Receiving one of the highest honors awarded to University alumni, Alma Angotti, Carolyn Bailey Lewis, Karen Evans, Douglas Van Scoy, John Spiker and Rear Admiral Glenn E. Whisler make up the WVU Alumni Association Academy of Distinguished Alumni Class of 2023. (WVU Graphic)
Six West Virginia University graduates who are leaders in the fields of cybersecurity, media, finance, athletics and military operations will become the newest inductees into the WVU Alumni Association Academy of Distinguished Alumni during a May 5 ceremony at the Erickson Alumni Center.
Receiving one of the highest honors awarded to University alumni, Alma Angotti, Carolyn Bailey Lewis, Karen Evans, Douglas Van Scoy, John Spiker and Rear Admiral Glenn E. Whisler make up the Academy’s Class of 2023.
“This is an astounding group of accomplished individuals who embody the true spirit of what it means to be a Mountaineer,” Kevin Berry, vice president of Alumni Relations and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association, said. “We are honored to induct this exceptional list of industry leaders into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni this year.”
Alma Angotti has had an extensive career specializing in anti-money laundering, financial regulation, financial crime, economic sanctions, fraud, securities regulatory compliance, investigations and enforcement. Angotti is a partner and financial services lead for the Financial Crime, Fraud, and Investigation Services Practice at Guidehouse, a global consulting firm. She also leads Guidehouse Payments, FinTech and Digital Assets projects advising some of the world’s largest financial institutions, payment companies and cryptocurrency exchanges. A 1979 graduate of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, she holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science and earned her law degree from the University of Virginia.
Angotti has held senior enforcement positions in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, where she was responsible for investigations and enforcement of the applicable federal statutes, regulations and rules.
Angotti has trained and advised the financial services industry and government officials in more than 11 countries on anti-money laundering, sanctions, countering the financing of terrorism and other regulatory enforcement issues, and is frequently asked to comment on these issues. In 2013, she received screen credit as an on-set consultant to Martin Scorsese in the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Carolyn Bailey Lewis has opened many doors for women in her lifetime. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the Reed College of Media, earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism and speech in 1971 and master’s degree in journalism in 1987.
Bailey Lewis went on to work for 38 years as a public broadcasting and media professional, including time with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she became the first Black woman to be named general manager for a full-service public television station in the United States.
Bailey Lewis earned her doctorate in communication studies from Ohio University and also served on the faculty of Scripps College of Communication. She has received numerous awards and honors, including Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer, the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism Award for Professional Achievement, the Medal of Merit from the Ohio University Alumni Association and the Outstanding Administrator Award, along with several public broadcasting awards and honors.
In 2021, Bailey Lewis authored the book “Love and Loss: The Storied Nature of Nursing Home Care.” She also created a line of greeting cards with her daughter.
Karen S. Evans has distinguished herself as a leader in cybersecurity and is currently serving as the managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute. Evans holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a Master of Business Administration from WVU.
With more than 28 years of federal government service, Evans’ experience working in the cybersecurity field has afforded her the opportunity to serve as the first assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response in the U.S. Department of Energy. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2018. Prior to this appointment, she was the national director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a program designed to help address the skills gap in the cybersecurity field. Evans was previously a top information technology official at the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush and was the Department of Energy’s chief information officer.
Evans was inducted into the John Chambers College of Business and Economics Roll of Distinguished Alumni in 2012 and serves on the Chambers College Visiting Committee as well as the MBA Advisory Council. In May 2019, she delivered the College’s commencement address. (Editor's note: Biography information for Evans was updated after the initial publication of this release.)
With an impressive investment and finance career, Douglas Van Scoy has consistently used his personal success to support WVU and its students. Van Scoy holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics as well as a master’s degree in secondary education.
Van Scoy began his career at Blyth Eastman Dillon in Baltimore and retired as deputy director and senior executive vice president of Smith Barney. Van Scoy was responsible for managing a private client group with $7 billion in revenue, 500 branch offices and 12,000 financial consultants.
Van Scoy has dedicated much of his life to enhancing WVU along with the overall student experience. Van Scoy contributed the first major gift in the public phase of the WVU State of Minds campaign, in which he served as Chambers College campaign chair, as well as through the creation and funding of scholarships and internships to support the Hospitality and Tourism Management curriculum. In 2012, Van Scoy pledged a commitment to create the Chambers College dean’s endowment and the Entrepreneur Program Endowment.
Van Scoy has been honored with numerous awards through WVU, including an honorary doctorate in business administration, Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer, induction into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame and the Business and Economics Roll of Distinguished Alumni. He is also a member of the Order of Vandalia.
As a pioneer in the field of athletic training, John Spiker was recruited from the University of North Carolina back to his alma mater by Bill Douglas and Leland Byrd to develop an athletic training education program and supervise sports medicine services for WVU Intercollegiate Athletics. Under Spiker’s leadership, WVU quickly became a national model for athletic training education.
Spiker holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from what is now the College of Applied Human Sciences. He later earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh and a physical therapy certificate from the University of Pennsylvania.
As an athletic trainer, Spiker covered 430 consecutive WVU football games from 1975-2013. He also worked with state legislators as well as the state Board of Education to enhance safety for participants in scholastic football by having an athletic trainer present at all practices and games.
In 1979, Spiker opened the first outpatient physical therapy clinic in Morgantown which grew into several offices in the surrounding area. As president and CEO of HealthWorks Rehab and Fitness, he was able to incorporate co-op programs, recruiting graduate students to provide athletic training and strength and conditioning coverage for eight area high schools for more than 25 years.
Throughout his extraordinary career, Spiker mentored dozens of graduates who became athletic trainers in the NFL, NBA, collegiate and secondary schools as well as physicians, physician assistants and physical therapists. Four graduates were selected for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. Spiker has been honored with a multitude of awards and recognitions including the NATA Hall of Fame, WVU Sports Hall of Fame and the Order of Vandalia.
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Glenn E. Whisler has been a national security leader for more than 50 years. Whisler earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and forestry from the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, then later received his master’s degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island.
His active-duty naval service of 28 years encompassed all areas of naval operations, including four at-sea commands. He gained national and international recognition for his technical and operational leadership as a pioneer in the introduction of the U.S. Navy’s surface ship anti-submarine warfare. Admiral Whisler served on the staffs of the Chief of Naval Personnel, Chief of Naval Operations, Secretary of the Navy and the Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic.
Rear Admiral Whisler commanded the Surface Warfare Officers School, and earned the Defense Superior Service Medal, five Legions of Merit, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Vietnam Service Medal.
After his military retirement, he worked in the defense industry for the nation’s largest national security companies. Whisler was honored by the Morgantown Celebration of America Committee as their Distinguished Monongalian of the Year in 2016.
Since 1988, the prestigious Academy of Distinguished Alumni award has been bestowed on 120 WVU alumni.
Find more information and see the list of previous honorees.
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