Some are just beginning to make their mark. Others have spent decades building careers that have shaped their professions and communities.

They are coaches and physicians, engineers and educators, entrepreneurs and researchers. They work in public service, healthcare, technology, media and the arts. Their careers have taken them to classrooms and laboratories, boardrooms and government agencies across the country.

This fall, Old Dominion University will bring them together to celebrate something they share: an ODU foundation that has helped carry them into remarkably different careers.

The Old Dominion University Alumni Association will recognize the 2026 Distinguished Alumni, Honorary Alumni and Jack Frost Alumni Service Award recipient, along with the sixth class of 40 Under 40 honorees, at the annual ODU Alumni Honors Celebration on October 29 during Homecoming weekend.

Among them are three Distinguished Alumni whose careers demonstrate just how different the paths from ODU can be.

Wendy Larry (B.S. ’77) helped build one of the most successful eras in ODU women’s basketball history. A former student-athlete who later returned as an assistant coach, Larry led the Lady Monarchs as head coach from 1987 to 2011. During her tenure, ODU reached 20 NCAA tournaments, won 17 consecutive Colonial Athletic Association tournament titles and advanced to the 1997 national championship game.

Marcus Martin (M.D. ’76), a member of the charter class of Eastern Virginia Medical School, built his career in academic medicine and university leadership. At the University of Virginia, he became the first chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and later served as vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. He is now professor emeritus.

Ken Ampy (B.S. ’90) took his computer science education into entrepreneurship, co-founding Richmond-based staffing and consulting company Astyra Corp. in 1997. His career has extended beyond business into community and higher education service, including appointments to state boards and service to his alma mater.

Together, Larry, Martin and Ampy make up the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2026, an honor recognizing graduates who have brought distinction to the University through their professional and community accomplishments.

The Alumni Association will also recognize Yvonne Allmond as the 2026 Honorary Alumni recipient, an award honoring friends of ODU with a history of service and support to the University. Allmond, executive vice president and community financial engagement officer with TowneBank, has served on ODU’s Board of Visitors and in leadership roles with organizations throughout Hampton Roads.

Col. Michael O’Toole (B.S. ’85) will receive the Jack Frost Alumni Service Award, which recognizes alumni for leadership and service to their communities, state and nation. O’Toole, who earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in applied psychology from ODU, serves as colonel and undersheriff for the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

The five honorees represent careers built over decades. This year’s 40 Under 40 class offers a look at another generation of Monarchs building what comes next.

The Next Generation

A day in the lives of this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees could look remarkably different: a morning in a laboratory, an afternoon treating patients, a meeting with investors, a classroom full of students or an evening preparing for the opening of a museum.

The sixth class of 40 Under 40 includes engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, physicians, public servants, researchers, creatives and executives working across the country.

Some are building businesses. Others are conducting research, caring for patients, teaching students, shaping public policy, creating media or serving their communities.

They were selected based on criteria that include achievement in their fields, impact in their communities and accomplishments in business, research or education — all before age 40.

That range, said Krista Harrell (B.S. ’01, M.S.Ed. ’03, Ph.D. ’12), associate vice president for the Office of Alumni Relations, reflects the many directions an ODU education can take a graduate.

“When you look across this group, you see Monarchs at different stages of their careers making an impact in remarkably different ways,” Dr. Harrell said. “They are leading organizations, advancing research, educating the next generation, serving their communities and creating new opportunities in fields across the country. That breadth speaks to the reach of an ODU education and the many ways our alumni carry what they gained here into the world.”

The members of the 2026 40 Under 40 class are:

  • Horace “Aaron” Adams IV (B.S. ’11, M.E. ’13), director, Engineering Technical, Military Sealift Command

  • Shantia Allen (B.A. ’11), contract specialist, U.S. Coast Guard

  • Sarah Bechtel (M.A. ’16), associate director of Undergraduate Advising & Academic Initiatives, Virginia Tech

  • Taylor Bobrow (B.S. ’17), postdoctoral research fellow, Johns Hopkins University

  • Laura Burns (B.S. ’14, MBA ’20), engineer team leader, Woolpert

  • DeAndre Carswell (B.S. ’14), senior pastor and engineering project manager, The Prince of Peace Church/Lockheed Martin

  • Kevin Crossman (B.S. ’10), assistant principal, Virginia Beach City Public Schools

  • Reagan Davis (B.S. ’11, M.S. ’16), mathematics teacher, Chesapeake Public Schools

  • Vernon Dennis (B.S. ’15), assistant commissioner for brand strategy and engagement, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

  • Erica Edler (B.S. ’12), assistant director of admissions, Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Marzjah Esther (M.P.H. ’20), program manager III, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

  • Matthew Fiano (B.S. ‘12, D.P.T. ’17), owner, PT2Go

  • Jenn Grimm (Ph.D. ’19), executive director, Center for Career and Leadership Development, Old Dominion University

  • Kaitlin Hardy (M.D. ’25), resident physician, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters

  • Cody Hassan (B.S. ’13, M.S. ’15), capability director, BTI360

  • Elizabeth O’Neill Hunter (B.S. ’09), counselor educator and clinical supervisor, Walden University

  • Devin Jack (B.S. ’12), research and development engineer, Adaptive Aerospace Group

  • Kaitlyn James (B.S. ’12, M.P.A. ’14), deputy director of budget and management services, City of Virginia Beach

  • Kafhi-Dee Jean-Baptiste (B.S. ’10), restaurateur

  • Kameron King (Ph.D. ’21), physical scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  • Danielle Matkins (B.S. ’16, D.P.T. ’20), physical therapist, Old Dominion University

  • Adrienne Mayfield (B.S. ’14), communications and marketing manager, City of New Albany, Ohio

  • Patrick Morgan (M.D. ’15), assistant professor, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical Group at ODU

  • Carly Mowle (B.S. ’09, M.E.M. ’12), acquisition lead, Department of War

  • My Ngoc Nguyen (M.S. ’12, Ph.D. ’19), clinical assistant professor, Joint School of Public Health at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University

  • Ebony Opie (B.S. ’12), principal, Fairfax County Public Schools

  • Mystique Owens (B.S. ’20), senior systems engineer, G2 Ops

  • KeShaun Pearson (B.S. ’14, B.A. ’14), executive director, Memphis Community Against Pollution

  • Amanda Polli (B.S. ’10), creative director/executive producer, National Geographic

  • Alexsandra Pumphrey (B.S. ’13), founder and children’s author, Pumphrey House Media

  • Michelle Rauzi (D.P.T. ’15), advanced research fellow and adjunct assistant professor, Department of Veterans Affairs/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  • Josh Richardson (B.S. ’10), CEO, founder and principal systems engineer, Rich Fitness and Gains LLC/Enrich Empower Wellness/Mission Integration

  • Lauren Rucker (B.S. ’13), manager, individual and institutional development, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons

  • Savannah Russo (B.S. ’09, M.A. ’12), deputy director, Kinaura Partners

  • Tanashia Scott (B.S. ’14, B.S. ’14, M.E.M. ’18), engineer, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic

  • Simrin Singh (B.S. ’18, M.P.H. ’21), environmental health and safety specialist, Prince William County Government

  • Feliz Stafford (B.A. ’19), senior legislative and public policy liaison, City of Dallas

  • Kierra Underwood (B.S. ’14), CEO and owner, Literature & Libations

  • Brent Via (Ph.D. ’24), associate director, career planning and development, Northern Virginia Community College

  • Davis Watson (B.S. ’20), national head of waterworks digital delivery, Ferguson Enterprises

Their careers span generations, geography and professions, but together the 2026 honorees illustrate the many ways Monarchs carry their ODU experiences beyond campus — building organizations, caring for patients, educating students, advancing research, serving communities and creating opportunities for those who follow.

For Dr. Harrell, recognizing those accomplishments is also an opportunity to strengthen the connection between alumni and the University long after graduation.

“By recognizing their accomplishments, we also celebrate our University that helped shape their journeys,” Dr. Harrell said. “I hope their stories inspire Monarchs everywhere to reconnect with ODU, become more engaged and find meaningful ways to support our students and alumni community.”

The honorees will be recognized at the annual ODU Alumni Honors Celebration on Thursday, October 29, at Chartway Arena as part of Homecoming weekend. Registration is open through October 23.