Seven distinguished alumni will receive awards on Friday, Oct. 11, the first day of Lebanon Valley College’s three-day Homecoming Weekend. Family and friends are welcome to register here.

The honorees include:

Distinguished Alumnus Award—Bishop Peggy Olver Johnson ’75, P’05, a Baltimore, Md., native, is a retired United Methodist Church (UMC) Bishop. She served as the Episcopal Leader of the Philadelphia Area of the United Methodist Church, which includes the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference and Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference, from 2008 to 2021. She was the Interim Bishop of the New England Annual Conference from 2023 until August 2024. Peggy received a Bachelor of Science (Music Education) from Lebanon Valley College and taught elementary vocal music in the Baltimore County Public School system for three years. After receiving a call to ministry, she went to Asbury Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity) and later studied at Wesley Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry). Before election to the episcopacy in 2008, she served as a pastor in the Baltimore-Washington Conference beginning in 1980. For most of her ministerial career, Peggy served the historic Christ UMC of the Deaf, where music was experienced through the visual medium of American Sign Language. She and her spouse of 46 years, Rev. Mary Johnson, have two adult sons and two grandsons. She is fond of the color pink, cats, and chocolate.

The Betty C. Hungerford ’54, H’09 Award for Distinguished Service to Lebanon Valley College—Bernerd “Bernie” A. Buzgon, Esq., ’59 graduated from Lebanon Valley College with degrees in Business and Economics before earning his LLB from the Dickinson School of Law. Bernie was admitted to the PA Bar in 1963 and has made significant contributions to the legal profession. He continues to practice with Buzgon Davis Law Offices in Lebanon.

Bernie’s service to Lebanon Valley College has been loyal and constant over the years. He has volunteered to assist with reunion planning and served on LVC’s Alumni Council, Awards Committee, and Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. He hosts a gathering of alumni and Lebanon County snowbirds in Florida. Bernie was an early leader in the Lebanon Valley Educational Partnership (LVEP) and has been instrumental in its success throughout the program’s 35-year history. He has always been willing to mentor and provide career guidance and is an avid fan of LVC athletics, most notably basketball, participating in the LVC Men’s Basketball alumni game until age 81, though mostly cameo in later years.

The June Herr Outstanding Educator of the Year Award—Patricia “Patti” J. Shatto-Young ’92 earned Bachelor degrees in English and Spanish with a concentration in Secondary Education from Lebanon Valley College and a Master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She is an educational leader with expertise in creating inclusive programming for diverse student populations in nonpublic educational environments, business growth, organizational change management, and leadership development. Patti’s professional experience includes five years as an In-home Counselor at Family Services of York and seven years as a Counselor at Manito Learning Center.

In 2005, Patti and Steve Capoferri founded River Rock Academy, an alternative education program to address the needs for special and alternative education in the area. River Rock Academy grew from one small program for 30 students in Hellam, Pa., to 11 campuses serving hundreds of students in grades 1-12 across South Central, Eastern, and Northern Pennsylvania.

D. Clark Carmean Award in Admission—Danielle “Dani” Vernet Eisner ’95, M’19, P’21, P’26 has been one of LVC’s best alumni recruiters since graduating. She is a frequent and productive alumni referrer, sharing the names of many prospective students she has encouraged to consider LVC through the Alumni Referral Program. Dani has been instrumental in coordinating student group visits, including several future Nursing students to meet LVC’s Nursing faculty and tour the new facilities in summer 2024. She proudly displays LVC items in her Cedar Cliff High School science classroom and wears LVC gear proudly on College Color Days.

Dani graduated from LVC in 1995 with a Bachelor’s in Biology, and in 2019 earned a Master’s in STEM Education from The Valley. Her son, Austin, graduated from LVC in 2021, and her daughter, Marina, will graduate in 2026.

Creative Achievement Award—Ryan Collins ’07 graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a Music Recording Technology degree. He is a Los Angeles-based Re-Recording Mixer and Sound Designer with 15 years of industry experience and over 100 credits in feature films and television. Ryan has achieved significant recognition, including five Emmy seven MPSE Golden Reel, and two CAS nominations, and one Emmy Award.

Ryan’s portfolio features work on the Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave,” the animated blockbuster “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and critically acclaimed television series such as “The White Lotus,” “Dopesick,” “Pam & Tommy,” “Dark Matter,” and “True Detective,’ among many others.

He continuously delivers a passion for his craft and always seeks creative ways to bring filmmakers’ sonic vision to the screen.

Alumni Citation—Dr. Malik Momin ’83 graduated from LVC with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry, then earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. At Penn State, he received a Medical School Student Research Symposium Award and a Science Research Award from the March of Dimes. He next completed an Anesthesiology Residency at Baylor College of Medicine and a Fellowship in Pain Management from Texas Tech University.

Malik notes Dr. Anthony H. Neidig ’43, H’04, P’73, late Chair and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, as his most influential LVC professor due to helping shape his career during his first year at the College. Malik is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology as an Anesthesiologist and Pain Medicine Physician. He established a private practice pain management clinic in 1992 in Harrisburg, which has grown to include two ambulatory surgical centers, four physicians, two Advanced Practice Providers, and 25 employees. He and his wife, Mumtaz, founded The Malik Momin and Mumtaz Momin Family Endowed Scholarship at LVC.

Young Alumni Award—Dr. Andres Vazquez-Lopez ’18 immigrated to Lancaster at four from Chiapas, Mexico. He spent most of his life in Lancaster before attending Lebanon Valley College, earning a Chemistry degree, and developing a passion for Organic Chemistry after performing undergraduate research with Dr. Timothy Peelen, Associate Professor of Chemistry. Andres’ interest in Chemistry grew throughout his time in Dr. Peelen’s lab and after conducting summer research with Dr. Robert Flowers at Lehigh University.

These experiences led to Andres earning a Ph.D.in Chemistry, specializing in Organic Chemistry, at Temple University. He worked with Dr. Sarah Wengryniuk to develop methods using hypervalent iodine chemistry. He has been published in multiple high-impact journals and received several awards, including the Dow BEST Scholar, Merck Research Award, and others. Andres also served as an undergraduate mentor in graduate school. He began his industry career at Adesis Inc., which brings the innovation of a clean technology company to the biotech, pharma, and specialty chemical industries.

Andres engages with the local chemistry community by serving as a Director on the Philadelphia American Chemical Society section Board and volunteering with Fame Inc., a nonprofit organization bringing STEM opportunities to K-12 students.