Alumni Awards and Nominations

Ferrum College and the Ferrum College Alumni Association proudly honor Greg Craddock ’92 with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award. From Ferrum student-athlete to decorated military veteran and to nationally recognized business leader, Craddock exemplifies a lifetime of leadership, achievement, and service. His remarkable career and enduring commitment to his alma mater reflect Ferrum College’s values and its mission to prepare students for lives of purpose and service.

A native of Gretna, Virginia, Craddock graduated from Ferrum College in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science and played football for the Panthers. After graduation, he served in the United States Army as a Ranger and Special Forces noncommissioned officer. His military and national security career spanned deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and more than two decades of experience in intelligence, security, and military operations. He later earned a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Liberty University in 2015.

In 2009, Craddock and a group of private investors acquired Patriot Group International (PGI), a government contracting company founded in 2004. He became chief executive officer in 2010 and has since led the Warrenton, Virginia-based company through significant growth. PGI provides intelligence, security, defense, and mission-support services to federal and private-sector clients. Under Craddock’s leadership, the company has emphasized service, excellence, respect, and opportunities for veterans.

PGI has earned recognition for its business performance and workplace culture, including multiple appearances on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and on Virginia Business magazine’s Best Places to Work list. In 2017, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce named PGI the Government Contractor of the Year. Craddock’s individual achievements include being named a 2025 EY Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2026, he and PGI were named finalists for the Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards, with Craddock recognized in the Executive of the Year category and PGI in the Contractor of the Year category.

Craddock’s commitment to service extends beyond his professional accomplishments. In 2025, he helped establish the Global Dagger Association, a nonprofit that provides resilience resources, mental health support, and other assistance to former members of the intelligence community.

His dedication to Ferrum College is evident in his service and generosity. Craddock joined the College’s Board of Trustees in 2024 and serves as second vice chair, drawing on his experience in strategic growth, organizational leadership, and business development. In 2019, he returned to campus as the keynote speaker at the College’s Veterans Day celebration. During that visit, he helped unveil the Craddock Veterans Lounge in Stanley Library, made possible by his generosity, creating a welcoming space for student veterans and military-affiliated members of the Ferrum community. He has also been a member of the President’s Circle of the Arthur Society for five years, demonstrating sustained philanthropic support for the College and its students.

Through his leadership, service, and generosity, Craddock continues to strengthen the relationship between Ferrum College and its alumni and to create opportunities for future generations of Panthers. His accomplishments in military service, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy reflect Ferrum College’s motto, Not Self, But Others, and the promise of a Ferrum education: to enter with promise and leave with purpose.

Craddock is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Ferrum College’s highest alumni honor. The award recognizes graduates who have achieved exceptional professional success, served their communities, remained actively involved with the College, and demonstrated an enduring commitment to its mission and values.

Ferrum College and the Ferrum College Alumni Association proudly honor Frank A. Boxley, III ’17 with the 2026 Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Boxley is a finance and supply chain executive whose career spans corporate financial strategy, manufacturing, procurement, and international operations. A Ferrum College graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting, Boxley has built a career focused on operational efficiency, strategic growth, and financial performance.

Boxley serves as vice president of finance at Foot Levelers, Inc. in Roanoke, Virginia, overseeing financial operations, budgeting, and capital allocation while advising executive leadership on strategic decisions. Previously, he served as director of supply chain and procurement, developing integrated planning processes, optimizing working capital, and strengthening strategic sourcing initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Boxley served as planning manager for Mersen in Paris, France, overseeing supply chain operations and operational finance across three global manufacturing facilities. His work focused on improving cash flow, increasing production efficiency, and integrating enterprise resource planning systems. He also served as a production planner and sales representative at Steel Dynamics, Inc., applying financial analysis and operational planning to support manufacturing performance.

Boxley earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with concentrations in finance, strategy, and data analytics. He was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society in recognition of his academic achievement.

Through his professional growth, strategic leadership, and commitment to continuous improvement, Boxley exemplifies the discipline, initiative, and purpose instilled at Ferrum College.

Boxley is the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which honors graduates within 15 years of earning their degrees who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement, leadership, and service to their communities and alma mater.

Ferrum College and the Ferrum College Alumni Association proudly honor Darrell E. Huffman ’74 and Bonnie L. Huffman ’75 with the 2026 Beckham Medallion. The Huffmans have devoted more than five decades to Christian ministry, community service, and mentoring future generations. As co-founders of New Life Church in Huntington, West Virginia, they have built a shared legacy of faith, leadership, and service that spans their local community and extends to ministry initiatives around the world.

Darrell answered the call to ministry in 1976, after initially pursuing teaching and coaching while playing football at East Tennessee State University. He earned a ministry degree from Rhema Bible Training College and a doctorate from Life Christian University in 2004. In 1985, he and Bonnie founded New Life Church, where he has served as pastor for more than four decades. His ministry has included revitalizing congregations, building partnerships with civic leaders, and supporting regional growth. As president of Victory Ministries, Inc., he has helped launch approximately 100 ministries worldwide.

An accomplished author and broadcaster, Darrell has published 14 books, hosted the national television and radio program Faith That Overcomes, and currently hosts the weekly podcast Coffee and the Word. He remains active in international missions, digital ministry, and mentoring pastors and church leaders.

Bonnie, an ordained minister and graduate of Victory Bible Training Center, has dedicated her career to ministry, counseling, and community outreach. Her work includes creating The Queen of God’s Heart, an outreach presentation focused on breast cancer awareness and support, and leading community presentations for the Area Recovery Center. A frequent speaker at regional women’s conferences, she also mentors emerging ministry leaders and helps lead weekly telephone counseling sessions.

Together, the Huffmans have championed higher education, athletics, and youth development. For more than a decade, they hosted the East Coast Youth Camp at Ferrum College, introducing young people to campus and strengthening their connection to the institution. Darrell credits his Ferrum experience, including religious coursework and Dr. Jack Corvin’s guidance, with establishing the spiritual foundation that shaped his life’s work. Their continued support for Ferrum’s athletic programs, youth initiatives, and campus community reflects their enduring commitment to the College and its students.

Through their lifelong dedication to ministry, mentorship, and service, Bonnie and Darrell Huffman embody Ferrum College’s motto, Not Self, But Others.

Bonnie and Darrell are co-recipients of the Beckham Medallion, Ferrum College’s highest honor. Named in honor of the College’s first president, Dr. Benjamin M. Beckham, the medallion recognizes individuals whose professional achievements, community service, and dedication to Ferrum College exemplify the institution’s motto, Not Self, But Others.