Alumni Award Presentations

Each year, Hanover College celebrates alumni who are making a meaningful impact through the Alumni Achievement Award and Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Nominations are accepted year-round, and we encourage alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the College community to help us recognize outstanding Panthers by submitting nominations by November 15 to be considered for the upcoming awards cycle.

Bicentennial & Alumni Awards Update:
As the Alumni Office and the Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) prepare for Hanover College’s Bicentennial, we are thoughtfully adjusting the Alumni Awards schedule over the next two years to allow time for meaningful planning and celebration around this milestone.

  • May 15, 2026: Alumni Achievement Award (AAA) and Distinguished Young Alumni Award (DYA) presented during Trustee Weekend (invitation-based recognition)

  • October 24, 2026: The Alumni Awards will not take place during Homecoming in October 2026. Instead, members of the Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) will be present in Panther Village throughout the day, offering a welcoming space to connect, engage, and celebrate the Hanover community. 

  • October 30, 2027: All past AAA/DYA honorees will be celebrated during a Bicentennial reunion gathering.

  • 2028: We look forward to celebrating a new class of Alumni Awards honorees as the program returns in full.

All nominations currently on file will remain eligible for the 2028 selection process, and any nominations received through November 15, 2027, will be considered for the 2028 awards cycle.

We’re excited to honor our alumni in ways that align with this once-in-a-generation Bicentennial celebration—and we look forward to recognizing our next class of honorees in 2028.

2026 ALUMNI AWARDS RECIPIENTS

This year, we are proud to recognize three outstanding members of the Hanover community whose lives and leadership reflect the very best of what it means to be a Panther.

Our Alumni Achievement Award recipients, Wiley Kite ’90 and A. Richard M. Blaiklock ’90 has built a remarkable career while remaining deeply connected to Hanover. Through their professional accomplishments, service, and continued support of the College, they exemplify a lifelong commitment to leadership, generosity, and impact.

We also celebrate Rachel Slade Sharpe ’13, this year’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipient. As a graduate under 40, Rachel represents the next generation of Hanover leaders—demonstrating early-career success, meaningful engagement, and a strong connection to the College and its future.

Together, these honorees reflect the strength, spirit, and enduring legacy of the Hanover alumni community.

 

 


 Rachel Slade Sharpe '13
 distinguished young alumni


Sharpe serves as manager of the Norton Healthcare Foundation, which supports Norton King’s Daughters’ Health as an advocate for the local community.

In her role with the foundation, Sharpe leads strategic fundraising initiatives, develops key donor relationships, and partners with hospital and community leaders to advance projects that strengthen the region’s healthcare access. She is also active in the community, serving leadership roles with Romanian Handicap Ministries, Tri Kappa sorority, Women’s Giving Circle of Jefferson County (Ind.), and Leadership Jefferson County (Ind.).

Before transitioning into healthcare philanthropy, Sharpe served five years as head coach of Hanover’s men’s and women’s track and field teams. As a three-time Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference coach of the year, she helped produce academic all-American teams, three NCAA Division III national qualifiers, an all-American, and multiple indoor and outdoor school records.

Sharpe was a major in health and movement studies at Hanover. She earned a master's degree in organizational leadership from Lewis University.

Sharpe resides in Madison, Ind., with her husband, Devon Sharpe ’13, a 2022 recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

 

Richard Blaiklock '90
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD


Blaiklock has served the legal community for more than three decades. He has worked as Marion County (Ind.) Superior Court judge since a 2024 appointment by former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb ’90 and currently presides over the civil docket.

He was a partner at Lewis Wagner, LLP from 2005-24, working as managing partner from 2022-24, and served as an associate from 2001-04. He litigated business, First Amendment, and statutory cases at the trial and appellate levels, arguing before the Indiana Supreme Court, the Indiana Court of Appeals, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

A 1997 summa cum laude graduate of the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Blaiklock worked at Ice Miller as an associate from 1997-2001 and law clerk from 1996-97. He was a law clerk at Lewis & Wagner from 1995 to 1996. He joined the Marion County Department of Public Welfare in 1990. He served the probation department of the Marion Superior Court’s juvenile division from 1991 to 1995, including stints as a probation officer (1991-93), probation supervisor (1993-95), and community relations coordinator (1995).

Blaiklock and his wife, Mindy Pflum Blaiklock ’91, live in Indianapolis. They are the parents of two children.

 


 Wiley kite '90

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

A former member of Hanover’s board of trustees since 2017, Kite currently serves as senior vice president of relationship management at Fidelity Investments.

Kite has worked at Fidelity Investments for 25 years, including three years in his current role. He served the previous three years as senior vice president for relationship management services

and, prior to that, was vice president and managing director for 14 years, during which he guided service delivery and corporate relationships, supporting benefits outsourcing and the administration of 401(k), pension, health/welfare, and equity plan disciplines.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Kite worked for nine years in various management, quality, and operations roles for Valvoline Inc.

Kite, a chemistry major at Hanover, was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and an Alumni/Senior Award recipient.

After graduating from Hanover, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner School of Business.

He resides in Chicago with his spouse, Tim Kendrick.

 

Nominate

Do you know an alum whose story deserves to be celebrated? Now is your chance to help us honor their legacy by nominating them for the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest recognition Hanover College awards. This accolade celebrates alumni who embody excellence through outstanding career accomplishments, community service, or dedication to the College.

Submitting a nomination is a powerful way to acknowledge the inspiring work of your peers. If you know an alum whose dedication and success warrant recognition, we invite you to share their story. Please submit your nominations by November 15th. All nominations are valid for two years; those submitted by this deadline will be eligible for the following year's selection process.

Take a moment to make an impact—visit the Alumni Achievement Award Nomination Page to nominate an inspiring alum today!

**All nominations currently on file as of January 2026, will remain eligible for the 2028 selection process, and any nominations received through November 15, 2027 will be considered for the 2028 awards cycle.


 

 

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