Five West Virginia University graduates who are leaders in their fields will become the newest inductees into the WVU Alumni Association Academy of Distinguished Alumni during a February 7 ceremony at the Erickson Alumni Center.
Receiving one of the highest honors awarded to University alumni, Dr. Linda Arnold, Luke Frazier,
Diana Murphy, Dr. Laura Wood, and Dr. Sharon Burmeister Lord make up the Academy’s Class of 2025.
Linda Arnold
Linda Arnold is the Founder and former Chairman/CEO of a multi-state communications company, as well as a syndicated columnist and psychological counselor. Under her leadership, The Arnold Agency grew to have offices in Washington, DC, West Virginia and Montana, and represented clients in multiple states, including Hawaii. Services included strategic communications, marketing, branding, public relations, advertising, crisis communications and government relations for both consumer and business-to-business clients.
While the agency garnered more than 300 professional awards, the results gained for clients were more important: increased market share, enhanced reputations, greater profit margins and passage or blockage of legislative and congressional bills.
Earlier in her career, Arnold served as the Director of Communications and Press Secretary for John D. Rockefeller IV, interfacing with all branches of government – legislative, executive and judicial – and handled press conferences, speech writing, and the role of spokesperson.
Arnold is currently a syndicated columnist of the weekly newspaper columns, Live Life Fully and Life 101. Drawing from both her communications and psychology backgrounds, the columns focus on health, wellness, mind, body and spirit issues -- as well as business topics -- often emphasizing tips for stress and anxiety reduction, conflict resolution and behavioral change, to name a few. She is also a keynote speaker and the author of two books.
Arnold holds two master’s degrees -- an MBA and a master’s in counseling -- in addition to her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Professional affiliations include the National Council of Business Women, the National Society of Syndicated Columnists, American Advertising Federation and the Public Relations Society of America.
She is the recipient of an “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Ernst & Young and has been named a “Woman of Achievement” by the YWCA and a “Wonder Woman” by New South Media. In addition, she has been honored with the Communications and Leadership Award from Toastmasters International.
Arnold has been inducted into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame, the state Public Relations Society of America Hall of Fame, and the P.I. Reed Society at West Virginia University. She has also been honored with a PRSA “Lifetime Achievement Award” and has served on various professional and charitable boards, including the state chapters of The Nature Conservancy and Huntington National Bank.
A proud WVU graduate, Arnold has actively given back through the establishment of The Arnold Agency Scholarship, philanthropic projects and contributions to the Reed College of Media as a member of the Advisory Board and Visiting Committee. She and her husband, John Catselis, divide their time between Charleston, West Virginia and Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.
Luke Frazier
Luke Frazier is a conductor, music director and pianist who believes that the future of music depends on breaking down barriers between musicians and audiences. His philosophy is that the most important priority for a modern conductor is not only musical excellence, but also creating diverse and engaging programming that brings communities together through the joy of music and gets people from all walks of life excited about orchestral performances. Luke believes that conductors are the bridge between the audience and the orchestra and what he programs and how it relates to the listeners, is the heartbeat of what keeps orchestral programming alive.
Luke started The American Pops Orchestra (APO) in 2015 to present a broad array of popular and classical music in innovative ways to bring new audiences into the orchestral world. APO has been featured in thirty national broadcasts on PBS with programs ranging in genre from classical to country, jazz to musical theatre. Perhaps most notably, WICKED IN CONCERT, not only excited television audiences by presenting this beloved musical on screen for the first time ever, but the show also garnered lots of online love and attention (including trending in the top ten on Twitter).
Artists like Renée Fleming, Patti LaBelle, Ariana DeBose, Joshua Bell, Josh Groban and so many more have joined the orchestra, sharing orchestral music with an audience of over sixty million viewers across the country, completely free of charge.
Creating opportunities for the next generation of music makers and music lovers is always a priority for Luke. Each year, Luke spends at least three weeks touring live shows to underserved elementary schools for free, and through virtual tour streaming, has reached over 700k students across all 50 states. Additionally, Luke helms a proud partnership with Children’s National Hospital that brings free children’s programming to the young patients under their care in the Children’s Hospital network across the country. Luke is also passionate about finding outstanding college musicians. He founded APO’s annual NextGen Vocal Competition, where winners earn cash prizes and career-boosting performance experiences. He also founded the NATO Symphony Orchestra in honor of the 75th Anniversary of NATO, comprised of college musicians from all 32 NATO Countries who will perform together at the Library of Congress for dignitaries both domestic and international.
In addition to his work with APO and PBS, he maintains a busy schedule as a guest conductor and pianist. Luke is the newly appointed pops conductor of The Symphony of the Americas, in addition to regularly guest conducting orchestras across the country in an array of classical and popular repertoire. Luke is conducting an expanded concert series at Lincoln Center this coming season and he is the Artistic Director of Nouveau Productions. He appears regularly in venues from Lincoln Center to The Smithsonian, The Los Angeles Music Center to The Kravis Center and many more. Luke is proud to represent the United States of America with APO, which was designated an official Arts Envoy for the United States Department of State.
Luke is fortunate to call many of the world’s most incredible artists both friends and collaborators. Chita Rivera, Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Sandi Patty, Kristin Chenoweth, Jamie Barton, Paulo Szot, Vanessa Williams, Arturo Sandoval, Rita Moreno, Peter Frampton, Ricardo Morales and so many more have joined Luke on stage and screen for original programs of all varieties.
Diana Murphy
Diana Murphy is an active and accomplished corporate and civic leader. A proud native of Princeton, West Virginia, Murphy earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism from WVU in 1978. She earned an Advanced Executive Business Degree from Northwestern University in 1993.
For fifteen years, Murphy held several executive positions including Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of The Baltimore Sun Company. In the early 2000s, Murphy turned her full attention to business and community development when she and her husband, Reg, relocated full-time to Coastal Georgia. For nearly two decades, she has served as a Managing Director of Rocksolid Holdings, LLC, a private equity firm focused on small businesses and real estate in the Southeast.
Murphy currently serves on the governing boards of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), a public company and leading global insurance organization; Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc., the holding company of the professional baseball team and its development projects; is Non-Executive Chairman of Landstar System, Inc. (Landstar), a public company that provides integrated transportation management solutions worldwide; and Synovus Financial Corporation, a financial services company serving the Southeast. Murphy also was Managing Director of Chartwell Capital Management Co., a private equity firm located in Jacksonville, Florida and the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Fund, a private equity firm invested in early-stage technology and life science companies created out of the state’s research universities.
In 2016, Murphy was elected the 64th President of the United States Golf Association (USGA), serving two terms as president and becoming only the second woman to hold that position in the organization’s 121-year history. She served on the USGA’s Executive Committee (2011 – 2017) and was its Vice President and Treasurer prior to becoming President. In 2022, Murphy served as Captain of the United States World Amateur Golf Team where the US Men’s Team won the Bronze Medal.
Murphy is an engaged civic leader who generously devotes her time and talents to her community, serving on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia, First Tee, and the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation. She was a founder and board member of the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation. Murphy serves as a mentor to emerging business leaders and professional women.
As time permits, Murphy enjoys spending time golfing, playing the piano, reading, and walking in maritime forests and on the beach with her beloved Goldendoodle, Sam. She and Reg have an extended, blended family, including two adult grandsons and a joyful, young grandson, August. She is a member of St. Simons Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Laura Wood
Dr. Laura J. Wood, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN serves as Boston Children’s Hospital’s Executive Vice President, Patient Care Operations - System Chief Nurse Executive and Sporing Carpenter Chair for Nursing. Dr. Wood sets strategic direction within the world’s foremost pediatric academic health system and research organization, guiding quality, safety and nursing professional practice standards. She brings a direct understanding of the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and its essential core – registered nurses and advanced practice nurses.
Wood previously held leadership roles within three leading academic health systems including The Johns Hopkins Hospital Children’s Center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and The University of Pennsylvania Health System, and led clinical business development for the U.S. as Vice President, Clinical Solutions, Siemens Healthcare (later Cerner, Oracle) spanning > 1,000 health systems nationally.
Wood earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, magna cum laude from West Virginia University in 1977 and was recognized with the school’s Faculty and Alumni Leadership awards. She completed a Master of Science degree in maternal-child nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1985. Wood received a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2012 and received both the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the University’s Distinguished Alumna awards. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow Alumna and an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Wood currently serves as President and Board Chair of ANA’s American Nurse’s Credentialing Center, governing the Magnet Recognition and Pathway to Excellence Programs and leading credentialing programs with an aim to promote healthy and safe work environments for nurses in the U.S. and around the world. Her recent board service includes Boston Children’s Hospital, CRICO Risk Management, Friends of the National Institute for Nursing Research, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Advisory Board, Simmons University and The Joint Commission CNE Board. Wood is married to Lawrence J. Quartana, PhD, has an adult son, and relies heavily on both for their noteworthy humor and essential culinary contributions to family life.
Dr. Sharon Burmeister Lord
An internationally acclaimed leader in education, business, and public policy, Dr. Sharon Burmeister Lord called a “trailblazer”, a “pioneer”, and “Renaissance woman.” Her career is a “template for breaking glass ceilings.” A coal miner’s granddaughter, home was the southwest border of W.V., where a rusty old metal sign still stands: “Welcome to Williamson, Heart of the Billion Dollar Coal Field.” The area ultimately had “the highest unemployment in the nation.” High school Valedictorian, and first female student government president, she determined to work her way through college. Attending WVU, she became head of Freshman Leadership Committee, Varsity cheerleader, Secretary of Varsity Club, and Vice-President of the Junior Class. She enthusiastically participated in Air Force ROTC Angel Flight, and credits her inspiration and achievements to her strong, bright, problem-solving female role models. An accomplished musician playing oboe, saxophone, and piano, as a female she was excluded from the Marching band. She earned an MA and PhD at Indiana University.
Creating Sharon Lord Associates (1976), a consulting and speakers’ business, her speeches and writings on personal power were in demand throughout the nation, and eventually Australia, Panama, and New Zealand. “Teaching participants to be all they could be and more than they ever imagined” was her specialty. Appointed University of Tennessee Assistant Professor (1969), she created an Appalachian research center, published 4 text books, and received the Outstanding Professor award. The moving force behind the creation of UT’s Women’s Athletic Program, Coach Pat Summit dedicated the Lady Vols locker room to her. She became US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration (1981). The highest-ranking woman in the US Defense establishment, holding the equivalent rank of a 3-star General, she was eventually awarded the Defense Outstanding Public Service Medal. She continues to consult internationally with government and business leaders at the highest levels.