UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication announces 2022 Alumni Award Winners

The School’s alumni awards recognize achievements in academia and industry for graduates at various stages in their careers.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) announced the 2022 recipients of its alumni awards. Each year, the School honors distinguished alumni with awards for their accomplishments in the field of communication.

“Here in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, we pride ourselves on the high-quality education our students receive,” said Hernando Rojas, SJMC Professor and Director. “We know when students leave our classrooms, they have the skills and experience they need to leave their mark on the world. Our alumni award winners are the perfect examples of the outstanding careers our alumni go on to have.

The 2022 SJMC alumni award winners are as follows:

Ralph O. Nafziger Award: For distinguished achievement within 10 years of graduation

  • Jeremy Vuernick (BA’11)—President of A&R, Capitol Music Group

Harold L. Nelson Award: For distinguished contribution to research in journalism and mass communication education

  • Carolyn Bronstein (PhD’01)—Vincent de Paul Professor of Media Studies, College of Communication, DePaul University

Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award: For distinguished achievement in teaching and research within 5-10 years of graduation from the PhD program

  • Anthony Dudo (PhD’11)—Associate Professor, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations, University of Texas at Austin
  • Melissa Tully (MA’07, PhD’11)—Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Iowa

Distinguished Service Award: For professional contributions in journalism and mass communication

  • Tom Bernthal (BA’95)—Founder and ex-CEO, Kelton Global
  • Phil Haslanger (MA’73)—Chair, Center for Journalism Ethics Advisory Board
  • Cindy Mori (BA’89)—VP, Global Casting & Talent Management, Warner Bros. Discovery

The 2022 SJMC alumni award winners will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, April 29. More information on the award winners is available at go.wisc.edu/SJMCAwards.

Wisconsin Newspaper Association