Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony honors alums, highlights university achievement

Colorado State University’s Alumni Association honored standout graduates during the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards, recognizing their achievements and connections to CSU’s values Oct. 16.

In total, 13 alumni awards were presented, including one recognizing excellence in athletics, eight granted by CSU’s individual colleges and four reserved for distinguished alumni who embody the university’s values.

Amy Hoeven was the College of Liberal Arts honored alumna. She co-founded CSU’s First Generation Near-Peer Mentoring Program, which has expanded from one rural school to six districts across Colorado, and produced “Who I Am,” a virtual reality documentary. In 2019, she and her husband created the Elephant Scholarship to support students from northeastern Colorado. Hoeven serves on several nonprofit and university boards, including the City of Fort Collins Citizen Review Board and CSU’s College of Liberal Arts Leadership Board and is currently running for Fort Collins City Council District 5.

“It makes me emotional,” Hoeven said after receiving the award. “I am deeply honored because I have been doing the work, and I’ve only been able to do it because of my relationship with the university. It is an honor of a lifetime.”

Other award recipients expressed similar remarks of gratitude. The College of Health and Human Sciences honored award recipient Ray Jackson, who described the moment as a dream.

“I’m still at a loss for words,” said Jackson. “It is truly a dream, but not the dream that comes true because I’ve never dreamed of it. I just wanted to give back.”

Jackson, a 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, has built a distinguished 24-year career in the NFL. A three-time Super Bowl champion, he is entering his 11th year of involvement with the Denver Broncos and his fifth year as vice president of player development, leading programs that help players grow on and off the field.

“CSU is really where I learned how to serve the others around me and watch others around me and the way they treated me,” Jackson said.

The William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award, named after CSU’s eighth president, is the Alumni Association’s highest honor. It recognizes graduates who have achieved national or international distinction in their fields and whose accomplishments bring credit to CSU and benefit society. Nancy and Curt Richardson accepted this award. The Richardson family founded OtterBox and the OtterCares Foundation.

“Thank you to the Alumni Association and CSU for recognizing us for this amazing award,” Nancy Richardson said. “I also want to say congratulations to all of you recipients. It is really an honor and privilege to be in the company of all of you, with all of the amazing things you have done.”

CSU taught and instilled several values and skills that felt important to the Richardsons.

“Most importantly, my time at CSU instilled in me the value of giving back to my community,” Nancy Richardson said. “The seeds of service that were planted back then have actually grown into the mission of our company, OtterBox, and our foundation, OtterCares.”

Andy Bane is the CEO of Vetsource, a portal for pet health. As the honored alum for the College of Natural Sciences, he shared how his time at CSU shaped him.

“My time here at CSU really shaped my life,” Bane said. “I did my bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. here, which is nine years. Nine years of my life has been on this campus, and it has profoundly affected the way that I think about how to solve problems.”

The Distinguished Graduate of the Last Decade was awarded to Maya Siegel, a youth leader and advocate for social impact. Siegel also shared how CSU instilled meaningful values in both her and her younger sister, who also graduated from the university.

“This place doesn’t just teach academics,” Siegal said. “It teaches empathy, leadership and responsibility to the community. CSU does a beautiful job of investing in people.”