The 2020 recipient of the distinguished Professional Achievement Award is Mr. Dale Morgan, a 2009 College of Business and Technology graduate.
The Professional Achievement Award recognizes an alumnus who has achieved prominence professionally and made significant contributions to society, reflecting credit on the University.
Morgan is a Lexington, Ky. native, where he graduated from Henry Clay High School and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University's College of Business and Technology.
Morgan said winning the award "was one of the greatest achievements of my life. I’m hoping that the joy and personal achievement that I feel of having this award bestowed upon me will inspire and motivate other individuals to take the initiative for their own future."
Prior to his current position as an investment analyst for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG), Morgan was an accountant for both Purdue University and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
"The accounting faculty and my fellow students helped foster an inclusive environment, which enabled me to thrive in my course work as well as build longtime, meaningful relationships," Morgan said. "My experience at EKU also left me hopeful and optimistic about my future and the future of other underrepresented and underserved students, such as myself, that will come after me."
Morgan is passionate about advocating for others and sharing knowledge. He serves on the boards of Partners for Youth and the Charles Young Center. You can catch him as a host of Lexington Community Radio or working out and listening to 80's soft rock music. Morgan enjoys teaching financial literacy to children and youth in the same neighborhoods that he grew up in.
He is father to 8-year-old son Kasen, and 18-year-old daughter, Cymone. Morgan said he finds motivation to continuously improve from the Tupac quote, “. . . I’m not saying I will change the world, but I guarantee I will spark the brain that will.”