The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Kerri Allen is among the newest recipients of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Alumni Association Distinguished Awards.
The program, which honors graduates whose exceptional accomplishments, integrity and service have made a lasting impact on the university and broader community, will recognize awardees during homecoming festivities set for Feb. 9-15. A formal celebration is scheduled for June.
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Allen, who graduated from UNCW with her bachelor’s in geosciences in 2011 and her master’s in 2013 in coastal geology, was selected as the “Distinguished Citizen of the Year.” She is being honored along with Trevor Todd, class of 2016, for “Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year,” and Edward A. “Ed” Sundy Jr. class of 1973, for “Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.”
“Ed, Trevor, and Kerri remind us of what it truly means to be a Seahawk. They each use their talents to lift others—whether through education, environmental stewardship, or service to communities across our region,” UNCW Alumni Association Executive Director Lindsay A.T. LeRoy said in a statement. “Their dedication reflects the heart of UNCW’s mission: empowering people to create positive, lasting change. I’m incredibly proud to celebrate alumni whose impact reaches far beyond our campus.”
Allen is “a coastal advocate, scientist and community leader whose work has transformed environmental policy and conservation efforts across North Carolina,” according to information the university provided.
As Coastal Federation’s coastal management program director, Allen works with state and federal agencies, the General Assembly, scientists, businesses and residents to advance policy solutions that protect and restore the state’s coast. She has helped guide statewide initiatives addressing emerging contaminants, marine debris, living shorelines, and oyster habitat restoration. She recently helped lead the effort that made North Carolina the first state in the nation to ban unencapsulated polystyrene in floating docks.
She served as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hollings Scholar in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Her early career included research in coastal hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and climate education, and she spent time as the education manager at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Florida.
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Allen serves on several advisory boards, including the UNCW Earth and Ocean Sciences Advisory Board, N.C. State University’s Institute for Emerging Issues, and multiple N.C. Department of Environmental Quality river basin committees. Allen helped lead We the Water, a 340-mile paddling initiative to raise awareness of water quality and environmental stewardship that generated more than $50,000 for conservation efforts.
Her leadership and impact have been recognized through honors such as the Pelican Award, Bill Petit Award and Wilmington’s 40 Under 40.
Todd teaches third grade at Castle Hayne Elementary School, and has been awarded both the New Hanover County Schools Elementary Educator of the Year Award for 2020-2021 and the 2020 National University Teacher Award for North Carolina.
Todd volunteers for the children’s and youth ministry at Scotts Hill Baptist Church. He has served on the North Carolina Azalea Festival’s Parade Committee since 2016. Todd earned the 2022 Wilmington’s 40 Under 40 Award for the significant impact both inside and outside the classroom.
Todd is a member of the Clocktower Society and serves as a Watson College of Education representative to the UNCW Alumni Board of Directors and a partnership teacher.
Sundy, a mathematics major with a business minor, has been with Reeds Jewelers since graduating more than 40 years ago. He rose through the organization and helped launch the company’s first mall store in Myrtle Beach. He earned the Roberta Zimmer Award in 2015 in recognition of his leadership philosophy and positive impact on colleagues and customers.
For more than 30 years he has helped with disaster response and humanitarian aid by leading volunteer teams in cleanup, demolition, rebuilding and long-term recovery efforts after storms and major flooding events. Sundy spent two decades leading youth mission teams in impoverished communities, repairing homes and mentoring young volunteers. In 2019 he became site manager for the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Disaster Response Team. He is a member of the Golden Wing Society, and the Clocktower Society.
Coastal Review is published by the Coastal Federation.
