Many California graduates have made exceptional contributions to their profession, community and/or the university. The California Alumni Association Distinguished Awards were established to recognize exceptional alumni and university friends.

Dennis Carson ’05, ’05 MSBA, ’18 P.S.M. will receive the Loyalty and Service Award. Having been employed at California University of Pennsylvania and now Pennsylvania Western University for 20 years, Carson is currently the deputy chief information officer and chief information security officer. In addition to his work in updating and monitoring the IT services of the university, Carson has played a pivotal role at PennWest, leading the integration of the California, Edinboro and Clarion campuses by overseeing the security, networking, and server and endpoints teams. His leadership extends to the PASSHE security and architecture team, where he continues to drive innovation and excellence. Additionally, in 2024, Carson was named CISO of the Year by Pittsburgh Technology Council, a prestigious accolade that underscores his exceptional contributions to the field of cybersecurity. This award is highly competitive and reflects Carson's outstanding leadership and expertise. His recognition as CISO of the Year is a testament to his dedication and impact within the technology community.

Beyond this significant achievement, Carson is deeply involved in the regional tech community. He has been a CISO panelist at the Three Rivers Information Security Symposium and a panelist at the CIO Insights: Strategies for Effective CIO-CISO Partnership event. His active participation in these forums highlights his commitment to sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration within the industry. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, biking and playing ultimate Frisbee. He lives in West Newton with his wife Kimberly and son Wyatt.

Judy Wrote Keller ’69 will receive the Loyalty and Service Award. Keller enjoyed a 30-year career as a teacher in the Connellsville School District, retiring in 1999. During her tenure, she taught civics, 20th century U.S. history, and psychology, and was deeply involved in extracurricular activities, serving as the yearbook advisor, Pep Club and cheerleader advisor, and a member of the production staff for the annual high school musicals. A passionate advocate for veterans, Keller authored two books: “Respect-Honor-Remember: Connellsville Area Veterans Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in World War II” and “Devotion and Duty: Connellsville Area Veterans Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East Conflicts.” This work was inspired by her role as chair of the Connellsville Area Veterans Memorial Honor Roll Committee, where she helped preserve the names of 276 military personnel who lost their lives in war, from the Civil War to modern-day conflicts. She was inducted into the Connellsville Falcon Hall of Fame in 2022 and was honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Connellsville Area Chamber of Commerce in 2023.

Keller has also dedicated her time as an elected official, serving the City of Connellsville for 16 years as controller, treasurer, and as a member of council. Keller is currently working on completing the Connellsville Area Veterans Memorial Honor Roll, with plans for a formal dedication May 17. In addition to her commitment to veterans, Keller has remained active with her alma mater’s Sigma Kappa sorority. She served as the local chapter president and continues to be an integral part of the sorority, maintaining close bonds with her sorority sisters. Keller regularly participates in campus activities, including Homecoming, and has supported fundraising efforts, notably helping to endow the Sigma Kappa Scholarship. Her community involvement extends to her church, where she serves as a member of the finance council. Keller and her husband Bob are the parents of one son, and they are blessed with two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Walter W. Stockton ’69 will receive the Professional Excellence Award. Stockton is the president and chief executive officer of the Kinexion Network, a management service organization created to support seven not-for-profits that provide lifetime care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Kinexion network includes Independent Group Home Living, The New Interdisciplinary School, The Center for Developmental Disabilities, Angela's House, Head Injury Association, Maryhaven, and East End Disability Associates. Stockton created Kinexion as a new business model for not-for-profit organizations, offering financial and operational stability. Today, Kinexion is a collective $650 million organization, employing 3,700 staff members and providing services to approximately 6,500 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Long Island, New York.

Stockton has dedicated his entire professional life to helping others. With a special talent for innovation and foresight, he has spent nearly five decades improving residential opportunities and professional services for people with developmental disabilities. Stockton is president of the Alliance of Long Island Agencies, Inc., and is secretary/treasurer of the Advance Care Alliance.  He has been elected chairman of TriaDD/MyCompass and sits on the board of directors and executive committee of the Inter Agency Council. Stockton and his wife Angela live on Long Island. They have two children, daughter Sydney, who lives in Seattle, Washington, with her family, and son Connor, who lives on Long Island and works for Kinexion.

Dr. Chris Sefcheck ’97, ’20 Ed.D. will receive the Professional Excellence Award. Sefcheck is superintendent of schools for the New Kensington Arnold School District. A decorated Gulf War veteran, Sefcheck began his teaching career in Las Vegas for the Clark County School District. He taught social studies, reading and English language arts at the middle school level, moving on to teach advanced placement biology and environmental science at the high school level. Throughout his career, he has been successful as a teacher, high school principal and superintendent. He has served as an adjunct professor at California University of Pennsylvania, teaching science education courses for teaching certification. Sefcheck’s exemplary teaching career has been highlighted by receiving 14 educator-of-the-year awards and two nominations each for the nationally recognized Disney Teacher of the Year and the Presidential Award in Science Teaching. Most recently he has been awarded the 2022-2023 Pennsylvania Innovative Leader of the Year.

As a student, Sefcheck was highly active in his fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma, and has continued to foster those connections as an alumnus. A former board member of the California Alumni Association, he remains actively engaged with alumni through various initiatives and engagements. He is most proud of the accomplishments of his family members, including wife Michelle Sauro-Sefcheck  ‘95 and his children, Ashby, Ryder, Brady and Sophia.

Kellie McKevitt ’01 M.S.W. will receive the Service to the Community Award. McKevitt is the executive vice president and CEO of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, Inc., based in Charleroi. SPHS helps people of all ages by providing an array of services, including childcare, aging programs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, homeless assistance, personal care assistance, nutrition services and family support services. SPHS and its affiliates offer services to residents of southwestern Pennsylvania living in Armstrong, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties. As a licensed social worker, McKevitt has spent her career dedicated to human services in the southwestern Pennsylvania area. McKevitt has been with SPHS for over 30 years, starting her career as a caseworker. Her creativity and strategic leadership skills propelled her to various supervisory roles, landing her as director of the SPHS CARE Center, then executive director and chief operations officer. McKevitt then became CEO of SPHS in 2021.

In 2024, she was recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times as a 2024 Woman of Influence. Because of the strides she has made in her career while giving back to the community, she was one of 26 influential businesswomen in the Pittsburgh Region to be honored with this award. McKevitt and her husband Brian have been married for over 30 years and are the proud parents of son Chase and daughter-in-law Andrea, who are both physicians.

Dr. Joseph Pagano ’21, ’22 MSW will receive the Service to the Community Award. A licensed social worker, therapist and researcher, Pagano, DSW, LSW, CRS, is also a best-selling author, motivational speaker and educator. Pagano is senior vice president of clinical services at Angels Light Addiction Specialists. In this role, he oversees all clinical services across the corporation's diverse facilities, which include drug rehabilitation centers, halfway houses, methadone clinics and other addiction treatment services. He collaborates with executive leadership to enhance service delivery, drive innovation and foster a holistic, trauma-informed approach to addiction treatment. Also serving as executive director of Greene Treatment Center and vice president and clinical director at Club Serenity, Inc., he oversees the strategic administration and political advocacy of the clinic's opioid use disorder program and oversees clinical operations across three recovery houses, leading the delivery of comprehensive care for individuals battling substance abuse disorders.

Pagano liaises with government agencies to secure funding and advocate for supportive policies. He ensures compliance with regulatory standards through regular audits and staff training. As a licensed therapist, addiction interventionist and recovery coach, his unique approach is tailored and empathetic, aimed at supporting individuals in their journey toward overcoming addiction, managing mental health issues or pursuing personal growth. A two-time, number-one best-selling author of “No Addict Left Behind” and “From Scars to Stars,” his work has led to nomination for a Pulitzer Prize.

Mari Boyle ’18 will receive the Young Alumni Award. Boyle is a corporate litigation associate at Richards, Layton & Finger in Wilmington, Delaware. In this role, she focuses primarily on litigation in the nation’s premier business court — the Delaware Court of Chancery — representing, among others, Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes corporate governance, merger and acquisition, and control disputes that are frequently in the national spotlight and shape corporate law. Boyle also works with the Office of the Child Advocate representing children and dependents in family court. pro bono. She serves on the Delaware Superior Court Complex Commercial Litigation Division Rules Subcommittee, as well as the executive boards for the Delaware State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and Multicultural Judges & Lawyers Section. Boyle was recently named a Rising Star in the Super Lawyers’ 2025 annual rankings, which recognizes the top 2.5% of the lawyers in the state in practice for 10 years or less. Prior to joining Richards Layton, she clerked for the Honorable Meghan A. Adams of the Superior Court of Delaware. She attended Penn State Dickinson Law, where she was a member of the Woolsack Honor Society, which recognizes those graduating in the top 10% of their class, and the Order of Barristers, an honor society for those demonstrating excellence in trial advocacy.

While in law school, Boyle served as a senior editor of the Dickinson Law Review and president of the Business Law Society. She was also a member of Dickinson Law’s Moot Court team and was a recipient of the Joseph T. McDonald Memorial Scholarship for Trial Advocacy. In law school, Boyle interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and for Commissioner Baiocco at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. She also worked at the Children’s Advocacy Clinic, representing dependents as their guardian ad litem. As an undergraduate student, Boyle was deeply involved on campus, taking on leadership roles in several clubs and organizations. She served as president of Delta Zeta sorority and the SAI Board of Directors, and as vice president of Student Government, and was also appointed as a student trustee to the Council of Trustees Board. When she is not working, Boyle enjoys spending time with her husband Kamron and their 90-pound golden retriever, Rooney. Without their love, support, care and endless supply of laughter, she could not survive, much less succeed.

Maurice Weathers ’19 will receive the Young Alumni Award. As the founder and CEO of Prospect Media, Weathers has built his business into a thriving sports media entertainment company that covers high school, collegiate and professional sports. His work has garnered national attention, including recognition at the ESPY Awards, where Prospect Media's feature celebrated outstanding athletic achievements. Weathers and his team have collaborated with esteemed organizations such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, showcasing their remarkable ability to connect and amplify the world of sports. Under Weathers’ visionary leadership, Prospect Media has become a recognized name in sports media. With an Instagram following of over 41,000, the company engages professional athletes, Division I colleges and leading sports media platforms, earning widespread acclaim for its reach and influence.

Through his work, Weathers brings people together in a shared space where everyone, regardless of background, can connect through the universal language of sports. More importantly, he has built Prospect Media as a platform that doesn’t simply replicate mainstream sports entertainment, but instead creates opportunities for young athletes to showcase their skills. Weathers’ dedication extends beyond his professional success. In 2023, he was a panelist for the African American Alumni Society's annual homecoming discussion, “The Past Meets the Present.” He is deeply committed to empowering the next generation and lives by the motto, "Always Pay it Forward." Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Weathers serves as a young adult leader at The Lighthouse Church in Pittsburgh and is a dedicated advocate for young men in his community.