Celebrating the 2026 Alumni Award Winners

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s 2026 Alumni Awards Ceremony will occur on Friday, April 24 and will honor a group of accomplished alumni, faculty and staff members, as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

The group of alumni we will be celebrating spans career paths from teaching, digital media, law, entrepreneurship and more. Our impressive alumni will be recognized alongside our James L. Baughman Senior Achievement Award winners, Teaching Excellence Award and Leadership Award winners, and Terry Hynes Innovative Leadership winners. Please join us in honoring these outstanding alumni, faculty and staff, and students and their incredible accomplishments. On, Wisconsin!

Ralph O. Nafziger Award

This award is named for the late Ralph O. Nafziger, who was director of the school from 1949 until his retirement in 1966. Nafziger built an international reputation as a leader in journalism education. The honorees receive recognition for showing remarkable professional initiative and promise within 10 years of graduation.

Molly Winding Dewey is co-founder of Leena AI, a women’s health platform that helps women better understand their bodies, prepare for care, and advocate for themselves while contributing insights to research. Previously, she co-founded Mettacool, a leadership development company supporting women across industries. She also serves on the boards of Preschool of the Arts and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. Check out our Q&A with Dewey here.

Shannon Malone Mazibuko is Vice President of Basketball Communications for the Sacramento Kings, leading communications for players, coaches and the front office. She previously managed men’s and women’s basketball communications for the Big Ten Conference and led PR for major events at KemperLesnik. A former Wisconsin women’s basketball player, she graduated from UW–Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2016 and serves on the NBA PR Advisory Board. Learn more about Malone in our Q&A.

Kynala Phillips is a communications specialist and engagement journalist whose work focuses on elevating local stories with national impact. She is currently editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch, where she leads a five-person team partnering with residents in Harambee, Layton Boulevard West and Metcalfe Park to report neighborhood news with care. Previously, Phillips worked at Kansas City PBS producing the station’s monthly magazine, leading its award-winning events program and co-founding the Reel Black Film Festival. She also reported for The Kansas City Star. Her work has appeared in Madison Magazine, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, ESSENCE Magazine, the Wisconsin State Journal and Madison365. Learn more about Phillips in our Q&A.

Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award

The Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award recognizes distinguished achievement in teaching and research within 5-10 years of graduation from the PhD program.

Catasha Davis, Ph.D., is a strategic communication and research leader with over a decade of experience translating complex research into actionable strategy across public health, philanthropy, defense, and nonprofit sectors. She has held roles at the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, and FrameWorks Institute, focusing on equity-centered research and communication strategy. Her work integrates qualitative research, narrative development, and AI-enabled methods to inform policy and public engagement. Learn more about Davis and her achievements in our Q&A.

Rachel Kornfield, PhD, is an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, where she studies how digital and AI-enabled tools can improve mental health support and access to care. A UW–Madison graduate, her research focuses on scalable interventions such as conversational agents and SMS-based programs for conditions including depression and anxiety. She leads and collaborates on NIH-funded projects and mentors emerging scholars, aiming to advance the design and impact of digital mental health tools. Check out our Q&A with Kornfield here.

Harold L. Nelson Award

This award is given for distinguished contribution to journalism and mass communication education. The award is named for Harold L. Nelson, director of the School of Journalism from 1966 to 1975. Recipients have taught in some of the most distinguished journalism programs in the nation.

Ronald Faber, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota and a leading scholar in advertising and media research. Over his career at the University of Texas and Minnesota, he published more than 100 articles on topics including children and advertising, political communication, and consumer behavior, with his work cited over 20,000 times. A dedicated mentor and educator, he advised numerous students and junior faculty. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Advertising and a recipient of its Ivan Preston Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research. Check out our Q&A with Faber here.

Distinguished Service Award

Each year the School honors outstanding alumni. Faculty select award winners based on their achievements in all fields of journalism and mass communication.

Abigail Buckwalter is CEO of Nestlé Health Science U.S., leading more than 6,000 employees and overseeing a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of science-backed nutrition solutions. With over 20 years of global leadership experience, she has played a key role in shaping the organization’s growth, driving innovation, and expanding its impact across healthcare and consumer categories. Known for her people-first leadership style, she fosters a culture of transparency, trust, and high performance. Buckwalter serves as Chair of the Healthcare Nutrition Council and sits on the Executive Board of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. Learn more about Buckwalter and her career in our Q&A.

Carla Oakley is a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, specializing in intellectual property and advertising law. With nearly 40 years of experience, she advises clients from startups to global companies on trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and advertising compliance, and has handled cases across state and federal courts and international forums. She also counsels on global trademark strategy and online risk. Widely recognized for her expertise, Oakley has been named among the top women in IP worldwide and is active in numerous professional organizations and nonprofit boards. Learn more about Oakley in our Q&A.

Janell Wise is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Paramount Skydance, where she advises CBS News and Stations on contracts, rights, and pre-publication clearance. She counsels journalists across major programs and oversees legal matters for CBS-owned stations nationwide, with expertise in defamation and newsgathering. Previously, she held legal roles at CBS Corporation and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, focusing on media, technology, and intellectual property. Check out our Q&A with Wise here.

James L. Baughman Senior Achievement Award

Congratulations to our 2026 James L. Baughman Senior Achievement Award winners! These students were selected for their outstanding academic, professional and community service achievements.

Annika Bereny, Class of 2026

Cameron Hagen, Class of 2026

Seth Kruger, Class of 2026

Sreejita Patra, Class of 2026

Mia Salbego, Class of December 2025

Lalitha Viswanathan, Class of 2026

Terry Hynes Innovative Leadership Award

The Terry Hynes Innovative Leadership Award honors the leaders and mentors that strive to make the School of Journalism a place where students are excited to study communication and feel a sense of community throughout their time in Vilas. The award provides financial support for faculty and staff to take advantage of opportunities that enable them to develop, deepen and deploy their strengths; identify and compensate for their weaknesses; and master skills of strategic thinking and effective communication in order to make a positive impact on the lives of those they serve in the School.

Lindsey Bliefernicht, Graduate Program Manager

Karyn Riddle, Robert Taylor Professor of Strategic Communication; Director, Undergraduate Studies

Graduate Student Awards

Teaching Excellence Award

Congratulations also to our graduate students who received the SJMC Teaching Excellence Award. The Teaching Excellence Award is presented in recognition of outstanding and inspirational teaching performance.

Aman Abhishek

Ji Soo Choi

Leonor Hidalgo-Ciro

Yiming Wang

Brule Woods

Diego Mazorra

Luhang Sun

Yibing Sun

Leadership Award

Congratulations to our graduate students who received the SJMC Leadership Award. This award is in recognition of outstanding service as a leader and organizer of the Communication Crossroads Conference.

Eric Agyekum

Tianan Lin

Ryan Wettschurack

Jingqi Yang

Yanshu Sybil Wang

JD Duncan

Xiaohui Cao

Caroline Anipah

Hyerin Kwon

Elohim Monard Rivas