Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER – Manchester University will celebrate five alumni at its annual Alumni Honor Awards banquet Oct. 16 during Homecoming 2026.
The five recipients are:
Keith Strauss '74 - Alumni Honor Award
Strauss, a medical physicist, was instrumental in the creation of the Image Gently Alliance, which is committed to providing safe, high-quality pediatric imaging and changing practice until imaging doses are optimized at the point of care. Image Gently, the first in a now worldwide network of campaign partners, has become a recognized and respected presence both nationally and internationally, according to a news release from Manchester University.
Howard Petty '76 - Alumni Honor Award
Alongside his decades as a professor, Petty has conducted groundbreaking research in breast cancer recurrence - specifically in women of color. He and a partner have now established a company to create and market software, called Predictoma, that allows doctors and hospitals to mainstream testing and lower the cost. The first clinical application is the use of a hybrid biochemical machine vision test to identify patients who harbor aggressive cells and are at risk of suffering recurrences.
Shawn Kobb '96 - Alumni Honor Award
Kobb has worked in the U.S. State Department for 20 years. Since June 2026, Kobb has been serving in Slovenia as management officer for the U.S. Embassy. There he oversees logistics, human resources, and facilities across more than a dozen government agencies, while also managing relationships with host-government officials and private-sector partners. In addition to Hungary and Slovenia, Kobb has served in Ukraine, the Bahamas, Afghanistan, Austria, and Washington, D.C.
Erica Hedges '10 Albertin - Young Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
Albertin is an assistant professor of exercise science and biology and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Saint Mary's College, where she elevates academic programs and expands research opportunities. She has also served as an athletic trainer for U.S. Soccer, supporting youth national teams and the U.S. Women's National Team, and has provided medical coverage for major athletic events including the Chicago Marathon.
Dr. Andrea Whitaker '12, '16 PharmD Mekonnen - Young Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
Mekonnen was the first full-time pharmacist at Neighborhood Health Clinic in Fort Wayne. Now, as the Clinic's senior director of pharmacy, she leads initiatives that directly improve access to medications and chronic disease care for underserved patients across the region. She has overseen the creation of two community pharmacies within Neighborhood Health, which opened in February 2024 and November 2025, both serving the underserved populations of downtown Fort Wayne.
Tickets for the Alumni Honor Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet can be purchased at www.manchester.edu/alumni/homecoming.
