LEWISTON, Idaho – Kermit Mankiller, Executive Officer for Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises, has been named the Lewis-Clark State College Alumni Association’s Alumni of the Year for 2018 and will be honored at the Alumni Awards Celebration next Thursday, Oct. 18, at the LCSC Center for Arts & History, located at 415 Main St. in Lewiston.
Mankiller is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and has held his current position since January. He has participated in numerous LCSC events through the years, including Native American Awareness Week as a speaker. He also has supported Native American Alumni events and programs.
The award he will receive honors an alum who has enriched the lives of others through their generous gifts of time and talent, their involvement with civic, chartable and social causes, and their ability to inspire.
Mankiller is one of nine individuals who will be honored during the evening.
The event will begin with a 5:30 p.m. social, followed by the awards ceremony at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, but each honoree receives six tickets. To purchase a ticket online, visit and scroll down to the “Register Here” button for the Oct. 18 Alumni Awards Celebration. Tickets also can be purchased by calling the LCSC Alumni Relations Office at 208-792-2458.
Each year the Alumni Association honors individuals, both LCSC alums and non-alums, who have made an impact at the college or in the community.
Also being honored this year with the Marion Shinn Lifetime Achievement Award is retired educator and former legislator Liz Chavez. The award recognizes outstanding contributions of an alum who has shown long-term dedication to the college and community. Chavez is president of the LCSC Foundation Board and attends several college events.
The 2018 winners are listed below with their place of employment listed in parentheses.
- Alumni of the Year Award – Kermit Mankiller (executive officer, Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises)
- Marion Shinn Lifetime Achievement Award – Liz Chavez (retired educator)
- Rising Star Young Alumna Award – Brooke (Cushman) Henze (athletic director, LCSC).
- Rising Star Young Alumnus Award – Luis Carrillo (TRiO advisor, Idaho State University)
- Althea Pabst Award – Kathleen Grussing (retired International Programs director, LCSC) and Richard Moore (retired faculty, LCSC).
- Excellence in Education Award – Ella-Mae Keatts (professor, Nursing & Health Sciences Division, LCSC).
- David Walker Spirit Award – Diane Fernandez (former LCSC first lady) and Bert Sahlberg (public information specialist and regional coordinator of community and government relations, LCSC).
For more information on the awards, the winners, or the event, contact Director of Alumni & Community Relations Renee Olsen at rmolsen@lcsc.edu or 208-792-2458.