The AAWC honored the following alumni and faculty for their accomplishments during an annual awards ceremony held May 16.

Faculty Award:
Lori Frey

Established in 1998, the Faculty Award is presented to a faculty member who has given a minimum of 10 years of dedicated service to Wilson College.

Lori Frey has spent nearly four decades shaping student success through athletics, academics, and leadership at Wilson College. A Penn State graduate and former Division I softball catcher, Frey earned her master’s degree from Slippery Rock University and built a 38-year career in education.

During her tenure, she transformed Wilson’s athletics program, expanding the department from a one-person operation to a staff of 40 and helped grow the College’s NCAA Division III offerings to 11 sports. As athletics director, she oversaw major campus projects, including renovations to Gannett Memorial Fieldhouse, development of a 7,000-square-foot fitness center, and construction of the softball, soccer, and baseball facilities. She also served as a conference commissioner, conference sports liaison, NCAA committee member, and coach of Wilson field hockey and softball for 13 years.

Though retired from athletics administration, she continues teaching full time. “Wilson is part of my life,” Frey said. “It always has been, and the students and athletes make it a joy.”

Outstanding Young Alumna Award:
Alyssa Bernard ’12

This award honors an alumna/us who has attended Wilson within the last 20 years and who has brought honor to her/himself and College through her/his intellectual and professional growth and contributions to her/his communities through professional and/or volunteer activities.

Alyssa Bernard ’12 earned a double major in veterinary medical technology and biology with a minor in chemistry
at Wilson.

After graduation, she went on to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and a master’s degree in biomedical ethics from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a veterinary pharmacy residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary Care Hospital.

Today, Bernard is a customer care pharmacist at Wedgewood Pharmacy in Swedesboro, New Jersey, and a certified veterinary technician. She is a co-author of a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and became a diplomate of the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy.

“Wilson certainly set me up for success,” Bernard said.  “The knowledge and skills that I obtained in the classroom, as well as in the clinical setting, are skills I still use every day as a veterinary pharmacist.”

Tift Award:
Beverly Farber Wernette ‘66

The Tift Award is presented to an alumna/us who has demonstrated exemplary efforts to promote the continuing growth of Wilson College.

Beverly Farber Wernette ’66 has championed Wilson through volunteer service, fundraising and alumni engagement efforts since graduation. She organized milestone reunions, edited her class’s 25th reunion yearbook, and co-hosted numerous Wilson alumni events in Florida with her late husband, John. Her enthusiasm has helped make the Class of 1966 one of Wilson’s strongest supporters, and she has been a steadfast donor to the Wilson Fund, the class scholarship fund, and the residence hall expansion project.

Professionally, Wernette built a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. She was one of the first female pharmaceutical sales representatives in the United States and retired as president of a leading pharmaceutical advertising agency in Philadelphia. After relocating to Naples, Florida, she continued her commitment to service as a community leader and arts advocate, including serving on the boards of Gulfshore Opera and as president of the Pelican Bay Women’s League. “Wilson shaped my life in profound ways,” Wernette said. “Throughout my life, I’ve tried to give back by mentoring women and building the kinds of friendships and networks that began for so many of us right here at Wilson.”

Distinguished Adult Degree Program Award:
David Lucchino ’89

Presented to an alumna/us who has had a distinguished professional/volunteer career and who has shown continuing service, interest, and support in the growth and quality of Wilson College for a minimum of five years.

David Lucchino ’89 was among the first graduates of Wilson College’s Adult Degree Program, earning a Bachelor of Science in business and economics. He began his college career as a pre-med student at Franklin & Marshall College before realizing that medicine was not the right fit. Inspired by his father, a small business owner in Franklin County, he chose to pursue a career in business instead. After operating several ventures of his own, he returned to the classroom to complete his degree at Wilson, where he felt comfortable and accepted as part of the College community.

Since graduating in 1989, Lucchino has built a distinguished career in the financial services industry. He currently serves as senior vice president of operations and operational risk for Freddie Mac’s single-family business. In 2024, he returned to Wilson as a commencement speaker and received an honorary doctorate in
recognition of his accomplishments and service.

“Now, more than three decades later, I can look back on what has been a fairly successful career, and I can certainly appreciate the education and life experience I gained while at Wilson,” said Lucchino.

Distinguished Alumna Award:
Rhona Applebaum ’76

Presented to an alumna/us who has had a distinguished professional/volunteer career and who has shown continuing service, interest, and support in the growth and quality of Wilson College for a minimum of five years.

Rhona Applebaum ’76 earned a bachelor’s degree in history and biology from Wilson before going on to earn a master’s degree in nutrition and food science from Drexel University and a doctorate in food microbiology and food safety from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Applebaum spent decades advancing scientific research and public health, serving as chief science officer for several organizations, including the American Cocoa Research Institute. In 2004, she joined The Coca-Cola Company as vice president and chief scientific and regulatory officer. She retired in 2016 as vice president and chief science and health officer.

Applebaum has remained an active supporter of Wilson. In 1995, she received the AAWC Outstanding Young Alumna Award and today serves on the College’s Board of Trustees. She also serves on the Dean’s Council for the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and founded Fairhaven451, a strategic consulting firm, in 2016.

“If not for Wilson, my achievements would never have happened,” Applebaum said. “Wilson instilled in me that I could do anything I wanted to because I had that power.”

Distinguished Alumna Award:
Tracy Leskey ‘90

Presented to an alumna/us who has had a distinguished professional/volunteer career and who has shown continuing service, interest, and support in the growth and quality of Wilson College for a minimum of five years.

Tracy Leskey ’90 graduated magna cum laude from Wilson with a degree in biology before earning a master’s degree in ecology from Penn State University in 1995 and a doctorate in entomology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2000.

Since 2003, Leskey has served as a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her research on the invasive brown marmorated stink bug led to national recognition and a career dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for insects that threaten food crops. Today, she leads a team of researchers at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in West Virginia. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, holds two patents, and secured more than $47 million in research funding.

Leskey has remained dedicated to Wilson through service as a class reunion chair, a member of the AAWC Board, and a current member of the Board of Trustees. She credits Wilson with instilling in her a commitment to making a difference, solving problems, building community, and remaining curious.

“Wilson gave me all of these things along with all of these amazing friendships that I deeply cherish,” said Leskey.