Young Alumni Award (Est. 2020)

The Young Alumni Award is bestowed upon alumni by the University of Illinois Alumni Association on behalf of the University of Illinois. This award recognizes alumni who are under the age of 35, and who have emerged as early leaders in their respective professional or civic endeavors. These individuals have demonstrated leadership and innovation and have proven themselves to be exceptional ambassadors for the University’s recent graduate and young alumni communities.

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  Anna L. Oldani, '12 ENG, MS '14, PHD '19

  Anna Oldani is at the forefront of sustainable aviation research and policy, including fuel development and deployment and sustainable aviation technologies. She is the Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Environment and Energy at the Federal Aviation Administration, where she oversees university research at the Aviation Sustainability Center of Excellence (ASCENT) and coordinates with industry under the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) Program. Oldani works across federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy through the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge, to ensure the advancement of sustainable aviation goals. She also is advancing the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) Grant Program. She serves as co-rapporteur for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection’s Fuels Task Group, facilitating international dialogues and technical cooperation. In 2023, she received a Secretary of Transportation Award for her work on the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan, helping develop the U.S. aviation sector’s vision and plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. She also received a 2022 Secretary of Energy Achievement Award for her work on the SAF Grand Challenge.

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  Scott L. Lichtenthal, MBA '21 BUS

  Scott Lichtenthal serves as Senior Vice President of Advanced Analytics Products at Mastercard. In this role, Scott and his team are responsible for building and managing a portfolio of software products, data products, and services offerings that help strategy, product, marketing, and analytics leaders address their most critical problems using best-in-class AI and machine learning. Prior to joining Mastercard, Scott held leadership positions at Gartner, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Procter & Gamble. Scott holds an MBA from University of Illinois, a JD from Northern Kentucky University, and a BS from Cornell University. In 2024, he was recognized by AIM Research as one of the 100 leaders who are propelling the AI and analytics industry forward globally.

• 2020s