INDIVIDUAL ALUMNI & FRIEND OF THE FRATERNITY AWARDS

Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

The Outstanding Chapter Advisor award recognizes an outstanding advisor for a chapter for a specific, exceptional act of service during the previous academic year.

• Tate Allen, Augusta ‘24 – for service to the Augusta Chapter

• Matt Hoy, Kansas ‘94 – for service to the Kansas Chapter

• Geoff Westerfield, Kent State ‘01 – for service to the Kent State Chapter

Outstanding Alumni Board of Trustees

The Outstanding Chapter Alumni Board of Trustees Award recognizes an outstanding chapter advisory board that has gone above and beyond to guide and support a chapter during the academic year.

• Augusta Alumni Board of Trustees 

• Embry-Riddle Alumni Board of Trustees

• Kansas State Alumni Board of Trustees

Meritorious Service Award (MSA)

• John Kattenberg, Kansas State ’03 – for service to the Kansas State Chapter
• Cody Schwartz, Central Missouri ’13 – for service to the Kimball Foundation
• Nicholas Stitt, Augusta ’12 – for service to the Augusta Chapter
• Blake Winchell, LSU ’06 – for service to the LSU Chapter
• Nathan Bothwell, Kansas State ’21 – for service to the Kansas State Chapter 
• John Mazur Embry-Riddle ’76 – for service to the Embry-Riddle Chapter 
• Mark Grogan, Southeast Missouri ’24 – for dedicated service on the International Headquarters staff
• Brennan Roy, Denver ‘25 – for dedicated service on the International Headquarters staff

Richard N. McKaig Outstanding Greek Professional Award

The Richard N. McKaig Outstanding Greek Professional Award recognizes a campus-based professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, advocacy, and commitment to the advancement of fraternity and sorority life.

Tianna Pride, Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Virginia Tech

Tianna Pride has distinguished herself as a collaborative and student-centered leader in fraternity and sorority life through her work advising the Interfraternity Council at Virginia Tech. Known for her ability to build authentic relationships with chapters and student leaders, Pride has cultivated a culture of trust, accountability, and partnership within the fraternity community. Her leadership has helped create an environment where students feel empowered to seek guidance, engage in honest conversations, and work proactively toward positive change.

John J. Kuhn Award

The John J. Kuhn Award is designed to recognize individuals who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the fraternity community.

Kimberly Novak, CEO, NovakTalks; Health & Safety Officer, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity

Kimberly Novak’s decades of leadership in student risk management, hazing prevention, and organizational development have shaped national standards for campus safety. As CEO of NovakTalks and Health & Safety Officer for Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, she is widely recognized as a thought leader in student conduct and risk education. She has served on federal and national advisory boards, developed foundational hazing prevention programming, and regularly speaks at conferences and campuses nationwide. Her legacy includes the creation of the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention and contributions to institutional safety models at Arizona State and Texas A&M. Novak has been particularly instrumental this year in supporting the Delta Chi Anti-Hazing Task Force.

Judson Horras, President & CEO, North American Interfraternity Conference

Judson “Jud” Horras has dedicated his career to advancing the fraternity experience through values-based leadership, advocacy, and organizational development. As President & CEO of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), he leads the strategic direction and operations of the largest trade association representing men’s fraternities in North America. Widely respected within higher education and the fraternal community, Horras has played a significant role in strengthening collaboration among interfraternal organizations, promoting student safety initiatives, and championing policies that support student development and free association on college campuses. Throughout his career, he has been a leading voice on fraternity governance, leadership education, and the future of the collegiate fraternal experience.

Jason Butler, Delta Chi

(Posthumous Recognition)

There are some people whose impact doesn’t fade when they leave the room—or even this world. Jason Butler was one of those rare individuals.

Jason dedicated his life to something bigger than himself: building and sustaining the lifelong power of brotherhood and sisterhood. He didn’t just raise money—he raised expectations; he raised people, and he raised the bar for what fraternal foundations could achieve.

In a career that spanned more than two decades, Jason helped secure over $50 million in philanthropic support—not just for Delta Chi, his beloved fraternity, but across the entire Greek community. He believed deeply that our organizations could be transformative, and he spent his life ensuring we had the resources to make that transformation possible.

He had a mantra he’d say repeatedly in training sessions with staff and volunteers: “People give to people. And people give to change lives.” Jason didn’t just say it—he lived it. He helped others believe it, too.

From his earliest days as a chapter officer at Central Missouri, to serving on Staff as a Leadership Consultant and Director of Chapter Services, to sitting on both the fraternity and foundation boards, Jason poured his soul into every role. He was instrumental in launching Delta Chi’s “A”s Academy—an initiative focused on building principled leaders—and he quietly helped drive the fraternity’s first-ever capital campaign, that we announced earlier this week, raising $12 million to date.

Jason’s legacy doesn’t end with the dollars raised. What truly set him apart was his dedication to lifting up others in the profession. He trained staff and volunteers with humility, heart, and wisdom. He didn’t hoard knowledge—he shared it freely, believing the more we learned from one another, the better we all became.

He also understood the power of data in storytelling and strategy. For over a decade, Jason meticulously researched and analyzed IRS Form 990s from across the fraternal world. His findings—shared annually at the North American Interfraternity Conference and Foundation for Fraternal for Excellence meeting—became known as “The State of the Foundation.” Thanks to him, hundreds of organizations have been able to benchmark, reflect, and improve. And that research continues into its 23rd year.

In the words of his first boss, Executive Director Emeritus, Raymond Galbreth, “The only thing worse than no information is misinformation.” Jason took that to heart. He believed in informed action. He believed in moving the profession forward with integrity.

Jason loved this profession. He invested in it with his time, his talent, his treasure—and most of all, with his heart.

Valor Award

Jack Oden, Augusta Chapter

Jack Oden has demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness through his service as a firefighter with the Jesup Fire Department and Wayne Fire Rescue. Just thirteen hours after becoming a certified firefighter, Oden responded to a fully involved structure fire where he entered the burning home as part of the search team and rescued an unconscious individual from the residence, bringing them safely outside before returning to complete the search and assist with fire suppression efforts.

Humanitarian Award

Kit Miyamoto, Chico ‘90

Hideki “Kit” Miyamoto has dedicated his career to improving the safety, resiliency, and recovery of communities affected by natural disasters around the world. As the founder and CEO of Miyamoto International and Chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission, Miyamoto has become a globally recognized leader in earthquake engineering, disaster response, and humanitarian reconstruction efforts. His work has directly impacted communities devastated by major earthquakes in Haiti, Japan, Nepal, Ecuador, Afghanistan, and numerous other regions facing catastrophic loss.

Miles Washburn, Massachusetts ‘87

Miles Washburn has demonstrated extraordinary resilience, compassion, and commitment to serving others through his advocacy and fundraising efforts supporting patients affected by Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). After being diagnosed with GBS in February 2025 following a severe illness, Washburn endured a rapid and frightening medical crisis that left him temporarily unable to walk, swallow, or speak clearly. Following a week in intensive care, he began the difficult process of recovery while recognizing that many patients facing similar diagnoses do not have access to the same resources and support systems that aided his own recovery.

Distinguished Delta Chi Award

The Distinguished Delta Chi award recognizes significant achievement in an alumnus’ profession or outstanding civic service while upholding the values and ideals of the Fraternity.