Each year, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) honors award recipients from around the globe who are shaping their industries and strengthening the University community. Congratulations to Randy Griffith (MEd ’84, physical education), Kelsey Joson (BS ’13, kinesiology), and Kyle Whipple (PhD ’18, STEM education) for being named 2024 alumni award recipients! They will be honored at the 2024 Alumni Awards Affair on Thursday, October 24.

Randy Griffith (MEd ’84) is the recipient of the 2024 Advocate of the Year Award. After earning his Master’s in Physical Education from the CEHD in 1984, Randy Griffith devoted 27 years of his life to guiding the next generation as a teacher. Upon retiring, he redirected his energy toward the U, quickly becoming one of the most active members of UMN Advocates (the University’s digital advocacy program) and MN 201 (the Alumni Association’s relationship-based advocacy program).

Kelsey Joson (BS ’13) is the recipient of the 2024 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. Since her time at the U of M, Kelsey has emerged as an influential voice for equality and representation in the Twin Cities’ entrepreneurial community. In 2019, she founded InControl-MN, a service that supports adults with disabilities through in-home, preventative services that span physical, emotional, and social wellness.

Kyle Whipple (PhD ’18) is the recipient of the 2024 Community Leader Award. Dr. Kyle Whipple’s perspectives are rooted in authentic lived experience, beginning with a 20-year career as a humble high school mathematics and science teacher in rural Missouri. Alongside the added challenge of breaking barriers to gain visibility as a trans man in academia and mathematics, Kyle earned his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota in 2018, where he first took a deep dive into the work he’s celebrated for today via his dissertation, “LGBTQ Secondary Mathematics Educators: Their Identities and Their Classrooms.”