Campus News

UK Alumni Association Announces 2015 Distinguished Service Award Winners

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 29, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Alumni Association Distinguished Service Awards are presented annually to honor and recognize those who have provided extraordinary service to the university and the association. The 2015 recipients were honored on June 19 during the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors Summer Workshop in Lexington.

The 2015 recipients are:

Jeff Ashley of Louisville, Kentucky, graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1989, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and in 1997 from Webster University earning a master’s degree in marketing. He is president and senior consultant of Ashley|Rountree & Associates, a consulting firm he founded that focuses on philanthropy and is a nonprofit leadership business located in Louisville. Ashley is past president of the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club and a member of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors. He has been the chairman and vice chairman of the Membership Committee and was on the Club Development Committee. He donated the use of a condominium to the Alumni Association Summer Workshop Silent Auction to benefit scholarships. He has also been a member of the UK Advocacy Network, working with legislators regarding issues of importance to the university and higher education. As a student, he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa honor society. Ashley is a member of the Trinity High School Foundation Board, is softball commissioner for East Louisville Sports and a member of the Rotary Club of Louisville. With more than 20 years of fundraising experience, he has assisted in raising more than $500 million throughout his career.

Lu Ann Holmes of Park Hills, Kentucky, received a bachelor’s degree in interior design in 1979 from the University of Kentucky and her master’s degree in 1986 from the University of Pittsburgh. She retired as a senior business development manager at Haworth Incorporated. She serves on the UK College of Design Interior Design Alumni Advisory Board, was named a 2010 Friend of the College of Design and actively supports student interior design scholarships and curricular activities. She is vice-chairwoman of the Club Development Committee, a UK Fellow and past president of the Northern Kentucky/ Greater Cincinnati UK Alumni Club. She has assisted in hosting an alumni reception at the NeoCon Convention, which is the largest event in the nation for interior designers. Holmes is a School of Interiors volunteer in the College of Design, meets with students at UK Alumni Association events and is a Women and Philanthropy Network member. She has served on the national board of directors for the American Society of Interior Designers and served as the chairwoman of the Industry Advisory Board. As a student at UK, she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, was on the Kentuckian yearbook staff and a member of Phi Upsilon Omicron and Mortar Board honor societies.

Taunya Phillips of Lexington, Kentucky, is the assistant vice president for commercialization and economic development at the University of Kentucky, focusing on the commercialization of intellectual property from the UK College of Engineering. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA, and has held previous positions at UK, including chief financial officer for Kentucky Technology Incorporated, was a College of Engineering lecturer and Minority Engineering Program director. Phillips has also worked at Milliken & Company, a chemical and textile manufacturer. She is on the board of directors for Opportunity for Work and Learning Incorporated, and is the past president and current member of the UK College of Engineering Alumni Association Board. She is a UK Fellow, a member of the Lyman T. Johnson African-American Alumni Constituent Group and has advised the National Society of Black Engineers to help assist with professional leadership and development of UK students. Phillips is a current member of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors, where she has served on the Club Development Committee and the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee, and has been a member and chairwoman of the Diversity and Group Development Committee. She is also a member of the College of Engineering Friends of Dean Walz Development Association.

Jim Vogt of Naples, Florida, graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1958, earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce. He is president of VOCO Enterprises, a real estate holding company. He is past president of the Naples-Ft. Myers UK Alumni Club and has been a member of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors serving on the Club Development Committee and the Nominating Committee. He is a member of the Wildcat Society and is also a UK Fellow. In helping with recruitment to the University of Kentucky, he planned and held a luncheon with the Collier County, Florida, high school guidance counselors. Vogt also served more than 10 years in the Kentucky National Guard. At UK, he was vice president of Sigma Nu fraternity, a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, president of the YMCA men’s campus group and was a distinguished military graduate of UK ROTC. In other community service, he has served as local president, state vice president and national director of the U.S. Jaycees and is a member of the Buechel, Kentucky Masonic Lodge and the Scottish Rite of Kentucky.

About The Award

The UK Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Awards are presented annually to honor and recognize up to four recipients, of which one can be a non-alum friend of the University of Kentucky, who have provided extraordinary service to the university and the association. Nominees for this prestigious award should have:

  • Demonstrated a history of diligent work for the UK Alumni Association and/or a local alumni club.
  • Contributed to the accomplishments of the UK Alumni Association and/or a local alumni club.
  • Provided leadership and dedication to University and Association programs.
  • Provided meaningful service to alumni and friends of the University, community and profession.
  • Alumni shall have at least 12 credit hours.

The UK Alumni Association is a membership supported organization committed to fostering lifelong engagement among alumni, friends, the association, and the university. For more information about the UK Alumni Association or to become a member, visit www.ukalumni.net or call 1-800-269-2586. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Kelli Elam, 859-257-7164, Klelam2@email.uky.edu