Distinguished Alumni Award

Chairman and CEO, CVS Health®
BBA, Finance, 1986

Joyner leads more than 300,000 colleagues who are united around the ambition to be America’s most trusted health care company, by delivering on the purpose to simplify health care one person, one family, and one community at a time. Under his leadership, CVS Health® is advancing a coordinated approach to care that is affordable and accessible. Through its connected businesses, including insurance plans, pharmacies, clinics, and health services, the company serves nearly 185 million people across America.

Vice President for Advancement, Texas Tech University
BBA, Management Honors Program, 2004

Kennedy leads the fundraising and philanthropic efforts for Texas Tech University. He joined the Texas Tech University System in 2008 as general counsel for the Texas Tech Foundation and the director of gift planning, which includes gifts through estates, real property, and complex assets. He was also part of the team that led fundraising to help establish and open the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine.

CEO, Academic HealthPlans
BBA, Accounting, 1980

Lyons founded Academic HealthPlans (AHP) in December 1998, creating a company that provides student health consulting and plan administration services to higher education institutions. He grew AHP into the market leader in the student health insurance industry that serves more than 400 universities and provides coverage to over 500,000 students nationwide.

CEO, FireBird Energy II LLC
Owner, Twister T Ranch and Beef
BBA, Petroleum Land Management, 2002

Thompson is an energy entrepreneur, operator, and land executive with a proven track record of building upstream oil and gas companies in the Midland Basin. As CEO of FireBird Energy, he leads the company’s acquisition, development, and operating strategy focused on high-quality upstream assets.