and legislation at the state and federal level and regularly serves as an advocate for CHC and Kentucky’s healthcare industry in Frankfort and Washington. Currently, Ron serves his community on numerous board most recently as a member of the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business Executive Advisory Council, as a member of the Kentucky Hospital Association’s Legislative Committee, as the Chairman of the of the Building Committee for State Street United Methodist Church.

The Martin School's third Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented to Timothy Adams, a native of Murray, Ky. Adams, a 1986 graduate, is managing director of The Lindsey Group, an economic advisory group in Washington D.C. Previously, Adams served as under secretary of the Treasury for international affairs, where he was the administration’s point person in international financial and economic issues, including the G-7 and G-20 meetings and IMF issues. Adams also served as chief of staff to Treasury secretaries Paul O’Neill and John Snow.

Bob Wiseman currently serves as Vice President for Facilities Management overseeing Campus Physical Plant Division, Medical Center Physical Plant Division, Capital Project Management Division, University Architect and Planning Office, Real Estate Services, and Auxiliary Services including Housing. Currently Facilities Management employs approximately 1000 employees and oversees ongoing capital construction projects of over $700 million.

Michael Carozza is a retired federal affairs and biopharma executive. For over two decades he was an executive at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, retiring in 2010 as Vice President, Federal Government Affairs, and head of the Washington office, where he led a team that focused on issues important to the R&D based biopharma industry. Michael served as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security in the Reagan Administration and on the staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and two master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky; Communication (’77) and Public Administration (’78).  Michael was named the 2013 Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Communication and Information.