Millsaps College will present its annual alumni awards on Saturday, April 22, 2023 as part of Spring Alumni Weekend. The Alumni Awards recognize graduates who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored the tradition of excellence at Millsaps College. The Alumni Awards ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. in Yates Chapel, located in the Selby and Richard McRae Christian Center on the Millsaps campus.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award and Outstanding Young Alumnus Award illustrate the impact of the academic program and community-based learning at Millsaps College, and recognizes those men and women who demonstrate the power of the Millsaps experience to the people of Mississippi, the nation and the world. Established in 1987, the Livesay Awards honor the spirit of commitment in which Jim Livesay served the College as an alumnus, a member of the College administration, and as a volunteer. Dr. Lynda Lee, then president of the Millsaps Alumni Association, awarded the first Livesay to him, saying “the Livesay Award will be given each year in recognition of outstanding service and dedication to Millsaps College. The recipient should exhibit a spirit of volunteerism, leadership and support that its namesake has exemplified.” Information on the four honorees for 2023 is provided below.
Outstanding Young Alumnus: Ryan Zagone, B.B.A., Class of 2008
Ryan Zagone, of Brooklyn, New York, is a leader in the technology industry, focused on innovation and enabling greater financial inclusion. At Millsaps, Zagone was involved with the Student Body Association and interned in the College’s business office.
Zagone currently leads partnerships at Wise, an international payments company, and serves as an angel investor and advisor to EVRYMAN, a men’s leadership development program focused on emotional skills. A recognized leader in financial innovation, he has served on the advisory board of the United Nations financial inclusion initiative and the steering committee of the Federal Reserve’s payments innovation task force. He has also been featured on expert panels at the International Monetary Fund.
Zagone brings experience from Deloitte and the American Bankers Association (ABA), to which he was initially introduced during an Else School of Management trip to Washington, D.C. He has hosted Else School classes at the ABA and has mentored numerous Millsaps students over the last 15 years.
Dr. Harvey Fiser, interim dean of the Else School, was one of Zagone’s professors during his time at Millsaps.
“Ryan is a perfect example of the socially conscious entrepreneur we hope to inspire at the Else School of Management,” Fiser said. “Not only is he a leader in banking modernization, he lends his talent to impactful philanthropic work. This award is well-deserved, and we look forward to hearing about his next innovations!”
Distinguished Alumnus: Bill Croswell, B.A., Class of 1966
Bill Croswell, of Jackson, has been an active member of the Millsaps Alumni Association for over 55 years, leading the alumni association board or directors as a past president, and also serving on the Else School of Management Board. In addition, Bill served as co-master of ceremonies along with Governor William Winter for the multimedia celebration of Millsaps’ 100th Anniversary. He is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Since 1973, he has been the CEO of Craft Croswell, Inc., a leading interior finish contractor working in over five states that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. During his tenure at Craft Croswell, he co-founded and served as chairman of the board of Starnet, the largest commercial flooring buying cooperative in the world, which procures product for vendors worldwide.
Fond memories of Millsaps are cherished by him and his wife of 56 years, O’Hara, who also graduated from Millsaps (class of ‘67), as well as their daughter Alison (class of ‘95). Croswell was president of the Kappa Alpha Order while at Millsaps, was a member of Who’s Who, and was awarded the Wall Street Journal award for excellence in economics studies. He is also proud to have been a four-year letterman in baseball.
He is a member of the Millsaps Tuesday Lunch Club, supports the MClub and Annual Fund, and never misses homecoming. “Bill has been instrumental in keeping his friends and classmates connected to Millsaps,” remarked Rob Pearigen, president of Millsaps. “His role as a leader of the Tuesday Lunch Club is legendary, and our staff and administrators always enjoy being invited to the TLC to share news from the college. We deeply appreciate the many ways Bill supports Millsaps College.”
Jim Livesay Service Award: Ashley Schettler, B.A., Class of 2006
Ashley Schettler, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is this year’s recipient of the Livesay Service Award. While at Millsaps, she majored in European studies, was a member of Delta Delta Delta, and was involved in the campus ministry team. She is being honored for her service to Millsaps in a multitude of areas. Schettler has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and as an alumni chapter coordinator. She currently volunteers as a Pathways speaker and alumni mentor, volunteers as a social media ambassador, and consistently supports the college’s Annual Fund.
Schettler has spent nearly 20 years working in best-in-class Fortune 500 Human Resources (HR) organizations. Her career spans broad-based experience in talent acquisition, learning and development, compliance, and HR business partner roles.
Currently, she serves as the HR director for Honeywell’s Safety and Productivity Solutions division. She has held various HR roles at companies like CVS Caremark, AmerisourceBergen, Gartner, and Quest Diagnostics.
She has led projects to establish vendor management programs, partner with executives to change commercial strategies and re-organize their global commercial workforces, support due diligence efforts in M&A transactions, lead company culture assessments, develop large-scale training frameworks, and establish executing training programs. She has delivered hundreds of hours of training.
Lee Anne Bryan, executive director of alumni and parent relations at Millsaps College, commended Schettler’s volunteerism. “Ashley is a wonderful volunteer—she is always willing to connect with our current students to help them with their career steps,” Bryan said. “She has lots of energy and is helpful in connecting alumni wherever she is living! I am grateful for her service to the alumni board and the college as a whole.”
Jim Livesay Service Award (posthumous): Robert “Bob” Donaldson, B.A., Class of 1948
Bob Donaldson, of Hurst, Texas, is being recognized as a posthumous recipient of the Livesay Service Award. Donaldson enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was assigned to the Navy V-12 Unit (Naval Officer Training Program) at Millsaps College. He then transferred to the NROTC program at the University of Oklahoma where he was commissioned as an Ensign USNR, and spent one-year active duty aboard a landing ship, tank (LST). After college, he joined The California Co. (now Chevron) where he began his career path. He held multiple managerial and senior executive roles during his career. He retired in 1986 as general manager of production, eastern region in New Orleans, LA. He was employed with Chevron for 37 years.
He was the driving force behind the establishment of the Navy V-12 Memorial Scholarship and sat as chairman of the group’s executive committee. “Bob’s leadership within the Navy V-12 alumni group was integral to keeping those men connected to Millsaps College,” noted Brad Ewing, director of development. “He inspired them to give back, which is reflected in one of the most treasured scholarships awarded by the College.” The endowed fund forever recognizes the men who served our country through this program by providing financial aid to deserving students. Donaldson and his fellow V-12ers are proudly remembered by the Millsaps family.