Achievement Awards

The Converse College Alumnae Association board awards several specific achievement awards. These awards are based on nominations from alumnae and graduate alumni and are presented to award winners during Reunion weekend each spring. The Records and Recognition Committee of the Alumnae Association Board reviews nominations for awards during the fall of each year and determines the slate of award winners. Alumnae Awards are awarded to alumnae during their Reunion year.

The following awards are presented on an annual basis:

Lan Nguyen Shortt ’81Distinguished Alumna Award

The Distinguished Alumnae Award is given each year to a Converse alumna in recognition of outstanding achievement in her field, service to her community or society and loyalty to Converse. Lan Nguyen Shortt ’81 is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumna Award.

Having fled Vietnam with her family after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and later immigrated to Fairhope, Alabama, Lan came to Converse as a member of the first class of Milliken Scholars in ’78 and now personifies the American dream of accomplishment and giving back. Lan graduated early in 1981 and later earned her MBA and Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees from the University of Houston. She practices law with her husband, Bruce, in the Houston firm of Shortt & Nguyen, P.C.

In June of last year, Lan received one of five 2010 Pro Bono Public Awards from the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. This award is based on providing volunteer legal services to the poor or disadvantaged. She has handled countless pro bono cases for the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Houston Area Women’s Center, Vietnamese charities in the Houston area, churches, and other non-profit groups and also serves as a mentor for other attorneys who do pro bono work. In 2006 the Houston Bar Association honored Lan with its Longevity of Exemplary Service to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and in 2007 she received the foundation’s honor for Outstanding Contribution to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program by an Individual.

For Lan volunteerism is a family tradition. Stating that when she arrived in the United States, “People were generous with their attitudes and welcome… and it’s a personal journey to give back.” Her passion for service is now being carried out by her three sons who speak, read and write five languages and can be found volunteering regularly as translators at legal clinic workshops. Talented, generous, energetic, and selfless, Lan is most deserving of Converse’s highest award.

Carroll Sibley Clancy ’71Mae Elizabeth Kilgo Spirit of Converse Award

The Mae Elizabeth Kilgo Spirit of Converse Award is given to an alumna who, by her constant and loyal service to Converse College, has kept the college visible to other alumnae and her community. Carroll Sibley Clancy ’71 is the 2011 award winner.

Carroll has served Converse in numerous capacities, always with great enthusiasm and generosity. She has hosted numerous alumnae events in her home in Raleigh, served as Converse Club Chair in Raleigh and Class Fund Chair as well. She served on the Alumnae Board first as a 1970’s Decade Representative, then later as its President from 2003 – 2005. From 2007 through 2010 Carroll served a four-year term on the Converse Board of Trustees. Her contagious enthusiasm for Converse undoubtedly impacted her daughter Marion Yates’ decision to come to Converse and stay until graduation in 2001.

Carroll is not only a tireless advocate for Converse, but is also very involved in her own community. She has served on the boards of the North Carolina Symphony Foundation and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and has been an active member of the Junior League of Raleigh, the Red Sword Guild, Wake Visual Arts and Duke Children’s Hospital.

Libby Anne Kepley Inabinet ’86Community Service Award

The Community Service Award recognizes the alumna who displays the qualities of a vibrant citizen through her active involvement in her community, church and state. Converse congratulates this year’s recipient, Libby Anne Kepley Inabinet ’86.

Libby Anne currently serves as Chief Development Officer for the American Red Cross of Central, SC in the Columbia area. Prior to this position, she served as state director for the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic organization, reading teacher in Richland School District 1, and kindergarten teacher at Eastminster Day School. Libby Anne’s involvement in the community spans years of energetic and selfless giving and her “community” has continuously included Converse. She has been actively involved in student recruitment for Converse since graduation and has served on the Alumnae Board during this last decade as both 1980’s Decade Representative and CARE Chair. In 2009 she was the guest speaker at the Sophomore Ring Ceremony, and currently serves on the Converse Board of Visitors. She also serves on The Parents Advisory Council at USC and on the board of The Palmetto Health Foundation. Libby Anne is a founding member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle in the Columbia Region, the Hammond Alumnae Council and Good Shepherd Day School. She is a past president of the Junior League of Columbia, a graduate of Leadership Columbia and a Class of 2009 Liberty Fellow.

As a testament to Libby Anne’s generous service to the community, she has been recognized with numerous awards. These awards include The Katharine H. Perry Award presented in 2000 by the Columbia Junior League to a member who has performed significant community service on behalf of the League; The Red Feather Award in 2005 given by the Palmetto Society of United Way of the Midlands for charitable support, volunteer time and service to the community; The Tribute to Women and Industry Award in 2007 given by the Palmetto Center for Women and that same year the Women of Distinction Award given by the Girl Scout Council. Libby Anne Inabinet has always been and continues to be an enthusiastic champion for children and an ambassador of good will and is most deserving of the Community Service Award.

Delois Brown-Daniels ’76Career Achievement Award

The Career Achievement Award recognizes the alumna who has dedicated herself to excellence in her profession and has distinguished herself by notable achievements credited over a continual period of time. This year’s recipient is Delois Brown-Daniels ’76.

After graduating from Converse in 1976, Delois earned her Masters of Divinity degree from Yale University and was ordained by the Connecticut Missionary Baptist Association. She holds dual standing in the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Churches and resides in the Hyde Park area of Chicago, Illinois. She is vice president of Mission and Spiritual Care at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago where she develops staff to provide pastoral and spiritual care, works with the executive team and partners with congregations. A certified Clinical Pastoral Education supervisor and board certified chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains, Reverend Brown-Daniels has been a member of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education since 1979. In 2002 she was honored by the Yale Divinity School with the Alumni Board Award for Distinction in Service to the Community. In 2005 the Association of Professional Chaplains bestowed the Anton Boisen Professional Service Award on Delois in recognition of her commitment to excellence in professional chaplaincy and outstanding contributions in the field of pastoral care. In 2007 she returned to Converse as guest speaker on the subject of “Service and Scholarship” for the Nancy Oliver Gray Women in Education Visiting Scholars Series.

For a lifetime of continuous leadership and service in various healthcare organizations through her profession of pastoral care, we honor Delois Brown-Daniels with the 2011 Career Achievement Award.

Carolen Belcher Hansard ’56Career Achievement in Music Award

The Career Achievement in Music Award recognizes the alumna who has dedicated herself to excellence in her profession in music and notable achievements credited over a continual period of time. This year’s award winner is Carolen Belcher Hansard from the Class of 1956.

After graduating from Converse in 1956 with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance, Carolen received the Master of Music Education degree from Georgia State University. For twenty-seven years, Carolen taught high school music and drama, finishing her career at Lithia Springs High School in Lithia Springs, Georgia, where she now resides. From 1975 until 1992 Carolen directed both a one-act play and musical each year, served at several churches as Minister of Music, taught piano lessons, and raised her two children. In 1996 she was inducted in the Georgia State Thespian Hall of Fame. She has served as a mentor in the Douglas County School System and President of The Friends of Art and Music Education, a grass roots organization that helps with fine arts programs in schools. She is a member of the Douglas County Retired Teachers Association, the Georgia Thespian Board, Georgia Music Educators Association, American Church Directors Association, and Music Teachers National Association.

Many of Carolen’s former students went on to major in music in college, become conductors and choir directors, and participate in community theatre. Exemplifying the devotion and respect that her former students have for her, Carolen’s crowning achievement occurred in 2005 when six former students chose to honor their beloved teacher by establishing the Carolen Belcher Hansard ’56 Scholarship at Converse for music education students in The Petrie School of Music. In 2006 a group of former students gathered and gave a reunion concert to raise money for the scholarship, and again in August of 2010 a group of over 100 former students participated in a concert to honor her and to raise money for the scholarship.

Wendy Jolley-Kabi ’91Converse 100 Award

This award was first presented during the College’s Centennial Celebration, and is given to a representative alumna who clearly embodies the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alumnae hold as their ideal. This year's recipient is Wendy Jolley-Kabi ’91.

At Converse when she majored in politics and religion, Wendy Jolley-Kabi became intrigued by their inner connections and compelled by a passion to serve people in need. After graduating in 1991 she went to Washington, DC, where she first served as a counselor, then as program manager for the Jubilee Association, working with homeless people and people with developmental disabilities. In 1996 she because a Peace Corps volunteer and was assigned to Lesotho, Africa, a long way from her hometown of Greer, SC. Her two-year assignment turned into nearly eight years, initially supporting the primary community needs of people in nearby villages as a Peace Corps volunteer, and later working with Lesotho Save the Children, a non-governmental organization. She devoted herself to orphans in need, caring for sick children, meeting with government officials to advocate for improvements in services for children, writing funding proposals to secure finances for the program, and coordinating international volunteer work teams. Along the way, two little boys stole her heart and became her adopted children. In 2003 she married the man whom she had dated for 7 years and together they celebrated 3 weddings in 2 countries during a period of 4 months! That same year she returned to the states to work again with The Jubilee Association of Maryland, this time as Director of Development. Wendy’s third son was born the following year. In 2006, Wendy became the National Coordinator of the Association of Missing and Exploited Children’s Organizations (AMECO) and has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2008. Although dealing with pain and loss, Wendy described her life’s work as joyful beyond description. We would describe her life’s work as both rich and meaningful, a source of great pride to her alma mater.

Sue Ellen Germany Lucas ’76Converse 100 Award

This award was first presented during the College’s Centennial Celebration, and is given to a representative alumna who clearly embodies the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alumnae hold as their ideal. This year's recipient is Sue Ellen Germany Lucas ’76.

After attending Converse, Sue Ellen transferred to the University of South Carolina so that she could pursue a nursing degree and later completed a master’s degree in pediatric nursing from the University of Alabama. She was hired to work with Dr. Wayne Finley, co-founder of the first medical genetics unit in the southeastern United States at the University of Alabama and was involved in the pioneering medical genetics program launched in Alabama in the late 1970’s. Sue Ellen became a genetic counselor, educating both patients and health care professionals, and later became coordinator of the Genetics Outreach Program at UAB. Although now retired from nursing, Sue Ellen has served as a member of the scholarship selection committee and currently is co-chair of the Board of Visitors at the UAB School of Nursing. She is a past board member of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for which she co-chaired the preview party at their annual fundraising event last fall. As an active member of the Junior League of Birmingham, she received the league’s highest community service honor for chairing the establishment of a “Children Can Soar” program at the Jefferson County Health Department, an education/entertainment program for parents and children who were waiting to see doctors. Sue Ellen’s professional and community work exemplify the qualities of achievement and service characterized by The Converse 100 Award.

Carrie Hill Coleman ’96Star Award

The Star Award is given in recognition of an alumna who has actively and admirable served Converse in the area of student recruitment. Converse salutes this year’s recipient, Carrie Hill Coleman ’96.

After Carrie graduated in 1996 with a degree in psychology, she became a full-time cheerleader for Converse for five and a half years as an Admissions Counselor and later as Associate Director of Admissions Volunteers. She continued her close involvement with Converse by becoming a Young Alumnae Representative on the Alumnae Board in 2003. She remained on the board for two more terms and held the positions of 1990’s Decade Representative and chair of the CARE Committee, the Converse Alumnae Recruitment Effort. She was event coordinator for the inauguration of President Fleming in 2006. She has hosted alumnae events in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia, and served as guest speaker at the Senior Candlelight dinner for the last two years.

Carrie has worked as membership consultant and events coordinator for the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce. She also served as research coordinator for the Spartanburg County Economic Development Corporation. Her community volunteer work includes the Junior League of Spartanburg, Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross, Hatcher Garden, Spartanburg Family Care Council, Arts X Society, and St. Luke’s Free Medical Hospital. She is a 2005 graduate of Leadership Spartanburg.

Neal Millikan ’01Young Alumna Award

The Young Alumna Award is given to an alumna within 15 years of graduation who embodies the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alumnae hold as their ideal. Neal Elizabeth Millikan from the class of 2001 is this year’s deserving recipient.

Neal graduated with honors from Converse with a major in History and Politics and was the recipient of the Nathaniel Magruder History Award. For her senior thesis she received a grant from the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Consortium. Her love for history and research led her to complete a Masters degree in Public History from NC State University in 2003 and a second Masters degree in History from the same institution in 2004. While in the Raleigh area, Neal worked at the North Carolina State Archives and coached soccer. In the fall of 2004 she began her doctorate in American History at the University of South Carolina where she was awarded the William H. Nolte Graduate Assistant Teaching Award in 2006. She received her Ph.D. in 2008 and also completed a field in Public History with a certificate in museum management. In March of this year, her first book will be published: a 224-page book titled A Taxation upon All the Fools in Creation: Lotteries in the British North American Empire. This is quite a significant accomplishment from a young woman who graduated just 10 years ago! Neal has just recently been hired by the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston to be documentary editor of the Adams Family papers. Congratulations to this year’s Young Alumnae Award winner!