Outstanding Young Alumni Award

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.

2005, Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

James Wolf is a First Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Charlotte, NC. He is a Senior Partner with The Anderson Wolf Godsey Group and recently named to the Forbes Magazine Best-in-State Next Generation Wealth Advisors list. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

James recently received the 2021 USC Alumni Association Volunteer of the Year award for his service and dedication to our mission. In addition to his volunteer time with the association, he is also an active member with the Cystic Fibrosis Standout Charlotte Board, Gamecock Club Executive Committee and Sportsman’s Club of Charlotte.

James grew up in Charleston, SC. After moving to Charlotte, James met his wife, Natalie.  They have two children, five-year-old Adeline and two-year-old Brooks. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, football, music, travel and spending time with family and friends.

Josh Dawsey is a political investigations and enterprise reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.” 

He most recently worked as a political enterprise and investigations reporter for The Washington Post. He joined the Post in 2017 and previously covered the White House. Josh was part of a team of journalists who won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2022 for the newspaper’s coverage of Jan. 6 and won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the newspaper’s coverage of the role of the AR-15 in American life. He also is a two-time recipient of the White House Correspondents Association award for news reporting. He is also a lecturer at the Allbritton Journalism Institute. 

Josh is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina and the enthusiastic owner of a rambunctious rescue dog named Pepper.

Hailed by The New York Times as a “vibrant soprano…with a secure, appealing sound and eye-opening volume,” Rebecca Krynski Cox opens the 23-24 season with Dayton Opera as Rosalinde (selections from Die Fledermaus). This spring, Ms. Cox returns to Florida Grand Opera for her role debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, and joins the USC Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist for Brahms’ A German Requiem. As a member of the Fest Ensemble at the Luzerner Theater in Switzerland from 2016-2021, roles performed include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Gretchen (Faust-Szenen), Raja (Dschungel -world premiere), and Tatyana (Eugene Onegin). In the spring of 2021, Ms. Cox covered Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte at Theater Basel and stepped in with six hours’ notice to sing Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Luzerner Theater. In the winter of 2022, Ms. Cox made her Florida Grand Opera debut as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and made debuts with Indianapolis Opera singing Julie Jordan in Carousel and with Dayton Opera in their “Epic Opera” concert. During the 22-23 season, Ms. Cox debuted the title role in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Opera Company of Middlebury, joined Charleston Opera Theater as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, returned to Dayton Opera to sing the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, as well as to Indianapolis Opera as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Previous notable performances include Violetta (La traviata) with Kentucky Opera, Cynthia (Two boys – workshop) with The Metropolitan Opera, and Micaëla (Carmen) with El Paso Opera.

Ms. Cox graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Music, and completed her Master of Music and Performance Certificate at the Manhattan School of Music. She also completed training programs as a Young Artist with The Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera.

2015, Master of Business Administration, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

Vanessa Vaughn Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors.

Asfalis helps business leaders to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptions and specializes in crisis management and business continuity. Vanessa’s breadth of experience in emergency management, crisis preparedness and risk management equip Asfalis to support their customers, to include property managers, universities, international and intermodal logistics firms, retailers, the healthcare industry and athletic associations. Prior to Asfalis, Vanessa worked with a Tier 1 intelligence agency and a Fortune 50 company, which equip her to be on the front lines of the industry to restore business and community resiliency.

Mathews was appointed by the Mayor of Charlotte to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Charlotte International Cabinet. The Mecklenburg Times recognized Vanessa as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Charlotte, NC (2020). The US State Department recognized her as a “Global Innovation Fellow.” The United Kingdom’s “Acquisition International Magazine” named her as a finalist for the “Best Female Owned and Operated Small Businesses.” Vanessa also co-owns and hosts the Business Resilience DECODED podcast. Additionally, Vanessa was the 1^st female in the state of Georgia to graduate with a degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.