Alumnae Association Awards

Each year, the Columbia College Alumnae Association presents awards to four deserving alumnae for distinguished service to Columbia College and their communities, and outstanding achievement in their chosen professions.

All Columbia College alumnae are invited to submit nominations for the Alumnae Association Awards.

Distinguished Service Award is given to an alumna who has demonstrated exceptional character and service to Columbia College, her church, her community, and her family.

Career Achievement Award is given to an alumna who has distinguished herself and Columbia College by outstanding accomplishments/achievements in her career field.

Wil Lou Gray Outstanding Educator Award is given to an alumna who has distinguished herself and Columbia College by outstanding accomplisments/achievements in the field of education.

Young Alumna Award is given to an alumna who is 35 years old or younger with exceptional service to Columbia College through her gifts of time, talent, and financial support.

Alumnae Association 2011 Winners

2011 Distinguished Service Award

Jewell Powell Hill received her B.S. in business in 1960, went on to earn her M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina, and retired in 1991 after a teaching career with Lexington School District No. 5. While a student at the College, she was inducted into Alpha Kappa Gamma, and named the Outstanding Business Student in her senior class.

Since 1960, she has served the College in many roles, including the Alumnae Council Executive Committee, president of the Ariail Alumnae Club, the Medallion Nominating Committee, Commission of 150, and the Imagine Campaign. She is also a member of the Columbia College Founders Society. At present, she serves as chair of the Special Events Committee for the Alumnae Council.

She remains very active in the community, serving on the Executive Committee of the Symphony League of the South Carolina Philharmonic, as well as the Fort Peachtree (Atlanta) and USC Chapters of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. She has also received the Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Women of the Presbyterian Church, PCUSA. A native of Latta, S.C., she is married to Robert (Bob) R. Hill Sr., and they have three children and seven grandchildren.

2011 Career Achievement Award

Jane London McIntyre, class of 1968, is a native of Rock Hill, S.C., and is the executive director of the United Way of Central Carolinas, a position she has held since August 2009.

Prior to her post at the United Way, McIntyre spent nine years as the CEO of the YWCA Central Carolinas, where she was responsible for a major turnaround of the organization, which included transforming the YWCA facilities, renovating 66 rooms for women’s housing, and building 11 new townhomes to serve homeless families. Under her direction, the YWCA also repaid nearly $1 million in debt and established its first endowment of $3.8 million. She has also served as director of special programs and services for the Carolinas Healthcare Foundation of the Carolinas Healthcare System.

McIntyre has received numerous accolades over the years, including her selection as Charlotte’s Businesswoman of the Year, one of Charlotte’s 20 Dynamic Women, and most recently, she was named a 2011 Woman of Distinction by the local Girl Scouts Chapter. She serves her community as a member of the 2010-2011 board of directors for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, the advisory board of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Women’s Summit, Charlotte’s Planning Committee/Housing, and she also served on United Way of Central Carolinas’ own board while she was still at the YWCA.

She holds a B. A. in special education from Columbia College, and obtained her executive M.B.A. from Queens University of Charlotte at age 50. She is married to DG McIntyre, who is retired from Duke Energy, and they have three married daughters and three grandchildren.

2011 Wil Lou Gray Outstanding Educator Award

Mitzi Winesett ’70 has been a familiar face at Columbia College for over 20 years, serving as director of counseling services until her recent retirement in 2010. Prior to working for Columbia College, she was the director of counseling for Anderson College, and she has also served as a health education teacher at Fulmer Middle School in West Columbia, and a health counselor for the “MR. FIT” National Heart Attack Prevention Program at the University of South Carolina and Providence Hospital in Columbia.

During her career, she was a member of the American Counselor Association, the SC College Personnel Association (SCCPA), the Southeastern Conference for Counseling Center Professionals, and The Learning Consortium, a training group for professional counselors. A National Board Certified Counselor since 1985, she has also received numerous accolades for her service, including the Charles H. Witten Service Award and the Clarice W. Johnson Outstanding Professional Award from the SCCPA, as well as the Anderson College Second Mile Award.

In addition to earning a B.A. from Columbia College in sociology with a minor in religion, she also holds a M.Ed. in counselor education in higher education and a M.A.T. in health education, both from the University of South Carolina.

Winesett’s career as a counselor for college students spanned three decades and has had a positive impact on every student she encountered. She summed it up best in her own words: “I have just plodded along, one person at a time oftentimes, trying to help them help themselves on their own good journey.”

2011 Young Alumna Service Award

Tiffany Knowlin received her B.S. in chemistry in 2003 with a double major in chemistry and religion. She continued her education at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, where she obtained her M.Div., and later received her master of urban policy studies from The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

Reverend Knowlin currently serves as the pastor of College Place United Methodist Church in Columbia, and also as an adjunct professor at Columbia College, teaching “The African American Religious Experience” to undergraduate students.

While she was still a student at Columbia College, she worked as executive director of the Clubhouse Gang of Eau Claire, an afterschool program for underserved children in the Eau Claire community of Columbia from 2000-2003, and later served as the chaplain at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, ministering to patients and their families.

She continues to give back to her community, volunteering her time with numerous boards and commissions, including the Eau Claire Rotary Club, the United Methodist Board of Higher Education, and the Eau Claire Promise Zone. She has served as the Convocation speaker at Columbia College, and is currently serving on the Alumnae Council’s Executive Committee.