Established in 1974, Outstanding Service Awards honor faculty, staff, alumni or friends who have shown long, outstanding service to the alumni association and/or university. With this year’s honorees, the list of recipients grows to 126 individuals.
The award was renamed the Jim Leslie Outstanding Service Award in 2022 in honor of Jim Leslie, President of the Alumni Association from 1973-2006.
Negil McPherson, Jr., Julie L. Masters, Ph.D., David Brisson
David Brisson was the 99th alum to chair the board, from 2021 to 2023. Brisson joined the board in 2014 and completed his service in 2025 as past chair. He is an executive director of fixed income sales with Wells Fargo Securities. He had a standout career in the UNO hockey program from 1999 to 2003, and he ranks third all-time in UNO history, with 144 career points and 65 career goals. He was the first hockey player inducted into the Omaha Athletics Hall of Fame. Brisson also served as a volunteer assistant coach for UNO hockey during the 2017-18 season. Brisson earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His wife, Jacquelyn, also graduated from UNO, and they have two daughters, Elyse and Chloe.
Julie L. Masters, Ph.D., serves UNO as the Terry Haney Chair of Gerontology and as a professor in the Department of Gerontology. She teaches on the Lincoln campus and mentors both honors and doctoral students, particularly those focused on end-of-life issues. She has taught courses such as Death and Dying, Psychology of Adult Development and Aging and Introduction to Gerontology. Her research centers on aging and community, with a focus on caregiving, healthy aging and the experiences of older adult volunteers. Her work often bridges academic research with community engagement. Masters chairs the advisory council for the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging and serves on several statewide boards, including the Office of Public Guardian Advisory Council, the Elder Rights Coalition and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia Advisory Council. She is also a board member for Physicians Mutual and a contributor to Age-Friendly Lincoln initiatives. She earned her doctorate in community and human resources with a specialization in gerontology and counseling from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Through her teaching, research and service, Masters has worked to elevate the field of gerontology and improve the lives of older adults across Nebraska and beyond.
1974: Ellen Gast, John Jeter, Maury Shadle
1975: Betty Ellsworth Davis, Harold Keefover, Charlie Mancuso
1976: Connie Claussen, Bob Schropp, Robert Spire
1977: Margaret Killian, Gary Sallquist, Richard Tompsett
1978: Terry Forsberg, John Furstenberg, Olga Strimple
1979: J. Darrell Clemmer, June Gautier, Mark Gautier
1980: Don Pflasterer, Rusty Schwartze
1981: Gordon Severa, Ted Ridgway
1982: Margaret Fischer, Al Thomsen
1983: Marylu Gouttierre, Lyle Remde
1984: Margaret Fitch, Steve Seline
1985: Tim Fitzgerald, Michael Nelsen
1986: Paul Borge, John Pleskac
1987: Chris Kara, Helen Martin, Charles Radda
1988: Leon Kerkman, Pauline Lundgren, George Pardee
1989: Mark Jefferson, Larry Peterson, Lee Sapp
1990: John Blacketer, Kermit Hansen, Les Valentine
1991: Leroy Denton, Norene Denton, Daniel Dienstbier, Herbert Freeman
1992: Shari Hofschire, Mike Jones, Larry Trussell
1993: Warren Benson, Michael De Freece, Paul Kennedy, Larry Stoney
1994: Neil Morgensen, Ron Sagehorn, Jim Veiga
1995: Doug Durbin, Jan McClymond
1996: Bret Anderson, Ingra Anderson, Harold Kosowsky, Dave Sokol
1997: Ed Hanna, Don Leahy, A. Richard Nattrass
1998: J. Terrence Haney, Gerald Karlin, Michael L. Kohler
1999: Gary Repair, Bob Runyon, Michele Sperle, Wendell Quist
2000: Bob Danenhauer, Lois Nattrass, Jack Newton, Jean Phillips, Ron Troester
2001: Kathleen Olson, Jim Semerad, Rosemary Skrupa
2002: Gary Anderson, Bruce Bisson, Ruth Manning
2003: Jim Leslie, Mike Markey, George Sinos, Kevin Vanourney, Don Winters
2004: Richard Hancock, Paul Kosel, Kevin Naylor
2005: Stephen Bodner, Jim Czyz, John Wilson
2006: Adrian Minks
2007: Mike Kudlacz, Harold Sage
2008: Garrett Anderson, Chuck Holderness, Deborah McLarney
2009: Cookie Katskee, Rod Oberle, Brandeis Catering Staff
2010: Mark Grieb, Dan Koraleski
2012: Kevin Munro
2013: Anthony Flott, Laura Kapustka
2015: Thomas Gouttierre, Andy Rikli
2016: David Craft
2017: Jan Christensen, John Christensen, Sarah Waldman
2018: Scott Durbin, B.J. Reed, Christine Reed
2022: Chris Denney, Al Hansen, Laurie Ruge
2023: Brian T. Allison, Lacey Merica, Scott Vlasek
2024: Bridget Weide Brooks, Jon Brooks, Jerry Cederblom, Ph.D.
2025: David Brisson, Julie L. Masters, Ph.D.