Grady College announces 2024 Alumni Award recipients
Grady College announces 2024 Alumni Award recipients
Grady College is proud to announce honorees for its annual Alumni Awards, recognizing alumni who have established a tradition of service and achievement in their careers.
Alumni Award recipients will be recognized at the College’s annual recognition event, Grady Salutes: A Celebration of Achievement, Leadership and Commitment, on Friday, April 26, 2024, on the Schnitzer Family Media Lawn. Inductees into the Grady Fellowship also will be recognized at Grady Salutes.
The 2024 Alumni Award recipients include:
Meredith Dean (ABJ ‘14), the CEO and founder of The Dean’s List, will receive the John E. Drewry Young Alumni Award. Dean is a digital branding and career consultant, community builder, travel and lifestyle content creator, educator, former journalist, and an entrepreneur focused on DEI initiatives.
Through The Dean’s List, a digital branding and career consulting firm, Dean has advised a long list of clients including Miss America, Netflix and OWN actors, CNN journalists, NFL reporters and Bachelor contestants. Prior to starting The Dean’s List, Dean worked for CNN, FOX, CBS/Inside Edition and Ryan Seacrest Studios.
Lianne Sinclair (ABJ ‘01), who currently runs consumer advertising and social at AT&T, will receive the Mid-Career Award. Sinclair previously served as the executive vice president and managing director at Energy BBDO, a Chicago-based agency. Sinclair has led campaigns for many notable brands, including Mars Wrigley, PepsiCo, Hanes, The Ritz-Carlton, Olympus, British Airways and more. Sinclair has 12 Cannes Lions, 22 Effie Awards, 11 Clios, and a couple Jay Chiat Awards on her shelf.
Ed Grisamore (ABJ ‘78), who teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon and writes a weekly column for The Monroe County Reporter, will receive the John Holliman, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for sustained contributions to the profession throughout a career. Grisamore was a longtime columnist for The Macon Telegraph. He received the 2010 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
He is the author of nine books and was named “Georgia Author of the Year” by the Georgia Writers Association for his book, “Never Put a Ten-Dollar Tree in a Ten-Cent Hole.’’ His 2006 audiobook, “Gris & That,” was nominated for a Grammy in the “Spoken Word” category. In 2008, he was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame for “contribution to sports.”
Yongjun Sung (MA ’03, PhD ’06), a researcher and professor in the School of Psychology at Korea University, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award. Dr. Sung, who is also the current editor of the Korean Journal of Advertising, has authored or co-authored over 125 articles in leading refereed journals, and his work has been cited over 10,400 times. Dr. Sung’s research focuses on consumer/advertising psychology topics including self-concept, self-expression, relationships, sustainability and digital media. Prior to joining KU in 2014, Dr. Sung was an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin and an associate professor in the Department of Advertising at Southern Methodist University.
More information about the Alumni Awards and a list of past recipients can be viewed on the Alumni Awards webpage.
Information about tickets to Grady Salutes will be coming soon.
Author: Jackson Schroeder, Jackson.Schroeder@uga.edu