The Alumni Awards honor outstanding alumni and community leaders whose talents and expertise make a significant impact as they continue to live the Thomas More mission. We are pleased to announce the 2024 Alumni Award honorees.

Professional Achievement Award

This award honors alumnus/alumna whose career has reached a level of excellence in their respective field of endeavor and is recognized as such by peers and other contacts. For 2024, two alumni were given this award: Dr. Michael Gieske ’80, physician director Lung Cancer Screening at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Scott McIntyre ’97 – partner, BakerHostetler LLP.

Dr. Michael Gieske serves as the director of Lung Cancer Screening at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Gieske has been a leader in lung cancer screening programs for over eight years. He graduated from Thomas More with a Bachelor of Arts in biology. Under his leadership, over 650 cases of cancer have been diagnosed through 38,000 screenings. Two-thirds of those cancers were found early resulting in a 90% cure rate. He has advanced lung cancer research with predictive biomarkers, spearheaded Kentucky HB 180, and was a driving force behind the coalition that helped the Northern Kentucky cities of Bellevue, Dayton, and Highland Heights go smoke-free. His nominator states, “[Gieske] lives out our university mission to consider and act upon our responsibility to others. The Lung Cancer Screening program he leads recently hit a milestone of 400 Stage 1 cases diagnosed and 44,000 screenings completed!”and promoting further research.

Scott McIntyre is partner at BakerHostetler LLP. He is a certified specialist in employment and labor law by the Ohio State Bar Association. McIntyre studied history and pre-legal studies at Thomas More before attending the J. David Rosenberg College of Law at the University of Kentucky to receive his Juris Doctor. As a student at Thomas More, McIntyre was highly involved on campus, including serving as student government president, was a James Graham Brown scholar and fellow, and won the top leadership award for graduating seniors.

Among his many accolades, McIntyre is a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation and holds the highest rank awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest professional achievement and adherence to ethical standards by peers in the legal community. McIntyre was appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio to two terms on the Ohio Commission for the Rules of Practice and Procedure, is a pro-bono volunteer representing veterans before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and is a mentor to many new lawyers.

Citizenship Award

This year’s award which honors alumnus/alumna making a significant impact on the welfare of their community through service and leadership and have committed themselves to the integrity, concern for justice, and service to others for which our spiritual patron and namesake – Saint Thomas More – is so justly renowned, is given to Kenneth Reis ’72

Kenneth Reis has dedicated much of his life to preserving and sharing history, particularly that of his community in Grant’s Lick, Kentucky. Married to Janet Barth Reis for 52 years, together they have three sons and eight grandchildren. Kenneth’s journey began with his education at St. Thomas School then onto Thomas More University (then College) where he earned his B.A. in Art Education. From there, Kenneth pursued a master’s in art education from the University of Cincinnati. He was first in his family to attend college, funding his education by working at Alber’s Supermarket. Kenneth taught art to middle school students in Kentucky for 32 years before retiring in 2004 and later worked for the Cincinnati Museum Center Children’s Museum for a decade.

In 1974, Kenneth moved to a small farm in Grant’s Lick, where his passion for history took root. He began researching his family history, tracing it back to 1670 in France. This interest extended to local history, leading him to establish a museum on his farm in 1980. The museum, featuring artifacts and two restored 1800s log cabins, has welcomed hundreds of visitors annually for free for over 40 years.

Kenneth co-founded the Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society in 1990, serving as president for 27 years. He played a key role in opening the Society’s office, research library, and museum at the Alexandria Courthouse. His commitment to community history also included overseeing the State Historical Markers Program in Campbell County for a decade.

Kenneth’s contributions extend to beautification projects, such as the creation of a welcome park and a community lending library. In 2020, he organized a celebration of Grant’s Lick’s 225th anniversary, attended by 1,000 people. Kenneth continues to work on a history book of the area, with plans to complete it by 2025.

Thomas More University Service Award

Awarded to an alumnus/alumna or friend of the University who has provided continued service to the University. This award recognized extraordinary service in terms of time, energy and expertise rather than financial support. Terry Connor ’92 was tapped to receive this award.

Terry Connor currently serves as vice president and director of athletics at Thomas More. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Thomas More and is now entering his 26th year serving the University as athletic director. Under his direction, the Saints have had 25 consecutive years of at least one team advancing on to a national tournament as of the 2022-23 academic year. This is the 31st time such a feat was accomplished in the last 33 years by Thomas More. He oversees 30 highly competitive sports teams and now leads the University through the transition into Division II of the NCAA. Connor’s nominators emphasize “…the phenomenal job he has done at [Thomas More University] building multiple highly successful sports programs as the [athletic director].”

Lasting Influence Award

This award honors a faculty or staff member, past or present, who provided a positive and lasting impact on the lives of students and was a role model for life in society as well as in career choice of students. Congratulations to John Cimprich ’71.

John Cimprich grew up in southwest Ohio and now lives in northern Kentucky. After earning a Bachelor of Arts at Thomas More in history, and a master’s degree and doctorate in history at Ohio State University), he was a temporary research fellow at the Andrew Johnson Papers, plus a temporary instructor at Ohio State University and Southeast Missouri State University. Thirty-one years of his career occurred at Thomas More University where he taught surveys in world civilizations, U.S. history, ancient western history, and geography; upper-level U.S. courses; and seminars on historiography and once on Lincoln. Professional activities include authoring several books and numerous essays in the field of the American Civil War period. His 1977 dissertation evolved into his first book, “Slavery’s End in Tennessee, 1862-1865” (1985). Other books include “Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre,” and “Public Memory” (2015) and “Navigating Liberty: Black Refugees and Antislavery Reformers in the Civil War South” (2023). John held the positions of chairperson for the history department and the humanities division several times. He also served Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society as councilman, advisory board member, and chapter adviser. Having retired as professor emeritus, he still enjoys hiking, swimming, reading, writing, and traveling.

Emerging Leader Award

Awarded to a young alumnus/alumna who exemplifies outstanding leadership skills. The honoree for 2024 is Sierra O’Bryan ’13.

Sierra O’Bryan is a software engineer at Clubhouse, specialized in native Android development. With nearly a decade of experience in the tech industry, O’Bryan has worked across a diverse range of companies, including Fifth Third Bank, Kroger, Procter & Gamble, as well as Twitter and Clubhouse. She takes pride in building user-facing products that help people. 

O’Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Thomas More, a Master of Science in physics from the Ohio State University, and is currently completing an Master of Science in computer science at Northern Kentucky University. After graduating from Ohio State, she transitioned into the tech industry. She is passionate about building beautiful, user-friendly Android apps, sharing her expertise with the community, and mentoring aspiring mobile developers. O’Bryan is a Google developer expert for Android, reflecting both her technical knowledge and community outreach. She regularly presents on topics including mobile accessibility, mentorship, Android development, and machine learning to audiences of all levels. 

O’Bryan launched the Cincinnati Network of Women Who Code and previously served as the Leadership Fellow for the global Mobile track. Additionally, she has held leadership roles with getWITit as the co-president for Cincinnati and the organization’s director of technology. She is currently a Women Techmakers ambassador and the co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Council for Southern & Central Ohio Breakthrough T1D. She has been recognized as a Women to Watch finalist by the Circuit, a Next Generation leader in technology by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and a STEMfluencer by the Gaskins Foundation.

Legacy Award

Newly established, this award posthumously honors the impact that alumnus/a, faculty, staff, or friends of the University made on the institution during their lifetime. Remembered as beacons of inspiration in the pursuit of the meaning of life, their place in the world, and their responsibility to others while they were with us and beyond. This year, Sr. Loretto Marie Driscoll ’39 receives this award.

Awarded posthumously, Sr. Loretto Marie graduated from Thomas More University (then Villa Madonna) with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She continued her career at Thomas More serving as an English professor, chair of the English department, and head librarian during her tenure at the University. Her nominator stated, “Because of Sister Loretto Marie’s encouragement and support, I was able to achieve a 30-year career as a high school English teacher and secondary principal.. I owe so much of my career to the support of [her].”