Melanie A. Hillard ’92 is this year’s winner of the Black Student Association's Distinguished Alumni Award! Established in 1998, the Black Student Association's Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes those African-American alumni whose record of outstanding personal achievement and service to others has inspired Rhodes students and brought honor to their alma mater.
A graduate of historical Little Rock Central High School, Melanie received her BA in Business Administration at Rhodes and her MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In May 2015, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Shorter College in North Little Rock, AR.
Melanie is still an active leader in Alpha Kappa Alpha, serving previously as the president of the Beta Pi Omega Chapter (Little Rock, AR) from 2015 - 2018, and currently as the Arkansas Cluster Coordinator and as an appointee to the International Investigations Committee as a Regional Investigator.
Melanie is deeply committed to the betterment of her community. She serves on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Zoological Foundation, The Ivy Foundation of Little Rock and the Rhodes College Alumni Association Executive Board.
Since 2003, she has worked as an Executive Sales Representative in the Diabetes Specialty Division for Eli Lilly & Company.
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Established in 1998, the Black Student Association's Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes those African-American alumni whose record of outstanding personal achievement and service to others has inspired Rhodes students and brought honor to their alma mater. The BSA Distinguished Alumni Award is presented each year during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend.
Eligibility and Nominations
All alumni who were members of the BSA as students are eligible. Nominees for the BSA Distinguished Alumni Award are eligible and will be considered for the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Young Alumni Award, or the Distinguished Service Award as appropriate. Make your nomination today by filling out the online form on the front page.
BSA Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
2019 Dr. Sherry Turner '84
2018 Dr. Coby V. Smith ’68
2017 Dr. Sandra Waller Shelton '76
2016 Aubrey Howard '72
2015 Roblin J. Boxill '99
2014 Steven L. Becton '88
2013 Patricia Spears Jones '73
2012 Dr. Lorenzo Childress Jr. '68
2011 Dorothy Sanders Wells '82
2010 Virgil Starks, III '85 (posthumous)
2009 Julian T. Bolton ’71
2008 Vicki Gilmore Palmer '75
2007 Donald Duggan '86
2006 Charles Holt '89
2005 Ryan Mire '93
2004 Patricia Howard '70
Marcus Kimbrough '90
2003 Johnny Moore '88
2002 Julian T. Bolton '71
2001 Jerome Franklin '89
Russ Wigginton '88
2000 Herman Morris '73
1999 Anita Davis '90
1998 Joyce Broffitt '77