Candidates can be undergraduate, graduate or professional alumni of the University, and nominations should be made by peers, faculty members, employers, family or others who know the nominee well. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominations can be submitted at through Aug. 31, 2020.

“We were inspired and moved last year by the far-reaching and diverse accomplishments of our inaugural Domer Dozen honorees,” said Dolly Duffy, executive director of the Alumni Association and associate vice president for University relations. “We look forward to once again recognizing an exceptional group of young women and men who represent the very best of Notre Dame.”

The 2019 Domer Dozen was chosen by the YoungND Board, the Alumni Association’s newest affinity group, and a selection committee made up of University officials. Together they reviewed more than 160 nominations and used a weighted ranking system to select 12 honorees.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, specific plans for the 2020 recognition have yet to be determined, but will likely not take place until early 2021. A decision about whether the recognition will be held on campus or virtually will be made at a later date.

For more information and to read about last year’s distinguished honorees, visit .

Contact: Josh Flynt, assistant director of marketing communications, Notre Dame Alumni Association, 574-631-4324, jflynt@nd.edu

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In recognition of his exemplary U.S. Naval service, including his current positions as commander of the United States Fleet Forces Command, United States Naval Forces Northern Command and United States Naval Forces Strategic Command, Adm. Chris Grady, class of 1984, was presented with the , which honors a Notre Dame graduate who has distinguished himself or herself in military service. The award is named for the University’s third president, who served as chaplain of the Irish Brigade during the U.S. Civil War.

“I am truly honored to be a Corby Award recipient, in the truest spirit of ‘God, Country, Notre Dame’ and the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment,” Grady said. “It was Notre Dame that set me on the transcendent path to be a disciplined, ethical warrior and leader, one who knows that peace and liberty are worth fighting for.”

Grady is Notre Dame’s first and only four-star flag or general officer, a seminal achievement for a University with such enduring connections to the armed forces. After graduation, Grady served in a variety of at-sea billets leading to command of USS Chief, USS Ardent, USS Cole, Destroyer Squadron 22, Carrier Strike Group One, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, the US Sixth Fleet and Striking and Support Forces NATO.

Grady is also a distinguished graduate of Georgetown University and the National War College. He served in numerous policy and strategy billets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations and the National Security Council at the White House.

He continues to serve Notre Dame through support of the fencing team (Grady was a three-time monogram winner and captain of the fencing team under coach Mike DeCicco), as a mentor to the Naval ROTC Unit and as a lecturer at the Notre Dame International Security Center. His son, Lt. Nick Grady ’12, USN, represents the fifth generation of Grady naval officers.

The , named in honor of Notre Dame’s 14th president, honors an alumnus or alumna who has performed outstanding service in the field of government or public service. The 2019 recipient of the Cavanaugh Award is David W. Walker, class of 1981.

Walker serves as president and chief executive officer of the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a Leesburg, Virginia-based not-for-profit organization. He was elected to his current role in July 2012, has been a member of the coalition’s board of directors since 2008, and served as its chair from 2009 to 2014.

Under his leadership, the coalition has emerged as one of the most respected veterans service organizations in the nation. It serves a distinct role for combat-wounded veterans by providing emergency financial aid to those at risk of bankruptcy, eviction, hunger and suicide.

Walker is a graduate of Notre Dame and earned his MBA with highest honors from the Lake Forest Graduate 91��Ƶ of Management. He later graduated from the Innovative Leadership Executive Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua 91��Ƶ of Business. He and his wife, Cathie, are the parents of two daughters: Amy, Notre Dame class of 2008, and Lindsay.

“I was more than sufficiently honored to graduate from Notre Dame and to watch my daughter follow in my footsteps, but this recognition of my work with wounded veterans fills my heart to overflowing,” Walker said. “I am pleased to accept this award on behalf of all the extraordinary people associated with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, whose selfless dedication to our nation’s defenders truly reflects the legacy of Rev. John J. Cavanaugh.”

Domer Dozen honorees were chosen by the YoungND Board, the Alumni Association’s newest affinity group, and a selection committee made up of University officials, which together reviewed more than 160 nominations and used a weighted ranking system to select this year’s honorees. Those chosen represent an exemplary group of young Notre Dame graduates who continue to make a difference in one of the four core tenets of the Alumni Association’s mission statement — faith, service, learning or work.

“Our young alumni are extraordinarily accomplished, and I am so pleased for the association and the University to recognize them in this way,” said Dolly Duffy, executive director of the Alumni Association and associate vice president for University relations. “Their contributions in service to their countries; to underprivileged populations; to the Catholic Church; and in science, technology, medicine, journalism and law are remarkable and inspiring. They demonstrate that success truly is a mark of how one uses their God-given talents and gives back.”

The 2019 Domer Dozen honorees are:

• Ngor “Majak” Anyieth ’18���������������������� Building schools in war-torn South Sudan
• Mary Kate Battle ’10������������������������������������������ Empowering vulnerable people
• Scott Coppa ’15������������������������������������������������������������ Supporting sustainable community development
• Lucy Driscoll ’13, ’14 M.S.������������������������ Encouraging girls to pursue science and technology
• Adebola Giwa ’09���������������������������������������������������� Striving to cure Type 1 diabetes
• Alex Jones ’15������������������������������������������������������������������ Innovating the way we pray
• Jane Lee ’09�� �������������������������������������������������������������������� Educating immigrants on health and well-being
• Mikey Maurer ’11 �������������������������������������������������� Providing health care to at-risk and uninsured teens
• Will Miller ’14������������������������������������������������������������������ Revitalizing Catholic schools in Chicago
• Jay Rowley ’11���������������������������������������������������������������� Promoting security in the Middle East
• Nicole Sganga ’15���������������������������������������������������� Reporting on the 2020 election
• Laura Wolk ’16 J.D.���������������������������������������������� Advocating for people with disabilities

The honorees are invited back to campus Friday and Saturday (Sept. 13 and 14) to strategize about young alumni engagement with the YoungND Board, meet University leaders, tell their stories and be honored during an awards dinner. The Domer Dozen will also be recognized in Notre Dame Stadium during the football game against the University of New Mexico.

Domer Dozen honorees will share brief talks about their life and experiences since graduating from Notre Dame during “My Path: Stories of Inspiration from Young Alumni” at 2 p.m. Friday (Sept. 13) at the Hagerty Family Cafe in Duncan Student Center. Students, faculty, staff and visitors are invited to attend the event, which is free and open to the public.��

For more information, visit .

Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

Another recipient of the prize, the Notre Dame Club of Greater Boston, plans to focus its efforts in building a partnership with the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. The program was founded in 1985 by Dr. Jim O’Connell '70 and today serves more than 11,000 homeless people each year.

In 2017, the Boston program launched HER (Health, Empowerment��and Resources) Saturday, a program that provides a welcoming space for homeless women. HER Saturday’s dedicated women-only weekend clinic provides a safe and trusted source of care and enrichment for an average of 50 individuals each week, many of whom are victims of domestic violence and other trauma. The Boston club will sponsor one HER Saturday per month, and club volunteers will provide supplies and support for the women at the clinic in advance of the sponsored times and, when appropriate, on the designated days.

In considering outreach to those with food insecurity, the Notre Dame Club of Indianapolis will partner with five local Notre Dame Alliance For Catholic Education Academies to provide “Shamrock Sacks” to students during the Christmas holiday break. These bags will be filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food supplies, in an effort to help needy students and their families during the school break. Of the 1,192 students at the five-center city elementary schools, 95 percent are eligible for federal free and reduced lunch. In conjunction with a club Mass at St. Philip Neri on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the volunteers will gather to prepare the Shamrock Sacks to be distributed to each school.

In addition to the three top award winners, the clubs earning an honorable mention designation plan to execute a wide variety of projects benefiting the poor, developmentally disabled, asylum seekers and refugees, at-risk pregnant women, and victims of human trafficking and abuse victims.�� ��

Notre Dame clubs are encouraged to apply for the 2019 Lennon Life Prize. More information can be found at��. The 2019 recipients will be announced during the Alumni Leadership Conference on campus April 11-13.

Originally published by Josh Flynt, Alumni Association, at on Oct. 31.