2014 Award Recipients
UAA Alumni of Distinction Awards
The Alumni of Distinction Awards honor individual alumnus, faculty, staff, students and volunteers who have contributed their time, efforts and creativity to the advancement of UAA, the state of Alaska or the communities in which they live.
2014 Award Recipients
Ted's 42-year career in engineering kicked off the summer after the earthquake, and he's had a hand in building the state's infrastructure ever since. Likewise, he's equally dedicated to UAA. He's served as an adjunct instructor for both undergraduate and graduate courses, sat on the civil engineering advisory board, served as founding president of the UAA Alumni Association and, along with his wife, been a major gift donor to the College of Engineering. In the community, Ted built an engineering career with the City of Anchorage, the Alaska Railroad and, most recently, as CEO of Tryck Nyman Hayes, Inc. He has been named Alaska Engineer of the Year and served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineer's branch in Anchorage.
Ted Trueblood, M.S. Civil Engineering '80
President of Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc. (Retired)
UAA Alumni Humanitarian Award:
Athletics has always been a large part of Cristy's life. Recruited to join the inaugural
ski team at UAA, Cristy made a name for herself as a student athlete and community
organizer. Since graduation, she's been singularly focused on expanding sports in
the city. Cristy founded SPYDER to provide sports leagues for thousands of youth since
the late 1980s. She's organized local fundraisers and wrote grants to expand access
to sports throughout Anchorage. In her years of coaching, she's worked with future
Olympians and helped dozens of students earn athletics scholarships to college. She's
just as dedicated to coaching her elite girls hockey team in nationwide tournaments
as she is organizing backyard youth soccer leagues in Anchorage, and she continues
to train, educate and inspire young Alaskans today.
Cristy Hickel, B.Ed. '86, M.S. '89,
Program Director for SPYDER (Sports Programs for Youth Development, Education and Recreation)
Virginia is a passionate engineer with a strong focus on assisting UAA engineering students. As a student,Virginia balanced several jobs during her early semesters and even took several years away from school.With a perspective on the challenges facing students, she's committed to helping aspiring engineers navigate their way to graduation day. She's served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers chapters at both the Anchorage and statewide levels and sits on the College of Engineering advisory board. Virginia is exceptionally dedicated to her role as President of the College of Engineering alumni chapter at UAA, which she also co-founded. As chapter president, she works to connect aspiring engineers to the supportive alumni network throughout Alaska and provide mentorship, support, advice and opportunities for current engineering students at UAA.
Virginia Groeschel, B.S. Civil Engineering '06
Aviation Design Engineer, State of Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Works