Seven alumni to be honored at 89th USC Alumni Awards 

Every year for nearly nine decades, the USC Alumni Association has recognized the work of outstanding alumni. This year, the association chose seven alumni for both their professional achievements and their legacy of service: Bill Allen, Roger Lynch, Ellisen Shelton Turner, Kaitlyn Yang, Donald Dean, Teena Hostovich and Amy Ross. 

These alumni have contributed to the USC community in a myriad of ways since graduating. Multiple have served or are currently serving on the USC Board of Governors or on one of the school’s Board of Councilors.  

The Daily Trojan interviewed Allen, Yang and Dean to gain deeper insight into their time at USC and how they’ve since then given back to the USC community.

Bill Allen (USC ’79)

Allen, a former trustee and the chairman of FilmLA, will receive the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award — USC’s highest honor given to alumni. He was the first student to receive a diploma from the cinematic arts, film and television production major from the School of Cinematic Arts.

Allen was part of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation for 17 years, eventually becoming its president and CEO. The corporation is credited with helping L.A. recover from both the 2008 recession and the coronavirus pandemic. He said his motivation to combine business and ethics stems from his membership in Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a fraternity in which he met lifelong friends such as Fred Ryan, the current CEO of the Washington Post, who encouraged him to volunteer and give back to the USC community. 

“Fred was one of those who encouraged all of us in that fraternity to be leaders and servants in the community to find leadership roles on campus, and to be servants in the community,” Allen said. 

One of Allen’s favorite activities from his time on campus was when he worked with USC’s up-and-coming student artists to help them get featured in the annual Songfest competition, which he helped organize several times.

Allen went on to become the president of the USC Alumni Association in 1998. He worked to improve the association’s outreach among international alumni by using email lists to lower the costs associated with mailing paperback Trojan Family Magazine.

“I said, ‘You know … There is a new thing called the internet. Maybe if we just get the email addresses for these international alumni we can send them digital copies of the magazine,’” Allen said.

Allen said he was also very passionate about creating a more inclusive USC Alumni Association and championed efforts to better integrate the separate Black, Latino and Asian Pacific Alumni Associations into the formerly titled General Alumni Association by providing them seats on the main board. 

“From the time we’re born, USC should be reaching out to young people to encourage them to consider the University of Southern California for their education,” Allen said. “From the time we graduate, we should be instantly welcomed into this Trojan family and nurtured in our growth, mentored in our growth as future stewards of the University. It should also be not only lifelong, but it should be worldwide.” 

Allen said he’s deeply grateful to have been awarded this year’s Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement — USC’s highest alumni honor. 

“I thought they were crazy when they offered it to me,” Allen said. “I said, ‘There’s gotta be somebody better in line to receive this award.’ I’ve been so humbled by this recognition. I still haven’t gotten over it because I have such respect for the previous recipients.”

Kaitlyn Yang (USC ’11)

Yang graduated from the School of Cinematic Arts with a major in animation and digital arts and previously served as the creative director of the Young Alumni Association. She’ll receive the Young Alumni Merit Award, which is given to honor the achievements of an alum aged 35 or younger.

Yang said she was inspired to attend the University after learning that John Knoll — whose work on Star Wars she admired — attended USC.

“When I came to USC, in a way, it was my choosing of this ecosystem, where I felt I didn’t stand out in ways that I always felt in my life,” Yang said. “It’s because of the great work [of] the admission offices for all the schools of really picking not only the best of the best but also keeping diversity in mind.”

At USC, Yang said she resurrected a club called SCFX, which helps cinema students learn more about creating visual special effects and the broader industry through speaker events and field trips. 

“Our slogan was ‘Better films through trickery and deceit,’” Yang said. “I have fond memories of … Hanging out with fellow students and filmmakers and we also had a few activities where we would teach the local elementary school kids how to make films.” 

Yang said she is especially grateful for the connections and opportunities she was able to take advantage of — like interning for “The Walking Dead” — as a member of the Trojan Family. 

“One of the stories I keep coming back to is Trojans helping Trojans and, for a good five or six years after I graduated, I believe every person I worked for was a Trojan,” Yang said. “That’s really just demonstrates a commitment of us helping each other along the way.”

Donald Dean (USC ’90)

Donald Dean, an alum of the Marshall School of Business and current member of the Black Alumni Association Advisory Council, will receive the Alumni Service Award, which honors alumni who have volunteered extensively for USC. 

Dean said he has enjoyed being a mentor to current students through the Leadership Through Legacy program, which he helped revive. On average, he mentors four to five Trojans each year. At one point, he did a group mentorship with 20 students to ensure that every student who wanted a mentor had one.

USC wasn’t Dean’s first choice when choosing a college. In fact, he said he was originally set on going to UCLA to follow in the footsteps of many of his Bruin family members. He changed his mind after meeting several USC students. 

“I’ll never forget … These students were just like, ‘You have to go to USC,’” Dean said. “It’s almost like they ganged up on me and they were like, ‘No, let me tell you, it is the best school,’ and they went on and on and on. I was so impressed with their passion … So, as I came across more Trojans, despite my family situation, I was excited.”

Dean went on to become the vice president of the American Marketing Association and, as a student, organized one of the first career fairs at USC for his peers at Marshall.   

“I had an opportunity to actually bring in companies because I wanted to connect the companies with the students,” Dean said. “I wanted students to be able to meet corporations and make that connection whether it’s for an internship or for a job after graduation.”

Reflecting on his message to other Trojans, Dean said it was important for students to diversify and make maximum use of the opportunities USC offers. 

“There’s so many opportunities in so many different branches,” Dean said. “A lot of people will come on campus and just stay focused on one thing and I encourage my students to get out of their comfort zone. Be a part of different things that you may not normally be drawn to, but enjoy the experience because you learn from different groups.”