KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney Alumni Association will honor alumni award recipients during homecoming festivities scheduled for Oct. 2-3.
The 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented to Catherine Coleman Flowers (MA 2015), Daniel J. Kritenbrink (1991), Dale W. O’Brien (1974), Todd Parr (1993) and Gary Person (1977). The Distinguished Young Alumna Award will be presented to Sara Jane Ruggles (MA 2019).
“These individuals represent excellence in action,” said Tricia Danburg, director of alumni engagement. “Their achievements reflect the strength of a UNK education and the lasting impact Lopers make in their communities and professions.”
Recipients of the 46th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards will be honored 11:30 a.m. Oct. 2 during a luncheon in the Gala Room at the Regional Engagement Center, 2204 University Drive. Tickets may be purchased at unkalumni.org/homecoming or by calling the UNK Alumni Association at 308-698-5271.
The UNK Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet begins at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Gala Room at the Regional Engagement Center with a social hour. A dinner follows at 6:15 p.m. Five former student-athletes and one coach will be inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame. To purchase a ticket for the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, visit unkalumni.org/homecoming. Information on the inductees will be announced on lopers.com.
On Oct. 3, the day kicks off with the annual homecoming parade in downtown Kearney at 10 a.m. Following the parade, alumni and community members are invited to attend the free Loper Alumni Tailgate at Cope Stadium, near Mantor Hall, starting at noon. The tailgate area will be open until the 2 p.m. UNK football game kickoff against Pittsburg State.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Catherine Coleman Flowers
Catherine Coleman Flowers of Huntsville, Alabama, is the founder and CEO of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and a nationally recognized advocate for environmental justice and rural communities. Through her work, she has brought national attention to the intersection of poverty, public health and environmental inequities, helping shape policy discussions on wastewater infrastructure and climate resilience.
Flowers is a MacArthur Fellowship recipient, often referred to as the “Genius Grant” award, and has been recognized among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. In 2025, she received the Time Earth Award for her leadership in advancing environmental solutions and elevating the voices of underserved communities. Her work has also earned recognition from Forbes, which named her to its 50 Over 50 and Global Leaders in Sustainability lists.
In addition to leading the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, Flowers serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and The Climate Reality Project. She has also previously served as a practitioner in residence at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
An award-winning author, Flowers wrote “Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret” and “Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope.” Her work has been featured by major national media outlets, including The New York Times, The New Yorker and “60 Minutes.”
Flowers earned her Master of Arts in history from UNK in 2015.
Daniel J. Kritenbrink
Daniel J. Kritenbrink of Falls Church, Virginia, is a partner at The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm focused on helping companies excel across Asia. A former career U.S. diplomat, Kritenbrink served more than 30 years as a foreign service officer and played a leading role in shaping U.S. policy and engagement throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Most recently, he served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 2021-25, overseeing U.S. diplomatic efforts across one of the world’s most strategically important regions and helping to strengthen alliances with Japan and South Korea, expand partnerships across Southeast Asia and the Pacific and manage the United States’ complex relationship with China.
Previously, Kritenbrink served as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam from 2017-21, deepening economic, security and people-to-people ties. During his tenure, the U.S. and Vietnam expanded cooperation in trade, regional security, education and legacy of war issues while reaching several historic diplomatic milestones.
His diplomatic career also included service as senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and assignments in Japan, China, Kuwait and Washington, D.C.
An Ashland native, Kritenbrink earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UNK in 1991 and Master of Arts from the University of Virginia in 1993.
Dale W. O’Brien
Dale W. O’Brien of Omaha built a distinguished career in theater, entertainment and advertising, performing in regional productions, national touring companies and commercial campaigns throughout the country. A graduate of North Platte St. Patrick’s High School, O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater from Kearney State College in 1974 before receiving a master’s degree in theater from the University of Arkansas.
O’Brien spent more than 25 years as the spokesperson for Godfather’s Pizza, serving as the recognizable voice and face of the company’s national marketing efforts. In addition to appearing in radio and television advertisements, he co-wrote and co-produced campaigns that helped promote the brand across the U.S.
Before joining Godfather’s Pizza, O’Brien enjoyed a successful career as a professional actor. His work included children’s theater, dinner theater, opera, summer stock productions, off-Broadway and touring Broadway musicals, television appearances and regional and national commercials. He also wrote and directed theatrical productions, including “Union Stories,” a one-woman play performed at Kansas City’s historic Union Station, and authored the script for the station’s tour guides.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, O’Brien has dedicated significant time to community service. He supported numerous charitable organizations through his work with Godfather’s Pizza and has promoted literacy by reading to elementary school students throughout the Omaha area for decades. Upon his retirement, he donated more than 130 children’s books to two Bellevue elementary schools, furthering his commitment to young readers and education.
Todd Parr
Todd Parr of Gibbon has built a career in the insurance industry, serving as general manager of West Nebraska Claims Service, the state’s largest independent adjusting firm. During his more than 30 years in the profession, he has held leadership positions with several insurance organizations and helped expand West Nebraska Claims Service’s reach across Nebraska, all while earning several advanced industry designations.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Parr devoted countless hours to serving his community through youth sports and athletics. As president of the Gibbon Ball Association, he helped revitalize and grow local youth programs, increasing participation and expanding opportunities for young athletes throughout the region. He also coached youth and competitive softball teams for several years. Parr’s contributions to youth sports earned him the Kearney Hub Freedom Award for Sports in 2014.
A former wrestling official, Parr was twice named Official of the Year by the Nebraska State Wrestling Coaches Association. He later transitioned into leadership roles, serving for 16 years as the Nebraska School Activities Association’s wrestling supervisor of officials, where he has overseen the recruitment, training and evaluation of officials across the state. Through his mentorship and leadership, he has helped strengthen officiating standards and supported the recruitment and development of hundreds of wrestling officials.
His service to wrestling has been recognized with two Nebraska State Wrestling Coaches Association Distinguished Service Awards. Parr serves as the treasurer of the Nebraska High School Officials Association Board of Directors.
A graduate of Clearwater High School, Parr earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences education from UNK in 1993.
Gary Person
Gary Person of North Platte has dedicated nearly five decades to advancing economic development and community growth across the state. He currently serves as president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation.
Since joining the organization in 2015, Person has helped oversee significant industrial, commercial and housing projects while supporting record growth in construction activity, retail sales and housing development. During his tenure, North Platte earned statewide recognition as both the Governor’s Economic Development Community of the Year and Nebraska Diplomats Community of the Year.
Previously, Person served as city manager of Sidney for 16 years and as the community’s economic development director for more than two decades. His career also included leadership positions with the Governor’s Office, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and the newspaper industry.
A longtime leader in civic and professional organizations, Person is a past president of the Nebraska Economic Developers Association and Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 2024, he was appointed regional co-chair of the One Nebraska Mid-Plains Region initiative, a statewide effort focused on economic growth and community development.
His contributions have earned numerous honors, including the Nebraska Economic Developers Association Professional of the Year Award, Outstanding Young Nebraskan of the Year recognition and Nebraska Investment Finance Authority Housing Champion Award. In 2014, he testified before a congressional subcommittee on rural job creation and economic development strategies.
A graduate of Banner County High School, Person earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kearney State College in 1977.
Distinguished Young Alumna Award
Sara Jane Ruggles
Sara Jane Ruggles of Post Falls, Idaho, is a public historian, oral historian and adjunct professor whose innovative work has helped create a new model for preserving personal stories at the end of life and enhancing person-centered palliative care.
After earning her Master of Arts in history from UNK in 2019, Ruggles developed and implemented the discipline of restorative public history while working with Auburn Crest Hospice in northern Idaho. This innovative approach adapts public history practices to support patients and families in clinical settings as a supplemental non-medical intervention in patient care. Through this work, she established the nation’s first public history program within a clinical care setting. She has helped more than 150 families preserve the life stories of their loved ones while helping care teams see their patients as storied individuals.
Her innovative work has earned national and international recognition, leading to collaborations with the University of Luxembourg, National Council on Public History and other academic and professional organizations. Ruggles has presented and lectured on public history, oral history and end-of-life care throughout the U.S. and Europe, helping advance conversations about the role of storytelling in healthcare and community well-being.
Ruggles also serves as an adjunct professor of oral history at Eastern Washington University and has taught history at North Idaho College. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in palliative care through the University of Maryland.
2026 Homecoming Alumni Events
Friday, Oct. 2
11 a.m. – Loper Gridiron Club Golf Tournament (Kearney Country Club)
11:30 a.m. – Distinguished Alumni Awards Luncheon (Regional Engagement Center, Gala Room)
2:30 p.m. – Chemistry Department’s Dr. Don Fox Lecture (Copeland Hall, Room 131)
3:30 p.m. – One Room, One Teacher Induction Ceremony (College of Education Atrium)
5:30 p.m. – Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet (Regional Engagement Center, Gala Room)
6 p.m. – UNK volleyball vs. Northeastern State (Health & Sports Center)
Saturday, Oct. 3
10 a.m. – Homecoming parade (Downtown Kearney)
Noon – Loper Alumni Tailgate (Cope Stadium)
2 p.m. – UNK football vs. Pittsburg State (Cope Stadium)
6 p.m. – ROTC Alumni Banquet (Younes Conference Center South)