Hall of Fame
We’re proud of our NAU College of Social and Behavioral Sciences alumni
Some of the greatest minds have gotten their higher education at Northern Arizona University. From top assemblymen to a professional counselor, they all began their journeys as Lumberjacks. These renowned innovators have left an indelible mark not only on NAU but on the world.
Congratulations to our 2019 Hall of Fame inductees.
President’s Alumni Award – Roy D. Morey, PhD Accordion Closed
Roy D. Morey
1959, Social Science
Board of Directors, NAU Foundation
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.
Sherman Frederick – CEO, Battle Born Media Accordion Closed
Sherman Frederick
1977, Journalism
CEO, Battle Born Media
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.
Anthony (Tony) Gibson – Executive Director of Federal Relations, University of Pittsburgh Accordion Closed
Anthony (Tony) Gibson
2001, Political Sciences
Executive Director of Federal Relations, University of Pittsburgh
Tony Gibson, Executive Director of Federal Relations for the University of Pittsburgh, serves as the point of contact to Federal policy makers and running the University’s Washington, DC office. Mr. Gibson joined the University of Pittsburgh after his fifteen-year tenure at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he served as Senior Advisor for Legislative Affairs in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. His duties included oversight of Congressional processes relating to the Foundation, including liaison responsibilities for members of Congress and senior Congressional staff. He joined the NSF after serving as a senior advisor to three Presidential Science Advisors in the White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy. Before serving in the White House, Mr. Gibson worked in several key policy positions in the Senate and House of Representatives. He finished his tenure on Capitol Hill serving as a Legislative Director overseeing the legislative strategy and policy direction for a member of the House Science Committee. Mr. Gibson graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He completed his Master of Arts, with Distinction, in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, as well as post-graduate executive-level training at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the U.S. Government’s Federal Executive Institute.
Amy Peña – General Counsel, The Chicago Community Trust Accordion Closed
Amy Peña
1994, Communication Studies
General Counsel
The Chicago Community Trust
Amy Peña recently accepted the position of general counsel for The Chicago Community 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 accepting this position, 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 worked in Human Resources for Hilton Hotels then moved to Mohave County. Through her work at Hilton and at 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. then stayed in Chicago to work in employment and labor litigation at a boutique regional labor and employment law firm Wessels & Pautsh and Andrews Koehler & Passarelli, P.C. She also earned a “Mini MBA” for In House Counsel from the Boston University Questrom School of Business. Ms. Peña seized the opportunity to work in the legal department for Lions International, where she eventually worked her way up to the position of General Counsel. She had worked with the Lions International for 16 years and traveled regularly around the world assisting and advising local chapters in their service.
Ms. Peña’s career is one of service, not only to Lions International and her own community, but also to NAU. As a student, she was a member of the Chain Gang 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.
Hall of Fame 2020
The Hall of Fame recognizes NAU SBS alumni who have made significant contributions to the university, community, or their career. This annual award is presented to all inductees Homecoming weekend. Nominations for the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees will be accepted February 3 through May 4, 2020.