September 29, 2016

Saginaw NAACP honors SVSU alumni, faculty, staff

The Saginaw branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People honored several members of Saginaw Valley State University’s faculty, staff and alumni.

At the organization’s 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet Sunday, Sept. 25 at Saginaw Township’s Horizons Conference Center, the Saginaw branch of the NAACP honored 16 individuals for the 2016 Achievement Recognition Awards. The honor highlights individuals for outstanding career and professional achievements, as well as their contributions to others in support of social justice and equality.

Of the 16 people honored, nine had SVSU ties. Among the alumni recipients were:
•    Lawrence Crawford Jr., of Diversity Vuteq
•    Smriti Pant, a nurse practitioner at Saginaw-based Health Delivery, Inc.
•    Christopher and Kenyatta Pryor, of Saginaw-based Victorious Believers Ministries
•    Myiesha Smith, of Nexteer Automotive
•    Samuel Tilmon, regional sales manager at Saginaw-based Duro-Last Roofing
•    Manvel Trice III, recently appointed as a Saginaw County 70th District Court judge

Recipient Eddie Jones is both an alumnus and a staff member; he serves as director of SVSU’s Student Counseling Center.

Ken Jolly, SVSU professor of history, also received the award.