TCNJ’s Alumni Association is proud to honor four distinguished alumni at this year’s Alumni Weekend. From shaping global initiatives to serving local communities, the recipients of this year’s alumni awards have made unforgettable impacts through their life-long dedications to service and leadership.
The 2026 winners include:
Young Alumni Award
Dylan Nguyen ’24
Humanitarian Award
JoLeen Ong ’08
Alumni Service Award
Eddie M. Roberts ’97
Distinguished Alumni Award
John J. Anastasio ’69
These honorees will be celebrated at an award ceremony and reception on April 25, 2026 at 2 p.m. in the R. Barbara Gitenstein Library Auditorium. Registration for this event can be found on the Alumni Weekend website.
Visit the Alumni Engagement website to learn more about the awards and how to nominate a deserving alum.
Dylan Nguyen ’24
Young Alumni Award
Dylan Nguyen graduated from TCNJ in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies. He exemplifies leadership, service, and professional excellence through his sustained commitment to the TCNJ community and beyond. Nguyen’s journey from student leader to public servant and corporate professional embodies the very best of the TCNJ spirit.
During his time at TCNJ, Nguyen was highly active and visible in leadership roles in student government, serving as executive president in his final year. He acted as a vital bridge between the student body and the administration, ensuring student perspectives remained central during key institutional transitions.
His campus legacy includes inspiring school spirit during his tenure as the beloved mascot, Roscoe the Lion. For three years, he was also an orientation leader. As a dedicated Bonner Community Scholar, Nguyen committed over 900 service hours to mentorship and educational equity for students from Trenton High School. Today, he continues to pay it forward as an alumnus; he recently hosted TCNJ students at Uber’s World Trade Center office in New York City for professional mentorship and site tours.
Nguyen currently works in the Fortune 100 space as an account representative at Uber. He forms strategic partnerships and helps small businesses scale their operations. Other early career highlights include a prestigious appointment to the White House, where he served in the Executive Branch as a member of the historic final Biden-Harris intern class during the 2024 presidential election cycle.
JoLeen Ong ’08
Humanitarian Award
JoLeen Ong graduated from TCNJ in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies. She concentrated on international economics and trade and also earned minors in anthropology and Spanish. She is being recognized with the Humanitarian Award for her leadership in advancing sustainability, human rights, and fair compensation across global supply chains.
Ong is the senior director of brand and retailer membership at Cascale, where she leads global member engagement to accelerate industry-wide sustainability impact. She uses the Higg Index tools to measure and evaluate different aspects of social and environmental performance. Ong works closely with leading apparel, footwear, and consumer-goods companies to translate sustainability commitments into operational action across complex global supply chains. For over 15 years, her work has placed her at the intersection of sustainability, human rights, and responsible sourcing. She brings deep expertise in operationalizing due diligence across brand, sourcing, and manufacturing functions.
Prior to joining Cascale, Ong served as sustainability director at Fanatics, where she led the enterprise-wide integration of sustainability strategy, responsible purchasing practices, and cross-functional governance. Previously, she led the sustainable manufacturing program at Columbia Sportswear, where she developed global supply-chain sustainability and climate initiatives and oversaw social responsibility programs for licensees worldwide, conducting on-the-ground inspections across more than 100 factories.
Ong began her career in the nonprofit sector at Social Accountability International, where she conducted labor research on banana plantations in Costa Rica, helped build the organization’s communications program, and co-founded the Global Living Wage Coalition — now a cornerstone initiative in the field of fair compensation. She is a published writer and the editor of two award-winning short documentaries.
Ong, who also holds a master’s degree in nonprofit and sustainability management from The New School, demonstrates a commitment to community service through her work on the board of directors for Girls International as well as the advisory board of the University of Oregon’s sports product management program. She regularly lectures on sustainable supply chains and responsible business.
Eddie M. Roberts Jr. ’97
Alumni Service Award
Eddie M. Roberts Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from TCNJ in 1997. His diverse professional path reflects a deep dedication and lifelong commitment to service, particularly within the Mercer County community. After spending17 years as an analyst in a variety of roles at Bloomberg LP, he served as a business analyst at Cenlar and later as director of grants and programs for the Princeton Area Community Foundation. In these roles, Roberts supported philanthropic efforts across the region.
Roberts eventually returned to his alma mater to join the Division of College Advancement as the director of stewardship and donor relations. In this capacity, he oversaw the college’s scholarships, fund distributions, donor communications, and faculty sabbaticals. In 2024, Roberts joined Mercer County’s Division of Community Service as the director of the Office of Training and Employment Services and the One-Stop Career Center.
A dedicated resident of Ewing, New Jersey, Roberts actively contributes to his community. He has been an ongoing member of the township’s environmental commission and zoning board since 2023. Building on that commitment, Roberts also stepped into the role of vice chairman of the Trenton Kappa Foundation in 2024. The foundation manages charitable funds for mentoring, educational initiatives, and community programs focused on youth development and academic achievement.
John J. Anastasio ’69
Distinguished Alumni Award
John J. Anastasio earned a Bachelor of Arts in music education from Trenton State College (now TCNJ) in 1969. His lifetime of achievement in music, broadcasting, education, and community leadership has elevated both his profession and his alma mater.
After Anastasio’s graduation, he joined the Air Force, where he distinguished himself as a member of the USAFE Band — playing the clarinet and tenor saxophone — and performing throughout Europe. He went on to build a career as a well-known broadcaster, winning dozens of awards, including a CLIO — which recognizes creative excellence and innovation in communication and design — in 1976.
Anastasio was also active in many community organizations and on several nonprofit boards. He briefly served as the executive director of the Greater Trenton Symphony. He has continued playing professionally and is currently the concertmaster of the Blawenburg Band.
In addition to his music career, Anastasio is an educator. He taught communication courses at Mercer County Community College and developed the communications technology program at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, teaching courses in technology, radio, and television production. He was widely known as a voiceover artist heard throughout the country and as a regular performer with several theatre companies.
His career also involves visual media; he served as the director of photography on the Emmy Award-winning film The Town That Disappeared Overnight. He holds an MA in educational administration from Rider University.
Anastasio served for 18 years as president of the Glendale Civic Association. Upon retiring, he became active in the TCNJ Alumni Association and served on its board for eight years. He has endowed a scholarship for young music educators and is known as the “voice of TCNJ” for his role as announcer at commencement ceremonies. Still an active member of the Phi Mu Alpha fraternity, Anastasio is a familiar face on campus, supporting the many outstanding music programs of the college and helping with campus activities.
— Leah Cruz ’26