UC Alumni Association names top alumni award winners
The University of Cincinnati Alumni Association has announced this year’s recipients of its highest honors for UC alumni. The 2025 honorees include:
- Darrell D. Miller, Esq., CCM ’85
- Phil D. Collins, Bus ’89
- Diana Maria Riva, CCM ’91, ’95
- Nicholas D. Ernest, PhD, CEAS ’11, ’12, ’15
Each year, the UC Alumni Association (UCAA) honors a select few of its more than 350,000 alumni based on their career accomplishments and contributions to the university and community, recognizing them during Alumni Week festivities.
“This year’s group of honorees reflects the excellence that UC alumni demonstrate across so many disciplines and in service to people around the world,” said Jennifer Heisey, UC’s chief alumni officer and the UC Foundation’s vice president, alumni and annual giving. “They reflect expertise, talent and remarkable breakthroughs that exemplify a spirit of innovation, service and philanthropy — the personification of alumni success — and we’re proud to recognize them during Alumni Week.”
These four Bearcats, along with recipients of UCAA Outstanding Alumni Awards representing 13 colleges and the unique training ground of UC Athletics, will be recognized at the UC Alumni Celebration on Thursday, April 10, 2025, during Alumni Week — April 7-13. The 18 honorees also will be depicted on a vibrant new mural to be painted on a building in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in April. Visit alumni.uc.edu/celebration to learn more and purchase UC Alumni Celebration tickets.
Darrell D. Miller, Esq., CCM ’85 – William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement
Darrell D. Miller, Esq., CCM ’85. Photo/provided.
Listed annually among Hollywood’s top dealmakers by entertainment industry publications Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Darrell Miller has been a trusted advisor behind the growth of celebrity and business brands in entertainment and media for over two decades. The Founding Chair of Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment & Sports Law Department, Darrell works with his creative clients — working actors, writer/showrunners, directors, producers and executives — to help ensure that each of their projects leads seamlessly to greater and broader opportunities. He is known for negotiating innovative, career-expanding deals in the motion picture, television, music, theater and multimedia sectors, and has forged longstanding relationships with studio executives and creative personnel. Darrell has an extraordinary track record of helping to create and build upon sustainable business opportunities among diverse creators, Fortune 100 corporate brands, traditional studios, networks and the new players in town — streaming platforms. Among his many accolades, he has been inducted into the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association’s Hall of Fame, named a “Sports & Entertainment Law Trailblazer” and listed among the “Top 100 Lawyers in California.”
Phil D. Collins, Bus ’89 – Robert E. Dobbs Distinguished Service Award
Phil D. Collins, Bus ’89. Photo/Provided
The Founder and CEO of private equity investment firm Orchard Holdings Group, Phil Collins has been one of UC’s greatest champions and volunteer leaders. He was a UC trustee for nine years, including Board Chair in 2023 and 2024; he was also a member of the boards of the UC Foundation and UC Health, and a past recipient of the UC Foundation’s Chairman’s Award and the Lindner College of Business’ Distinguished Service Award. Phil and his wife, Lela, along with Bob and Kim Dobbs, were co-chairs of UC’s Bicentennial Commission. The Collins’ wide-ranging philanthropy to their alma mater includes establishing a scholarship for Lindner Honors-PLUS students, as well as support for the Lindner College of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Portman Center for Policy Solutions, and UC Athletics.
Diana Maria Riva, CCM ’91, ’95 – Marian A. Spencer Mosaic Award
Diana Maria Riva, CCM ’91, ’95. Photo/Provided
In an impressive career spanning over two decades, Diana Maria Riva has distinguished herself through dozens of memorable roles in television, film and theater. She has received many prestigious awards and nominations for
her work and appeared opposite a variety of Hollywood’s top actors. In recent years, Riva
co-founded LATINAS ACTING UP, a group of
SAG-AFTRA members active in support of their fellow Latinas working in film and television, and who look to grow the visibility and representation of Latinas in the entertainment industry. A previous recipient of the College-Conservatory of Music Distinguished Service Award, she continues to be involved with her college and CCM graduates following in her footsteps, acting as a mentor to many who come to Los Angeles to make it in the business.
Nicholas D. Ernest, PhD, CEAS ’11, ’12, ’15 – Jeffrey Hurwitz Young Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
Nicholas D. Ernest, PhD, CEAS ’11, ’12, ’15. Photo/Provided
Nick Ernest is chief architect for Thales North America where he leads an artificial intelligence center focused on deploying solutions for mission/safety-critical applications in aerospace and defense.
When leading Psibernetix, the company Ernest founded and subsequently sold to Thales, he developed a system for Beyond Visual Range air-to-air combat within simulation environments; by analyzing and adapting to dynamic surroundings, the drone he created was able to defeat human fighter pilots in simulated aerial combat in testing. Proud of his UC roots, Ernest has hired fellow CEAS graduates into Thales’ growing Cincinnati operation.
2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards
College of Allied Health Sciences
Thais C. Morata, PhD, CAHS ’90
College of Arts and Sciences
Beth A. Robinson, A&S ’87, ’97
Blue Ash College
Algeria K. Wilson, UCBA ’13, CAHS ’16
Carl H. Lindner College of Business
James L. Grau, Bus ’73
Clermont College
Angela M. Hall, Cler ’10, ’16
College-Conservatory of Music
Patrice Willoughby, JD, CCM ’92
College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
John C. Senhauser, DAAP ’71
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
Mary A. Ronan, A&S ’76, CECH ’77
College of Engineering & Applied Science
Jan M. Leuridan, PhD, CEAS ’81, ’84
College of Law
David J. Willbrand, JD, Law ’96
College of Medicine
Joan C. Linhardt, MD, A&S ’72, Med ’76
College of Nursing
Karl (Nick) Dobrzelecki, Nur ’97
James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
Ivan Glenn Sipes, PhD, Phar ’65
UC Athletics
Robert (Bob) J. Roncker, A&S ’66, CECH ’70
Visit alumni.uc.edu/celebration for more information about the honorees and UC Alumni Celebration ticket details.
Featured image at top: UC Alumni Celebration William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement. Photo/UC Alumni Association.
About the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association
The UC Alumni Association (UCAA) unites UC’s more than 350,000 alumni worldwide, connecting them to their alma mater and fellow Bearcats. In doing so, UCAA staff and volunteers work to enrich the lifelong alumni experience and ignite passion to transform lives.
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