2019 Hall of Fame
Celebrating the success of graduates from NAU’s Social and Behavioral Sciences
Northern Arizona University and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences enjoys sharing stories of our graduates who have gone on to make a difference in the world.
President’s Alumni Award
Roy D. Morey
1959 BS Social Science
Former Director of the United Nations Development Programme, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and White House staff member
Following graduation from NAU in 1959, Dr. Morey attended the University of Arizona, earning both a Master’s and Doctoral degrees in 1961 and 1964 respectively. Dr. Morey was a visiting professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He became an Associate Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. He later served on the Nixon White House staff where his assignments included strategic planning related to education and school finance, government organization and management, and analysis of public opinion data on major issues as an input to federal policy making.
Dr. Morey then served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, US Department of State. In this capacity, he was responsible for coordinating policy for US participation in the economic and social activities of all United Nations organizations. Dr. Morey then served for 22 years with the United Nations Development Programme. He was Resident Representative and Resident Coordinator (with rank of Ambassador) in China, Vietnam, and the South Pacific. He also served as Deputy Resident Representative in Thailand.
Dr. Morey and his wife, Delores (class of 1959), are retired and live in Tucson. Roy is serving on the NAU Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Southern Arizona and the Tucson Committee on Foreign Relations.
Hall of Fame 2019 inductees
Sherman Frederick
1977 BS Journalism
Sherman Frederick served in the Navy for four years before enrolling at NAU as a non-traditional student. He found his love of journalism working for the Lumberjack student newspaper. After graduation, he continued his journalism career and reported for a series of newspapers across the country, ultimately becoming editor and publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and in 1999, Mr. Frederick was named president of the Stephens Media Group. In 2018, he was inducted into the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame. As a past president of the Nevada Press Association, he was instrumental in establishing the association’s headquarters near the Nevada Capitol. He founded Battle Born Media, LLC, which publishes four county-seat newspapers in Nevada – the Ely Times, Mineral County Independent-News, Lincoln County Record, Eureka Sentinel, as well as the Mesquite Local News and Sparks Tribune. Mr. Frederick comes from an NAU legacy family. His parents, grandmother, four brothers, children, and one granddaughter all attended NAU. His endowment gift to the School of Communication is in honor of his deceased grandmother, Christine Yaeger. He made the donation to “pay it forward” to the university that helped him become the success he is today.
Mr. Frederick has been a great friend to NAU over the years and has never forgot his roots as a Lumberjack (both as an alum and as student editor of the Lumberjack newspaper). As an alumni, Sherman served on the School of Communication Advisory Board, the SBS Advancement Council, and received the 2008 Dwight Patterson Alumnus of the Year Award.
Amy Peña
1994 BS Communication Studies
Amy J. Peña currently serves as general counsel for The Chicago Community Trust (“Trust”), one of the country’s oldest and largest community foundations. The Trust is dedicated to a thriving, equitable, and connected Chicago region where people of all races, places, and identities have the opportunity to reach their potential. Prior to working at the Trust, she was the first female general counsel for the International Association of Lions Clubs in its 101-year history. A first-generation college student who grew up in Kingman, Arizona, Ms. Peña chose NAU because of the personal attention she knew she would receive and the vibrant campus life. After graduation she work in the Human Resources field, first with Hilton Hotels and then with Mohave County. Through her work at the Hilton and the County, she found her passion for law and decided to apply to law school. She graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law with her J.D. and stayed in Chicago to work in employment and labor litigation at a boutique regional labor and employment law firm. After a few years working in employment litigation, she seized the opportunity to work in the legal department for Lions Clubs International, where she eventually worked her way up to the position of General Counsel. She had worked with Lions Clubs International for 16 years and traveled regularly around the world advising the association and its leadership in service.
In addition to her work with Lions and the Trust, Ms. Peña serves on the advisory board of the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation, as a board member of Lift-up Communities, a local non-profit in Chicago that works to assist low-wage and underemployed workers to flourish, and the Northern Arizona University Foundation where she serves as the board secretary.
Ms. Peña’s career is one of service, not only to the non-profit organizations she serves, but also to NAU. In addition to her work on the NAU Foundation, Ms. Peña serves as a mentor in NAU’s Thrive Externship program where she works with students on their career paths. As a student, she was a member of the Chain Gang, a student traditions organization, and worked as a Resident Assistant. Ms. Peña has received several awards during her career: Outstanding Northern Illinois University Woman, Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy, Outstanding Contribution to Law Community, and the Parker Brewster Award for Outstanding Achievement in Land Use/Property/Realty Law. Recently, she was recognized as a finalist in the Global Counsel Awards through the Association of Corporate Counsel and Lexology and recognized as one of Chicago’s leading General Counsels in Chicago Crain’s top 50 General Counsels. Amy was recently featured in NAU’s Pine Magazine, highlighting her work in service and dedication to NAU.