Each year, the Ball State Alumni Association presents the Ball State Alumni awards to recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service and support to Ball State, excelled in their professions or served their communities for great distinction.

Among the 16 awardees selected this year, five graduated from the College of Communication, Information, and Media.

And while these individuals were recognized by the college during our Homecoming tailgate, we want to continue to extend our sincerest congratulations and thanks for the work that they do in their professions and for the communities they serve.

Brad Saar, Distinguished Alumni

Brad graduated in 1986 with a degree in speech communication. Presently, he serves as the President of the medical division of Stryker Corporation. Through this position, he has been able to service his community in Portage, Michigan, as well as lead his division to great financial success. Outside of his professional identity, Brad has continued to maintain a relationship with his alma mater. In 2021, Brad served as the Executive in Resident for the Miller College of Business. He also participated in the Dialogue Days panel.

Read more about Brad here.

Sam DeWeese, Benny Award

Dr. Sam DeWaeese is a passionate Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) alumni who was recognized with a Benny Award, the Alumni Association’s top award for service to Ball State University or the Alumni Association. Sam graduated with his master’s in 2002 and is currently the Assistant Director of the Division of Communications for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. He has served on the Alumni Council Board and held the position of Alumni Council Chair from 2017-2019. He has also been recognized by the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce on their list of 10 under 40, volunteered at the Ball State Career Center, and attended more than 50 alumni events in the past five years.

Read more about Sam here.

Jerry Walker, Alumni Award of Achievement

In 1998, Jerry graduated from CCIM with a degree in Telecommunications and a minor in Computer Science. In 1999, he graduated from the Center of Information and Communication Sciences (CICS). He now works as the CIO and Director of Information Technology for the Oregon State Treasury and serves on the CCIM Dean’s Executive Advisory Committee as well as the CICS Alumni Council. He and his wife also sponsor the Jerry and Krishna Walker Scholarship to support students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups pursuing a graduate degree in CICS.

Read more about Jerry here.

Drew Adamson, GOLD Award

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Drew graduated from Ball State in 2015 with a degree in digital sports production. Since then, he has worked in multiple athletic departments and is now paving the way in his field at iRacing, the world’s premier motorsport racing simulation platform. He has served as a content creator and more recently as the head of all things broadcasting as their Senior Broadcasting Producer/Director. Designing and building the first-ever digital broadcast control center for Esports racing coverage, iRacing broke the record not once, but three times while receiving the largest ever North American Esports viewing audience during the COVID pandemic.

Read more about Drew here.

Nathan Wilson, GOLD Award

From working on reality TV shows like “The Bachelor” to his current position as a firefighter and EMT-B for the Elwood Fire Department, alumnus Nathan Wilson’s career demonstrates the versatility of how a degree from CCIM cam be applied. In 2015, Nathan graduated with a degree in telecommunications with a concentration in digital video production and a minor in film screenwriting. He was recognized by the Alumni Association with the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award, which recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of recent Ball State University graduates. While working to achieve his professional goals,  it has always been important to him to also take the time to give back to the university in any way possible. He is the current treasurer for the Department of Media Alumni Society, takes time to speak in CCIM classes, and is a member of the Ball State Young Alumni Council. 

Read more about Nathan here.