Awards

Since 2008, Norfolk State University has honored graduates who demonstrate exemplary leadership in their professions and in the community with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award. These alumni personify the mission and goals of the University.
 

2024 Award Recipients


 Walter R. Clemons, Ph.D. (B.S. '84)
Walter R. Clemons, Ph.D., is a two-time alumnus of Norfolk State University. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education.
 
For more than 33 years, Dr. Clemons has had an illustrious career as a public-school educator, serving as a classroom teacher at middle and high schools; a principal and an administrator. In 2014, Dr. Clemons was appointed the Superintendent of Gloucester County Public Schools, a position he held for nearly a decade until his retirement last year.  
 
Most notably, Dr. Clemons was also named the 2023 Virginia Superintendent of the Year and the Region III Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.   

 
Gregory O. Grimes '86
Gregory O. Grimes is a seasoned information technology professional who specializes in systems engineering.  For more than 25 years, Mr. Grimes has dedicated his time, talent and treasures to the Norfolk State University Alumni Association where he served as national president from 2009-2014.  
 
Under his leadership, he laid the foundation for the NSUAA’s current infrastructure. He streamlined the NSUAA’s business practices; established an online membership portal; significantly increased membership and adopted enhanced management models to increase revenue to support more scholarship support to the University.  
 
In 1986, Mr. Grimes earned his Bachelor of Science degree in electronics technology from Norfolk State University.  
 

Aurelia T. Williams, Ph.D. (B.S. '94)
 
Aurelia T. Williams, Ph.D., currently serves as the Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs at Norfolk State University. Serving Norfolk State University for more than two decades, Dr. Williams has been an advocate and champion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and utilizes networking to make an impact on multiple campuses. She is also a professor of Computer Science and the Founding Executive Director of NSU’s Cybersecurity Complex.
 
An exemplary leader for the HBCU Cybersecurity Workforce Development Consortium, Dr. Williams has secured $25 million to benefit 13 HBCUs across the nation as well as 50 million dollars in external funding for NSU’s Cybersecurity initiative.  
 
Due to her dedication, the U.S. Department of Treasury awarded NSU the HBCU Visionary Award. A trailblazer for underrepresented students to persist in the field of cybersecurity, Dr. Williams is a 1994 Norfolk State University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.  
 

 

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