UK Alumni Association to honor 2026 Lyman T. Johnson Award recipients at 35th annual luncheon

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 29 2026) — The University of Kentucky Alumni Association’s Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Constituency Group will host the 35th annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Luncheon 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom. 

Held during UK Homecoming, the event honors alumni and students from each academic college who embody the spirit and accomplishments of Lyman T. Johnson, recognizing those who have positively impacted the lives of others and their communities. 

Each academic college selects alumni to receive Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards for outstanding achievement and students to receive Torch Bearer Awards for academic excellence and service to others. 

The keynote speaker will be Judge Brian Edwards, a 1996 graduate of the UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Edwards has served on the Jefferson County Circuit Court since 2009, including as presiding judge of the Jefferson County Drug Court program and, from 2017 to 2019, as chief circuit judge for the Jefferson County Metro Region. Before joining the bench, he practiced criminal defense and civil rights law. He received the UK College of Law’s Distinguished Jurist Award in 2021. 

The 2026 award recipients are: 

Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

• Torch of Excellence — Joshua Southerling 

• Torch Bearer — Tyren Harris (Lewis Honors College)

College of Arts and Sciences 

• Torch of Excellence — Ashley Smith 

• Torch Bearer — Ka Wai “Christy” Lau 

• Torch Bearer — Mark Watkins 

Gatton College of Business and Economics 

• Torch of Excellence — Derrick Littlejohn 

• Torch of Excellence — Marsha Littlejohn 

• Torch Bearer — Priscilla Korkor-Yaa Agbozo (Lewis Honors College)

College of Communication and Information 

• Torch of Excellence — Quintissa Peake, awarded posthumously 

• Torch Bearer — Morgan Amick 

College of Dentistry 

• Torch of Excellence — George Brown, D.D.M.

• Torch Bearer — Kalei Jordan 

College of Design 

• Torch of Excellence — Thomas Hickey 

• Torch Bearer — Maria Catalan 

College of Education 

• Torch of Excellence — Clarissa Roan-Belle, Ph.D.

• Torch Bearer — Gabrielle Romines Parks 

Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering 

• Torch of Excellence — Maria Morales Menendez 

• Torch Bearer — Micaiah Harrison 

College of Fine Arts 

• Torch of Excellence — Kenneth La’Ron Hamilton II 

• Torch Bearer — Jaila Yeast 

College of Health Sciences 

• Torch Bearer — Jiho Kang 

Lewis Honors College 

• Torch Bearer — Liz Udoh 

J. David Rosenberg College of Law 

• Torch of Excellence — William James 

• Torch Bearer — Tyler Cole-Hobbs 

College of Medicine 

• Torch of Excellence — LaTawnya Pleasant, M.D.

• Torch Bearer — Matthew Bernard 

College of Nursing 

• Torch Bearer — Kay’ja Kent 

• Torch Bearer — Milla Hart 

College of Pharmacy 

• Torch of Excellence — Lu Shawna Lawson 

• Torch Bearer — Griffin Nemeth 

College of Public Health 

• Torch Bearer — Akua Asamoah (Lewis Honors College)

• Torch Bearer — Isabella Skibba (Lewis Honors College)

Martin School of Public Policy and Administration 

• Torch of Excellence — Miriam Fordham, Ph.D.

• Torch Bearer — Keijuan Pryor 

College of Social Work 

• Torch of Excellence — Tierra Hereford, D.S.W.

• Torch Bearer — Makari Murphy 

The luncheon is open to all alumni and friends of UK. Individual tickets are $50, and reserved tables are available for $600. Proceeds benefit the Lyman T. Johnson Scholarship Fund. For more information about the event and the Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Constituency Group, visit www.ukalumni.net/LTJ.