Alumni Association Honors 2026 Fall Award Winners

The University of Notre Dame Alumni Association recognized the 2026 recipients of four of its most prestigious awards during its fall gathering of the NDAA Board of Directors October 8–9, honoring alumni who have made lasting contributions to military and public service, athletics, and the arts. 

The association honored Brig. Gen. Edward G. Burley, USA (Ret.) ’83 with the Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award; Deacon Ned Berghausen ’08 M.Ed. with the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award; Lori Miller ’97 with the Harvey G. Foster Award; and Patrick Creadon ’89 with the Rev. Arthur S. Harvey, C.S.C., Award. 

The Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award

Established in 1985, the Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award honors a graduate distinguished by outstanding military service. A true citizen-soldier, Burley was recognized for his accomplishments as both an Army officer and federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice. 

As an officer, Burley deployed to Panama, Korea, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, commanding Infantry, PSYOP, and Civil Affairs units. Highlights of his service include peace enforcement operations in Srebrenica, Bosnia; human rights missions recovering mass graves in Iraq; rebuilding the 25,000-person Iraqi Border Police; and supporting democratic elections in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wounded several times in combat, he remained overseas with his troops each time to complete their mission.

As an Assistant US Attorney for the District of Columbia for 35 years—including more than 18 years as a homicide prosecutor—Burley spearheaded community prosecution initiatives in Washington, DC. He also deployed with the Department of Justice to Iraq to help prepare the tribunal prosecution of Saddam Hussein and key regime members. 

The Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award

Established in honor of Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., the Cavanaugh Award recognizes Notre Dame graduates who demonstrate faith, service, and dedication to human rights. It was presented to Berghausen in recognition of his devotion to Catholic education, ministry, and service to neglected and forgotten communities.

After a stint in the Peace Corps that coincided with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, where he assisted in rescuing fellow survivors, Berghausen returned to the United States and joined Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program and spent the ensuing two decades forming young people as a theology teacher and serving in campus ministry across four Catholic high schools.

Ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2020, Berghausen serves at St. Agnes Parish. A central element of his ministry is directing the Unmarked Graves Project at St. Louis Cemetery—an initiative dedicated to identifying the resting places and sharing the forgotten stories of 1,588 Black Catholics buried between 1867 and 1937 without markers.

Additionally, Berghausen advances the dialogue between faith and science as a writer and speaker. He frequently collaborates with his wife, Dr. Kate Bulinski, a paleontologist, and contributes lesson plans and presentations to the Science and Religion Initiative at Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life.

The Harvey G. Foster Award

Established in 1982, the Harvey G. Foster Award honors a Notre Dame alum who has been an athlete or involved in athletics and has achieved distinction through civic or University activities. Miller was tapped for the honor in recognition of her athletic achievements and advocacy for improving access to athletics for the blind and visually impaired. 

Totally blind since age two because of retinoblastoma, Miller has spent her life challenging expectations through athletics and advocacy. Overcoming multiple subsequent cancer diagnoses, she built a remarkable athletic career. She became a Junior Olympic regional champion in roller skating, an alternate for the 1992 United States Paralympic goalball team, and a US Disabled Skiing slalom champion. Transitioning to tandem cycling, she represented the US at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She has also ridden and shown horses in English equitation and competed in entry-level dressage.

At Notre Dame and throughout her career, Miller has used sports and technology as bridges for inclusion. She became deeply involved in promoting disability awareness on campus and found that participating in recreational activities was a powerful way to break down attitudinal barriers and build friendships. Later, she was a member of the design team for AdapTap—an innovative device assisting blind swimmers featured in Notre Dame’s “What Would You Fight For?” campaign—and inspired the creation of BicyclingBlind.org. She has also served on the board of the Michigan Blind Athletic Association and spearheaded regional events promoting accessible voting and STEM education.

The Rev. Arthur S. Harvey, C.S.C., Award

Established in 2000, the Rev. Arthur S. Harvey, C.S.C., Award celebrates alumni for their outstanding accomplishments in the performing arts. Creadon earned the distinction for his prolific contributions as an award-winning documentary filmmaker.

Creadon is one of only a handful of directors to have multiple films ranked simultaneously among the top 100 highest-grossing documentaries of all time. His debut feature, Wordplay (2006), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and became the second-highest-grossing documentary of the year. His follow-up, I.O.U.S.A. (2008), also premiered at Sundance and was named one of the top five documentaries of the year by Roger Ebert.

Creadon’s additional director credits include the Independent Spirit Award-winning feature If You Build It (2014), the Emmy-nominated ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Catholics vs. Convicts (2016), Hesburgh (2019; a New York Times Critics’ Pick), and The Loyola Project (2022; praised as "mesmerizing" by the Chicago Sun-Times). He is currently directing his tenth feature film, Rockne, an in-depth examination of legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne's life and legacy. Creadon is a founding member of the Directors Guild of America's Documentary Committee and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2023.