Announcing the 2025 Alumni Awards!
Join us in congratulating the alumni who have been chosen to receive the 2025 Alumni Awards! These individuals will be honored at the November 14 Homecoming Banquet & Alumni Awards Celebration that takes place during Homecoming Weekend, November 13-15. Click here to register for Homecoming!
The honorees are:
Nancy Huff ('89-MA), Distinguished Service to God
Tige Charity ('93), Distinguished Service to the Community
Brad Thomas ('77, '79-MBA), Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
Dr. William Ranahan ('05), Distinguished Service "In Every Person's World"
Geoffrey Graff ('17), Rising Servant Leader
At this time, we also want to encourage you to nominate alumni for the 2026 awards. The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2026. Use this link to submit your nomination(s).
Meet the 2025 honorees!
Nancy Huff '89 MA |
Distinguished Service to God
Nancy Huff is President and Director of Teach the Children International, a nonprofit serving children in crisis around the globe. With degrees in Mathematics and in English as a Second Language, she spent years teaching and writing on education reform, authoring more than 100 published articles for Intercessors for America. Nancy has spoken 21 times at the United Nations on Sahrawi refugee issues, humanitarian aid theft, and child soldier exploitation. She has led more than 50 prayer teams to Washington, D.C. and contributed to medical and disaster relief initiatives in seven countries. She has also written several books, including Taking the Mountain of Education: A Strategic Prayer Guide for American Education, Safety Zone: Prayers to Revolutionize Your School, and Praying for Children, Teens and Young Adults in the 10/40 Window. Nancy’s efforts continue to influence international human rights, education policy, and spiritual advocacy.
Tige Charity '93 |
Distinguished Service to the Community
Tige Charity is a multi-award-winning woman of faith…a social entrepreneur, CEO, transformational speaker, author (“Not Your 9-to-5 Girl”), and servant leader with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from ORU and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University. In May 2009, Tige founded Kids in the Spotlight (KITS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing youth in foster care with an outlet and platform for storytelling and filmmaking as a means of healing. Starting with zero funding, she has grown KITS to an operating budget of over $2,000,000. In January 2023, she launched the KITS Production Studio with Purpose in Van Nuys, CA—a full-service studio that offers rentals to industry professionals and connects youth aging out of foster care to jobs in the entertainment industry. Through KITS’ Script to Screen program, young people ages 12-25 learn to write, cast, and star in their own short films under the guidance of seasoned industry professionals.
Brad Thomas '77, '79 MBA |
Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
Brad Thomas’s involvement with ORU spans decades, from his years as an undergrad and graduate student to leadership roles in many campus organizations. Most recently, he completed a 9-year term on the Board of Trustees, where he also served as secretary and then treasurer. Today, he’s a member of the Board of Reference, a director in the Golden Eagle Club, and a member of the Computing & Mathematics Department Advisory Council. He has been a guest speaker in several classes and at events like the Fenimore & Fisher College of Business ribbon-cutting ceremony and the Computing & Mathematics hooding ceremony. Brad is also the chairman of India Practical Missions, Inc., which supports gospel ministries of Mathews Chacko '70-M.Div., and board secretary at Spirit Life Church. Before retirement, he was the CEO of International Chemical Company, president of Ozark Steel Company, and chairman of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Waterways Advisory Board. Brad and his wife of 46 years, Brenda (Brown '79), have two daughters (ORU grads!) and five grandchildren.
Dr. William Ranahan '05 |
Distinguished Service "In Every Person's World"
As an ORU student, Dr. William Ranahan was struck by the call to be raised up to hear God's voice…and there began a lifelong commitment to discerning and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit. After graduating in 2005 (Biology; emphasis in Molecular Genetics), he worked in Seattle’s Biotech Sector before moving to Indianapolis to pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was awarded several recognitions for his research including “Outstanding Student of the Year” from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. When his doctoral research was done, he felt led to return to ORU and join the mission to raise up God's students to hear His voice... particularly in the lab. In 2021, the Ranahan Cancer Research lab was awarded ORU's first-ever patent for the production of novel anti-cancer compounds from natural sources. The work done by Dr. Ranahan and his undergraduate research students has led to the discovery of several naturally occurring compounds that eliminate cancer cells while enhancing the health of normal tissues. Dr. Ranahan's lab is beginning Phase 1 Clinical Trials in mice for the development of a chemotherapeutic without toxicity. The Ranahan lab is also developing a mushroom-based dietary supplement that results in significant health benefits as well as efficacy against cancer.
Geoffrey Graff '17 |
Rising Servant Leader
Geoffrey Graff is a pastor, communicator, and author known for making the Bible come alive. With a style that brings clear biblical insight and raw authenticity, he bridges the gap between entertaining and exegetical—offering a voice that challenges, encourages, and awakens. His mission is simple: make the Word of God come alive to people. In 2013, Geoffrey began speaking at summer camps across the country. In 2019, he became the youth and young adult pastor at Faith Family Church in Victoria, TX. There, he and his team saw exponential growth, both numerically and spiritually, and pastoring people became dear to his heart. In September of 2025, he and his wife moved to Fayetteville, AR to plant Overflow Church, a thriving, life-giving church that’s reaching Northwest Arkansas. Most dear to his heart is his wife Eden (Watson) '19. Eden is a physician associate, Geoffrey's biggest ministry supporter, and his best friend. Together, they have Jack Geoffrey Graff, their little bundle of joy. You can catch them outdoors, playing board games, or walking their two rather disobedient dogs while pushing Jack’s stroller.
THE ALUMNI AWARDS PROGRAM
In 1998, the Alumni Association Board of Directors established an Alumni Awards program. The first awards were handed out in 1999. In 2014, a new award was introduced for Distinguished Service "In Every Person's World." (Note: In 2015, as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, ORU presented 50 Lifetime Global Achievement Awards to alumni, friends, and other notable individuals. Alumni Awards were not presented in 2015.)
In 2020, another new award -- the Rising Servant Leader -- was presented for the first time.
The categories and criteria for the Alumni Award nominations are as follows:
Distinguished Service to God
Excellence in fulfillment of Oral Roberts' vision for students to go into "every person's world" through full- or part-time ministry in a church, missions organization, or other ministry.
Distinguished Service to the Community
Excellence in serving the community and society, including those outside the Kingdom of God, by bringing God's voice, light, and power into their world; and excellence in meeting unique challenges presented by their environment.
Distinguished Service to the Alma Mater
Excellence in their field of service, contributions to the total life of the university, and spiritual impact on students, the ORU community, and fellow alumni. Nominations based in part on outstanding or faithful financial support of ORU are welcomed, but this is not a prerequisite for the award.
Distinguished Service “In Every Person’s World”
Excellence in carrying out ORU's founding vision through service and achievements in non-ministry/non-missions fields, and by representing Christ in their particular corner of "every person's world."
In these four categories, quality and longevity of service and ministry will be considered. Those who have served "quietly and faithfully" will be on equal footing with those who are widely recognized for their work. Each nominee's life and conduct should reflect Christ's character as revealed in scripture.
The Rising Servant Leader Award
This annual award is granted to a young alumnus or alumna who has received an undergraduate degree from ORU within the last ten years, and who has shown exceedingly outstanding, Christ-like character.
As with the annual Alumni Awards, nominees for this award are evaluated based on the information submitted by their nominators, and through the references that must come from a mentor, a pastor, and a peer. The nominator’s information on the nominee, and positive impressions from the references, must provide verifiable evidence of the nominee’s Christ-like conduct, and the fruit of his or her outstanding character.
This award is intended to empower and acknowledge younger alumni within their first decade out of school—to honor them for being of unimpeachable character in representing ORU. Board members want this award to be reminiscent of how Paul empowered Timothy “to lead and continue to press on in the good fight.” The board wants to acknowledge young alumni and their accomplishments while commissioning them to fight the good fight of faith by representing ORU through their service to God, service to the community, service to their alma mater, and service in every person's world.
For more information on these awards, contact your board representative or the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@oru.edu or 918.495.6610.