The Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony will be held at Capital University on Friday, Oct. 4, at 5:30 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend. The event will feature video testimonials from nominators and supporters of the recipients, as well as brief remarks from the recipients. The public is invited to attend.
Mayor Michael T. Bivens, J.D. ’01, has been recognized as one of Capital University’s 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipients. The award honors the accomplishments, community contributions, and humanitarian efforts of the university’s graduates.
After serving in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm, Bivens earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Capital University’s School of Management in 1995. He continued his education at Capital University Law School, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 2001.
Following graduation, Bivens became the managing partner of his own law firm and settled in Whitehall, Ohio. Committed to improving the town where he and his family lived, he pursued roles in local government. He was elected city attorney, becoming Whitehall’s first African American elected official. In 2023, Bivens made history again, winning the general election to become Whitehall’s first African American mayor.
Bivens' wife, Joy Bledsoe Bivens ’99, was honored as a Capital University Distinguished Alumna in 2023.
For more information, visit Capital Stories http://hwk8.517b2b.com/about/capital-stories/from-capital-to-historic-leadership-in-whitehall-mayor-bivens-focuses-on-community/.
Elizabeth Caslin-Turner, M.A.Ed. ’18, has been recognized as one of the 2024 recipients of Capital University’s annual Distinguished Young Alumnus Award. This award honors the accomplishments, community contributions, and humanitarian efforts of the school’s graduates. The Distinguished Young Alumnus Award specifically recognizes graduates who completed their education at Capital within the past 15 years.
Caslin-Turner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Psychology in 2016 and a Master of Education in 2018, both from Capital University. She continued her studies at American College of Education, where she completed another Master of Education in 2022. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education.
She is the founder of the nonprofit organization DNA Project, which aims to develop new attitudes in children and a new mindset for educators. She is also the creator of the Five Labels Theory, which addresses how labeling by educators hinders student success.
Caslin-Turner is applying her knowledge in her work with the Ohio Department of Higher Education and as a board member on Delta Phi Epsilon’s International DEI and Justice Series Board.
Andrew Graham ’97, has been recognized as one of Capital University’s 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipients. Graham graduated from Capital University’s Conservatory of Music with a degree in keyboard pedagogy and piano performance. He continued to develop his craft and network in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop in New York.
Since then, he has worked as musical director on some of the most popular musicals, including "Wicked," "Avenue Q," and "The Book of Mormon." His most recent achievement is a touring production of "Moulin Rouge! The Musical," which has won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
For more information, visit Capital Stories http://hwk8.517b2b.com/about/capital-stories/the-maestro-of-moulin-rouge-the-musical-a-spotlight-on-the-national-tour-s-music-director/.
Michael Hanck, M.Div. ’15, has been recognized as one of Capital University’s 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipients. This award honors the accomplishments, community contributions, and humanitarian efforts of the university’s graduates.
Hanck earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 2015 and currently serves as pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio. In his work there, he has been devoted to community care, specifically by helping people secure stable housing. He has assisted with restoring and repairing homes, resolving evictions, and creating a ministry that delivers furniture.
Hanck is also a commissioner on the board of Lucas Metropolitan Housing and is active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as a leader of the Homeless and Poverty Justice Network and a member of the Board of Vulnerable and Vital Congregations.
Brian Michael Murphy ’03, has been recognized as one of the 2024 recipients of Capital University’s annual Distinguished Alumnus Award. This award honors the accomplishments, community contributions, and humanitarian efforts of the school’s graduates.
Murphy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Capital University in 2003. He completed both his master’s degree and Ph.D. in Comparative Studies at The Ohio State University, where he was a Presidential Fellow.
His book, “We the Dead: Preserving Data at the End of the World,” received the Lois P. Rudnick Book Prize from the New England American Studies Association. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Kenyon Review, Lapham’s Quarterly, Narrative, and in Italian translation in Ácoma, among other publications. A Fulbright Scholar, his work has also received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Vermont Arts Council.
Murphy is currently the associate professor of American studies at Williams College and a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
For more information, visit Capital Stories http://hwk8.517b2b.com/about/capital-stories/capital-alumnus-explores-how-humans-plan-to-live-forever-through-data/.
