Alumni Association members receive Alumni Awards at Green & Gold Banquet
Each year, Lees-McRae alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners nominate recipients for that year’s Alumni Awards, three prestigious honors given to members of the college’s Alumni Association. The awards are traditionally given during Homecoming and Family Weekend during the Green & Gold Banquet.
The Alumni Service Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, leadership, and service to the advancement of the college. The Distinguished Alumni Award honors a graduate whose outstanding professional accomplishments, personal achievements, or community impact reflect positively on the college. The Young Alumni Award celebrates the success of an alum who graduated within the past 15 years.
The winners of this year’s Alumni Awards are as follows:
Alumni Service Award
Dane Robinson ’10
Robinson graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and was a four-year letterman on the men’s lacrosse team. During his senior year, he served as CEO of the Senior Business Capstone Project.
Following graduation, Robinson returned to his hometown of Charlotte to pursue a career in community banking. He currently lives in South Charlotte with his wife, Kelly, whom he met at Lees-McRae, and their three children, Carter, Collins, and Hunter. He works as a Vice President and Business Development Officer for Peoples Bank of NC in Ballantyne and owns and operates Trio Restaurant in Charlotte with his father.
When speaking to Robinson’s character, a member of the development staff said, “Dane chooses to make time for Lees-McRae, and that’s one of the things that really stands out about the significance of his service. He has served on the Alumni Board, regularly hosts college events at Trio Restaurant, including Lees-McRae student-athletes who were displaced to Queens University during Hurricane Helene, and alongside his wife Kelly, makes regular annual gifts to the college. He is a strong supporter of Lees-McRae, and he truly deserves the Alumni Service Award.”
Distinguished Alumni Award
Thomas H. Brigham Jr. ’72
Following his time at Lees-McRae and his subsequent graduation from Emory & Henry University in 1974, Brigham stepped into the role of CEO of ARK Real Estate Sales and Development. He went on to found Brigham-Williams in 1982, which quickly grew to become the third-largest real estate company in Alabama. In 1998, he merged Brigham-Williams with Johnson-Rast & Hayes to form RealtySouth, Alabama’s largest real estate services company, where he served as President and COO from 1998–2002. RealtySouth was sold in 2002 to HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and Tommy continued as Chairman and CEO of RealtySouth from 2002–2007. Today, Tommy serves as Chairman and Founding Partner of ARC Realty, recognized as one of Alabama’s fastest-growing companies and currently the market-share leader in the Metro Birmingham area.
Brigham’s leadership extends well beyond his professional career. He has a lifelong commitment to service and community engagement and currently serves as Vice President of the UAB Athletic Foundation, a member and past president of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is currently serving his second term on the Lees-McRae Board of Trustees, among many other community-oriented roles.
Fellow Trustee McNair Tornow said of Brigham, “Tommy Brigham loves Lees-McRae, and this love has been exemplified in so many ways and for so many years. I think of Tommy being in the pantheon of the great Lees-McRae leaders that I have known during my time and involvement with Lees-McRae…I’m sure there’s a chair reserved for Lee King as well.”
Young Alumni Award
London England ’22
England attended Lees-McRae from 2018 to 2022, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in marketing. England was highly involved on campus and served as captain of the men’s basketball team, student body president, Order of the Tower member, and as a resident assistant (RA).
England currently serves as an account manager at Omnicell, managing and supporting the nation’s top 150 hospital systems across the western United States. In this role, England partners with directors and executive leaders to identify solutions that improve medication management and help healthcare systems operate more efficiently. England was promoted to this position in March 2026 after achieving the third-highest sales performance on a team of 16 representatives. This year also marks England’s fourth year in medical sales, a career that began at Riester USA, where he had the opportunity to learn and grow under the mentorship of current Alumni Board member, Stacy Lamb ’97.
Director of Admissions Trent Burleson said that England was a great student leader on campus, and England continues to demonstrate that same commitment by staying actively engaged with the college, regularly volunteering at admissions events, and sharing his Lees-McRae experience with prospective students.
