Mrs. Goode has always embodied the values of TCU in her personal and professional life. After graduating in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from what is now Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, she worked at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for 15 years in the critical care setting, primarily in cardiac and medical intensive care.

She married her husband, Glenn E. “Buddy” Goode III, in 1980, and in 1992 stepped away from her nursing career for 10 years to devote her time to being a room mom and active school volunteer for their future Horned Frogs Andrew Goode ’08 and Lindsay Goode Piel ’05. Mrs. Goode then returned to work at Baylor Health Care for 13 years, where she worked as an infusion nurse treating patients with immune disorders. She later combined her nursing background and her “mom” experience as a volunteer at Cook Children’s Medical Center.

Mrs. Goode’s leadership and enthusiasm have made a lasting impact. Whether she’s serving on the National Alumni Board or as a Loyalty Giving Social Media Ambassador, volunteering at alumni or Frog Club events, or leading Fort Worth’s Volunteer Frogs, she consistently brings energy, professionalism and a genuine love for TCU to everything she does.

With her unwavering dedication, leadership and passion for TCU, she represents the very best of what it means to be a Horned Frog: loyal, engaged and committed to the success of the university and its alumni family.

Mr. Berdan worked in hospital settings in Illinois, Florida and Arkansas, returning to Texas to become president of the downtown Harris Methodist Hospital, which then merged into Texas Health Resources. In 2014, he became chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources, one of the largest employers in North Texas. He is a nationally recognized and respected professional in the industry and Texas Health has been repeatedly honored as one of the best workplaces in the industry and in the state.

Mr. Berdan came of age professionally during some of the most transformative episodes in the nation’s health care history. Those experiences, coupled with a calm demeanor and a leadership style that emphasizes listening, helped him and his institution engage in collaborative partnerships to address emerging health care issues, including leading the fight against COVID-19 in DFW.

He is former chair of the Texas Hospital Association and DFW Hospital Council and immediate past chair of North Texas LEAD (Leaders and Executives Advocating Diversity). In 2016-2017, he led Tarrant County’s United Way campaign and the American Heart Association of Tarrant County. He holds executive leadership positions in the Healthcare Leadership Council, Dallas Regional Chamber and the Fort Worth Blue Zones Project.™

Mr. Berdan was named among Becker’s 60 Health System CEO Influencers in 2023 and one of Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” in 2016 and 2022. He received the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award in 2021, the D CEO Excellence in Healthcare Award/Outstanding Healthcare Executive in 2015 and the Earl M. Collier Award for Distinguished Health Care Administration in 2013.

The TCU alumnus remains faithful to his alma mater, with a particular connection to the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine. In 2022, Mr. Berdan and his wife, Marsha, established the Berdan Family Endowment to strengthen the Burnett School’s simulation and technology curriculum, which uses advanced learning tools such as augmented reality headsets and AI-enabled medical manikins. The medical school recently dedicated a study room at Arnold Hall to honor them.

The Berdans have two children: Cathleen Berdan and Barclay E. “Teddy” Berdan II, who is a 2013 TCU graduate.

The couple first established the Challenging Christian Youth Scholarship, which honors Disciples of Christ ministers and helps educate their children. After finding TCU truly changed lives, the Hoefses continued to increase their investment. Carol Hoefs didn’t have the means to pursue a nursing degree in the 1970s, which prompted her and her husband to make a nursing career possible for their first TCU nursing scholarship recipient in 2016.

Ultimately, the pair has endowed six scholarships for Horned Frogs, making them a charitable priority.

The Doris Funk Memorial Ranch Management Scholarship honors Richard’s mother and her love of gardening. They also created three scholarships to support TCU’s medical school, including the Carol Hoefs Medical Scholarship. The John Heald Medical Scholarship, which honors a close friend, benefits medical students in the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU who want to return to their home communities to practice medicine. Another medical scholarship, the David Anderson Memorial Medical Scholarship, was established in memory of Carol’s brother.

The Hoefses develop lasting relationships with their scholarship recipients: attending Scholarship Dinners, following their careers after graduation and providing encouragement. Mr. Hoefs also serves on the Clark Society Board, where he is active on all the working committees, including the Clark Society Endowed Scholarship Committee. Both are actively engaged with the TCU Ranch Management program, supporting student events.

In addition, the Hoefses have become leaders in their community, volunteering for many organizations that benefit the city of Granbury and Hood County.

Their loyalty to TCU will be further reflected through a significant gift in their estate plan that supports their belief in the university’s vision and mission in perpetuity, as well as the scholarships they have established. “Creating a new scholarship from our estate will be a lasting legacy to our passion for education and provide support for TCU students forever,” Mr. Hoefs says.

Brian Cox and Moria Levy met on campus as undergraduates, were married in Robert Carr Chapel, and are proud parents of Lauren, TCU Class of 2025, and Raegan, a current sophomore in the Class of 2028. The Cox family, including his mother, Judy, TCU Class of 1962, is active in the life of the university, giving generously of their time, talent and treasure to, as they say, “help TCU always get the tough yards” to fulfill their alma mater’s mission and promise.

The Coxes generously established the Cox Family College of Education Endowed Scholarship and the Cox Family Endowed Chair in the Neeley School of Business. Their support will also have an immense impact with the soon-to-begin renovations of Ed Landreth Hall.

With his family along for the ride, Mr. Cox has been an industry leader in the cloud storage and artificial intelligence data center hypergrowth of the past 16 years. Starting in 2010, he served as COO and CFO of Cologix Data Centers before becoming CEO and member of the board of Stack Infrastructure, now an international leader in serving the needs of the world’s most innovative companies. He is also on the board of Dallas-based Gigabit Fiber. A proud Army veteran, he is a member of TCU’s Chancellor's Advisory Council.

Moria Cox is a graduate of the College of Education and has served as an elementary school teacher and nonprofit leader in the family’s Denver community. She is also an active member of the TCU Parent & Family Council.

During daughter Lauren’s residence hall move-out following her first year, Mrs. Cox was concerned about the amount of gently used furniture and clothing overflowing from university dumpsters. She picked up what she could and delivered the items to local nonprofits. Her thoughtful advocacy for a better way ultimately led to the successful establishment of the ReFROG program, which allows students to support the campus sustainability plan and reduce landfill waste by donating their unwanted residence hall items at stations placed around campus. In 2025 alone, 16,500 items were repurposed through the ReFROG program, led by TCU employees Courtney Hendrix, Wendy Macias and Eric Trevino. ReFROG was honored with the inaugural William E. Tucker Award for Integrity and Ethical Leadership in 2025.

A native of Austin, Mr. Giberson arrived at TCU eager to make an impact. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Spanish, summa cum laude, from TCU in 2020. He was director of TCU Student Foundation, a Chancellor’s Host, a Frog Camp facilitator, a Bob Bolen Leadership Scholar, a National Hispanic Scholar and a TCU Scholar and held multiple scholarships. Mr. Giberson remains a proud and active TCU alumnus, currently serving on the Young Chancellor’s Advisory Council.

In 2020, Mr. Giberson joined Moncrief Cancer Institute, researching the mental health of young cancer patients while conducting community outreach for cancer-screening programs across Texas.

In 2021, Mr. Giberson began studies at the UNC School of Medicine. During his tenure, he served on the Student Advisory Council to the Chancellor, was a senior vice president in the student government, served as a Pediatric Medical Student Chief, co-founded Medicine Forward — an organization focused on physician well-being, and was inducted as a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

From 2023 to 2024, Mr. Giberson served as operations lead for Glass Health, an AI clinical decision support startup. This role, along with observing friction between administrators and clinicians in the health care setting, inspired him to pursue his MBA.

In 2024, Mr. Giberson began his MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. During his time there, a student team he led successfully developed a go-to-market strategy for a promising new drug for a large pharmaceutical company. Following this, he joined McKinsey & Company as a summer associate, where he developed an anesthesia services strategy and advised C-level clients for a major nonprofit health system. In 2025, he was hired as a consultant by MASLOW Health, a startup focused on improving substance use disorder care, to advise the CEO on company strategy.

This summer, he and his wife, Kayla Chargois Giberson ’21, will relocate to Chicago, where she will continue work as an attorney and he will begin his pediatrics residency at one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals: Northwestern’s Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Ms. Dooley received both the Founders’ Scholarship and Bob Bolen Leadership Scholarship at TCU and has served as the lead Harris Ambassador for the Department of Kinesiology, as well as a peer mentor and Pre-Health Ambassador. After graduation, she plans to attend Colorado State University to pursue a master’s degree in health and exercise science with a focus on integrative biology, and explore a career in health, research or exercise science.

At TCU, Ms. Dooley worked with kinesiology assistant professor Ryan Porter in his research on Parkinson’s disease, obesity and cancer. In Dr. Porter’s Applied Metabolic and Physiology Lab, she spent over 50 hours completing tasks such as phlebotomies, body scans and chemical assays with other researchers.

During her undergraduate career, she completed over 500 hours at various medical and physical therapy clinics in the DFW area for observation and clinical experience. This included time spent shadowing health care professionals as well as working as a medical scribe and physical therapy aide.

Ms. Dooley has also been a Frog Camp facilitator and Frogs First orientation leader and has volunteered with the Tarrant Area Food Bank. A marathon runner, she has served as the TCU Co-Ed Running Club’s vice president, officer and run leader, a community that helped her persevere after her father died of cancer. She also found solace and a leadership role with a grief support group in TCU’s Office of Religious & Spiritual Life.

“Ashlyn has helped connect countless students to our office who are navigating the deep pain of grief and loss and has created a safe space for her peers within that space as she modeled for them how to grieve alongside others,” said Rev. Todd Boling, TCU university chaplain. “She is the embodiment of how to serve and care for others, and TCU is a better place because of her exceptional leadership.”

The 2026 Distinguished Student Award is made possible by The Wyatt and Gannon Wheeler Distinguished Student Endowment on behalf of the Wheeler Family Foundation. The fund was created to provide a financial award to the recipient of the Distinguished Student Award each year in perpetuity. Wyatt Wheeler, TCU Class of 2017, passed away unexpectedly in October 2022 while pursuing an MBA from the Neeley School of Business. The award is given in his memory.