Three people have been recognized as award honorees by the UNCW Alumni Association, according to an announcement.

Donald Godwin, Lindsay Harkey and Janine Bilodeau Powell were recognized for their achievements during the University of North Carolina Wilmington's homecoming in February, officials said.

Godwin, who is a 1969 graduate, was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. He is a respected trial lawyer in Texas, officials said in the announcement.

For more than 40 years, Godwin has tried significant cases throughout Texas and across the United States. He was the lead trial lawyer in defense of Halliburton Co. in connection with all civil litigation and investigations concerning BP's Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the announcement.

Officials said he has given back to the university by serving as UNCW's commencement speaker in 2017.

Harkey (right) was named the 2019 UNCW Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year by the association. She is general manager of Health Care Financing at Live Oak Bank, officials said in the announcement. 

She graduated from UNCW in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Officials said she supports UNCW as an annual donor and a member of the Seahawk Club.

She has served on the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation Committee for eight years and was chair of its 20th Pink Ribbon Project last year, officials said.

Harkey is also a member of the Good Friends of Wilmington board and the Junior League of Wilmington, officials said.

And Powell, a 1988 graduate, was named Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the association. She is director of donor relations of the parks and gardens department of New Hanover County, according to the announcement.

During Hurricane Florence in September, she was an “integral part” of the county’s emergency communications team, officials said in the announcement.

She has been a past president of the Cape Fear Region Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as a board member with the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History and Coastal Horizons' Wilmington Health Access for Teens.

At UNCW, Powell serves as a member of the Friends of UNCW Board of Directors and is a UNCW Society member.