Alumni Awards

Throughout Westminster’s history, one individual stands out for a lifetime of contributions: Virginia (Ginger) Giovale.

Ginger came to Westminster in 1961 at age 17, relishing freedom as a young adult, exhilarated by the mountains, and eager to be immersed in an educational journey. Her Westminster student experience reflected these passions, as she engaged in campus activities from active dorm life to participating as both queen and girls’ football player during homecoming festivities, forming lifetime relationships with faculty and students—including her future husband, John—and completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Within a dozen years of graduating in 1965, Ginger had joined the Westminster Board of Trustees and begun building a legacy that sustains Westminster today.

When Ginger joined the Westminster Board of Trustees in 1977 during President Helmut Hofmann’s tenure, Westminster was experiencing a period of immense financial difficulty. She arrived just in time to help guide the institution through a 30-year institutional revival, beginning with the launch of a comprehensive campaign. Westminster’s first campaign to build an endowment was an immediate, substantial success; in 1985, the Challenge for Freedom campaign increased Westminster’s endowment from $1.6 million to over $6 million in 4 months.

Ginger continued to focus on Westminster’s growth in endowment, buildings, and signature programs. Following the passing of her father, Bill Gore, in 1986, Ginger worked with her mother, Vieve, to create the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business and launch the Bill and Vieve Gore Endowment Trust with a founding gift of $7 million in 1990. Not long after, Ginger and Vieve challenged Westminster to establish a multimillion-dollar endowment. The subsequent 1995 campaign, called “The Commitment Continues,” led to a doubling of student scholarships and construction of the Giovale Library, a project that she says many consider to be “the beginning of Westminster’s renaissance.” Under her leadership, Westminster’s educational excellence and financial health continued to advance, consistent with her goal of taking “Westminster to the forefront of education.”

Westminster’s growth extended throughout Ginger’s 18 years as chair of the Westminster Board of Trustees, culminating in 2006 when Ginger contributed $10 million to the construction of the Meldrum Science Center. As the largest single gift in Westminster’s history,  Ginger’s philanthropy was recognized by The Wall Street Journal with the “Gift of the Week Science Prize” (January 20, 2006). Shortly thereafter, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service by Westminster College, and in 2015, Ginger was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Ginger’s support has continued to the present through varied initiatives. Her philanthropy has helped sustain Westminster through the challenges of COVID-19, and her investments include Westminster’s Honors College, the Center for Innovative Leadership, faculty development and research, science equipment, and building improvements. These gifts reflect Ginger’s deep appreciation of education that fuels passions, generates discovery, and creates lifelong relationships.

Taylor Stevens is an investigative reporter currently working at FOX 13 News, a station owned by the E.W. Scripps Company. She joined the newsroom in 2024 as part of Scripps’ Journalism Journey Initiative, a national program that redeploys the skills of experienced print journalists into broadcast newsrooms.   
  
Taylor previously spent two years working as a freelance reporter with The Associated Press' Global Investigations Team on the “Lethal Restraint” project, a national investigation into deaths that occur after police use deadly force that wasn't meant to kill. She also worked for nearly five years as a senior politics reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune, where she covered all levels of government and the way the policies elected officials approved — or rejected — impacted everyday Utahns.   
  
Her work has earned multiple awards, including for her ongoing coverage of homelessness and her team investigative reporting on the state of Utah's response to the coronavirus pandemic. She was also named the Utah Society of Professional Journalists’ Best Newspaper Reporter in 2019.   
  
Taylor holds a master’s degree in investigative journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from Westminster University. While at Westminster, Taylor worked for two years as editor-in-chief of The Forum, the university’s student-run news organization. She was also an active member of the Honors College, working as a peer mentor and copy editor for the Honorable Mention newsletter. She currently serves as the co-vice chair of the Honors College Advisory Board.

Delvis Alejandro Fernández Levy has left an indelible mark through his lifelong dedication to education, social justice, and U.S.-Cuba relations. Born in 1940 in Santa Clara, Cuba, Delvis’s journey began with a bold step at the age of 17 when he moved to Salt Lake City to attend Westminster University. His passion for mathematics flourished, earning him a BA and setting him on a path of academic excellence that led to advanced studies at the University of Miami and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Delvis’s career has been a testament to his commitment to equity in education. At Elbert Covell College, the first Spanish-speaking college in the US, he pioneered a math curriculum tailored for bilingual learners. From 1966 to 1998, he served as a faculty member at Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he empowered countless students and supported the growth of the Chicano Student Union, advocating for expanded educational access for underserved communities. 

In 1995, Delvis founded the Cuban American Alliance Education Fund (CAAEF), an organization dedicated to fostering dialogue and understanding between the US and Cuba. Through CAAEF, he has organized forums, led delegations to Washington, D.C., and participated in global conferences across Europe, Mexico, and Cuba. His publication La Alborada, a bilingual newsletter, and numerous reports have shaped policy conversations on US-Cuba relations.

Delvis’s voice has reached audiences through major media outlets, documentary films, and lectures at prestigious institutions like UCLA and Fordham University. His memoir, My World, My Quest: La Búsqueda Final, captures his journey and hopes for peace and justice, reflecting his unwavering dedication to building bridges between cultures and promoting human dignity. His legacy continues to inspire Westminster University and the broader global community.

• Amram Musungu (’07, MAcc ’16) - 2024
• Ze Min Xiao (MACL ’12) - 2024
• Andy Larson (’12) - 2023
• Tillie Uribe (’93) - 2022
• Amy Leininger (’11) - 2020
• Charles (Chuck) Chiarotti (’85) - 2020
• Marlene M. Von Friedrichs-Fitzwater (’82) - 2019
• Michelle Leo Cousins (’02, MPC ’12) - 2019
• Scott Beck (MBA ’94) - 2019
• Bill Mouskondis (’57) - 2017
• Carlos Linares (’01, MBA ’05) - 2017
• Patrick Mullen (’10) - 2017
• Tofi Ta’afua (Honors ’01, MBA ’00) - 2017
• Chris Wharton (’06) - 2016
• Jeffery Nelson (MBA ’04) - 2016
• Trent Thursby Alvey (’87) - 2016
• Ginger Giovale (’65) - 2015
• Joe Muscolino (’75) - 2015
• Ray Bradford (’07) - 2015
• Ann Merritt (’66) - 2014
• Ashley Babbitt (’10, MSC ’16) - 2014
• Ronald Jibson MBA (’91) - 2014
• Julie Balk (’83) - 2013
• Kim T. Adamson (’79) - 2013
• Solomon Swan (’07, MBA ’12) - 2013
• Frances Battle, M.Ed (’78) - 2012
• Khosrow Semnani (’72) - 2012
• Richard Paff (’67) - 2012
• Babs De Lay (’76, ’79) - 2011
• Dirk van Klaveren (’70) - 2010
• James Andersen (’74) - 2010
• Patrick Iverson (’76) - 2010
• DeAnne Dunn Hanson (’64) - 2008
• John “Jackie” Robertson (’78) - 2008
• Roberta Roberts Patrick (’56) - 2008
• France A. Davis (’77) - 2007
• Josie Valdez (’83) - 2007
• Mark Wheatley (’89) - 2007
• Barbara Parady Hoagland (’70) - 2006
• Lowell Judson Farmer (’56) - 2006
• Owen D. Wells (’75) - 2006
• Christine Pannier Chytraus (’77) - 2005
• David Litvack (’94) - 2005
• William L. Sedgewick (’94) - 2005
• William Y.K. Wong (’58) - 2005
• Shirley Michel (’87) - 2004
• Thomas Metcalf (’65) - 2004
• Doug Morton (’73) - 2002
• Forrest S. Much (’73) - 2002
• June Cline (’87) - 2001
• Patrick Moore (’77) - 2000
• Richard D. Wood (’77) - 1999
• Irene Warr - 1998
• Bernice Bradshaw - 1985
• Jim Martin (’97)
• Steve Crane (’70)

Nancy Panos Schmitt has been a marketing professor teaching over many years at Westminster College. More recently Nancy has also been the chair of the sports management program. Nancy’s teaching interest in marketing strategy, branding and advertising is well known. Her knowledge and enthusiasm help her to quickly connect and engage with students.  
 
Nancy’s love of teaching and mentoring has been acknowledged over the years. She has been awarded the Westminster Gore Excellence in Teaching Award, Favorite Professor in BVGSB by senior students, The Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business Faculty Advisor of the Year and Favorite Professor at Westminster by alumni.   
 
Nancy is a member of the American Marketing Association and the Marketing Educator’s Association. She has presented papers dealing with teaching methodology at conferences throughout her career. Academically, Nancy earned her bachelors degree in biology and philosophy from the University of Utah, master's degree in genetics from Virginia Tech, spent one year in a Doctoral program at the University of Arizona in genetics before obtaining an MBA from the University of Utah.  
 
Nancy is a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, having made the pilgrimage to Lambeau to see her beloved Packers. Nancy is a keen observer of pop culture and her office is a testament to consumer product branding. Nancy is married and has one son and loves to garden.  
 
“It has been my greatest honor to teach my students. The relationships forged in an open exchange of ideas have continued for decades in many situations. I bring alumni back into the classroom as inspiration and motivation for current students. Seeing alumni return to the classroom with passion and expertise in their fields is also very satisfying and validating for me.” 

• Robert M. Graham - 2024
• Byron Russell and Monte Caldwell - 2023
• Jeanne Ambruster - 2022
• Kristi Jones - 2020
• Bill Orchow - 2019
• Alan Rogers - 2017
• Preston Chiaro - 2016
• Curt Crowther - 2015
• Mary Crowther - 2015
• Michael Bassis - 2012
• Bob Frankenberg
• Steve Morgan

Tommy Connor is a renowned basketball coach with a legacy of excellence spanning over two decades. As head coach at Westminster (NAIA) for 12 stellar years, Connor turned the Griffins into a powerhouse, amassing a remarkable 264-114 (.698) overall record and an even more dominant 126-40 (.759) mark in Frontier Conference play. Tasked with rebuilding the program from scratch in 1999, he guided Westminster to 10 seasons of 20+ wins, seven regular-season conference championships, two tournament titles, and nine NAIA National Championship appearances.  
 
A five-time Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, Connor’s mentorship produced 17 NAIA All-Americans, five Frontier Conference Players of the Year, and one NAIA National Player of the Year. Off the court, his teams excelled academically, with 44 players earning NAIA Scholar Athlete honors and 108 named Academic All-Conference. Westminster even led the nation in NAIA Scholar Athletes for two consecutive years (2009-2011).  
 
Connor’s coaching success builds on a strong playing career. A four-year starting point guard at the University of Utah, he helped lead the Utes to the NCAA Tournament as a freshman. After earning his B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, Connor began his coaching journey under Rick Majerus, contributing to Utah’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight runs in the mid-1990s.  
 
Currently, Connor serves as Assistant Coach for the University of Washington’s men’s basketball team. Previously, he spent 14 seasons on Utah’s bench, including a decade under Larry Krystkowiak, helping the Utes reach five straight postseasons, including a Sweet 16 and NIT Final Four berth.  
 
Connor and his wife Kathryn have been married for over 25 years and are proud parents to Jake, Sydney, and Cass. Whether on the court or off, Connor’s dedication to excellence, leadership, and community shines.

Westminster Athletics Hall of Fame