Troy University will honor five Alumni of the Year recipients during its Homecoming celebration on Nov. 7.

TROY will play host to Louisiana Tech 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 Dr. Gene Butler (’10, ’12), Tony Harris (’94), Denise Monroe (’82) and Jason Reeves (’01). Dr. Don Jeffrey (’74) will be honored posthumously.

“Troy University is pleased to recognize these outstanding members of the Trojan family as recipients of our Alumni of the Year awards,” said Faith Byrd, Director of Alumni Affairs. “Their accomplishments and dedicated service to their communities, their careers and their Alma Mater are true reflections of the Trojan spirit that makes Troy University such a special place.”

Dr. Gene Butler (’10, ’12)

Dr. Gene Butler is a two-time graduate of TROY, earning a Bachelor of Music Education in 2010 and a Master of Music Education in 2012. He completed his Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at Columbus State University in 2024.

Dr. Butler serves as Director of Bands at Smiths Station High School and as an Adjunct Instructor of Music Education at TROY. In recognition of his excellence in education, he was named Smiths Station High School Teacher of the Year and Lee County Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year for the 2024-2025 academic year. Prior to his current position, he served as Director of Bands at Trinity Presbyterian School.

A nationally recognized music educator, Dr. Butler is a Yamaha Education Writer and was selected as a member of Yamaha’s prestigious 2025 “40 Under 40” class, honoring outstanding music educators across the United States. He currently serves as President-Elect of the Alabama Bandmasters Association and is a member of the Board of Directors for the TROY Southeastern United States (SEUS) Honor Bands and Clinic. He is also an active clinician and adjudicator, presenting and evaluating throughout the country.

In 2015, Dr. Butler was recognized by the Alabama Music Educators Association as its Young Music Educator of the Year. He was also an inaugural inductee into the Troy University Fanfare of Distinguished Alumni, recognizing graduates who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement and service.

As a student at TROY, Dr. Butler served as drum major of the “Sound of the South” Marching Band and principal tuba of the Symphony Band. He remains actively involved with his alma mater as a proud member of the Troy University Alumni Band Chapter and continues to support the next generation of music educators through his teaching and mentorship.

Dr. Butler and his wife, Karen, a fellow TROY graduate, reside in Alabama with their three children: Julie, Becca, and James.

Tony Harris (’94)

Tony Harris graduated from TROY’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1994. He serves as chief of communications and government relations for the Alabama Department of Transportation, where he has held senior leadership roles since 2004. Harris advises the transportation director and senior leadership on governmental and public affairs, helps shape and advance the department’s legislative agenda, and serves as ALDOT’s primary spokesman.

During his tenure, Harris has helped advance ALDOT’s legislative priorities and has played a key role in some of Alabama’s largest transportation initiatives, including the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway and the Central Business District bridge replacement in downtown Birmingham.

Harris began his professional career in TROY’s Office of University Relations. He later spent nearly three years in corporate communications with PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in Andalusia, Ala., where he was named Volunteer of the Year by the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce. He subsequently held communications leadership positions with the Alabama State Department of Education and Alabama Community College System before joining ALDOT.

Harris spent 27 years officiating high school baseball and football, including seven AHSAA state baseball championship series and one state football championship game. He was named an AHSAA District Official of the Year and serves on the board of Alabama People Against a Littered State.

Harris and his wife, Claudia (Baugh), have three children: stepson Gavin Baugh is a 2020 graduate of Huntington College and completed his master’s degree in accounting from TROY in 2021; daughter Claudia Hixon is a 2021 TROY graduate; and daughter Chloe Harris is a freshman at Samford University.

Denise Monroe (’82)

Denise Monroe was a basketball superstar for the Trojans and an outstanding student from 1977 to 1981, earning in Bachelor of Music/Social Sciences in 1982.

Monroe’s accomplishments on the court led to an invitation to try out for the 1980 U.S Olympic team. In 1998, she became the first female athlete in TROY history to have her jersey retired, and, in 2012, she was inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame.

Monroe is a Lifetime Member of the Troy University Alumni Association and an annual donor to TROY women’s and men’s basketball, as well as basketball alumni groups.

Monroe is the owner and CEO of Innovation Consultants & Network Solutions, as well as the Denise Monroe Properties of the Caribbean and Ghana, West Africa. In addition, she is the founder and president of Community Betterment Society, Inc., which seeks to improve the quality of life for youth through education, medical services and recreation.

An active part of the Quitman, Georgia community, she has served on the Quitman/Brooks County Museum board, the Destination Brooks Tourism board and Beyond Hardwood, among others. She is a past president of Rotary International, a graduate of Georgia Leadership Brooks and was the recipient of the 2012 Quitman Brooks Businesswoman of the Year award. She also has served on the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame’s Board of Advisors.  

Jason Reeves (’01)

Jason Reeves, a 2001 graduate, has served as the Mayor of Troy since 2012. Under Reeves’ direction, the City of Troy has seen some of the largest growth in the City’s history.

Prior to becoming mayor, Reeves served for 16 years on the Troy City Council, representing District 3. When first elected in 1996 at the age of 24, Reeves became the youngest elected official in Troy’s history.

In addition to his service as an elected official, Reeves serves as the vice-president of the Alabama League of Municipalities Board of Directors. He is a past chair and current secretary of the Southeast Gas and Southeast Energy Board of Directors, current chairman of the Alabama Municipal Workers Compensation Fund Board, and a member of the Troy Hospital Health Care Authority, the Troy University Athletic Advisory Committee and the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame Board of Advisors. He has been a member of the Troy Seniors Foundation since its inception, has served on the local American Cancer Society Board, is a former Chairman for Pike County Relay for Life and is a member of Rotary and Troy First Methodist Church.

During his time at TROY, Reeves served as president of the Student Government Association. He is a Lifetime Member of the Troy University Alumni Association and avid supporter of Troy University Athletics.

Reeves and his wife Elly Colquett Reeves have four children.

Dr. Don Jeffrey (’74) (Posthumously)

Dr. Don Jeffrey’s life was defined by service. A distinguished veteran of the U.S. Army, Dr. Jeffrey served honorably 22 years including tours during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Jeffrey earned a bachelor’s degree from TROY, a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. from Florida State University. He began his teaching career at Samson High School in 1975 before joining the TROY faculty.

During his 46 years of service at TROY, he served a faculty member, director of aquatics, chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion and Dean of the College of Health and Human Services. He also served interim roles as Dean of the College of Education the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Communication and Fine Arts.

Dr. Jeffrey twice served in the role of Vice Chancellor of the University’s Dothan Campus – first from 2007 to 2014 and again from 2016 until his retirement in 2023. He was a proud Lifetime Member of the Troy University Alumni Association.

Dr. Jeffrey passed away on January 28, 2025, at the age of 78. He was a lifelong Trojan, and his legacy lives on through the thousands of students he taught, the faculty and staff he mentored, the communities he served and the lives he transformed throughout his extraordinary career.