BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is delighted to announce the 2025 Alumni Award recipients. These awards recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of our alumni in their respective fields.
The O’Neill School annually awards the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award on its Bloomington campus as well as its Distinguished Alumni Award on its Indianapolis location. This year, the O’Neill School is awarding its inaugural Early Impact Award.
“The O’Neill School is known around the United States and the world thanks to the tireless efforts of its graduates who have dedicated their lives to making a difference by leading for the greater good,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “This year’s recipients of our awards are great examples of what it means to live a life of service, and they are all richly deserving of their honors.”
The recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award, which honors graduates who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields and who continue to enhance the reputation of the O’Neill School, is Terry Babcock-Lumish, MPA’99. Babcock-Lumish is the first woman executive secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation and has spent the past 30 years working for local, state, and federal government agencies by providing strategic guidance for philanthropic foundations and other mission-driven organizations.
The IU Indianapolis Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed by the school on the IUI campus, has been awarded to Cherrish Pryor. Pryor earned her MPA from IUI in 2005 and has been a state representative in the Indiana House of Representatives since 2008. She is currently the Indiana House Democratic Caucus Floor Leader and is a member of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus.
The inaugural Early Impact Award, which was conceived to recognize young O’Neill alumni who embody the mission, vision, and values of the O’Neill School and are making a distinctive impact early in their career, has been awarded to Rishard Allen, BSAM’17. Allen currently serves as the grants and community manager at the Pop Culture Collaborative where he spearheads an innovative grantmaking strategy that harnesses the influential power of popular culture to reshape narratives about marginalized communities, working toward a more just and pluralist future.
The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is proud to honor these distinguished alumni and celebrate their achievements. Their dedication and impact serve as an inspiration to current students and the broader community.
The recipients of the awards will be honored during the O’Neill School’s student recognition ceremonies in early May.