BECKLEY W.Va. (WVDN) – In anticipation of their Homecoming Alumni Banquet, WVU Tech has announced its academic alumni award winners for 2026. Winners are selected annually from each school, as well as the Nelson Distinguished Young Alumni awardee, for excellence in their careers.
Jamie Ridgeway ’99 is the Alumni of the Year for the Leonard C. Nelson School of Engineering. Ridgeway serves as the President of March-Westin Company, a general contractor and construction manager based in Morgantown, West Virginia. A native of White Sulphur Springs, WV, he has been a driving force at March-Westin since 1999, having risen from an entry-level position to leading the firm. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and holds an Executive MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Within the Contractor’s Association of WV, he has held positions as Chairman of the Joint Architect Committee, Chairman of the Building Division, and President in 2023. He previously served as the Chairman of the Board for the Associated Builders & Contractors of West Virginia in 2011. In 2010, his industry contributions were formally recognized when he was named to the WV State Journal’s Generation Next list.
Candace Holcomb, ’12, ’16, is the Alumni of the Year for the School of Business. Holding dual degrees in accounting and business management, she currently serves as Finance Manager at 100 Degrees Consulting, where she partners with nonprofits worldwide to strengthen financial systems that empower missions to thrive. As the former Chief Financial Officer of Generation West Virginia, Holcomb helped lead one of the state’s most innovative nonprofits dedicated to reversing the “brain drain” by helping young professionals build meaningful careers and lives in West Virginia. Under her leadership, the organization expanded programs that connected emerging talent with employers, trained West Virginians for remote tech careers, and brought broadband and digital literacy planning to 18 counties across the state.
Scotty Stone, ’16, is the Alumni of the Year for the School of Arts and Sciences. He recently began his dream job as Fellowship Manager at Generation West Virginia and was previously Southern Programs Manager at Goodwill Industries of the Summit, overseeing program deployment across twenty counties in West Virginia. Stone has dedicated his career to strengthening and expanding opportunities for southern West Virginia communities, joining the Clay County Business Development Authority and completing the FBI Pittsburgh Citizens Academy in 2025 to deepen his leadership and civic responsibility. He serves as Board Treasurer for the Clay County Business Development Authority and sits on the Board of Directors for the Elk River Trail Foundation.
Hillary Parcell, ’08, is the Alumni of the Year for the WVU School of Nursing Beckley campus. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing and earned her master’s in nursing in 2011. Parcell then began her career as a nursing faculty member at a private university before returning to WVU Tech, where she now serves as the nursing program chair. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies at Marshall University. Parcell has a passion for helping southern West Virginians. In her role as a nursing professor and chair, she hopes she can impact the lives of her students and the patients they will care for and become excellent nurses in our community.
Tavon Johnson ’16 is the winner of the Nelson Distinguished Young Alumni Award. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is a first-generation college graduate from Baltimore, Maryland. While at Tech, Johnson was an active and influential campus leader. He co-founded the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering Design Exposition, presented research at the West Virginia Capitol Undergraduate Research Day, and published a peer-reviewed paper on renewable energy applications at the University of Alabama – Birmingham. Johnson currently serves as North America Automation Sales Manager for Valmet, a global leader in automation and energy technology. He also earned his master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in operations from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
All alumni award recipients will be celebrated at a banquet at The Resort at Glade Springs on Friday, February 20, 2026, as well as during the basketball games at the Raleigh County Convention Center on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Golden Bear Athletic Hall of Fame and other award winners will also be honored during these events, and those awardees will be announced in the coming weeks.
