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Young Alumni Award
Celebrating our alumni leaders
This award recognizes an alumnus who has expressed the finest of CofC traditions through service to his or her community and/or profession within ten years of graduating. The recipient’s class year must be within the past ten years.
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2026 Young Alumnus
Fabien McGill ’16
Born and raised in a small caution-light town in South Carolina, I learned early the values of faith, hard work, resilience, and community—principles that continue to guide my life and leadership. Those humble beginnings led me to earn a B.S. in Middle Grades Education from the College of Charleston, followed by a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of South Carolina, an Education Specialist in Educational Leadership and Administration from Albany State University, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from South Carolina State University.
Throughout my career, I have served as a math instructor, educational consultant, assistant principal, and founding principal of a charter school. Against significant odds, I led the successful launch of the school, which went on to serve more than 420 scholars despite widespread skepticism about whether it could open or thrive in a region commonly known as the “Corridor of Shame”—an area that has long symbolized educational inequities in South Carolina and reflects many of the same challenges I witnessed growing up in another part of the state.
Today, I work alongside my family in our growing family business while continuing to provide educational consulting and develop new entrepreneurial ventures. I am certified in Restorative Practices, Gifted and Talented endorsed, and a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Above all, I am blessed to share life with my beautiful wife, Janice McGill, a fellow College of Charleston alumna, and our gorgeous daughter, Giavanni, who inspires me daily to pursue excellence and leave a lasting legacy.
Young Alumni Award Past Recipients
1989 – John F. Martin ’82
1990 – W. Kurt Taylor ’84
1991 – Maria Mansfield Richardson ’84
1992 – Margaret Collins Frierson ’85
1993 – Cynthia A. Pittman ’91
1994 – Arlene Anderson Harrington ’91
1995 – Erica Henderson Brown ’93
1996 – Sheryl Snyder Matthews ’93
1997 – Brian C. Rutenberg ’87
1998 – Jackson Lee Davis, IV ’90
1999 – Troy Guerard Knight ’89 *
2000 – Stephanie S. Sheffield ’93
2001 – Scott J. Buchanan ’92 *
2002 – Wyndi M. Anderson ’93
2003 – Scott A. Heavin ’93
2004 – Anthony M. Johnson ’97
2005 – Chesley K. Stetten ’02
2006 – Keiron T. Kennedy ’01
2007 – Stephanie Rice Jones ’99
2008 – Nicholas C. Glover ’05
2009 – Margaret Anne Florence ’01
2010 – Carol Hannah Whitfield ’07
2011 – Cyrus A. Buffum ’06
2012 – Adam Paul ’06
2013 – Stephanie Felder ’04
2014 – Brett Gardner ’05
2015 – Harriett E. Lee ’08
2016 – Rebecca Shaw Whitener ’06
2017 – Donald F. Schneider ’12
2018 – Jerry Casselano ’08
2019 – Shaun D. Kraisman ’12
2020 – George Patrick McLeer Jr. ’10
2021 – Adeyemi M. Oduwole ’19
2022 – Catherine Clifton ’12
2023 – Ashley Cafasso ’14
2023 – Tanner Clay ’15
2024 – Maggie Panetta ’17
2025 – Deniz Houston ’16
* Deceased