Top photo: Damion Waymer, Kevin Hull, Barry Wilson, Cleopatra Shabazz and Tom Reichert.
Alumni, faculty and friends of the college gathered to celebrate the 2025 School of Journalism and Mass Communications Alumni Awards on Thursday, Oct. 23.
“I will say that nothing is more meaningful for a faculty member than seeing a former student leave the hallowed halls of the university and achieve success,” said Dean Tom Reichert. “We take so much gratification in that, and for several of you, it wasn't the hallowed halls. It was the windowless, circular corridors of the coliseum. But you survived.”
One of those 'survivors' who came through the Carolina Coliseum was Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Barry Wilson, advertising ’86. He noted that the university’s new campaign message “Come as you are. Leave as you’re meant to be,” resonated with him because it encapsulates the transformative experience he had at USC.
In an instance of fortuitous scheduling, 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient Allen Devlin had already committed to speaking to a class on the same day this year’s awards ceremony was to be held. He attended to support the new honorees and was invited by SJMC Director Damion Waymer to say a few words.
“I came into the building, knowing that I wanted to do this, but I didn't know how,” said Devlin.
“The journalism school here at the University of South Carolina has been the single most significant, important institution for my education and my development as a journalist.”
Award Recipients
Barry R. Wilson — Distinguished Alumni
The Distinguished Alumni Award honors graduates of the school who have demonstrated a history of exemplary work in their professional careers and who have been out of school for at least 10 years.
Barry R. Wilson, a Greenville, South Carolina native, launched his advertising career shortly after graduating from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 1986. As a student, he was deeply involved in leadership and hands-on learning, serving as president of the USC Ad Club and earning the Outstanding Advertising Senior of the Year Award.
His early professional years included roles at Henderson Advertising, The Bloom Agency and Long Haymes Carr Advertising, where he quickly rose through the ranks, managing major accounts like Dow Brands, Hanes Activewear, Abbott Laboratories’ Clear Eyes and Wachovia Bank. His career path took him to several cities including Greenville, Dallas, Birmingham and Charlotte, where he eventually fulfilled his dream of agency ownership as president of Planet Central Advertising.
Wilson’s commitment to the advertising industry extended beyond business, with active involvement in the American Advertising Federation, earning multiple honors including the Legion of Excellence Award and Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list. He also dedicated his marketing expertise to nonprofit causes, supporting organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and AMIkids.
In 2020, Barry and his wife Rita transformed a local printing business into AlphaGraphics Beaufort, growing it into the largest print and marketing provider in Beaufort County. Their community and business leadership have been recognized with the CIVITAS Award for Business Excellence from the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and the national Community Impact Award from AlphaGraphics.
Watch the awards presentation and comments by Tom Reichert
Cleopatra Shabazz — Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award honors graduates who have been out of school for 10 years or less but have already demonstrated great professional accomplishments early in their careers.
In 2020, Cleopatra Shabazz began her professional career as a production assistant through the ESPN Next Program. Within two years, she was promoted to her current role as an associate producer for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes Productions. Shabazz covers numerous Spanish live events including Monday Night Football, NBA on ESPN, Sunday Night Baseball and the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. In 2022, her department was awarded a Gold Telly Award for their extensive 14-day coverage of the 2021 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament for ESPN networks in Latin America.
Shabazz also works as the Events and Experience Chair for ESPN PULSE, the African-American Business Employee Resource Group. Her team hosts annual cultural events for Black History Month and Juneteenth to inspire unity, community and education amongst African-American colleagues and allies. In 2024, Shabazz received the BERG Leadership Award for serving on the ESPN PULSE leadership team.
A 2019 broadcast journalism alumna, Shabazz is a proud Life Member of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association. She enjoys networking with fellow alumni at the annual President’s Reception in New York City while also mentoring students through the college's Alumni Mentorship program.
Watch the awards presentation and comments by Kevin Hull
Kevin Hull — Mary Caldwell Excellence in Teaching Award
The Mary Caldwell Excellence in Teaching Award is awarded annually to a faculty member for outstanding teaching. The recipient receives a $1500 monetary award.
Associate professor Kevin Hull is the lead instructor in the Sports Media initiative at the school and primarily teaches classes involving the sports media.
Hull uses real-world examples and his own experiences to further engage the students in his classroom. Classes he has taught include Sports Media & Society, Social Media for the Sports Media, and Sports Journalism.
Hull’s research primarily focuses on local sports broadcasters throughout the United States. As a former sportscaster himself, he has surveyed those starting out in the field, the challenges they face in a 24-hour news cycle, and issues surrounding race and gender in the profession. Additionally, he is interested in how universities are preparing those students looking to enter the field of sportscasting.
Before entering academia, he spent nearly ten years as a television broadcaster, with the majority of that time acting as a sports reporter/anchor.
Watch the awards presentation and comments by Kelly Davis
Josh Dawsey - USC Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumni
Each year the University of South Carolina Alumni Association celebrates the best and brightest alumni and friends of the university. The awards are the university’s highest honors reflecting the values that define the Gamecock community: service, integrity, character and leadership.
Josh Dawsey is a political investigations and enterprise reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.”
Starting in 2017, Dawsey spent seven years at The Washington Post, working as a political enterprise and investigations reporter and serving on the White House Press Team during the first Trump administration. He was part of the teams that earned the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the Jan. 6 attack and the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on the AR-15’s impact on American life.
Dawsey is a two-time recipient of the White House Correspondents Association award for news reporting and a 2017 recipient of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Outstanding Young Alumni Award.