Converse College Honors Valerie Naglich of Athens with the Community Service Award

SPARTANBURG, SC (06/14/2013)(readMedia)-- Converse College honored Valerie Naglich, an alumna from the Class of 2003 and resident of Athens, GA, with the 2013 Young Alumna Award for her outstanding character and achievement. The award was presented by Converse President Betsy Fleming and Converse Alumnae Association President Elisabeth Kinney McNeil during the college's reunion weekend.

Valerie is a cum laude graduate of Converse with a double major in music and politics and a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Masters in Public Administration. Valerie served as a Teaching Assistant at Georgia and in May of 2005 was awarded their "Outstanding Teaching Assistant" award in addition to the "Graduate Student of the Year" award.

After graduating from UGA, Valerie went to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, serving first as a Contracting Officer in the Procurement and Grants Office, then moving on to become a Grants Management Specialist, a Funding Resource Analyst, and in March 2011 became a Public Health Analyst at the CDC's Center for Global Health in the Division of Global HIV/AIDS. During her tenure as a Grants Management Specialist, Valerie worked in Pretoria, South Africa and administered over 120 cooperative agreements for public health programs in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Senegal and Lesotho. In July of 2009, she was recognized as Employee of the Month for the CDC, an organization with over 14,000 employees!

In her spare time, Valerie volunteers for such organizations as the UGA School of Public and International Affairs, the Dearborn Animal Hospital and the Karabo Asara Orphanage, to name just a few. She has also maintained a strong connection with her alma mater, volunteering with Converse's Alumnae Mentoring Program to provide support and professional advice to young alumnae.

About Converse College

Founded in 1889 and located in Spartanburg, S.C., Converse College is a master's university dedicated to developing adaptable leaders equipped with the creativity, character, knowledge and perspective to effect positive change in the world. Converse was ranked 3rd in the nation for research, service and social mobility by Washington Monthy and is a Best Value in the South by U.S.News & World Report.

Converse offers a wide range of academic programs for undergraduate women and coed graduate students through the School of Humanities and Sciences, School of Education and Graduate Studies, and School of the Arts. The Converse learning community is differentiated by the Nisbet Honors Program, Petrie School of Music, award-winning independent and collaborative research, leading national debate teams, study abroad and internship programs, and a 10:1 student/faculty ratio.