Troy University will honor three Alumni of the Year and one Honorary Alumnus of the Year during its Homecoming celebration on Nov. 2.
TROY will play host to Coastal Carolina for Homecoming with kickoff set for 3 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Stadium. The honorees will be recognized during an on-the-field presentation at halftime of the game.
This year’s Alumni of the Year honorees are Derek Ellington (’92), Alison Scott Wingate Hosp (’99) and Dr. Kathy L. Murphy (’81). Jason Jones will be recognized as an Honorary Alumnus of the Year.
“It is truly an honor to recognize these members of the TROY family, who in true Trojan spirit, are making a difference through service to their communities, their careers and Troy University,” said Faith Byrd, Director of Alumni Affairs. “Through their accomplishments and service, they continue to represent TROY well, and we are excited to honor them in this way.”
Derek Ellington (’92)
Ellington is an Enterprise native. While at TROY, he was a linebacker for the football team, president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and elected SGA Senator and Clerk. Ellington graduated from TROY in 1992 with a double major in Business Administration and Computer Science. He also holds a master’s degree in public and private management with a concentration in international business from Birmingham-Southern College. Ellington has taken what he learned at Alabama’s Global University into a Financial Services career that spans 30 years with stints at some of the nation’s largest banks in Executive Leadership roles. He has helped businesses with their growth strategies across the globe in places like Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Dublin, Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt to name a few. Today, he serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Value Creation Centrifuge, a premier business consulting firm focused on helping businesses achieve their full potential. Ellington also joined Uplinq Financial Technologies as a Board advisor earlier this year where he helps to advance the company’s mission of expanding fair and ethical access to credit for small businesses globally. Ellington serves on the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Sorrell College of Business. He is an active supporter of Trojan Athletics and Troy University’s IDEA Bank. He loves engaging with our TROY students through speaking engagements and other forms of career guidance.
Alison Scott Wingate Hosp (’98,’99)
Hosp has served as the Alabama Retail Association’s vice president since 2005. She joined Alabama Retail in 2001 as communications director after serving as director of public relations for the Alabama Bankers Association. In 2003, she became Alabama Retail’s director of governmental and public affairs. She is a certified association executive as designated by the American Society of Association Executives. She also serves on the board of directors for Kid One Transport System, Inc., which transports children and expectant mothers to necessary health care services. Hosp was a member of the 33rd Legacy Class of Leadership Montgomery, and in 2011 and 2014, she received the Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee’s Chairman’s Award for her efforts to win approval for tort reform measures. Hosp is a two-time TROY honors graduate, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1998 and her master’s degree in 1999. During her time at TROY, Hosp was an undergraduate and graduate assistant in the Office of Alumni Affairs. She was a member of the first Young Alumni Council in 2009 and is a lifetime member of the Troy University Alumni Association.
Dr. Kathy L. Murphy (’81)
Dr. Murphy is President of Gadsden State Community College with campuses in Gadsden, Centre and Anniston, a position she has held since January 2021. She began her career in education in 1984 in the classroom at Auburn Junior High School before going on to serve as an assistant professor at Judson College and later at the University of West Georgia. She also has served as principal of Greenville Middle School, Greenville High School and Charles Henderson High School in Troy and Superintendent of Monroe County Schools and Hoover City Schools. Dr. Murphy attended TROY on a Leadership Scholarship and was inducted into five honor societies during her time on campus. She received the Outstanding Senior Award and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in education. She also holds a master’s degree and an educational specialist degree from Auburn Montgomery, and a Doctor of Education degree from Auburn University. She funded the Dr. Kathy L. Murphy Leadership scholarship, awarded annually to TROY students. She is a lifetime member of the TROY Alumni Association, and her only child is a TROY graduate, as well.
Jason Jones (Honorary Alumnus)
Jason is the owner of Jones Medical Supply in Troy and Greenville as well CPAP Plus in Dothan. He is a native of Brundidge, AL and has lived in Pike County for 45 years. He is a deacon at First Baptist church of Troy and has served on the board of the Pike County Alumni Association, Troy Rotary Club, Pike County Relay for life, he currently serves as Chairman of the Alabama HME Licensure Board and serves on the board of directors for ADMEA. He is co-founder of workout for water Troy which serves as a fundraising arm for NeverThirst, a Birmingham based non-profit that exists to provide clean and living water to those around the globe who do not have access to clean water. To date, this fundraiser has accumulated more than $700,000 in Pike County alone. Jones is married to Kristy Hudson Jones who holds a B.S. and M.S. degree from Troy University. Their youngest daughter Blakely is a freshman at Zion Chapel High School where Kristy has taught for 24 years, and Hudson is a freshman at Troy where she is a member of Freshman Forum and Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Through his businesses Jones has arranged NIL deals with more than 60 student athletes and was the first business to embrace NIL for the Trojans. Now as co-founder and Vice President of Trojans Together Collective, they have coordinated NIL deals for more than 100 Troy student athletes spanning five sports in their first year of operation. He has not missed a home football game in more than 22 years.
