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DALLAS (ÎÞÂëרÇø) – ÎÞÂëרÇø will honor five outstanding leaders in faith ministry, community advocacy, corporate management, entrepreneurism and business leadership, and digital marketing strategy at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at ÎÞÂëרÇø’s Distinguished Alumni Award presentation and dinner.

The event, hosted by ÎÞÂëרÇø president Jay Hartzell and the ÎÞÂëרÇø Alumni Board, recognizes leaders for their extraordinary achievements, outstanding character and good citizenship each year during Homecoming Week. It is the highest honor the University can bestow upon its graduates. The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Rev. Paul L. Rasmussen ’04, senior minister at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas; Suzanne S. Youngkin ’89, first lady of the commonwealth of Virginia; David S. Huntley ’80, retired senior executive vice president and chief compliance officer for AT&T Inc.; and Trevor D. Rees-Jones ’78, founder and CEO of Chief Oil & Gas, LLC and Rees-Jones Holdings, LLC.

Sana Merchant ’11, senior director of club and college marketing at the NFL, will receive the University’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of an alumnus or alumna who has graduated in the last 15 years.

Rev. Paul Rasmussen

A native of Shreveport, La., Rev. Paul L. Rasmussen ’04 completed an undergraduate degree in history from Centenary College of Louisiana and a Master of Arts from the University of Richmond before heading to the Hilltop for his Master of Divinity from ÎÞÂëרÇø’s Perkins School of Theology.

He is a fourth generation United Methodist minister, serving as senior minister at Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC) in Dallas. Prior to entering seminary in 2000, Rasmussen served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Centenary College for five years. During his tenure, Centenary was one of seven NCAA schools to graduate 100% of its players. He left coaching in 1997 to pursue a career in sports marketing, where he served as the national sales director for SportsCare USA, Inc. Rasmussen left the corporate world to pursue his call to ministry and has served on the staff at HPUMC ever since, first as an intern while pursuing his degree from Perkins.

In 2001, he began preaching in Cornerstone, HPUMC’s contemporary worship service. In 2013, he became the 11th senior pastor to serve this congregation of over 15,000 members. Nurturing new church plants has always been a focal point at HPUMC, and Rasmussen has overseen several. In 2011, Munger Place Church was renovated and reopened, serving as an East Dallas satellite campus. The Grove Church launched in 2017 in North Dallas, followed by Uptown Church in 2021.

Rasmussen has also played a key role in the expansion of the church’s main campus with the opening of the Tolleson Family Activity Center in 2019. This 65,000-square-foot space is home to HPUMC’s Belong Disability Ministry and Family Ministry.

Rasmussen is dedicated to continuing an outreach emphasis. “For over 100 years, HPUMC has led the way of Christian service in the city of Dallas, and we never let up on that charge,” he said. “God has blessed this church in so many ways, and we have an obligation to leverage those blessings for the greater good of the city.”

Learn more about Rasmussen here.

Suzanne Youngkin

Born in Little Rock, Ark., and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas, Suzanne S. Youngkin ’89 arrived at the Hilltop in 1985 and quickly got involved. She pledged Pi Beta Phi, wrote for The Daily Campus, was selected for the Mam’selles Fashion Board, was a Beta Theta Pi little sister and studied abroad in Spain. While a student, she worked part-time at nearby clothing boutiques, interned in media relations, took part in intramural sports, attended many football games at Texas Stadium as well as music and dance performances at Meadows, and attended church locally. She credits the small class sizes and diverse range of topics for broadening her perspective. Youngkin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and public relations with a minor in Ibero-American studies.  

After graduation, she launched her career in public relations, holding leadership roles including vice president at Ogilvy PR and chief communications officer for the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources. In those roles, she earned industry accolades for creative campaigns and award-winning work. She then dedicated two decades to raising children as a full-time stay-at-home mom – an experience she considers among her greatest privileges. She currently serves on numerous boards, including the State Ballet of Virginia, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Council, Wolf Trap Associates, and is president of the charitable Phos Foundation.

Youngkin serves as the first lady of the commonwealth of Virginia alongside her husband of 31 years, Governor Glenn Youngkin. A champion for the well-being of women and girls, her initiatives focus on behavioral health, workforce readiness, and connecting Virginians with life-enhancing resources.

She is vocal on the danger of fentanyl poisoning, the exploitation of the vulnerable through human trafficking, and the prioritization of youth mental health – working to destigmatize addiction and encourage healing. The first lady’s fentanyl awareness initiative, It Only Takes One, has contributed to Virginia leading the nation in the reduction of overdose deaths. 

Recognizing dignity in work, and in response to worker displacement during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and Governor Youngkin co-founded VA Ready, a nonprofit that helped thousands of Virginians reskill for in-demand jobs.

As first lady, Youngkin created the Spirit of Virginia Award to recognize individuals and organizations making a meaningful difference. She curates the first-of-its-kind Art Experience at Virginia’s Executive Mansion, celebrating Virginian artists through a rotating collection of diverse works. She is also deeply engaged in at-risk communities through Partnership for Petersburg, as well as in schools and churches; and she leads the giving of the entirety of the gubernatorial salary to Virginia nonprofits alongside the Governor.

Another initiative championed by Youngkin, Sisterhood in L.I.F.E., centers around the values of loving, inquiring, flourishing and enduring and works to build upon meaningful opportunities, resources and gatherings for Virginians.

Learn more about Youngkin here.

David Huntley

When David S. Huntley ’80 arrived on the Hilltop in 1976, he quickly became involved on campus. A political science major, he served on Student Senate and became the first Black student body president, elected as a write-in candidate, from 1978 to 1979. Following graduation and a few years in the workforce, Huntley earned a law degree from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in New York City.

Huntley retired from AT&T after nearly 30 years in a variety of leadership roles, including senior executive vice president and chief compliance officer from December 2014 to June 2023. While there, he was responsible for developing policies to safeguard the privacy of customer and employee information, verifying compliance with the legal and regulatory requirements of the countries and jurisdictions where AT&T operates, and ensuring adherence to internal compliance requirements. He also led asset protection, which investigates violations of the code of business conduct, provides executive protection and security countermeasures and fulfills legal demands for records and emergency government requests.

Huntley serves on the boards of Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.; Common Securitization Solutions; AT LAST!; the Ethics and Compliance Initiative; Methodist Health System Foundation and Forest Forward. He was the 2023–2024 Texas Business Hall of Fame president and chair and is a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

He previously served on the executive committee of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast and the government relations committee of the Greater Houston Partnership. He also served as a board member of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the 2004 Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, as well as on the board of trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation. Huntley was previously a trustee of the National Urban League.

A devoted alumnus of his alma mater, he serves on the ÎÞÂëרÇø Board of Trustees, chair of the Student Affairs Committee and vice chair of the Dedman School of Law Executive Board. He also recently co-chaired the ÎÞÂëרÇø Ignited Campaign Steering Committee for the Dedman School of Law.

Learn more about Huntley here.

Trevor Rees-Jones

The second of three generations of ÎÞÂëרÇø alumni, Trevor D. Rees-Jones ’78 earned his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, followed by a Juris Doctor from the ÎÞÂëרÇø Dedman School of Law.

In the years since graduation, Rees-Jones has become a presence in the Dallas law, business, and oil and gas industries. After ten years as a small independent in the oil and gas business, in 1994 Rees-Jones founded Chief Oil & Gas, an early operator during the development of the Barnett Shale field in North Texas. In 2007, Chief began operating in the Marcellus Shale play in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In addition to exploration and production, Rees-Jones and Chief established midstream companies in both the Barnett and Marcellus, gathering and transporting natural gas from wells drilled by Chief and other operators. At the time of its last sale in March 2022, Chief was one of the largest privately owned producers of natural gas in the nation.

Rees-Jones is past president of the Dallas Petroleum Club and the Dallas Hardhatters Committee (now the Dallas Wildcatters Committee); a past member of the Board of Trustees at Dartmouth College; and an emeritus member of the TCU Board of Trustees. In 2011, Rees-Jones was inducted into All-American Wildcatters. Rees-Jones received the Folsom Award for civic and community service in 2011.

In 2013, he was presented with the Circle Ten Council Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and was inducted into the Junior Achievement’s Dallas Business Hall of Fame. Rees-Jones has also been inducted into the Entrepreneurs for North Texas “Ring of Entrepreneurs” by Communities Foundation of Texas in 2014 and the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2014; was recognized by the Texas Oil & Gas Association with its Distinguished Service Award in 2013; and received the L. Frank Pitts Award for Energy Leadership from ÎÞÂëרÇø in 2016 and the Highland Park High School Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Rees-Jones was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association in 2023.

In 2006, Rees-Jones and his wife, Jan, established The Rees-Jones Foundation, which has granted over $800 million to programs in North Texas, Africa and India. Core areas of priority are child abuse and neglect, care for disabled children and youth, youth character development, community development and animal welfare.

A passionate Texan and collector of Western Americana, Trevor Rees-Jones has also pledged funding and a significant collection to establish the Rees-Jones Library of the American West at ÎÞÂëרÇø. His first interest in collecting began during a childhood visit to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and he credits his connection to ÎÞÂëרÇø Libraries, in part, to his father, Trevor William Rees-Jones ’43, who served as the lawyer for the estate of the late E.L. DeGolyer, Sr., the namesake for ÎÞÂëרÇø’s DeGolyer Library.

Learn more about Rees-Jones here.

Sana Merchant

Born in India and raised in Dallas from the age of 9, Sana Merchant ’11 immersed herself in life at ÎÞÂëרÇø. She was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta academic honor society and was involved in the South Asian Student Association, Program Council and the Public Relations Student Society of America. She received the John D. Graham Scholarship, the Marcia Silverman Minority Award, the National President’s Citation, the Robert Redman Scholarship and the “M” Award.

A member of Tri Delta, Merchant served as philanthropy chair and house manager and was on the Panhellenic Council. She was a Mustang Corral leader and a Homecoming candidate. While a student, she interned at Edelman, The Marketing Arm, The Dallas Morning News and American Airlines Center.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in corporate communications and public affairs, she began her career at Burson-Marsteller (now Burson). Two years later, she joined the marketing and public relations team at the Empire State Building, where she drove the brand’s overall social media strategy and messaging. In this role, she also supported the planning and execution of one-of-a-kind marketing campaigns, including #WhosGonnaWin with Verizon, Zedd’s True Colors album launch with Universal Music Group, the 50th anniversary celebration of the Ford Mustang, and the first-ever live projection onto the building with the Oceanic Preservation Society, among others.

Merchant recently completed her 10th season with the National Football League, where she serves as the senior director of club and college marketing. She and her team support the NFL’s 32 teams and 110-plus collegiate partners to meaningfully drive the game of football further through engaging and relevant social content.

She and her team work hand in hand with all 32 NFL clubs on strategic planning, social analytics, monetization strategies and content best practices both domestically and internationally. In close collaboration with internal departments, she ensures that club strategies reflect broader league priorities and partnerships – amplifying both local impact and NFL-wide objectives.

Learn more about Merchant here.

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ÎÞÂëרÇø is the nationally ranked research university in the dynamic city of Dallas, and a member of the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference. ÎÞÂëרÇø’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.