College of Education and Allied Professions      November 5, 2024

By Bill Studenc

Western Carolina University paused Saturday, Nov. 2, to honor four prominent alumni – a former automotive industry executive who has supported Catamount athletics for decades, an accounting professional with extensive family ties to WCU, an award-winning educator and an up-and-coming public relations practitioner.

The recognitions took place during the annual Chancellor’s Brunch and Alumni Awards Ceremony as part of Homecoming 2024 activities.

WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown bestowed the Distinguished Service Award, among the university’s top honors, upon Brad Bradshaw, who retired in 2007 as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Nissan North America.

John Connet, president of the WCU Alumni Association Board of Directors, presented three awards. They are:

• The Professional Achievement Award to Mike Crawford, recently retired chief performance officer at national accounting firm FORVIS and longtime university supporter.
• The Academic Achievement Award to Haywood County educator Heather Smith, 2024 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year.
• The Young Alumni Award, to Jamie Van Pelt, founder of the Florida-based Radley Firm, which specializes in strategic communications, marketing and crisis management.

Award recipients were also recognized during halftime of WCU’s home football game later that day.

Bradshaw, the Distinguished Service Award recipient, is a 1976 graduate of WCU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He earned his master’s degree in business administration at Georgia State University in 1977 before beginning his career at Ford Motor Co., remaining there for five years before joining the Florida regional office of Nissan.

During his career at Nissan, Bradshaw held assignments at the Southern California regional office and national headquarters for both Nissan and Infiniti brands. He then served as president of Nissan Canada from 2002 until 2005, working in Toronto before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked until his retirement.

Bradshaw was a member of the WCU men’s soccer team from 1972 through 1976. He has been involved with an annual reunion of soccer alumni since its inception in 1974 – initially as a student-athlete competing against former men’s players in the inaugural reunion match, today as one of the principal organizers of the event, which now supports the women’s soccer team, Brown said in announcing the award.

“Brad’s connection to WCU remains strong, exemplified by his generous support of both athletics and academics. He has established several scholarships, including the Charles W. Schrader and Malcolm Loughlin soccer scholarships to honor former coaches, and the Bradshaw Family College of Business Endowed Scholarship,” Brown said.

“Outside WCU, Brad leads inclusive sports programs as a Special Olympics golf coach and manages a Little League special needs baseball program in Florida,” she said. “His unwavering dedication to WCU and his community makes Brad an inspiring example of Catamount pride.”

Professional Achievement Award winner Crawford stepped down from FORVIS in June, closing a career in the accountancy profession spanning 35 years. Recently appointed to chair the WCU Foundation Board of Directors, he is a 1987 graduate of WCU with a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance. He went on to Clemson University, earning a master’s degree in taxation.

Together with wife Gina, Crawford has made $1.2 million in gifts to his alma mater, including a $425,000 contribution in 2021 to create the Crawford Sherrill Endowed Scholarship Fund for honors students in two WCU colleges. Earlier this year, they made a $500,000 gift to athletics facilities renovations as part of the “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign.

“Mike’s dedication to WCU runs deep, rooted in a rich family tradition spanning four generations. These strong family ties have inspired Mike’s lifelong support of WCU,” Connet said in presenting the award.

Crawford’s father, Frank Moody Crawford Jr., was a 1954 WCU graduate. Grandfather Frank Moody Crawford Sr. graduated in 1941 and great-grandfather W.R. Sherrill graduated in 1902. Wife Gina and daughter Emily also have attended WCU. Other family ties to WCU include his brother, 1985 graduate Steve Crawford, and three cousins of his father.

“His career success and deep connection to WCU also shaped his professional journey, starting with a firm founded by a WCU professor and student. This legacy led to a $1 million fundraising effort supporting WCU’s College of Business,” Connet said. “Mike Crawford’s professional achievements, steadfast Catamount spirit and inspiring philanthropy make him a standout alumnus and an invaluable member of the WCU family.”

Smith, recipient of the Academic Achievement Award, has taught mathematics at Waynesville Middle School since 2019. Named this year’s Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year in April, she has spent her entire career in the Haywood County School System with previous positions at Canton Middle School and Clyde Elementary School.

A National Board Certified Teacher, Smith began her journey toward North Carolina’s top educator honors by first being named teacher of the year for Waynesville Middle School, then for all of Haywood County schools, and finally for the Western North Carolina region before receiving the statewide award.

She is now on a one-year sabbatical from her teaching duties and is spending the 2024-2025 school year representing and advocating for all of North Carolina’s teachers, working alongside the eight additional regional Teacher of the Year finalists.

A 2015 graduate of WCU with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, Smith was a student-athlete on the Catamount women’s softball team. She shares her passion for service with her students as a faculty adviser for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, helping them engage in community service, fundraisers and school spirit events, Connet said in introducing Smith.

“In her teaching, Heather focuses on connecting math to real-world scenarios, addressing that classic student question ‘when will I ever use this?’ She uses project-based learning to help students see the relevance of their lessons and emphasizes inquiry-based learning to build essential 21st-century skills,” he said. “Heather’s inspiring dedication and innovative approach to education make her a standout alumna and an incredible role model for the entire Catamount community.”

Young Alumni Award winner Van Pelt graduated from WCU in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He remained in Cullowhee to earn his master’s degree in public affairs in 2014 before embarking on his career.

He was a member of the men’s track and field squad and a four-time Southern Conference Champion – twice as a student-athlete, twice as an assistant coach. He was 2009 SoCon Men’s Track and Field Freshman of the Year and was named to the National Collegiate Athletics Association All-Academic Team in 2009 and 2012. He formerly held the WCU men’s hammer throw record.

Prior to establishing the Radley Firm, he served as chief of staff to Tallahassee’s mayor, with previous stints as a municipal communications director and a political communications and policy assistant. He was listed among the “Top 20 Under 40” by the Tallahassee Network of Young Professionals in 2019, and he is a graduate of Leadership Tallahassee Class 34.

“With a decade of expertise in strategic communications, marketing and crisis management, Jamie and his firm serve a wide range of clients, from governments to nonprofits, across the state,” Connet said. “Since its founding in 2023, the Radley Firm has quickly established itself as a community-focused company known for its charitable work.”

Van Pelt has an extensive record of community service, including chairing Leon County’s Council on the Status of Men and Boys and leadership roles with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity and other organizations. “Jamie’s drive, leadership and community spirit make him an exemplary young alumnus and a true Catamount at heart,” Connet said.

To make a gift in honor of any of the award recipients from Homecoming 2024 at WCU, contact the Division of Advancement at 828-227-7124 or advancement@wcu.edu , or visit the website give.wcu.edu.