Alex Ercolani ’16 is a proven leader who has been recognized by the U.S. Congress with a Congressional Medal of Merit for Outstanding Leadership.

Maj. Ashley Rutherford ’12 is chief of the Research & Analysis Branch at the Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, in New Mexico. 

Cedric Leiba Jr ’03 is an award-winning actor, singer, poet, producer and advocate who is a co-producer for the current Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. 

Attorney Patrick Smith ’02 is a distinguished estate planning attorney who is recognized for his commitment to both his clients and the future of the legal community.

For 41 years, Judith M. Dixon ’74 served as the consumer relations officer for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, a division of the Library of Congress.

All are high achievers professionally who also personify Stetson’s mission of providing excellent education in a creative community where learning and values meet. They represent qualities of mind and heart that the university hopes to develop in current students. And now, each is an Alumni Award winner, receiving the honors during a private luncheon with the Stetson University Board of Trustees on Friday, Oct. 25, as part of Homecoming 2024.

Distinguished Alumni Award: Cedric Leiba Jr

Leiba Jr is a proud Afro-Boricua gay artist who showcases his Afro-Latine roots, as well as represents the LGBTQ+ community, through his art and was mostly recently honored by the Hispanic Federation with its Visibility Award.

Along with co-producing, he is a co-founder of DominiRican Productions. Previous credits for producing include the 13 time-nominated and Tony Award-winning Hell’s Kitchen and the revival of The Wiz on Broadway. As an investor, he was part of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog.

“release,” a short film produced by DominiRican Productions and inspired by Leiba‘s poem of the same title, won Best NYC Film at the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival, the Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards, and Best Experimental Film and Best LGBT Film at the Florence Film Awards. In addition, “Ceddy,” as he’s called, was a Featured Poet in the 2023, 2022 and 2021 Latino Book Review.

As an actor, he has toured the United States and Canada with Rent and Miss Saigon, as well as performed at the prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in Carmen La Cubana. 

Among many other credits and accomplishments, Good Morning America included Leiba in its “Inspiration List” of people making LGBTQ+ history as a “promising trailblazer bringing healing and much-needed conversation.”

Distinguished Alumni Award: Patrick Smith

Smith has built a successful solo legal practice with multiple locations across Florida, providing tailored planning and solutions in elder law, estate planning and legacy wealth transfer. His passion for public service extends beyond his practice; he hosts The Attorney Patrick Smith show, a weekly call-in radio show where he offers accessible legal advice to the community.

Additionally, his mentorship program brings him the most joy — providing undergraduate and law school students direct, hands-on interaction in a real-world legal environment. He believes fostering a compassionate, empathetic viewpoint of clients enhances students’ effectiveness as future legal professionals.

In honor of the significant impact of Professor Emeritus T. Wayne Bailey, PhD, and Stetson’s Model Senate program had on him while an undergraduate, he and his wife, Kristi ’03, established an endowment for the mentorship program. His commitment to the Model Senate reflects a broader vision of inspiring informed, engaged citizens who are equipped to actively contribute to democracy, thereby leaving a lasting legacy that benefits both the university and the community.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Alex Ercolani

Putting her ample leadership skills to use, Ercolani serves her community as the chief operating officer and attorney at Munizzi Law Firm, a boutique law firm based in DeLand that serves the greater Orlando area. She also has utilized her leadership skills to serve the university as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board and by advising and coaching several university programs. 

In her role as COO, Ercolani oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the firm. As an attorney, she focuses on advising small and midsized businesses, helping clients through all lifecycle stages of their enterprise. She is admitted to The Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court-Middle District of Florida.

Ercolani believes supporting and giving back to her local community are essential. Aside from the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board, she is the chapter adviser of Alpha Chi Omega and previously served as the head coach of Stetson’s award-winning Undergraduate Mock Trial Program. Also, she is a former two-term chair of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

Following graduation as a first-generation student, she received her juris doctorate from Florida State University’s College of Law.

Distinguished Service Award: Ashley Rutherford

Following graduation, Rutherford earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina, as well as a doctorate in health care research from the University of Central Florida, and a master’s in intelligence and security studies from The Citadel. 

Since commissioning into the U.S. Air Force’s Biomedical Science Corps in 2017, she has served as flight commander at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and as a professor at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. Rutherford was deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as both the public health emergency officer and medical intelligence officer. She was deployed again during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting humanitarian operations throughout the Southeast as the Surgeon General’s representative. 

Reflecting exemplary service and commitment, Rutherford has received the Meritorious Service, Air & Space Commendation, Army Commendation, Air & Space Achievement, National Defense Service, Afghanistan Campaign, Humanitarian Service and NATO medals.

George and Mary Hood Award: Judith Dixon ’74

(Presented to a member or friend of the Stetson community in recognition of passion for, and commitment and contributions to, Stetson and its core values)

While her name might not be recognized in every household, Dixon is a celebrity to thousands of literacy lovers who read and write braille. Although retired, she continues to work part-time for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, remaining at the forefront of developments impacting braille and access technology.

Her passion for braille literacy and information access has touched blind people everywhere. In 1999, NLS launched Web-Braille, a groundbreaking project that enables braille-reading patrons to download books and magazines to braille-aware devices for immediate electronic access. Dixon designed and inaugurated that innovative effort and continued to manage it for the next decade.

Dixon served as chair of the Braille Authority of North America, 2007-2011, and secretary of the International Council on English Braille, 2008-2016, and in 2020 was elected president of that organization. She has published numerous articles and books, many of them by the National Braille Press in Boston. Her work often highlights ways in which technology can enrich life for blind and low vision people in areas that range from photography and document creation to gaming and travel.

Dixon has been honored over the decades for both her work and her status as a role model by such organizations as the American Library Association and the American Council of the Blind. In 2022, the American Foundation for the Blind awarded her the Migel Medal, deemed the highest honor in the blindness field. She has a master’s degree and doctorate from Adelphi University.