Congratulations! Wake Forest Community Celebrates Kendra Graham (‘85), Mit Shah (‘91) as Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
4/24/2024 9:59:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis, Women's Golf
These two esteemed Wake Foresters were honored on Friday, April 19 with a special event and reception.
Distinguished Alumni Awards Webpage | Kendra Graham ('85) | Mit Shah ('91)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Distinguished Alumni Awards are conferred annually at a signature event that celebrates the achievements of each recipient. The 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner was held Friday, April 19 on Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus. The 2024 honorees are Kendra Graham ('85) and Mit Shah ('91).
About Mit Shah ('91)
Arriving at Wake Forest in 1987, Mit Shah competed as a walk-on for the Men's Tennis team. While a student, he was also an employee at Graylyn, gaining valuable experience while pursuing his academic degree in Economics and Sociology, a foundation he has utilized to achieve extraordinary professional success.
Shah, part owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, credits Wake Forest with having a meaningful influence on his life. He said the University's longstanding promise to student and student-athlete development continues to inspire his support. He believes our basketball program brings our community together and provides invaluable exposure to Wake Forest, Winston Salem, Forsyth County, and the entire Piedmont Triad region.
He is the founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, an award-winning real estate investment manager specializing in the travel and hospitality sector. Noble has made over $6 billion in hotel investments, creating thousands of jobs across America.
Shah has been profiled in Newsweek magazine as one of the most influential South Asians in the United States, named as one of Atlanta's most admired CEOs, and one of the 21st century's most influential hospitality and travel industry leaders. He was named Executive of the Year by Penn State University and was honored by the UJA Federation of New York in recognition of his professional and philanthropic achievements.
Those aforementioned achievements include numbers to his alma mater, one of which was announced earlier this year. The Shah family made this latest multimillion-dollar commitment in the spring of 2023 and authorized the University in January. That gift focused on intensifying Wake Forest's strategic pursuit of basketball excellence in a highly competitive landscape and provides head coach Steve Forbes and his staff a broader means to invest in Wake's student-athlete experience, sports performance, medicine and wellness, innovation, and advanced technology. Mit's commitment was designed to inspire the investments of many other loyal Deacon fans as a call to action for Wake Forest Basketball.
Previously, Mit Shah provided the lead investment for the $12 million Shah Basketball Complex and helped drive the creation of the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse. The Shah Basketball Complex is renowned as one of America's foremost practice, training, and player development facilities, featuring 40,000 state-of-the-art square feet dedicated solely to Wake Forest Basketball.
Mit's gift that was announced in January also included the creation of the endowed "Shah Family Men's Basketball Scholarship," which will forever link the Shah Family with a player on the Men's Basketball team.
Shah is one of the founders and a member of the board of directors for Roll the Quad, which is a Proud Partner of Wake Forest Athletics. Visit www.RollTheQuad.com for more information.
Additionally, he is an active supporter of educational objectives and is serving his fifth term as a member of the Board of Trustees for Wake Forest University.
About Kendra Graham ('85)
Kendra Graham's journey started in New Jersey as the only girl playing with boys on the West Essex High School golf team and she later competed in a U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur before arriving at Wake Forest and graduating in 1985. She finished in the top 20 at the ACC Championships individually as a junior and senior.
Following her time in Winston-Salem, she started working in merchandising retail at several golf clubs.
In 1986, Graham – whose mom had been a longtime USGA volunteer – took a temporary role working behind the scenes during the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and it changed her career trajectory.
In 1994, Graham's proficiency in golf's rules earned her an invitation as one of the first female rules officials to serve at the Masters Tournament. A year later, she helped open the same door at the Open Championship as the first American woman to officiate. Despite a 13-year hiatus to be a full-time mom in her son's life, Graham has officiated more than 50 men's and women's majors plus significant amateur events and an assortment of Walker, Curtis, Solheim and Presidents Cups. Additionally, she served on the USGA's Executive Committee and the chair of the Rules of Golf Committee.
Women had represented the USGA on the Executive Committee at the Masters before – Judy Bell and Carol Semple Thompson – but none had been sent as an "invited guest" to serve as a rules official before Graham in 1994.
Her experience as a competitive collegiate player and her sweeping knowledge of the rulebook underpin her authority and ability to clearly communicate a ruling to players.
Through the years, Graham has given rulings to notables including Demon Deacons legend Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at the Masters. She handled rulings for Rory McIlroy and recent Deac Will Zalatoris at the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline. Also, she was the walking rules official with the Tom Kim-Justin Thomas singles match at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
As the women's movement-era marketing slogan once proclaimed, Graham has indeed come a long way. The rules of golf don't discriminate against anyone, and Graham's success has gone a long way as well to ensure the game's diversity follows suit.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Distinguished Alumni Awards are conferred annually at a signature event that celebrates the achievements of each recipient. The 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner was held Friday, April 19 on Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus. The 2024 honorees are Kendra Graham ('85) and Mit Shah ('91).
About Mit Shah ('91)
Arriving at Wake Forest in 1987, Mit Shah competed as a walk-on for the Men's Tennis team. While a student, he was also an employee at Graylyn, gaining valuable experience while pursuing his academic degree in Economics and Sociology, a foundation he has utilized to achieve extraordinary professional success.
Shah, part owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, credits Wake Forest with having a meaningful influence on his life. He said the University's longstanding promise to student and student-athlete development continues to inspire his support. He believes our basketball program brings our community together and provides invaluable exposure to Wake Forest, Winston Salem, Forsyth County, and the entire Piedmont Triad region.
He is the founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, an award-winning real estate investment manager specializing in the travel and hospitality sector. Noble has made over $6 billion in hotel investments, creating thousands of jobs across America.
Shah has been profiled in Newsweek magazine as one of the most influential South Asians in the United States, named as one of Atlanta's most admired CEOs, and one of the 21st century's most influential hospitality and travel industry leaders. He was named Executive of the Year by Penn State University and was honored by the UJA Federation of New York in recognition of his professional and philanthropic achievements.
Those aforementioned achievements include numbers to his alma mater, one of which was announced earlier this year. The Shah family made this latest multimillion-dollar commitment in the spring of 2023 and authorized the University in January. That gift focused on intensifying Wake Forest's strategic pursuit of basketball excellence in a highly competitive landscape and provides head coach Steve Forbes and his staff a broader means to invest in Wake's student-athlete experience, sports performance, medicine and wellness, innovation, and advanced technology. Mit's commitment was designed to inspire the investments of many other loyal Deacon fans as a call to action for Wake Forest Basketball.
Previously, Mit Shah provided the lead investment for the $12 million Shah Basketball Complex and helped drive the creation of the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse. The Shah Basketball Complex is renowned as one of America's foremost practice, training, and player development facilities, featuring 40,000 state-of-the-art square feet dedicated solely to Wake Forest Basketball.
Mit's gift that was announced in January also included the creation of the endowed "Shah Family Men's Basketball Scholarship," which will forever link the Shah Family with a player on the Men's Basketball team.
Shah is one of the founders and a member of the board of directors for Roll the Quad, which is a Proud Partner of Wake Forest Athletics. Visit www.RollTheQuad.com for more information.
Additionally, he is an active supporter of educational objectives and is serving his fifth term as a member of the Board of Trustees for Wake Forest University.
About Kendra Graham ('85)
Kendra Graham's journey started in New Jersey as the only girl playing with boys on the West Essex High School golf team and she later competed in a U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur before arriving at Wake Forest and graduating in 1985. She finished in the top 20 at the ACC Championships individually as a junior and senior.
Following her time in Winston-Salem, she started working in merchandising retail at several golf clubs.
In 1986, Graham – whose mom had been a longtime USGA volunteer – took a temporary role working behind the scenes during the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and it changed her career trajectory.
In 1994, Graham's proficiency in golf's rules earned her an invitation as one of the first female rules officials to serve at the Masters Tournament. A year later, she helped open the same door at the Open Championship as the first American woman to officiate. Despite a 13-year hiatus to be a full-time mom in her son's life, Graham has officiated more than 50 men's and women's majors plus significant amateur events and an assortment of Walker, Curtis, Solheim and Presidents Cups. Additionally, she served on the USGA's Executive Committee and the chair of the Rules of Golf Committee.
Women had represented the USGA on the Executive Committee at the Masters before – Judy Bell and Carol Semple Thompson – but none had been sent as an "invited guest" to serve as a rules official before Graham in 1994.
Her experience as a competitive collegiate player and her sweeping knowledge of the rulebook underpin her authority and ability to clearly communicate a ruling to players.
Through the years, Graham has given rulings to notables including Demon Deacons legend Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at the Masters. She handled rulings for Rory McIlroy and recent Deac Will Zalatoris at the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline. Also, she was the walking rules official with the Tom Kim-Justin Thomas singles match at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
As the women's movement-era marketing slogan once proclaimed, Graham has indeed come a long way. The rules of golf don't discriminate against anyone, and Graham's success has gone a long way as well to ensure the game's diversity follows suit.
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