Four SOU alumni to receive annual awards

(Ashland, Ore.) — This year’s Southern Oregon University alumni award winners will be a retired U.S. Army colonel; a program manager for a global video game developer; the superintendent of the Phoenix-Talent School District; and a civil rights activist who founded the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment.

This year’s four award recipients, who were chosen by the SOU Alumni Association Board of Directors, are Brant Hoskins for the Distinguished Alumni Award; Brent Barry for the Alumni Excellence in Education Award; Vance Beach for the Stan Smith Alumni Service Award; and Lindsay Thacker for the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. The awards will be presented during a celebration at noon on Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Meese Room of SOU’s Hannon Library.

Hoskins
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented each year by the university and the SOU Alumni Association to recognize someone whose personal and professional achievements have significantly benefited humankind and brought distinction to the university. This year’s honoree, Hoskins, earned an economics degree and was commissioned as a second lieutenant through SOU’s ROTC program. He later earned master’s degrees in adult and continuing education, military science, and U.S. military strategic studies from Kansas State University, the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, and the U.S. Army War College, respectively. As an expert in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) operations, Hoskins managed strategic and operational initiatives around the world. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2023 after a distinguished 30-year military career.

Barry
The Alumni Excellence in Education Award recognizes career achievement in education, service to community and commitment to SOU. Barry, who will receive this year’s award, is a Rogue Valley native who went to San Diego State University on a baseball scholarship and later studies as an undergraduate at SOU and Linfield College. He then earned his master’s degree in education from SOU and his administrative credentials from Portland State University. Barry began his career teaching math and coaching, and served as athletic director, assistant principal and school principal before becoming assistant superintendent and then superintendent. In that role since 2017, Barry helped to pass an historic $68 million community bond measure for safety, and career and technical education, and he has championed targeted equity programs. He was named the Oregon Superintendent of the Year in 2022 for his extraordinary leadership to stabilize the district through the dual crises of COVID-19 and the Almeda Fire. Barry has served on the SOU Board of Trustees since 2022.

Beach
The Stan Smith Alumni Service Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the community and service to people. Beach earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in management at SOU, where he was a wide receiver on the Raider football team. He founded the Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE) in 2020 to combat structural racism and ease isolation for Black residents in southern Oregon, after producing “We Stand Together” – a documentary capturing the lived experiences and community building of local Black residents. Under Beach’s leadership, BASE has become a leading regional nonprofit delivering youth mentorship, cultural programming and advocacy. He is a former member of the SOU Foundation Board of Trustees..

Thacker
The Distinguished Young Alumni Award is presented to a recent university graduate who has demonstrated distinction in career, civic involvement or both. Thacker earned degrees in art and computer science from SOU in 2012, and serves as a program manager at Riot Games – the global video game developer and publisher of “League of Legends” and “VALORANT.” She has focused on game quality, production and talent development while contributing to titles including “Guild Wars 2” and “Plants vs. Zombies 2.” Thacker has become a prominent advocate for studio collaboration since joining Riot Games in 2017. She has spoken at the Game Developers Conference on her “Six Pillars of Impactful Onboarding” framework and mentors aspiring talent.

-SOU-