UK Alumni Association announces 2026 Service Awards, club winners

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 9, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Alumni Association honored five outstanding individuals for their leadership, service and commitment to the university and their communities during its annual Alumni Service and Club Awards Banquet on June 12. Dozens of in- and out-of-state alumni clubs were also honored. 

The association presented its 2026 Distinguished Service Awards to Robert “Rob” L. Crady III, Alan Jones, Carl Nathe and Tim Self. Matthew Karijolic was recognized as the 2026 Joseph T. Burch Young Alumni Award recipient. 

Distinguished Service Awards  

One of the highest honors bestowed by the UK Alumni Association, the Distinguished Service Award, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated sustained service to the university and Alumni Association while making meaningful contributions to their professions and communities. 

Robert “Rob” L. Crady III

Crady, of Louisville, Kentucky, recently served as president of the UK Alumni Association. A lifelong Kentuckian, he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1994 from the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics and quickly established himself as a student leader, serving on the Freshman Representative Council, holding several Student Government Association leadership positions and representing UK at the American Association of University Students annual convention. He also was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. 

Crady began his career in financial services with Fifth Third Bank before serving in trust leadership roles with Stock Yards Bank and National City Bank. He earned the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation through the American Bankers Association and today serves as a director at RW Baird and as a founding member of the firm’s Wealth & Family Office Group. 

A graduate of Leadership Lexington and Ignite Louisville, Crady has served numerous civic organizations, including the Bingham Child Guidance Center, Cabbage Patch Settlement House and Nativity Academy at St. Boniface. He currently serves on the Planned Giving Committee for the Center for Women and Families. In addition to his professional and philanthropic work, Crady is an active member of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Conversation Club. 

He and his wife, Holly Harris Crady, a 1997 graduate from the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics, have two children, Robbie and Abby.  

Alan Jones, D.M.D.

Jones, of Union City, Tennessee, is a 1988 graduate of the UK College of Dentistry and a third-generation dentist. Following graduation, he returned to his hometown of Fulton, Kentucky, to join the family dental practice established by his grandfather in 1908.  

Jones has been an active member of the Fulton County UK Alumni Club since 1989 and is a lifetime member of the UK Alumni Association. For more than 25 years, he has served as president, vice president and a member of the club’s executive board.  

His commitment to service extends throughout his community, where he has served on the Fulton Independent Schools Board of Education, the Fulton County Health Board, the Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce Board, the Fulton City High School Booster Club and a local Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) troop committee. 

He and his wife, Lorraine, reside in Union City.  

Carl Nathe

Nathe, of Lexington, Kentucky, has devoted more than 50 years to broadcasting and communications and more than three decades to serving the University of Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1974, Nathe launched a broadcasting career that included serving as a sports anchor and reporter at WLEX-TV in Lexington before joining UK Public Relations in 1989. During his time at UK, he became a familiar voice and presence across campus through television and radio programs, university events and alumni engagement efforts. 

Beyond his work in public relations, Nathe has supported UK Athletics in numerous roles, including public address announcing for baseball and gymnastics and television coverage of women’s basketball. Since 1997, he has served as the public address announcer for UK football at Kroger Field, becoming one of the most recognizable voices of the Wildcats’ game-day experience. 

Although he retired from full-time service in 2019, Nathe continues to assist UK with special assignments. His honors include the Al Temple Award in 2012, induction into the Kentucky Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2023 and the Terry B. Mobley Philanthropy Award in 2024. 

He and his wife, Ellen, have three adult children and four grandchildren.  

Tim Self

Self, of Sarasota, Florida, earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics in 1984. During his time at UK, he participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and served as president of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity his senior year. 

Self is managing partner at Siesta Wealth and has dedicated decades of service to nonprofit and civic organizations throughout the Sarasota community. His leadership has included service with Art Center Sarasota, Women’s Resource Center, Beyond the Spectrum, the Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Crowley Museum and Nature Center, and the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Sarasota Advisory Council, where he received the organization's Impact in Action Award in 2017. 

In 2005, Self founded the Sarasota Suncoast UK Alumni Club, which has grown into one of the largest out-of-state alumni clubs and has consistently earned recognition for its programming, attendance and fundraising. The club’s scholarship fund has surpassed $100,000, due in large part to Self’s leadership over the past two decades. He is a lifetime member of the UK Alumni Association. 

Self and his wife, Beth, have four children and five grandchildren. 

Joseph T. Burch Young Alumni Award 

Named in honor of a beloved UK administrator who dedicated his career to supporting students, the Joseph T. Burch Young Alumni Award recognizes young alumni who demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to youth through the university, the UK Alumni Association, local alumni clubs or their communities. 

Matt Karijolic

Karijolic, of Washington, D.C., graduated magna cum laude from UK in 2018 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a minor in history. He later earned his MBA from the Gatton College of Business and Economics in 2019, graduating summa cum laude. 

As a student, Karijolic excelled on the UK Speech and Debate Team, earning a national championship and helping lead the program to a top 10 national ranking. He also served as a tutor with Presentation U! and was recognized as Tutor of the Year in 2018. 

Karijolic began his civilian career with the United States Air Force as an acquisition program manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, overseeing complex defense programs that included work on the B-2 Spirit and F-16. Today, he continues his civilian service with the Air Force in Washington, where he has built a career managing multibillion-dollar Department of Defense acquisition programs and recently received the Air Force Exemplary Civilian Service Award. 

His commitment to the University of Kentucky has remained equally strong. While living in Dayton, Ohio, he joined the Greater Dayton UK Alumni Club Board of Directors and soon became president, leading the club through a significant revival and helping earn recognition as the Most Improved Out-of-State Alumni Club for 2022-23. Since relocating, he has served as treasurer of the Nation’s Capital UK Alumni Club, supporting student send-offs, watch parties and community service initiatives. 

Across both his professional and volunteer service, Karijolic has demonstrated a sustained commitment to leadership, mentorship and strengthening the Wildcat community. 

Alumni club awards

The UK Alumni Association also recognized outstanding alumni clubs during the June 12 banquet. The awards honor clubs for excellence in alumni engagement, community service and philanthropy, scholarships, student recruitment and retention, innovative programming and overall improvement. Award recipients are selected by the Past Presidents’ Advisory Council and reflect the impact alumni clubs have in connecting Wildcats, serving their communities and supporting future UK students.

This year, dozens of in-state and out-of-state clubs were recognized across the various award categories. In addition, the Alumni Association and its clubs awarded 293 scholarships totaling $386,750 during the 2025-26 academic year. See the full list of club award recipients and honorees.