Introducing the 2026 Best of BU Alumni Award recipients

By Terrier Dispatch staff | Published July 2026

Each Alumni Weekend, the BU Alumni Association (BUAA) and University community gather to celebrate the Best of BU Alumni Awards, recognizing esteemed alumni for their remarkable leadership and their impact on their local and global communities. These Terriers will receive the highest honor bestowed upon alumni by the University: the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Young Alumni Award.

From NASA pilots to disability advocates and healthcare leaders, this year’s alumni are changing the world. Join us in honoring their incredible achievements.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Colonel Bob Hines (ENG’97)

After earning his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University in 1997, Colonel Bob Hines embarked on a distinguished 23-year career with the US Air Force as a pilot, test pilot, and flight instructor. He has accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flight time in 50 types of aircraft and flown 76 combat missions in support of contingency operations around the world. Drawing on that experience, as well as master’s degrees from the US Air Force Test Pilot School and the University of Alabama, Hines was selected by NASA to make history as pilot of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission in 2022. He spent 170 days aboard the International Space Station, conducting hundreds of hours of scientific research and helping oversee the arrival of five visiting crew and cargo vehicles. His contributions to human spaceflight continue as he serves as an alternate crew member for NASA’s Artemis III mission.

Dushanka Kleinman (SDM’76,’76)

With an MScD in dental public health from Boston University’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and a DDS from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, public health leader Dushanka Kleinman has played an essential role in advancing oral health as a key component of overall health. After 28 years in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, she retired as rear admiral and assistant surgeon general. She was the deputy director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and played a leading role in launching the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, now the NIH Common Fund. Kleinman helped steer the first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health and served a five-year term as the nation’s 15th chief dental officer. Kleinman helped establish the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland and is now president of the Santa Fe Group, a think tank focused on improving lives through oral health.

Karen LaFrazia (SSW’89)

Karen LaFrazia has dedicated her career to supporting and advocating for people experiencing homelessness. As president and CEO of St. Francis House, New England’s largest day shelter, LaFrazia has pioneered a comprehensive approach to homeless services that has made St. Francis a national model and a valued Boston resource. Her leadership has also been central to advancing St. Francis’s commitment to creating permanent affordable housing as an answer to homelessness, including a current project that will add 126 new units of affordable housing downtown—70 for people coming directly out of homelessness—with supportive services provided by St. Francis. LaFrazia’s attention to the dignity of the individuals she serves is visible in a top-to-bottom renovation of the shelter’s headquarters, which draws on trauma-informed design principles and connects guests to a suite of integrated services aimed at regaining stability. These include employment assistance, addiction recovery, mental health services, and housing assistance.

Kevin Lofton (Questrom’76)

A nationally recognized healthcare executive, Kevin Lofton (Questrom’76) served as CEO of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest health systems, leading the organization and its predecessor, Catholic Health Initiatives, for nearly two decades before retiring in 2020. He previously served as CEO of both UAB Hospital and Howard University Hospital.

Today, Lofton serves as chairman of MiniMed, Inc., a diabetes solutions company, and as a director of Medtronic. He has also served as lead independent director of Gilead Sciences and is the founder and CEO of Amplify Ventures, LLC, a strategic advisory firm focused on governance and executive leadership.

Throughout, Lofton has championed health equity and leadership development. He helped launch the American Hospital Association’s Equity of Care initiative, and he has been recognized 15 times as one of Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.” He holds degrees from Boston University and Georgia State University, as well as an honorary doctorate from Baylor College of Medicine.

Young Alumni Award

Ixchel Lemus-Bromley (CGS’17, COM’19)

Born in Costa Rica to a Guatemalan and American family, Ixchel Lemus-Bromley arrived at Boston University shaped by a rich multicultural heritage. When she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa during her freshman year, she met the challenge with remarkable resilience—earning her communication degree in 2019 and carrying forward with a sense of purpose. Relocating to Seattle, Lemus-Bromley built a career in corporate social responsibility, partnering with brands including Nordstrom and Brooks Running to advance human rights, transparency, and ethical accountability by asking corporations to lead not just with profit, but with principle. Beyond the workplace, Lemus-Bromley has channeled her personal experience as a visually impaired runner into Free 2 Fly, a running community she founded to connect visually impaired athletes with sighted guide partners. This fall, she will pursue a Master of Social Work degree to deepen her impact in disability advocacy and mental health support.