On a Sunday morning inside the Bill Cosford Cinema on the Coral Gables campus, the University of Miami Black Alumni Society (UMBAS) formally introduced its first class of UTrailblazers honorees: 10 alumni whose careers and service have left an enduring mark on the University and the communities it touches.
The inaugural UTrailblazers Honor Ceremony and Brunch, held on March 1, served as the closing event of the 2026 Black Alumni Reunion, a weeklong series of events that included gatherings in 12 Canes Communities around the country and four days of on-campus programming.
Guests at the Honor Ceremony were greeted with coffee courtesy of Coffee of Grace, a live saxophone performance by Wildmayer “Will” Marcelin, and at the ceremony’s conclusion, received an exclusive commemorative medallion. Proceeds from the event benefited the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund.
The UTrailblazers name has roots in a decades-long effort to preserve a chapter of University history that might otherwise have been lost. Members of the Black Alumni Society who were among the first Black students to desegregate the University partnered with University Libraries and Special Collections to research and document their experiences.
That work produced a multi-day gala honoring the first Black graduates in 2017 and, later, the Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. Breezeway and Taylor Family UTrailblazers Experience—the University’s first permanent multimedia exhibit dedicated to Black alumni. The latter was made possible by a gift from Taylor, an alumnus and former member of the University’s Board of Trustees.
Antonio Junior, who chaired this year’s honor ceremony, traced UTrailblazers’ origins to an unlikely setting: a music festival in Ohio, where he and co-chair Denise Mincey Mills first discussed the idea. He called Mills to the stage during his remarks and offered a tribute that drew applause from the crowd.
"There’s nothing more liberating than fighting for a cause that is so much bigger than ourselves," Junior said, addressing Mills directly. "Your friendship has been invaluable. Your support has been unwavering. And your love has been unconditional."
Erica Arroyo, associate vice president of engagement, read the official proclamation presented to each honoree, recognizing their “unwavering dedication and steadfast commitment to the University of Miami and the lasting impact their contributions have on future generations of Canes." The medallions were presented by current University students who are members of the Divine Nine, the historically Black fraternities and sororities.
The honorees were selected by a committee assembled for the occasion and reflect the breadth of paths a Miami education can open. They are, in alphabetical order:
- Terri-Ann Bennett, B.S. ’06, M.D. ’10, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, and a former diversity affairs director at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
- Meredith Camel, M.F.A. ’12, executive director for communications at the University, is an Alfred Boas Poetry Prize recipient and 24-year employee of the institution.
- Edith Davis, B.S. ’81, earned her doctorate in geophysics, holds a faculty position at Florida A&M University, and traces her scientific trajectory to three professors who helped her secure a U.S. Geological Survey Fellowship.
- Astin Hayes, B.S.C. ’06, co-founder of Inheirit, Inc. and channel market manager for Rémy Cointreau USA, is a former UMBAS president who has earned multiple Chicago leadership awards.
- Arlene Johnson, B.G.S.C. ’03, M.A.L.S. ’06, retired after 24 years as a development director at the University and co-founded South Florida Blacks in Philanthropy.
- Owen May, B.S. ’81, founder and CEO of MD Global Partners LLC, has trained more than 50 Miami business students and served on the University’s President’s Council for over 25 years.
- Russell O. Motley, B.S.C. ’89, Ed.D. ’26, built a three-decade career in broadcast journalism before returning to South Florida to teach at Florida Memorial University and serve as editor-in-chief of MIA Media Group.
- Michael Rumph, B.L.A. ’03, helped lead the Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship, played five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and is credited with introducing the turnover chain upon returning to Miami as a coach.
- Winston Warrior, B.B.A. ‘93, M.B.A. ‘96, who also served as master of ceremonies for the event, is an award-winning marketing and communications executive, Iron Arrow inductee, and Billboard R&B chart artist.
- Patricia Whitely, Ed.D. ’94, has served the University since 1982, now overseeing 24 departments as senior vice president for student affairs and alumni engagement; an endowed fund supporting students in crisis bears her name.
Among the ceremony’s most resonant moments came when Junior invited the first Black graduates of the University—alumni from the 1960s and ’70s—to come forward. Several rose from their seats to an ovation, drawing the room's attention to the generation whose perseverance made everything that followed possible.
Jason Starr of the Black Alumni Society closed both the brunch and the full reunion weekend with remarks that acknowledged the recent passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, leading the room in a call-and-response of Jackson's "I Am Somebody" poem before turning toward what he called a mandate.
"Call that student. Fund that scholarship. Host that gathering. Make that hire. Tell the truth about who we are and what we built," Starr said. "When we leave here, we are not just alumni. We are ambassadors. We are architects. We’re accountable to the next generation of Hurricanes who are watching to see whether we met what we celebrated."
