This year’s winners of the Robert Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Awards are: Dana Lerner ’14, Katia Lin ’14, Seamus Murphy ’17, and Grace Tucker ’17.

This award was launched in 2023 to recognize the next generation of Cornell leaders.

Bob Harrison was elected by his peers to serve as a student trustee from 1975 to 1976. He went on to serve the university in various capacities for nearly five decades, including as chair of the Cornell University Board of Trustees from 2012-2022. The Harrison Awards honor his long-standing commitment to Cornell, as we celebrate new alumni leaders.

Nominations for the Harrison Award were solicited through Cornell’s global network. All nominees are recent alumni who have made an impact on the Cornell community in their first ten years from graduation.

Meet the 2024 cohort of Robert S. Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award winners:

Dana Lerner ’14

“I started giving back to Cornell when I was a student, working as an annual fund caller. Many of the people who picked up the phone were very receptive. I realized there was a big alumni community out there for me, and for all of us students. Even now, when I see someone walking down the street in a Cornell sweatshirt or hat, I yell, ‘Go Big Red!’ It’s special to know that there’s a lot of Cornell pride all over the world.”

Dana graduated in 2014 from the College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in theatre arts and a minor in visual studies. Dana is a Tony Award-winning theater producer and 2023 graduate of Columbia Business School. She made her Broadway producing debut with Paula Vogel’s (MA ’76) Indecent (Tony Award Nomination) in 2017, and she won a Tony Award as a co-producer on the gender-bending revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company in 2022. She currently works at Atlas Obscura, a media travel company curating the hidden wonders of the world. Dana serves as annual fund representative (2014-present) and Reunion campaign co-chair (5th and 10th) for the Class of 2014, roles she’s held since graduation. Previously, she was a member and convener of the Cornell Alumni Advisory Board, and she recently finished her term on Cornell University Council.

Katia Lin ’14

“Almost 50% of workers in the US and UK don’t have college degrees. Since 2022, I’ve been working for a social-mission-driven company to help democratize access to the most exciting careers in tech (software engineering, data analytics, and project management). We hire talented non-grads into companies like Google, Vodafone, and Expedia (and hundreds more), and train them in these critical digital skills. And we help upskill and reskill existing employees in these same critical digital skills—helping to reinvigorate the careers of employees ranging from 22–65.”

Katia graduated in 2014 from the College of Arts and Sciences, where she double majored in economics and government. She joined the Bloomingdale’s Executive Development Programme, led by then-president and fellow Cornellian Tony Spring ’87. Over the past decade, she’s worked across the legal, technology, and education sectors in New York and London. Katia served as a Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network volunteer in New York (2014–2018) and in London (2019–present), and she enjoys bringing the Cornell experience to life for prospective students. She’s also volunteered as VP of social programming for the Cornell Club UK (CCUK) since 2019, where she’s brought the Big Red community together for events such as wine tastings and private museum tours. She loves introducing Cornellians—both new and established in the UK—to one another to create a community of classmates and friends across the years.

Seamus Murphy ’17

“My grandfather—Robert L. Levene ’45—was a veteran. He left during World War II to fly B-17s, then returned to Cornell and completed his degree. He was proud of being a veteran and a Cornellian. I knew these things and wanted to attend Cornell to receive a world-class education in a veteran-friendly environment. When I got to the Hill, there was minimal support for veterans. I and a small group of veterans wanted to change that and highlight that the university has a longstanding tradition of military service.”

Seamus graduated in 2017 with an international agriculture and rural development degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He co-founded the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association (CUVA) and the Cornell Military Network, where he currently serves as secretary. Additionally, he worked with a group of students, staff, faculty, and alumni to create the Veteran Program House. He is a Pat Tillman Scholar and second-year MPP student at the University of Chicago’s Harris School.

Learn how Seamus helped build a strong veteran’s community at Cornell.

Grace Tucker ’17

“My first Cornell Reunion experience was between my sophomore and junior years as a clerk. Within 30 minutes of meeting one of the Reunion chairs (Michael Stroud ’95), I felt like I’d known him for years. He was so kind and truly interested in what I was working on, and he gave me great advice about career opportunities. What struck me was just how friendly he and all of the alumni were, and their palpable joy to be back on campus for Reunion. That experience really drew me to want to volunteer myself.”

Grace is a manager with Environmental Defense Fund, where she first worked as a Cornell Atkinson-EDF Summer Intern. She currently focuses on Virginia watershed issues and advocates to make communities more resilient in the face of climate change. Her volunteer leadership has included serving as Reunion chair for her 5th Reunion, planning young alumni events for the Cornell Club of Washington, and participating on the Cornell University Council. As grant committee chair for the CALS Alumni Association, Grace facilitates the award of more than $20,000 in grant funds annually for research projects, professional conferences, and summer internship support to both undergraduate and graduate students at CALS. She finds this volunteer service especially meaningful, because the funding they receive enables Cornell students to “take their research to the next level,” she says.