MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University is again recognizing outstanding alumni who represent excellence and distinction through their professional careers, loyal support of their alma mater and service to the broader community. 

Since 1960, the MTSU Alumni Association has recognized accomplished alumni with the association’s highest honor: the Distinguished Alumni Award.

The 2024-25 recipient is Peggy Chabrian (Class of 1980) of Port Orange, Florida. She was president, CEO and founder of Women in Aviation International for 25 years, has held top administrative positions in aviation higher education in the U.S., owns Chabrian Aviation and will be enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame Sept. 14 in Dayton, Ohio.

The 2024-25 Young Alumni Achievement Award, given to a graduate age 35 or younger making a positive impact in the world, goes to Lexie Phillips (Class of 2011) of Estill Springs, an agribusiness major who is Jack Daniel’s first female assistant distiller. 

For the 11th consecutive year, True Blue Citations of Distinction are being awarded. This year’s honorees feature:

• Achievement in Education (MTSU faculty) — Leah Lyons (Class of 1995), of Murfreesboro, dean for the College of Liberal Arts, author, administrator and lifetime educator.

• Achievement in Education (non-MTSU faculty) — Judy Goodwin (Class and 1970 of ’72), of Murfreesboro, who has spent more than 50 years as a Rutherford County Schools’ educator and administrator.

• Service to Community — Kristen Gallant (Class of ’18), of Knoxville, a communications specialist at the University of Tennessee, former television reporter and volunteer for Youth Villages since 2015, raising more than $12,000 and collecting items for foster care and adoptive families for the organization.

• Military Service — Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Ogg (Classes of ’78 and ’87), of Murfreesboro, who served more than 32 years and is a former assistant chair of the Military Science Department from 1984-88. He was a founding alumnus of the Military Science Alumni Chapter in 1986 and is one of only 17 general officers commissioned by MTSU ROTC in the last 75 years.

“The Alumni Association is excited to recognize the achievements of six talented alumni,” said Ginger Freeman, Office of Alumni Relations director. “Their accomplishments show the breadth of personal and professional success of our graduates, and we look forward to honoring and celebrating them as part of this year’s homecoming festivities.”

The Alumni Association will recognize them at several events during MTSU Homecoming Friday and Saturday Sept. 20-21. The first will be the Alumni Awards ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. They also will ride in the Sept. 21 Homecoming Parade and be recognized during the game.

Distinguished Alumnus

Peggy Chabrian (Class of 1980), Aerospace/College of Basic and Applied Sciences 

Publisher, higher education administrator, aviation company owner and award winner, Chabrian’s career sky-rocketed after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MTSU.

Chabrian was publisher of Aviation for Women magazine from 1997-2019 and Aviation for Girls magazine from 2015-19.

In academia, she was associate vice president and dean of Parks College at Saint Louis University; associate dean at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University from 1988-90; director of the Center of Excellence and assistant professor at Embry Riddle from 1986-98; and aviation department chair at Georgia State University from 1985-86.

In addition to the upcoming hall of fame recognition at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, among Chabrian’s many honors are Distinguished Statesman of Aviation Award; Crown Circle Award from the National Congress for Aviation and Space Education; and the FAA Administrators Award for Excellence in Aviation Education.

Young Alumni Achievement Award

Lexie Phillips (’11), Agriculture Business/College of Basic and Applied Sciences

Before becoming assistant distiller, Phillips worked in Jack Daniels’ quality control and the bottling line, distillery operations and lead operator — one of only six women to achieve this status.

In 2014, she was inspired by a co-worker and her elective fermentation science classes to become a distiller, and this is where she fell in love with her career. The skilled, strenuous task of actively growing yeast, cooking grains, managing fermentation and distilling whiskey is where she felt most at home.

After moving into a leadership role as a lead distillery operator in 2016, Phillips received the opportunity not many people have been honored with in the company’s 158-year history: named assistant distiller in 2020.

Phillips was brand ambassador for four years until April 2024 and is now back on the production side, still working as a distiller. She’s also heavily involved with the creation and launch of several innovative products.

True Blue Citations of Distinction

Achievement in Education/MTSU Faculty

Leah Tolbert Lyons (’95), Foreign Languages and English/College of Liberal Arts

Since joining the MTSU faculty in 2001, Lyons has experience at every faculty rank — adjunct, lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor and professor. She has taught French language, literature and film at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has demonstrated a strong commitment to general education teaching throughout her career.

In 2019, after 17 years in the classroom and having served in various administrative capacities, Lyons entered full-time administration. She started as an interim associate dean and is now dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Under Lyons’ watch as dean, the college has established the MTSU Arts Hall of Fame, created the CLA Transfer Scholarship and developed the Liberal Arts Mentoring Program.

Lyons has presented research across the U.S., Canada and Switzerland, publishing in English and French. She is co-editor of the book, “Incorporating Foreign Language Content in Humanities Courses,” published by Routledge in 2019.

Achievement in Education (Non-MTSU Faculty)

Judy Goodwin (’70 and ’72),

Elementary Education, Curriculum & Instruction/College of Education

A 53-year career educator — 25-plus as a teacher in Williamson and Rutherford counties and currently 28-plus as an administrator, Goodwin has spent 24 years as Barfield Elementary School’s principal.

The 2021 Rutherford County Principal of the Year has also been a finalist twice for Teacher of the Year for the state of Tennessee, twice a finalist for Principal of the Year in Tennessee and a Who’s Who Among American Teachers recipient.

Inspired at age 6 by her first-grade teacher in Williamson County, Goodwin earned 12 hours of pre-Honors college credit at MTSU as a 16-year-old rising high school senior before entering the university, eventually graduating with honors. She has mentored countless aspiring teachers and administrators.

Goodwin is the benefactor of the MTSU College of Education Judy Turner Goodwin Scholarship in honor of her late son, Drew Pate, former co-owner, designer and artist of Yours Truly in Murfreesboro. 

Service to the Community

Kristen Gallant (’18), Multimedia Journalism/College of Media and Entertainment

A volunteer at heart, Gallant established Chances: Creating Families Through Adoption Inc., to help share the stories of foster care and adoptive families and to give support to those who need it. 

Gallant uses her multimedia journalism skills to both inform and involve the community in ways that they can love and support children who are in foster care. 

Gallant also created “Rock the Stage,” a fundraising talent competition that has helped raise thousands of dollars in funds for both Youth Villages and Children’s’ Miracle network. 

She has volunteered with Relay for Life, the American Heart Association, Night to Shine through the Tim Tebow Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association.

While an MTSU student, Gallant received several servant leader awards and the Miss Tennessee 2021 Servant Leader Overall Community Service Award. She also completed the U.S. Department of Justice FBI Citizens Academy in 2022.

Military Service

David Ogg (’78 and ’87), 

Health and Physical Education/College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

Ogg’s 32-year career included 22 years in the Army Acquisition Corps, responsible for developing, producing, fielding and sustaining ground combat vehicles for the Army and international forces. As project manager for the Stryker Brigade Combat Team office and with a $9 billion budget and 2,200 personnel, they delivered 300 vehicles ahead of schedule, earning him the 2003 Army’s Project Manager of the Year.

With the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, he led 1,100 military and civilian personnel to develop 270 material programs, rapidly responding to warfighter requirements and challenges stemming from Iraq and Afghanistan combat operations.

At his 2010 retirement, Ogg received the Distinguished Service Medal — the Army’s highest honor outside combat operations.

In retirement, Ogg supported U.S. national defense as president and CEO of an 8A Native American small business, as business manager for Navigation Systems with Northrop Grumman and senior strategic analysist with the Missile Defense Agency.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)