When C. LaShea Lofton offers words of wisdom to University of Dayton students, she encourages them to take advantage of every opportunity. She speaks from experience.

A veteran city of Dayton employee, Lofton currently serves as deputy city manager. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and oversight to the departments of Aviation, Finance, Public Works and Information and Technology Services. And Lofton has never forgotten where and how it all started.

She owns the distinction of being the first recipient and graduate of the prestigious W.S. McIntosh Memorial Leadership Award, which provides a four-year full-tuition scholarship (including room and board) and a paid four-year internship. The award program, now in its 35th year, was developed by UD and the city of Dayton to honor slain Dayton Civil Rights leader William Sumpter McIntosh, with one goal: to attract talented local African-American students to the University and keep them in the city as leaders after graduation. Lofton did just that and more.

Lofton began working full-time for the city in 1992, after spending a year in Nigeria, West Africa, teaching French. For the next 28 years, her tenacity for creative problem-solving, ability to inspire change and love for this city allowed Lofton to serve Dayton well. Some of her most notable achievements include establishing a neighborhood business assistance loan program for small and minority businesses as the community development administrator; completing multi-million dollar renovations of Lohrey and Princeton Recreation Centers, while also building the city’s first new state-of-the-art recreation center in 20 years for seniors, youth and families in 2010 when she was recreation director; and most recently leading the city through three consecutive years of receiving “clean” state audits, demonstrating fiscal integrity and accountability of public resources as the city’s finance director in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Lofton is the proud mother of Adanna Smith, Esq. a 2016 UD graduate, who is currently serving as a federal law clerk in Baltimore, Maryland. She often tells people that Adanna is by far her greatest achievement!

Special Achievement Award

The Special Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus who has distinguished themself by earning special distinction in civic or professional activities and has, by their actions, reflected honor on the Alumni Association and the University. The Special Achievement Award is given for outstanding achievement in business, in industry, through professional excellence, by civic activity or by service to the community. To be eligible, a person must hold a degree from the University of Dayton.

Past Recipients

Bucky Albers '68
Herbert J. Ammerman '69 
Thomas J. Archdeacon, Jr. '72 
Robert Arnzen '51 
Robert L. Bates '67 
Steven C. Bergman '77 
Arthur B. Bok III '74
Susann M. Brady-Kalnay '87
Jacquline M. Brumfield '71
Steven Budd ’76, ’78
Paul J. Campbell '67 
John R. Castignola '47 
James L. Charles '53
Erica Chenoweth '02 
Jacqueline K. Collier '67 
Ronald W. Collins '57 
Daniel E. Denlinger '79 
Daklak Cao Do '89 
Donald J. Donoher '54
Wendy Humphrey Doolittle ’98
Elizabeth Duell '58
Timothy L. Dues '74 
Diana R. Dunn '59 
Martha J. Dunsky '75 
James L. Dutt '66 
James A. Eiting '58 
Ahmed K. Elmagarmid '77 
Kathleen J. Emery '69 
William M. Fackovec, S.M. '49 
Gerald A. Faust, Jr. '58 
Arthur O. Fisher '48 
David P. Fitzgerald '71 
Frances Longo Franchina '60
Terri Lee Freeman ’81 
Manuel L. Garlikov '43 
Barbara P. Gorman '74 '77
Garry B. Grice '64 
Jon Gruden '86 
William J. Gutbrod '50 
Thomas M. Hannigan '66 
Gerald M. Hauer '56 
Nancy K. Hayes '73 
Allen Hill '67, '72
Joseph Hinrichs '89
Daniel J. Hornbach '74
Sharon Davis Howard '78
Ann Hudock '90, '93
Arthur J. Huber '54 
Mary Josephine Huth '50 
Charles B. Jones '49
Jeffrey J. Jones II ’90
Henry M. Josefczyk '60 
Jonathan Judge '93
Robert S. Kennedy '65 
William P. King '96
Victoria Knipper Hughes '74 
Wayne D. Lancaster '69 
Jan Lepore-Jentleson ’71
John D. Lewis '70 
Lloyd E. Lewis '48 
Claire R. Longman '77 
Sr. Grace A. Luther, F.M.I. '48 
Craig E. Lyon '73 
Charles V. Magatti '71 
Jon J. Major '80 
Westina L. Matthews '70 
Thomas F Mazza '81 
Linda J. Mercuri '69 
John F. Michitsch '65 
Michele Mirto '91 
John E. Moore '55 
Charles H. Noll '53 
Kenneth G. Oaks '87
Joseph A. Oths '56 
Kenneth Perko '63 
John J. Peterangelo '67 
Margaret E. Peters '59 
Diane Kitzerow Phillips '64 
ShirleyA. Pohl '57 
Daniel Patrick Pugh '79 
Francis X. Quinn '51 
William M. Raveis, Jr. '68 
Mary Anne Reilly-Dirlam '75 
B. William Ricco '58 
Elmo E. Roach '63 
John D. Rossi '58 
Joseph M. Scaminace '75 
Earl Scheidler '57 
Joseph Scherger '71 
Katherine A. Schipper '71 
Rosemary Schmidt '52 
Richard M. Schoen '72 
Roman U. Schoenherr '56 
Stephen P. Scovic '66 
Deborah J. Seifert '70
Michael Sewell '85
Gerald S. Sharkey '65 
Mary Ann Sharkey '74 
Ned J.Sifferlen '63 
Michael S. Someck '62 
Robert G. Stachler '51 
Virginia MacMillan Varga '51 
Howard Watkins '86 
Robert L. Westerheide '56 
Marcy Weston '66 
A. William Wiggenhorn '66 
Michael D. Wilson '70 
Kevin J. Wood '69 
Helen A. Yura-Petro '53 
Haleem N. Zihenni '88