Outstanding Huskies Recognized with 2025 NIU Alumni Association Awards
By Tony Scott
Each year, the NIU Alumni Association rewards the accomplishments of incredible alumni who have achieved outstanding professional and personal successes while pursuing civic, cultural or charitable activities. This year, the NIU Alumni Association Awards will be handed out during NIU's 118th Homecoming weekend.
"We are proud to recognize this year’s outstanding NIU alumni for their remarkable achievements and lasting contributions to their professions, communities and alma mater," said NIU Foundation Executive Director of Operations and Alumni Engagement Reggie Bustinza. "Our award winners are leaders, innovators and community builders. Their successes light the way for future generations, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate them."
These three 2025 award winners embody many valued characteristics that so many Huskies share, including integrity, innovation, empathy and grit.
• Mouneer I. Ahmad, '96 (COB) – Distinguished Alumnus Award
Serving at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors as Deputy Associate Director, Mouneer Ahmad helps design and protect the money Americans use every day. He leads efforts to develop, educate and ensure the security of U.S. currency in partnership with the Treasury, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Secret Service. He also collaborates with public and private institutions worldwide to stay ahead of global currency trends and threats. Additionally, Ahmad serves as CEO of the Masna Corporation, innovating travel goods with patented, ergonomic products designed to improve safety and convenience for travelers. Ahmad previously served as the senior vice president of operations at the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, leading cash, law enforcement and facilities. Ahmad held senior roles at the premier global consulting firms Deloitte Consulting and Ernst & Young. Among his accomplishments, he guided clients through business transformations that drove growth and delivered savings. His specialization in global finance, technology, and mergers & acquisitions allowed him to make a positive impact in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, financial services and technology industries. Ahmad serves on the Operations Committee at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and other local charities that focus on addressing community needs. In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from NIU, Ahmad earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
• Bradley J. Hoey, '84 (CLAS) – F.R. Geigle Service Award
Brad Hoey has spent decades working across the broadcast journalism, athletics and communications spaces, retiring from NIU in 2020 after 30 years at the university. He held roles including director of media relations, director of internal communications and interim vice president for marketing and communications. Before retiring from NIU in 2020, Hoey capped his tenure as director of the Huskie Varsity Club and Premium Experiences for NIU Athletics’ Huskie Athletic Fund, a role that drew on his NIU history and passion for the Huskie community. He also spent time involved in NIU Athletics, as producer, director and host for NIU Athletics’ sports magazine TV program Inside Huskie Sports, which ran on Fox SportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. He assisted in the production of live, televised NIU athletics events, produced numerous videos for NIU Athletics and the university, and served as the public address announcer for various NIU sports teams.
Hoey was a member of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors, including four years as board president. Today, he serves as special projects manager for the bureau, and he was elected City Clerk for the City of DeKalb in April 2025. He currently serves as chair for the City of DeKalb’s Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission and has been intimately involved in promoting and perpetuating the city’s public art initiatives. He is also a member of the Family Service Agency board of directors. Hoey's involvement with the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce spans nearly three decades, where he was an inaugural member of the DeKalb Chamber’s Proudly DeKalb marketing initiative. Hoey is the DeKalb Chamber’s 2024 Ambassador of the Year and a 2025 inductee to the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame.
• Dr. Meghan I. Huntoon, Ph.D. '17 (CLAS) – Outstanding Young Alumna Award
Meghan Huntoon, Ph.D., currently serves as a research psychologist for the Department of Defense, working as evaluation and assessment portfolio manager for the department's Skillbridge Program. The program offers service members the opportunity to gain valuable civilian work experience through specialized industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the final 180 days of their service. As part of the position, Huntoon conducts scientific research to develop and maintain the evaluation and assessment of the program across Department of Defense services and components. Huntoon also serves as adjutant general officer for the U.S. Army Reserves' 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Huntoon was a research psychologist in the U.S. Army at the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. There, she was a member of the Foundational Science Research Unit-Basic Research Team. She has taught classes in psychology at NIU, as well as at Waubonsee Community College and Montgomery College in Maryland. In addition to her Ph.D. in social and industrial organizational psychology from NIU, Huntoon holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.S. in psychological science from Montana State University. She has been interviewed about her expertise by American Public Media's Marketplace, NPR's The Takeaway, Science Daily News, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the Huffington Post and the Examiner Online.
The annual awards banquet will be held at noon on Friday, Oct. 3, at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center on campus.