Troy University to recognize four Alumni of the Year during Homecoming celebration
Published 8:06 am Wednesday, October 4, 2023
- Andrew Olivastro, Bill Wasden, Randy Mauldin and Gwen Cephas Mosley are this year’s Troy University Alumni of the Year. (Submitted photos)
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TROY – Troy University has announced its 2023 Alumni of the Year award recipients.
The group of four honorees will be recognized during halftime of TROY’s Homecoming football game on Oct. 7 when the Trojans welcome Arkansas State to Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 3 p.m.
This year’s honorees are: Randy Mauldin, a 1986 graduate who now serves as business development manager with TRANE in Nashville, Tenn.; Gwen Moseley, a 1976 and 1978 graduate who retired in 2017 after a 42-year career with the Alabama Department of Corrections; Bill Wasden, a 1978 graduate who is an attorney and partner in the law firm Burr & Forman, LLP; and Andy Olivastro, a 1996 graduate who is Chief Advancement Officer for the Heritage Foundation.
“Each year at Homecoming, it is an honor to recognize Troy University alumni, who true to the Trojan spirit, are making a difference through service to their communities, their careers and their alma mater,” said Faith Byrd, Director of Alumni Affairs. “Through their accomplishments and service, these alumni continue to represent TROY well, and we are pleased to honor them as Alumni of the Year.”
Randall (Randy) Mauldin
Randy Mauldin (’86) is a business development manager with TRANE in Nashville, Tennessee. A Business Administration/Marketing graduate, Mauldin was a member of the 1984 national championship golf team and a part of the Letterman’s Club. At TROY, he also served as a campus Senator from 1982 – 1984, Lambda Chi Alpha Vice President and an Interfraternity Council representative. Mauldin is an active member of the TROY Alumni Association, a member of the Trojan Warrior Club, has served on the Alumni Board of Lambda Chi Alpha and is a season ticket holder for football. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee School Plant Managers Association, is a partner with the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents and is an affiliate member of the Tennessee Association of County Mayors. Mauldin volunteers with the Williamson County Parks and Recreation department and is the announcer for high school sporting events. He is an active member of Franklin First United Methodist Church, serving as Youth Confirmation Leader and a member of the building committee. Mauldin and his wife, Laurie, have two children – Ross and Karli, a 2014 TROY graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Journalism.
Gwendolyn (Gwen) Cephas Mosley
Gwen Mosley (’76, ’78) retired in 2017 after a 42-year career with the Alabama Department of Corrections. During her career, Mosley rose from a correctional officer to a warden, becoming Alabama’s first female warden to lead one of the state’s 17 male prisons. In 1992, she was named Warden of the Year for the State of Alabama. Mosley has served as a board member on the Alabama Council on Crime and Delinquency and as a member of the Alabama State Correctional Association. In retirement, Mosley is an active member of the Troy United Women’s League, serving as Correspondent Secretary and as a member of the scholarship committee. Mosley, an avid TROY sports fan, is also a charter member and a Lifetime member of the Trojan Tailgaters Chapter, serving as Co-Chair of the chapter’s scholarship committee. She has served as a facilitator and workshop presenter for TROY’s Congressman John Lewis Leadership Conference and is an active member of the Greater St. Paul A.M.E. Church, where she serves as a Senior usher and Sunday school teacher. Mosley and her husband, Richard, have one son, Richard, Jr., and two grandchildren – Trey and Raegan.
Harold “Bill” Wasden
Bill Wasden (’78) is an attorney and partner in the law firm Burr & Forman, LLP. A 1981 graduate of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Wasden has served as General Counsel and Legal Advisor to the Governor of Alabama, a state appointment he held when he joined the firm in 1992. He served as an Assistant Attorney General, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and as General Counsel to the Alabama Ethics Commission. In private practice, Wasden has presided as a Hearing Officer for the Alabama Environmental Management Commission and has been a member of the Alabama Law Institute Council and the Judicial Study Commission. He currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve. At TROY, Wasden was a founding member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. He is a Lifetime member of the TROY Alumni Association and a founding member of the Southwest Alabama chapter. He serves on the Troy University Foundation Board and is involved in many of the University’s major fundraising initiatives. Wasden is a long-time supporter and contributor to TROY Athletics.
Andrew (Andy) Olivastro
Andrew Olivastro (‘96) is the newly appointed and first Chief Advancement Officer for the Heritage Foundation, one of the world’s leading think tanks, having previously served as Vice President for Outreach. Earlier, he founded ATO Strategies, a public affairs agency; led communications and corporate responsibility for United Technologies (now RTX); and developed elite engagement strategies for top companies at Edelman Public Relations. Olivastro directed the speechwriting team for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and served as speechwriter for the Republican National Committee. He serves on the advisory boards for TROY’s Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Viewpoint Diversity Score project. He is a Claremont Institute Lincoln Fellow and a member of The Philadelphia Society. At TROY, Olivastro was privileged to play quarterback for the Trojans and serve as Editor of The Tropolitan. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism and Political Science. He splits time between DC and Connecticut with his wife and two children.