Alumni Awards

Alyssa Lang is a host, anchor and reporter for SEC Network, joining the team in the summer of 2018. Lang is the co-host of Out of Pocket, and serves as a sideline reporter for SEC Network college football and basketball. Lang is also one of the hosts of SEC Now. She’s a regular co-host on Sirius XM with SEC Network commentator Chris Doering. Before joining the ESPN and SEC Network family, Lang was a sports anchor and reporter at First Coast News in Jacksonville for two seasons. Prior to her time in the Sunshine State, she worked at WLTX in Columbia, South Carolina, where she covered South Carolina, Clemson, Carolina Panthers, and more. In addition, Lang has had stints at SPEEDTV, GamecockCentral.com and WCNC in Charlotte. Lang graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in 2015. A native of Huntersville, NC, she loves to travel.

Born September 10, 1951, in Washington, D.C., John is the youngest of five children of Antoinette and Charles Wentzell. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1969, John attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1974 from the College of Business Administration with a degree in accounting. During college he was a member of the international business fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi where he served in many leadership roles including President in 1974.

Upon graduation, John worked with McGregor and Company as a Certified Public Accountant. In 1980, he went to work as Chief Financial Officer with a group of Anheuser – Busch Beverage Distributorships. In 2005, he formed John Wentzell Consulting and Advisory Services.

During his career, John served on numerous boards and committees of the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants including President in 1994 and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) including AICPA Council, AICPA Foundation and AICPA Benevolent Fund serving as Chairman from 1999-2002. John also served on the boards of Junior Achievement, Boys Clubs of America and the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

At the University of South Carolina, John served on several Boards including the Business Partnership Foundation, Treasurer of the Alumni Association Board of Governors for over two decades (2000-2024), and the Education Foundation for over 14 years serving in various roles including Treasurer, Secretary, Chairman Elect, Chairman (2 terms), and Past Chairman (2 terms).

John is a member of Union United Methodist Church in Irmo where he served on the Finance and Recreation committees. When his children were younger, John served in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as Den Leader, Cubmaster, Committee Chairman and Assistant Scoutmaster. He also coached rec league baseball, softball, soccer and basketball in the Irmo community.

John and his beautiful wife, Debbie of Liberty, Kentucky, recently celebrated their 50^th anniversary! They are the proud parents of three children, all of whom have graduated from The University of South Carolina: Johnny (Juris Doctor), Stephanie (Master of Social Work) and Christopher (Bachelor of Science in Business). They also have seven delightful grandchildren who will hopefully be future Gamecocks!

In his retirement, John enjoys attending his grandchildren’s activities, traveling with friends and family, attending USC sporting events, walking and weight training, and bass fishing where he was a co-angler in numerous Bassmaster’s Elite Series tournaments.

Clay Owen and his wife Grainne experienced an almost unimaginable loss and decided to transform it into something good.

In 2003, Clay and Grainne lost their nine-year-old son Killian to leukemia following a four-year battle against the disease. Instead of walking away from the world of pediatric cancer, they created Curing Kids Cancer, a nonprofit dedicated to funding cutting edge pediatric cancer research. Since 2005, they have raised more than $29 million. Here in Columbia, they established the Gamecocks Curing Kids Cancer at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands.

A native of the small town of North, S.C., Clay is a magna cum laude graduate of USC in broadcast journalism with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Clay cut his journalistic teeth at The Times & Democrat in Orangeburg, WIS-TV and the State newspaper in Columbia. After winning a Rotary International Foundation scholarship, Clay obtained his M.A. in International Relations from the University of Kent in Canterbury, U.K. While there, he met his wife, Grainne. Clay joined CNN in London before moving to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. He helped produce coverage of Princess Diana’s funeral as well as the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. He then transitioned to public relations with a long career at AT&T in Atlanta and Dallas where he helped launch Cingular Wireless and the original iPhone.

Clay now serves as Professor of Practice at the College of Information and Communications at USC.

Dr. Caroline Fermin, a proud native of Beaufort, South Carolina, graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1985. Her career spans 25 years of dedicated service as a Communications Officer and Adjutant in the Marine Corps. Her global assignments include prestigious roles with U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, Camp Smith Hawaii, III MEF, Okinawa, Japan, U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, and Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington DC. Her exceptional service has been recognized with personal decorations such as the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Services Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Dr. Fermin’s academic journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence. She holds a Master’s in Economics from Johns Hopkins University, a Master’s in Military Studies from Marine Corps Command and Staff College, a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Marine Corps War College, and a Doctorate in Leadership and Innovation from St Thomas University. Her academic prowess is not just a source of inspiration but a shining example of what dedication and hard work can achieve.

Upon medically retiring from the Marine Corps, Caroline returned to Beaufort, SC, where she served as the Executive Director of the Parris Island Heritage Foundation. She was instrumental in her nonprofit’s being a major donor to her alma mater’s United States Marine Corps Film Repository. She continues to recruit support for this program actively.

Dr. Fermin’s leadership is not just evident; it’s undeniable. The Governor selected her to serve on the task force that developed the first cabinet-level position for veterans affairs. Under her guidance, the task force created the position description, conducted interviews, and recommended a nominee for the first Secretary of Veterans Affairs for South Carolina. Her leadership skills have made an impact and set a new standard for the veterans’ community.

As Director of Veterans Affairs for Beaufort County, Caroline has expanded the breadth and scope of operations, increasing the span of veteran services. She has established a Veteran Advisory Council and a Beaufort County Veteran Council, where she brings government agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations together to support the veteran population. Under her leadership, the department has exceeded all goals in its first year, notably reducing the untethered population by five percent in less than 10 months.

As a wounded warrior, Caroline is a peer mentor for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), assisting fellow warriors in their recovery journey. She also serves as a WWP Warrior Advocate Leader, advocating for veterans in a grassroots effort in South Carolina. She has participated in several OPERATION Advocacy Fly-Ins on Capitol Hill and the first Women Warrior Summit in Washington DC last Fall. In this capacity, she actively advocates with our Federal legislators for veterans’ benefits such as the PACT Act, Major Richard Star Act, and several bills to combat veteran suicide.

Dr. Fermin’s leadership extends beyond her military and academic achievements. She is an active leader in her community, serving as a Paul Harris Fellow with her local Rotary and as a board member of several esteemed organizations. Her volunteer work with her church further demonstrates her unwavering commitment to serving others, inspiring those around her to do the same.

Through her service and commitment, Caroline epitomizes the character traits our military brings to our communities, including her servant leadership skills. Her continued service to our nation, our state, and Beaufort is her passion.

Caroline is married to Tim Harrington; they have four adult children, Caelan, Logan, Savannah, and Caitlin, all born in 1997. She is also the proud Gigi of two grandsons. This background gives a glimpse into the family values driving her commitment to serving others.

She is a life member of the USC Alumni Association and credits her success to her beginnings at Carolina.

Born April 9, 1948, in Washington, D.C., the first-born son of a career Central Intelligence Officer, Glenn and his family relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1953. He subsequently lived in various Latin American countries, including Brazil where he met his future wife, Jacqueline Morris, and graduated from the Escola American do Rio de Janeiro in 1966.

Glenn graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1970 with a degree in International Studies, having attended what was then the Institute of International Studies, housed in the War Memorial Building. Upon graduation, Glenn, Jackie and their son, Scott moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where Glenn began his career with Texaco. Following various assignments of increasing responsibilities, Glenn became an officer of the company in 1989; and then went on to become the Chairman of Texaco Ltd. in London; the President of Texaco USA in Houston; the President of Global Business and ultimately Chairman and CEO of the company until its merger with Chevron in 2001, when he assumed the role of Vice Chairman of the Board of the new company, ChevronTexaco, and interim Chairman of Dynegy.

In 2002 Glenn’s career changed course when he was named Chairman, President and CEO of United Airlines, a position he occupied until United acquired and merged with Continental Airlines. Following that merger, he spent two years as Chairman of the combined company and three years as Chairman of the Midwest for JPMorgan Chase.

Since retirement, Glenn has continued to serve on the Boards of various publicly-traded companies, presently AbbVie and Phillips 66. He also serves on the Board of Visitors of the College of Arts & Sciences at USC.

Glenn and Jackie split their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico; Sarasota, Florida, and Chicago, where he and Jackie serve on various non-profit Boards. Their grandson, Glenn Wilson, recently graduated from USC with a degree in Communications.

A native of McDonough, Georgia, James L. Solomon, Jr. graduated high school at 16 and attended Morris Brown College in Sumter, South Carolina for a year. He left college to serve in the United States Air Force. Solomon was stationed in Okinawa, Japan during the Korean War. After leaving the Air Force, Solomon re-enrolled at Morris College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He went on to earn his master’s degree in mathematics from Atlanta University in 1960.  

Solomon was a faculty member at Morris College from 1960 to 1973 and was eventually named the Vice President of Institutional Planning and Research for the college. While serving as a professor at Morris College, Solomon was one of three African Americans to desegregate the University of South Carolina on September 11, 1963. Solomon enrolled in the University of South Carolina’s graduate program in mathematics, becoming the department’s first African American student. 

Solomon became the first African American to serve in several key South Carolina state government positions under three governors, as a state agency director under Governor John West, Division Director at the Commission on Higher Education under Governor Richard Riley, and as Commissioner of the Department of Social Services under Riley and Governor Carroll Campbell. Solomon was elected to the Sumter District 17 School Board, becoming the first African American elected to public office in Sumter County, South Carolina since Reconstruction.

Solomon’s significant public service earned him the Order of the Palmetto, awarded by South Carolina Governors Richard Riley and Carroll Campbell. Solomon also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Morris College and Doctor of Laws from Columbia College.  He was also elected to Richland One School Board, where he was the first African American to serve as chairman; and to Richland County Council. Solomon has served as president of the American Public Welfare Association and as Chairman of the Columbia Urban League Board. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the South Carolina Institute on Poverty and Deprivation and the Palmetto Development Group.

In April 2019, the University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences and the Mathematics Department unveiled a plaque in LeConte College honoring Solomon for his many contributions. 

A statue of Solomon, along with Robert Anderson and Henrie Monteith Treadwell, was unveiled at the University of South Carolina in April 2024, commemorating their successful efforts to desegregate the university.

Leroy Chapman Jr. is the editor-in-chief at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He is the first Black journalist to hold the newsroom’s top job in its 155-year history.

Prior to this promotion, Leroy was managing editor, where he directed the newspaper’s daily print and digital news gathering. Reporting teams that cover local, state, and federal government, politics, education, crime and public safety, the economy, sports and breaking news reported to him in that role.

Chapman has held a variety of editing and leadership roles at the AJC since his arrival in 2011. During his tenure, Leroy has been among the newsroom leaders who transformed the AJC into a more efficient, digitally focused breaking news and digital operation. He has put the AJC on the frontlines of some of the biggest breaking news nationally and has built reporting teams to deliver around-the-clock breaking news, and timely enterprise on emerging topics and hyperlocal news.

Under his leadership, AJC reporting teams have won local, regional, and national journalism awards for local news, business, education and politics coverage.

As editor-in-chief, Leroy is leading the AJC’s transformation into a modern media company, as it invests in digital storytelling, podcasting and documentary film.

Chapman lives in Lawrenceville, GA with his wife Dawn. They have three adult children and a dog.