Seven UHart Alumni to Receive 2024 Anchor Awards

Ceremony to Be Held at the Start of Hawktober Weekend

West Hartford, CT (10/14/2024) — The University of Hartford is poised to bestow its most prestigious alumni awards on seven distinguished graduates this year.

The Anchor Awards recognize alumni who have achieved the highest levels of professional and community accomplishments. This year's awards will be given on Friday, October 25, at the start of Hawktober Weekend. The University's annual homecoming weekend will also feature the inauguration of new President Lawrence P. Ward on Saturday, October 26th.

This year's Anchor Award recipients are:

• Lee Ann Leahy '84 (Barney School of Business)-Distinguished Alum, awarded annually to an alum who embodies the highest caliber of personal and professional accomplishments, strength of character, and representation of University values
• Antonio Javier Soler '86 (Barney School of Business) and Jon-Paul Venoit '96 (Barney School of Business)-Outstanding Alum: Exceptional Professional Success, recognizing alumni whose career accomplishments are exceptional
• Ronald F. Barisano '74 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Billie C. Scruse '92 (Barney School of Business)-Outstanding Alum: Impact on Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement, awarded to alumni whose professional success is rooted in bettering community and who have made significant and notable contributions in this space
• Carol A. Coppa '81 (College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture)- Outstanding Alum: Impact on the University of Hartford, recognizing alumni who have had a remarkable impact on the University through their philanthropic support and/or service

In addition, a posthumous honor will be given to Tiana Notice '07 (College of Arts and Sciences), who earned her bachelor's degree and was one semester away from graduating with a master's degree when she became a fatal victim of violence in 2009. The Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation was founded by her father, Alvin, to fight violence against women, strengthen law enforcement protections for endangered women in high-risk domestic violence cases, and to honor Tiana's name.

The Anchor Awards are stewarded by the Alumni Advisory Council, with nominations solicited from the full University community each year.