The University of Maine at Presque Isle will honor two alumni with awards of distinction during its Homecoming 2011 activities the weekend of Sept. 23-25. The annual alumni award presentations will be made for the first time during the State of the University Address by President Don Zillman, which will take place on Friday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. in the Campus Center.

Alumna Leeann (Morrow) Ward will be honored with the Educator of the Year Award, which is presented to an alumnus/alumna who has received ongoing recognition as an outstanding educator. This recipient may also have shown active or supportive involvement with the Alumni Association, support of the university, a successful career that reflects well on the University, and outstanding leadership qualities.

Alumnus Dr. Bernard Grenway will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is presented to an alumnus/alumna who has made long-term contributions to the Alumni Association or the University, or who has received professional recognition that has reflected positively on the University.

Leeann (Morrow) Ward graduated from the University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Teaching Children with Visual Impairments from Western Michigan University.

Since 2007, she has worked for Catholic Charities Maine, providing assessment, instruction and consultation to blind and visually impaired children, their parents and school personnel. She works closely with the Bangor School System teaching visually impaired children how to read Braille, use adaptive equipment, and provide low vision training. As part of this work, she has designed and modified specialized curricula for these students.

In her field of expertise, Ward has been able to serve as a panel member for the College Preparatory Program for Visually Impaired Students. She also served as a workgroup member for the State of Maine’s LD 765: An Act to Address the Documented Educational and Rehabilitation Needs of Persons Who Are Visually Impaired or Blind. She is a certified teacher of the visually impaired in the State of Maine and is a member of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Also being recognized, Dr. Bernard Grenway graduated from the University in 1995 with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. He went on to earn his Graduate Certificate of Executive Leadership from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, a Master of Science in Human Relations and Business from Amberton University, a MBA in Global Management and a Ph.D. in Applied Management.

Dr. Grenway now serves as the lead consultant and President of the Grenway Consulting Group of Washington, D.C., and has held numerous executive positions in various industries including human service, education and non-profit organizations. In addition to his consulting and executive background, Dr. Grenway currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Maryland’s (UC) School of Undergraduate Studies, where he was nominated for the Stanley J. Drazsek teaching award. He is also a full-time Professor of Business at Kaplan University in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Dr. Grenway is the author of Random Musings: Reflections of a Black Intellectual, Motivation, Psychology, and the Black Employee: What Maslow Forgot to Tell You and Square: The Death and LIfe of C.J. Blair. His next book Reality Intelligence & the Veritas Narrative: How the Truth Will Set America Free will be released early next year. He also hosts the Baltimore-based Random Musings radio show which focuses on diversity and higher education issues.