Distinguished Alumni
Honoring our Alumni
For more than half a century, the Distinguished Alumni Award has been presented annually to Murray State alumni who have made meaningful contributions to their professions on a local, state and national level. It is the highest honor an alumnus or alumna can earn from the MSUAA and recognizes those who have excelled both professionally and personally. The Distinguished Alumni honorees for 2024 are Steven David (鈥�79), Cindy Griner (鈥�82), Richard Heath (鈥�84, 鈥�89) and Popeye Jones (鈥�05). The 2024 Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipient is Dr. Sacha Sharp (鈥�10).
The 2024 Distinguished Alumni were recognized during a dinner and banquet held in the CFSB Murray Room in April. If you missed it, you can view of the event online.
The Class of 2024
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Steven David
1979
- Retired Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David has enjoyed a multi-faceted career, including private legal practice and corporate counsel experience, twenty-eight years of military service and fifteen years as a trial court judge in Boone County, IN. Justice David served on the state鈥檚 highest court for 12 years before retiring in 2022. He graduated from Murray State as a Distinguished Military Graduate on an R.O.T.C. scholarship, and earned his law degree from Indiana University鈥檚 Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He is also a graduate of the Indiana Judicial College and the Graduate Program for Indiana Judges.
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Cindy Griner
1982
- Cindy Griner retired in 2021 after a 39-yr career as Vice President of Leidos/Dynetics. Griner currently serves as part-owner, senior advisor and secretary of the board of directors for Aviation and Missile Solutions, Inc., in Huntsville, Alabama and serves on multiple philanthropic and business boards in her community. Griner holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in engineering physics from Murray State and a master鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
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Richard Heath
1984 & 1989
- Kentucky State Legislator Richard Heath earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in agriculture from Murray State University. In addition to running the family business, Heath Building Material in Mayfield, KY, Heath has represented District 2 in the Kentucky House since 2012. He currently chairs the House Agriculture Committee and serves as a member of the Small Business & Information Technology committee and State Government committee.
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Popeye Jones
2005
- In 2023, Denver Nuggets Assistant Coach Popeye Jones, became the first Murray State men鈥檚 basketball alumnus to win an NBA championship as a coach. When Jones finished his Murray State career in 1992, he embarked on an 11-year NBA career that began with the Dallas Mavericks and ended with the Golden State Warriors. Coach Jones landed his first NBA coaching job in 2010 with the Brooklyn Nets and is now in his third season in Denver under head coach Michael Malone.
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Dr. Sacha Sharp
2010
- Dr. Sharp was selected as the Distinguished Young Alumna from among the MSUAA Young Alumni Network Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2024. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Art Education at Murray State in 2010, and earned a master's degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University. Dr. Sharp completed her PhD at Indiana University in Bloomington with a higher education focus in Education, Leadership and Policy Studies. She currently serves as director of medical education innovation in the Department of 快活视频 at the IU School of 快活视频.