UofM Alumni Association Will Bestow Distinguished Alumni Awards June 8

May 21, 2019 - The University of Memphis Alumni Association will honor six outstanding alumni and friends at the 39th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Saturday, June 8, at 6 p.m. at The Peabody.

Honorees include:

Judith H. Edge (BA '83), corporate vice president for Human Resources at FedEx Corp. She is responsible for leading the Human Resources function, which includes talent development, succession planning, executive compensation, benefits, workforce strategy and HR operations.

Cato Johnson (BSEd '70, MEd '71), chief of staff for Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Prior to joining Methodist, he was vice president of Corporate Affairs at Regional One. Johnson is a current member of the Executive Committee of the UofM Board of Trustees.

Wei Chen (MBA '98), founder/CEO of Sunshine Enterprise Inc. He sat on the Greater Memphis Chamber Board, University of Memphis Alumni Association National Alumni Executive Board, UofM Fogelman College Dean's Advisory Board and the UofM Management Department Advisory Board. Chen is being honored posthumously.

Frank D. Scott Jr. (BBA '05), mayor of Little Rock. Scott will be honored as Outstanding Young Alumnus. Before being elected as mayor, he worked on the 2006 campaign for Gov. Mike Beebe and went on to serve as the deputy policy director and later as the intergovernmental affairs director in the governor's office.

D. Bryan Jordan, chairman, president and CEO of First Horizon National Corporation. Jordan is being honored as a Distinguished Friend of the University. He serves on the boards of the American Bankers Association, AutoZone Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Governor's Foundation for Health and Wellness, Memphis Tomorrow, Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, Operation HOPE and Tennessee Bankers Association.

Bill Koeneman, owner of B & C Construction Inc. Koeneman is being honored as a Distinguished Friend of the University. He has been a supporter of the University of Memphis since 1963. For the last three decades, Koeneman has been asked or has volunteered to complete construction projects all over the UofM campus.

Individual tickets are $175; young alumni tickets (for those who graduated five years ago or less) are $75. Tables range from $3,000 to $5,000. To make reservations or for more information, visit alumni.memphis.edu/DAA or email alumniassociation@memphis.edu.