American University has honored a talented and diverse group of six alumni with its 2024 AU Alumni Awards. These prominent national, community and global changemakers are outstanding leaders in the business community, law, public relations, communications and the performing arts. The awards are the highest honors presented by the university’s Alumni Association and recognize achievements of AU graduates who are shaping the future for generations to come. The awards were presented during a special ceremony on April 25, 2024, at American University’s Washington College of Law.    

“Part of a vast network of more than 150,000 American University alumni, our six 2024 AU Alumni Award recipients represent the changemaking spirit that is in our DNA,” said AU President Sylvia Burwell. “Their accomplishments are numerous and wide-ranging, and their journeys showcase the incredible impact that our AU community has on our nation and our world. I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate them today.”

The 2024 Alumni Awards recipients are: 

Mong-Yong Chung, Kogod/MBA ’91, received the Global Alumni Leader Award, which honors alumni whose substantial impacts on society exemplify AU’s tradition of service and leadership in the context of a global community. Mr. Chung is a globally recognized innovator in the automotive industry, motorsports pioneer and philanthropist, who followed in the trailblazing footsteps of his uncle and Hyundai founder Ju-Yung Chung, and his father, Soon-Yung Chung, founder of Hyundai Sungwoo. Mr. Chung is chairman of Hyundai Sungwoo Holdings, one of Korea’s leading automotive parts companies.

The Honorable Gerald Bruce Lee, SOC/BA ’73, WCL/JD ’76, WCL/Hon. LLD ’03, judge, U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia (Retired), received the Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments. Judge Lee was a trial judge before serving for two decades on the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia (Fairfax). He would later join the McCammon Group, where he serves the mediation, arbitration, special master and judge pro tempore needs of lawyers and litigants.

Jan Du Plain, SPA/BA ’66, president, Du Plain Global Enterprises, is a nationally recognized public relations professional. In 1995, Ms. Du Plain founded Du Plain Global Enterprises, Inc., an international public relations and special events company, where she continues to serve as president and CEO. Ms. Du Plain was presented with the Alumni Recognition Award for her widely regarded service to the D.C. community, including as part of the executive team that launched Cultural Tourism DC’s inaugural Passport DC, a month-long, city-wide cultural celebration of Washington’s international and diplomatic community.

Rob Johnson, SPA/BS ’81, assistant general counsel, ExxonMobil (Retired), received the Alumni Eagle Award for his commitment to American University. After earning his law degree and spending time in private practice, Rob joined Exxon Mobil Corporation, eventually serving as assistant general counsel and leading a team of 50 lawyers and staff. Mr. Johnson has been a fixture on campus for more than 40 years, serving on the AU Alumni Board, including as president in 2019 and 2020. Rob was recognized for his unwavering commitment to the AU community through philanthropic contributions and service as an alumni volunteer.

Deon Jones, SPA/BA ’14, a musician, artist, and activist, received the Rising Star Award. The award recognizes recent alumni who are already making significant contributions to greater society through their professional or philanthropic work. During protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020, Deon was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by a Los Angeles Police Department officer. He turned this traumatic experience into changemaking energy—recording a powerful rendition of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” featuring Academy Award-winning composer Jon Batiste. The performance was hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine and U2’s own Bono as “transformative” and by the Boston Globe as “a performance with clarifying power.”

Yamillet Payano, CAS/BS ’18, also received the Rising Star Award. In 2021, she co-founded Sign-Speak, a start-up that works to provide seamless interaction between Signers (predominantly Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals) and non-Signers (predominantly hearing individuals). She won a prestigious Google for Startups Black Founders Fund award, first prize in the LATINX Launchpad competition series, and has been named a top young innovator in the “25 under 25” round-up by DC Inno.

“We have much to be proud of at AU—and in this year’s alumni awards honorees,” said LaTanya Sothern, president of the Alumni Association. “Their accomplishments reflect the values and mission of this institution, and their stories are truly remarkable. I’m proud to call them members of our alumni family.”