Pamplin College of Business honors distinguished alumni at annual awards ceremony

The Pamplin College of Business recently celebrated the achievements of 10 distinguished alumni, acknowledging their accomplishments, dedication to community service, and steadfast support for the college and its students. The award recipients were recognized at the annual Pamplin Awards ceremony, which took place during the 2024 Pamplin Engagement Summit. 

The R.B. Pamplin Society, or Pamplin Society, presented Willis Blackwood ’72 and Mary Nolen Blackwood ’73 with the Philanthropy Award, which recognizes alumni for their generous and meaningful financial support of Pamplin and Virginia Tech.

Together, the husband-and-wife team embodies a legacy of service, philanthropy, and support for Virginia Tech. In 2023, the pair were recognized for their transformative impact on the university as Foremost Benefactors of Virginia Tech. Their proudest recognition is the Department of Real Estate being named after their family in 2021. As pillars of the Virginia Tech family, the Blackwoods continue to exemplify the university's motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Brian Cook ’79, MBA ’81 and William “Bill” Foster Jr. ’65 each received the Ut Prosim Service Award, which honors alumni of at least five years who have distinguished themselves in rendering service to the community and demonstrated a proven track record in the spirit of Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim, for a prolonged period.

Cook is chair of the Board of Directors for the National Safety Council, the leading safety advocate for preventing unintentional injuries and death. He is also an executive advisor with Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, a Chicago-based global career transition firm, which helps executives define their career goals and implement job search strategies to achieve those goals. 

Foster served two consecutive terms on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, is a former member of the Pamplin Advisory Council, and is a member of the Ut Prosim Society. He is a former chairman of the Smithfield-Preston Foundation which owns and operates Historic Smithfield, the 1774 home surrounded by the Virginia Tech campus. Foster has been active in several civic activities including chairing the Industrial Development Authority, Economic Development Authority, two school bond referendums, and the Planning Commission for the City of Fairfax, Virginia.

Mark Collins ’20, Caitlin Deets ’17, and Karen Scott ’91 were each honored with the Pamplin Mentorship Award. This award is given to individuals who consistently embody the spirit of mentorship of Pamplin students, graduates, and of those in their local community.

Collins currently serves as a senior defense and security consultant at Guidehouse, where he works closely with various stakeholders across the Department of Defense. Preceding his career at Guidehouse, Collins, who also holds degrees in the field of music, served as a K-12 and collegiate music educator. As an educator, Collins enhanced the lives of countless students across Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia, imparting his knowledge and encouraging academic excellence for all students. 

While at Virginia Tech, Deets was an active member of Pi Beta Phi and Pi Sigma Epsilon. After graduation, she piloted the manager-in-training program for OTO Development, where she worked in some of the top-performing hotels in Washington, D.C., and National Harbor, Maryland. In 2023, she joined Donohoe Hospitality Services to lead the team at the Hilton Garden Inn Alexandria Old Town National Harbor.

Scott is a seasoned public sector marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience helping tech companies propel government missions forward. She currently serves as the head of federal marketing at Denodo, the leading software provider for data management and integration. There, Scott is responsible for building successful marketing strategies through creative and integrated marketing plans that drive revenue and ensure government agencies are reaping the benefits from their data assets.

The Rising Young Alumni Award was presented to Rebecca Pearson ’14, Lauren Percherke ’19, and Jay Tucker ’14. Recipients of this award must be graduates of the past 10 years and typically under the age of 35. Each awardee has distinguished themselves professionally in their career or in rendering service to the university since graduating.

Pearson, a third-generation Hokie, has been instilled with the spirit of service from her time in Pamplin, and she has seamlessly integrated this commitment into every aspect of her life. Her career has set her on a path that has included roles in start-ups, academia, and now, within a global corporation at The Coca-Cola Company. In her current position, she expands her commitment to service to the broader industry by participating on multiple International Foodservice Manufacturers Association committees and acting as a scholarship judge for the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. 

Percherke began her career at IBM, where she graduated from IBM's renowned Global Sales School at the top of her class, accelerated her into an opportunity as an account executive for IBM Data Science/AI Solutions supporting the federal government. Today, she works with the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps in a low/no-code Microsoft solution called Power Platform.

In his professional career, Tucker has played a role in fostering growth and economic development in the New River Valley. After spending eight years with the National Football League’s Washington Commanders, Tucker started the Pest Management Services, Inc. (PMSI), team in Blacksburg. While he is largely recognized through his building of PMSI, Tucker has invested in, partnered with, or started several other brands including Aspire Marketing Agency, Ewing Building & Cabinetry, Red Beards Gutters, as well as a variety of real estate ventures. 

A major initiative of the Pamplin Society, the alumni awards program aims to foster, support, and elevate the college while acknowledging the invaluable contributions of its alumni, thereby enhancing alumni engagement.

For pictures from the 2024 Pamplin Awards ceremony, or pictures from the 2024 Pamplin Engagement Summit, please visit the gallery page.