B.U. Alumni Awards

Every year, the Bloomsburg Alumni Association recognizes alumni at a celebration dinner for the following awards: Maroon and Gold Excellence (Young Alumnus) Award, William T. Derricott '66 Volunteer of the Year Award, Distinguished Service Award, and/or Honorary Alumnus Award.

Please join us on May 31!

2024 Maroon & Gold Excellence Award
Jacob Kelley '16 (they/them)
Mx. Kelley Queer Education LLC

Mx. Jacob Kelley is a multi-talented individual serving as an entrepreneur, author, and queer-inclusive sex educator. They founded Mx. Kelley Queer Education LLC, a training and consulting organization with a Master's degree in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University and a Ph.D. Student in Human Sexuality Philosophy, Jacob has dedicated their career to creating content and promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

In recognition of their outstanding contributions, Jacob has received prestigious awards such as the Pride Championship Award of NEPA 2023 and the LGBT Leader and Advocate of the Susquehanna Region in 2022 and 2023. They were also honored by the NSWDD Dam Neck VA for delivering exceptional education during the Navy's Pride activity in 2022. They also have won the Kids Choice and Peoples Choice Award 2024 in Wilkes-Barre's Dancing with the Stars.

Within the realm of corporate training and consultation, Jacob specializes in strategic business planning, workplace culture, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, particularly focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusion. They hold a DEI Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida MUMA College of Business. Additionally, Jacob is a member of the Gamma Eta Rho National Honors Society in Human Sexuality and serves on several executive boards, including the NEPA Pride Project, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project and I Picture Hope.

Jacob's expertise has been shared through presentations at various conferences, such as the LGBTQA+ Mid-Atlantic Conference, DEI State Systems Conference, and The Bridging Connections: Regions VI and VIII Conference. They have conducted allyship training, sexuality and gender foundations workshops, and DEI workshops for esteemed institutions, including Bloomsburg University, Penn State University, Susquehanna University, Bucknell University, and the United States Navy.

As an accomplished drag performer and producer under their persona Trixy Valentine, Jacob has entertained audiences and organized shows for nearly a decade. They recently appeared on the NBC game show, The Weakest Link. Additionally, they have authored the book "Tipping is a Must, 100 Tips for a Drag Show," available on Amazon.

Jacob Kelley's impactful work within the LGBTQIA+ community has garnered national recognition from various media sources.
 

2024 Maroon & Gold Excellence Award
Emily Kinkead '09
Pennsylvania State Representative
 

Representative Emily Kinkead has served the 20th House District, which includes areas of Pittsburgh’s Northside and some of its northern suburbs, since she was elected in 2020. As a freshman legislator, she was assigned to serve on the House Appropriations, Judiciary, Human Services, and Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committees. Kinkead now serves as Secretary of both Human Services and Agriculture Committees. Additionally, she serves as Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Corrections and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy. She is the House Chair of the Legislative Hunger Caucus and on the Leadership Team of the Pennsylvania Progressive Caucus.

While in office, Kinkead has vocally championed the policies that help working families and raise up communities – criminal justice reform, affordable housing, livable wages, worker protections, healthcare, addressing systemic racism, LGBTQIA+ equality, reproductive justice, adequately funding education, and more. She’s also focused on local issues like addressing blight and landslides.

Kinkead is a 2009 graduate of Bloomsburg University with a B.A. in Political Science, a B.S. in Biology, and a minor in Chemistry. She worked in Washington, D.C. after graduation at organizations including Common Cause and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) before attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Following her graduation from law school, Kinkead clerked for the Honorable Judge Michael H. Wojcik of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. She then entered private practice doing criminal defense at The Grail Law Firm.

2024 Maroon & Gold Excellence Award
Kristen Wagner '15
Editor-in-Chief, Lehigh Valley Style magazine

Kristen has spent nearly nine years as the top editor of Lehigh Valley Style magazine, a regional lifestyle publication that spans Easton, Allentown, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and reaches 80,000 monthly print readers. As editor-in-chief, Kristen is responsible for curating the voice of the publication, leading the editorial direction of each edition and managing a team of freelance writers and photographers.

During her time at the magazine, Kristen has been credited with breathing new life into the publication, creating addictive content and securing notable individuals like Amanda Seyfried, Carson Kressley, Mario Andretti, Kate Young, Larry Holmes, Robert Rich and more to be featured in Style’s pages. She has made diverse representation of the Lehigh Valley community a nonnegotiable priority for every edition she produces. In 2021, Kristen launched The LV Edit podcast to further extend the reach of the brand.

During her time as a Mass Communications major at Bloomsburg University, Kristen honed her skills through her active involvement with BUnow, a student-run, online news portal, where she advanced from staff writer to U.S. & world news editor to editor-in-chief. Her time as editor-in-chief was invaluable to her future success, as she learned not only the importance of careful editing, but also what it meant to lead an organization.

Each semester, Kristen also filled her time with remote internships that she could do from campus, including stints with WebFX, the Lala (now Her20s), and CollegeFashionista. During her summers, internships at Popstar! magazine, Seventeen magazine, and Men’s Health magazine further solidified Kristen’s aspirations of becoming a magazine editor.

Passionate about inspiring hopeful media professionals, Kristen has returned to campus more times than she can count, speaking at panels, presenting at seminars, and contributing to career intensive boot camps and job search institutes. And after being part of the team that planned the first-ever PASSHE Collegiate Media Summit in 2012, a career highlight for her was returning as a presenting speaker for the same event in 2017.  Since its inception in 2020, Kristen has served as Chair of the BUnow Scholarship Committee, leading a team of the organization’s alumni as they recognize the contributions of existing members.

Today, Kristen lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Will (a fellow former Husky), and their dog, Koda.

2024 Distinguished Service Award
Lynette Luckers '01 (she/her)
Dean of Counseling and Completion Services, Delaware County Community College

Dr. Lynette S. Luckers brings over two decades of leadership in higher education and mental health services, currently serving as the Dean of Counseling and Completion Services at Delaware County Community College across five campuses, where she aligns the department’s services with the college's strategic objectives. 
Dr. Luckers's career trajectory includes positions such as an Associate Professor/Counselor and Interim Department Head at the Community College of Philadelphia and Assistant Director in the Office of Diversity and Retention at Bloomsburg University. Her professional history underscores her dedication to creating student-centered, inclusive environments. She also engages in the classroom as a course instructor at Moravian University in the School of Behavioral & Community Health.

Educationally, Dr. Luckers holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from East Stroudsburg University, a Master of Science in Counseling from Shippensburg University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Bloomsburg University. A licensed professional counselor (LPC), her educational journey and professional focus span equity in education, counseling, and student success, particularly among historically underrepresented and marginalized students.

Her commitment extends beyond her professional roles into civic engagement, where she has made notable contributions as the Founder and President of the Marion Luckers Kidney Foundation. Additionally, Dr. Luckers's passion for mental health and empowerment is evident through her leadership in support groups and youth initiatives. Her goal is primarily to empower and cultivate women of color, especially those managing grief and navigating life as caregivers.

 2024 William T. Derricott ’66 Volunteer of the Year Award

Kelsey Gallagher '12
Talent Acquisition Specialist, Enterprise Mobility

Embarking on her professional journey shortly after graduation in 2012, Kelsey began her tenure at Enterprise Mobility, where she has dedicated 11 years of her career to date, exhibiting unparalleled versatility and leadership across three divisions.

Starting as a Management Trainee, Kelsey swiftly ascended the ranks to become a Branch Manager within the car rental division. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives that drove substantial profit growth, fostered invaluable community partnerships, and nurtured the professional development of her team members, guiding them towards fulfilling career trajectories.

Transitioning seamlessly to the truck rental division, Kelsey assumed the mantle of Branch Manager once again, focusing her efforts on cultivating robust business-to-business sales strategies and empowering her team to deliver exceptional results.

Currently serving as a Talent Acquisition Specialist within the Human Resources division, Kelsey plays a pivotal role in sourcing and recruiting top-tier talent to fuel Enterprise's ongoing success. Her passion for connecting with individuals and fostering meaningful relationships has made her a presence on campus, where she actively engages with students and faculty through career fairs, panels, classroom presentations, and various networking events.

Kelsey's decision to pursue a career in Talent Acquisition stems from her desire to share her transformative journey within Enterprise and inspire others to seize the myriad opportunities for personal and professional growth within the organization. 

Additionally, during her time at Bloomsburg University, Kelsey was a standout athlete, serving as a four-year starter on the women's basketball team. Her exceptional contributions to the team earned her the distinction of being a four-time Team MVP, while her leadership qualities led her to serve as captain for three consecutive years, guiding the program to unparalleled success. As a college athlete, Kelsey honed invaluable skills in time management, teamwork, work ethic, and leadership, which have continued to guide her in the professional world, particularly within Enterprise Mobility.

JOIN US!! RSVP for the 2024 Alumni Awards Celebration on May 31