2019 Award Recipients

The Alumni of Distinction awards provide the UAA Alumni Association the opportunity to recognize and celebrate alumni who have made important contributions in their communities and whose actions honor the legacy of excellence at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Congratulations to the most recent recipients, honored at Homecoming Breakfast on Oct. 4, 2019.

Alumni of Distinction 2019

Alumni of AchievementJacki Holzman — 2019 Alumni of Achievement Award
M.S. Environmental Quality Science '92
Deputy regional administrator for the Alaska region of the Federal Aviation Administration

Holzman is the deputy regional administrator for the Alaska region of the Federal Aviation Administration. Her position is the latest in a 27-year career with the FAA and helps keep the organization afloat by connecting operations and stakeholders to address aviation safety. Holzman also remains connected to her alma mater by serving as a mentor for the UAA College of Business and Public Policy’s Leadership Fellows and Leadership Fellows Junior programs. Read more about Jacki Holzman.

Alumni HumanitarianAngelia Trujillo — 2019 Alumni Humanitarian Award
B.S. Nursing Science '97, M.S. Nursing Science '04
Women’s health nurse practitioner with Denali OB-GYN Clinic 
Associate professor with UAA School of Nursing

As a leader in the field of forensic nursing in Alaska, Trujillo works tirelessly in a joint effort between health care and law enforcement that’s as much about advocating and supporting patients as it is about solving crimes. Back at UAA as a community health nurse professor, she runs the Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy, a program dedicated to enacting community-level change broadening the scope of victimization via education and hard data. Read more about Angelia Trujillo.

Alumni Emerging LeaderVanessa Norman — 2019 Alumni Emerging Leader Award
B.B.A. Management and Marketing '04
Attorney with law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Norman, born and raised in Port Graham, gives back to the community by volunteering and working on issues that she is passionate about. As an attorney at the Anchorage office of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, her responsibilities include advising businesses both in Alaska and the Lower 48, with special emphasis on guiding Alaska Native corporations on general corporate matters. She also serves as co-chair of the firm’s Attorneys of Color affinity group. Read more about Vanessa Norman.