Alumni of the Year Awards

Each year, the University of Maryland College of Information (INFO) awards two alumni who have made significant contributions to their field, have transformed lives through information and technology, and have been a role model of the college. The Rising Terp Award honors a young alum whose personal and professional accomplishments establish them as a rising star in their field. The Distinguished Terrapin Award, as the highest honor from the INFO College, recognizes an alum who showcases outstanding professional achievement, service to the college, cultivation of a culture of philanthropy, and advancement of the Dean’s strategic priorities. Honorees are awarded at the University of Maryland Alumni Association Awards Gala and at the Annual INFO Alumni Awards Celebration.

Rising Terp Award Recipients:

• 2025*: Erin Zerhusen, MLS 2014
  Manager of Centralized Scheduling at Caesars Entertainment Corporation
• 2023: Gabriel Cruz, InfoSci 2018, MIM 2021
  Engineering Manager, PARA Business Systems; Adjunct Lecturer INFO College

Distinguished Terrapin Award Recipients:

• 2025*: Kevin Beverly, MLS 1981
  Former CEO Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., Universities at Shady Grove Board of Advisors and Executive Committee Member
• 2023: Wilda Logan, MLS 1978
  Supervisory Archives Specialist at National Archives and Records Administration
• 2022: Denise Davis, MLS 1975
  Director Emerita Cecil County Public Library
• 2021: Julius C. Jefferson Jr., MLS 2005
  President of the American Library Association (2020-2021)
• 2020: Jon Cawthorne, MLS 1993
  Dean of the Wayne State University Library System and the University’s School of Information Sciences
• 2019: Jamuna Sundararajan, MIM 2005
  President and CEO of Cyberbahn Federal Solutions LLC
• 2016: Joan Giesecke, MLS 1973
  Dean Emeritus University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 2015: Paul Wester, MLS 1992
  Director, U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library
• 2013: Maureen Sullivan, MLS 1976
  President, American Library Association
• 2009: Nancy Roderer, MLS 1973
  Director, Welch Medical Library and Division of Health Sciences Information, Johns Hopkins University
• 2008: Jane Kinney Meyers, MLS 1978
  Founder and President, Lubuto Library Partners
• 2007: Robyn C. Frank, MLS 1972
  American Society for Information Science.
• 2005: Leslie Burger, MLS 1974
  Executive Director, Princeton Public Library
• 2004: Susan Fifer Canby, MLS 1974
  Manager, National Geographic Learning
• 2003: Betsy Humphreys, MLS 1972
  Deputy Director, U.S. National Library of Medicine
• 2002: None presented
• 2001: Claudia J. Mills, MLS 1988
  Children’s book author; Psychology professor
• 2000: Jane B. Robbins, Ph.D. 1972
  Dean, Florida State University School of Information Studies.
• 1999: James C. Welbourne, MLS 1970
  City Librarian, New Haven, CT; Deputy Director, Enoch Pratt Free Library
• 1998: Kay Rader, MLS 1974
  Regional Librarian for Coastal Libraries
• 1997: Amado “Sonny” Narvaez, MLS 1976
  Media specialist at Montgomery Knolls Elementary School
• 1996: Esther Herman, MLS 1968
  Coordinator of publications and alumni relations, College of Library and Information, University of Maryland
• 1995: Cecilia L. Keller, MLS 1973
  System Director, Chester County Library System; President, Maryland Library Association, 1990-1991
• 1994: Sybille A Jagusch, MLS, 1969, Ph.D. 1990
  Chief, Children’s Literature Center at the Library of Congress.
• 1993: Leslie A. Kulp, MLS 1974
  Chief of Collection Development, National Agriculture Library
• 1992: Carol K. DiPrete, MLS 1981
  Dean of Academic Services, Roger Williams University
• 1991: Eleanor “Joey” Rodger, MLS 1979
  Executive Director, Urban Libraries Council.
• 1990: Richard H. Lytle, Ph.D. 1976
  Dean, College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University
• 1989: Carolyn P. Brown, MLS 1968
  Chief of Information Services, National Standards Bureau (NIST)
• 1988: J. Linda Williams, MLS 1977
  Coordinator of library media services, Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
• 1987: Alice L. Hagemeyer, MLS 1976
  Founder, Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action
• 1986: Hans H. Wellisch, MLS 1972, Ph.D. 1975
  Professor Emeritus, UMD’s INFO College
• 1985: Katherine “Kitty” Hurrey, MLS 1967
  Director, Southern Maryland Regional Library; President, Maryland Library Association, 1979-1980
• 1984: Anne S. MacLeod, MLS 1966, Ph.D. 1973
  Professor Emerita, UMD College of Information

*In 2025 the INFO alumni awards cycle was adjusted to reflect the prior year’s achievements, i.e. 2025 awards reflect 2024 and prior accomplishments.