KWU Reveals 2026 Alumni Award Winners to be Honored at Homecoming

Kansas Wesleyan is proud to add four new honorees to its growing list of Alumni Award recipients. This year, the awards will go to Dr. Sharneice Pierce '11 (Alumni Achievement Award), Jakob Provo '15 (Young Alumni Award), Hannah Holt '14 G'16 (Alumni Service Award) and Mary Ann St. Clair (Alumni by Choice Award).

The awards will be given at the Jerry Jones Athletic Hall of Fame Induction and Alumni Awards ceremony event at 9 a.m. on Oct. 17. Tickets for the event are available now.

Pierce is the current director of admissions, as well as an assistant professor, at Hawai'i Pacific University. In addition to her bachelors in Exercise Science from Kansas Wesleyan University, she also holds an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) from Creighton University, as well as numerous certifications. She serves on the Kansas Occupational Therapy Board of Directors and on committees for the American Society of Hand Therapy and American Occupational Therapy.

Her work as an occupational therapist has earned her several awards, including Occupational Therapy Practitioner of the Year (2024), Arizona Occupational Therapy Association: Occupational Therapist of the Year (2020) and the Spooner Physical Therapy Culture of Excellence Award (2019). Pierce continues to mentor other students, many from Kansas, into the profession of occupational therapy.

A litigator for DeVaughn James, Provo has spent his career thus far practicing medical malpractice law and has passed the bar to practice law in Kansas, Missouri and, most recently, Oklahoma. He has published over 20 legal articles and is an active member of the legal community, serving with the Wichita Bar Association, Kansas Bar Association, American Association for Justice and the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association. In 2025, he was named to Wichita Business Journal's 40 Under 40.

At Kansas Wesleyan, Provo was vice president of the Student Government Association and took part in Debate and Forensics. Today, he's a member of the Kansas Wesleyan Alumni Council and enjoys mentoring current KWU students.

Holt, a familiar face and voice to the KWU community, is the promotions director and account executive for Meridian Media, as well as the on-air personality for Y93.7. She is a volunteer and advocate for numerous non-profit organizations in Salina, including the Love, Chloe Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Greater Salina Community Foundation and Salina Area United Way.

In 2021, she was the recipient of KWU's Young Alumni Award. Since her graduation from the university, she has remained involved on campus through fundraising efforts, served as emcee for on-campus events, such as Night with the Yotes, and promoted KWU via her outspoken love of the university.

St. Clair, alongside husband Randy '66, has been a supporter of Kansas Wesleyan for more than three decades, though it is not her own alma mater. She has generously given her time and service to the KWU Board of Trustees and Advancement Office, as well as to athletics and music.

Mary Ann spent her career as an educator and administrator, and her commitment to education, the arts, and community service runs deep. Her involvement and service have included Meals on Wheels, the Kansas City Symphony, and her local PEO chapter.

The St. Clairs' support of the university has taken many forms, from contributions to the Night with the Yotes annual auction to transformative gifts, including the piano located in Sams Chapel. The Randy and Mary Ann St. Clair President's Pavilion, located in the Graves Family Sports Complex, stands as a lasting testament to their generosity and regularly serves as a space to welcome and honor special guests. Most recently, their leadership-level gift at the Scholarship Gala helped make it the most successful fundraising event in university history.

For more information and to buy tickets for the awards ceremony, please visit https://www.kwu.edu/homecoming2026 or call 785-833-4392.