WVU 2025 Academy of Distinguished Alumni honorees announced

Five distinguished West Virginia University graduates, whose accomplishments span communications, business, leadership, music and nursing, will be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

The honorees, Linda Arnold, Luke Frazier, Sharon Burmeister Lord, Diana Murphy and Laura J. Wood, will be celebrated during a Feb. 7 ceremony at the Erickson Alumni Center.

“We are deeply proud to honor this year’s class of Academy inductees who are incredibly accomplished in their fields,” Kevin Berry, vice president of Alumni Relations and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association, said. “Not only are they well accomplished, but they also embody our Mountaineer core values and what it means to go first in all they do.”

Linda Arnold is the founder and former chair and CEO of The Arnold Agency, a multi-state communications company, who oversaw the company’s expansion to offices in Washington, West Virginia and Montana, serving clients nationwide, including Hawaii. The agency offered services in strategic communications, marketing, branding, public relations, advertising, crisis communications and government relations for consumer and business-to-business clients.

Now a syndicated columnist and psychological counselor, Arnold writes the weekly columns, “Live Life Fully” and “Life 101,” focusing on health, wellness and business topics with actionable tips for stress reduction, conflict resolution and personal growth, to name a few. Her work blends her expertise in communications and psychology, making her a sought-after keynote speaker and the author of two books.

Arnold received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from WVU and also holds the degrees of Master of Arts in Counseling and Master of Business Administration. She is the former director of communications and press secretary for retired U.S. Sen. John D. “Jay” Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).

Her professional affiliations include the National Council of Business Women, the National Society of Syndicated Columnists, the American Advertising Federation and the Public Relations Society of America.

Arnold has been inducted into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame and the P.I. Reed Society at WVU, and the state Public Relations Society of America Hall of Fame. She has also been honored with a PRSA Lifetime Achievement Award and has served on various professional and charitable boards, including the state chapters of The Nature Conservancy and Huntington National Bank.

She is the recipient of an Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young, a Woman of Achievement award from the YWCA, and a Wonder Woman award from New South Media. In addition, she has been honored with the Communications and Leadership Award from Toastmasters International.

Arnold and her husband, John Catselis — a WVU engineering graduate — enjoy sailing and traveling, having visited 50 states and most continents, with Antarctica as a favorite. They divide their time between Charleston and Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Luke Frazier, a 2007 graduate of the College of Creative Arts and Media, is a conductor, music director and pianist who said he believes the future of music depends on breaking down barriers between musicians and audiences.

In 2015, Frazier founded The American Pops Orchestra to reimagine orchestral music and attract new audiences through innovative programming.

Featured in over 30 national PBS broadcasts, APO spans genres from classical to country, jazz to musical theatre and more. Highlights include “Wicked in Concert,” which brought the beloved musical to screen audiences for the first time. With performances by renowned artists like Renée Fleming, Patti LaBelle, Cynthia Erivo and Josh Groban, APO has shared orchestral music with over 60 million viewers nationwide at no cost.

Creating opportunities for the next generation of music makers and music lovers is always a priority for Frazier. Each year, he spends at least three weeks touring live APO shows to underserved elementary schools, and through virtual tour streaming, APO has reached over 700,000 students across all 50 states free of charge.

Frazier is also passionate about finding outstanding college musicians and founded APO’s annual NextGen vocal competition, where winners earn cash prizes and career-boosting performance experiences.

He also founded the NATO Symphony Orchestra in honor of the 75th anniversary of NATO, comprised of college musicians from all 32 NATO countries, which debuted at the Library of Congress before dignitaries and heads of state.

Frazier is also the newly appointed principal pops conductor of the Symphony of the Americas, in addition to regularly guest conducting orchestras across the country in an array of classical and popular repertoire. He appears regularly in venues like Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian, the Los Angeles Music Center, the Kravis Center and many more.

An internationally acclaimed leader in education, business, and public policy, Sharon Burmeister Lord has been celebrated as a trailblazer, pioneer and Renaissance woman.

Born in 1943, World War II had a major effect on her life. Lord’s family moved to naval base housing in California before returning home to Williamson following the war. A coal miner’s granddaughter, she rose from humble beginnings to a life hailed as “a template for breaking glass ceilings.”

Lord excelled academically in high school in English, speech, drama and music, playing oboe, saxophone and piano. She graduated as valedictorian and was the first female student government president, finding her greatest passions in music and band.

Arriving at WVU in 1961, prior to women being permitted to join the WVU Marching Band, she was encouraged to become a varsity cheerleader. She became the first female secretary of the WVU Varsity Club, headed the Freshman Leadership Committee and was a member of the Air Force ROTC Angel Corps.

Graduating from WVU in 1965, she received a four-year NDEA fellowship from Indiana where she earned a master’s degree and doctoral degree in educational psychology. She received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Indiana in 1990.

Appointed one of the first female professors at the University of Tennessee, she created programs in psychology of women and Appalachian studies and was recognized by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education. In addition, she was the key force in the creation of the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics Department. The Lady Vols locker room bears her name.

In 1976, her speeches and seminars were in such high demand in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand so she founded Sharon Lord Associates. She was named an honorary fellow of the Australian Institutes of Management and became a popular TV and radio guest.

In 1981, having consulted worldwide with the U.S. Department of Defense, Lord became the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, achieving the highest rank for a woman in the U.S. Department of Defense, equivalent to a three-star general, and earned the Defense Outstanding Public Service Medal.

Years later, she returned to public service in West Virginia, serving as commissioner of human services. She continues to consult with government and business leaders worldwide, devoting her life to empowering individuals.

Diana Mather Murphy is an active and accomplished corporate and civic leader. A proud native of Princeton, Murphy earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from WVU in 1978. 

Murphy spent 15 years in executive roles, including senior vice president and chief revenue officer of The Baltimore Sun Company. In the early 2000s, she shifted her focus to business and community development, becoming managing director of Rocksolid Holdings LLC, a private equity firm specializing in small businesses and real estate in the Southeast. 

Murphy serves on the governing boards of leading organizations, including American International Group Inc., Atlanta Braves Holdings Inc., Landstar System Inc., where she is non-executive chairman, and Synovus Financial Corporation. In 2016, she was elected the 64th president of the United States Golf Association, becoming only the second woman in its history to hold the position. She served two terms, led the USGA Executive Committee, and served as captain for the 2022 U.S. World Amateur Golf Team, where the U.S. Men’s team earned a bronze medal.

An engaged civic leader, Murphy serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia, First Tee and the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation. She was a founder and board member of the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation. Additionally, Murphy serves as a mentor to emerging business leaders and professional women.

Murphy enjoys golfing, playing piano, reading, and walking on the beach or through maritime forests with her goldendoodle, Sam. She and her husband, Reg, cherish their extended, blended family, including three grandsons, and are members of St. Simons Presbyterian.

Laura J. Wood, serves as executive vice president of patient care operations, system chief nurse executive, and Sporing Carpenter Chair for Nursing at Boston Children’s Hospital. In this role, she sets strategic direction for the world’s leading pediatric academic health system, overseeing quality, safety, nursing practice and patient care delivery.

Wood’s progressive health care leadership contributions span three renowned academic health systems, including Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. She also led clinical business development as vice president for clinical solutions within Siemens Healthcare — now Oracle, spanning 1,000-plus U.S. health systems.

Wood received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from WVU in 1977, as well as the school’s Faculty and Alumni Leadership awards. She earned a Master of Science degree in maternal-child nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Johns Hopkins University, where she was honored with Distinguished Alumna awards from both the School of Nursing and the University. Wood is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow alumna and an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Wood serves as president and board chair of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, overseeing credentialing and ANCC’s Magnet Recognition and Pathway to Excellence programs with an aim to advance healthy and safe work environments in the U.S. and worldwide. Other recent board service includes Boston Children’s Hospital, CRICO Risk Management, the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research and Simmons University, among others.

Wood and her husband, Lawrence Quartana, live in Belmont, Massachusetts, near their adult son and many extended family members throughout New England, and are devoted, lifelong golden retriever parents and film enthusiasts.

In addition to the Feb. 7 ceremony, this year’s Academy inductees will be honored during a special on-court recognition at the WVU vs. Utah men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the WVU Coliseum.

Since 1988, the prestigious Academy of Distinguished Alumni award has been bestowed on 125 WVU alumni.

Register to attend the Academy of Distinguished Alumni induction ceremony, find more information and see the list of previous honorees.

-WVU-

jmm/1/28/25

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