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Three honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards

Oct. 17, 2007

KALAMAZOO---A veteran broadcaster, prominent businessman and top executive have been selected by the Western Michigan University Alumni Association to receive its most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award.

This year's award recipients are Jim Hickey, national correspondent for the ABC Radio Network; Jim McKinley, president and founder of McKinley Financial Services Inc. based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Dennis Nally, chairman and senior partner of the U.S. firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

The three will be recognized at a reception and dinner Friday, Oct. 19, in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. Hickey and McKinley will be in attendance. Nally will be honored in absentia. The deadline for registration and payment for the event has already passed. For more information, visit www.wmich.edu/alumni or call the WMU Alumni Association at (269) 387-8777.

Distinguished Alumni Award winners

Jim Hickey, who earned a bachelor's degree from WMU in 1969, is a 27-year veteran of ABC News and has been an anchor and correspondent for ABC News Radio since 1995. He won a Murrow Award for the Best Use of Sound in the network radio division in 2005 and is a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award nominee.

As ABC News Radio's national correspondent, Hickey has reported extensively on the war on terrorism, and he was in the anchor chair for ABC News Radio's special coverage of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent for the ABC Television Network from 1980-1995 and covered worldwide news events for 10 of these years.

Hickey's broadcasting career began as a freshman at WMU working for WIDR, WMU's campus radio station. He has been inducted into the WMU School of Communication's Alumni Academy and serves on the school's External Advisory Board. In 1999, the University granted Hickey an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

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Jim McKinley, who earned a bachelor's degree from WMU in 1966, heads what has become one of the largest minority insurance agencies in the United States. The McKinley Financial Services agency, founded in 1987, now has more than 50 agents and staff as well as regional offices in Atlanta and Orlando, Fla.

A football coach for 22 years and a WMU football standout, McKinley sold insurance part time before founding his financial services firm. He coached for the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws, the University of Missouri, and Central State, Eastern Michigan, North Carolina A&T State and Prairie View A&M universities, also serving the latter two institutions as athletic director.

McKinley has been recognized for his acumen and success in both business and athletics. He was named to WMU's All Century Football Team in 2005 and inducted into the Broward/Palm Beach Junior Achievement of South Florida Business Hall of Fame in 2003, Nova Southeastern University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 1997, and WMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.

He has remained active with WMU, serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for six years, avidly supporting Bronco athletics, and establishing permanent scholarships for minority students in both the College of Education and the Haworth College of Business.

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Dennis Nally, who earned a bachelor's degree from WMU in 1974, is a member of the PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. Board of Partners and Principals and U.S. Leadership Team. He was first elected chairman and senior partner in 2002 and elected to a second term in 2006.

Immediately after graduating from WMU, Nally joined PricewaterhouseCoopers. He became a partner in 1985 and has served the organization in numerous capacities during his career. Previous posts have included managing partner of the U.S. firm, audit and business advisory services leader for the Americas, national director of strategic planning, and vice chairman with responsibilities for finance and key client service support.

Nally also was a member of the General Council of the Worldwide Organization as well as the U.S. firm's Policy Committee and the U.S. Management Committee. He has worked with many multinational clients in a variety of industries and is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer on issues affecting the accounting profession and the U.S. capital markets.

He completed the Columbia University and Penn State University Executive programs and is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Partnership for New York City Board of Directors and Carnegie Hall Society Board of Trustees, among other organizations.

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Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

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