Steve Lacy and Cathy Wiltfong Lacy of Des Moines, Iowa, have been awarded the Kansas State University Medal of Excellence award in recognition of their outstanding service, leadership and financial contributions to Kansas State University.
Steve and Cathy are both members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Steve sat on the Foundation’s board of directors from 2010 to 2019, serving as chairman from 2017 to 2019. Through their roles as commencement speakers to champions for major fundraising initiatives such as the university’s Changing Lives and Innovation and Inspiration campaigns, the couple have displayed their enthusiasm and loyalty for K-State over many years.
The Lacys’ generosity has enhanced teaching and learning at K-State by providing multiple scholarship opportunities for students. Their support for the College of Business Administration has included generous gifts for the college’s new building and career-coaching program. In the College of Health and Human Sciences, the Department of Hospitality Management now features the Cathy and Steve Lacy Quantity Foods Lab and Lacy’s Fresh Fare & Catering, while the Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health is now able to offer the Cathy Wiltfong Family Fellowship to exceptional faculty. The Lacys have also supported a series of initiatives for K-State Athletics, and with the Wiltfong Family Scholarship Fund, for the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“The generous support from Steve and Cathy has enhanced K-State’s ability to ensure our students are fully prepared for successful careers when they reach graduation,” said Greg Willems, KSU Foundation president and CEO. “We admire them for all they do to empower students with the skills and resources needed to pursue dreams and make meaningful contributions wherever they land.”
Both K-State alumni, Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1976 and an MBA in 1977. Cathy assisted fellow students as a resident advisor in Goodnow Hall, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and institutional management in 1979 followed by an MPA at Drake University in 1986. Steve went on to become chairman and CEO of the Des Moines-based media and marketing company Meredith Corporation, while Cathy served as a sales and marketing dietitian at Tone’s Spice Company.
Today, Cathy continues to lead community and educational organizations in Des Moines and serves on K-State’s Hospitality Management Advisory Board. Steve is a member of the K-State Alumni Association Board of Directors, an advisor for Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and remains active in the College of Business Administration by sitting on the Dean’s Advisory Council executive committee. In 2006 he was chosen as the college’s Distinguished Business Leader of the Year and inducted into its hall of fame. Two years later, he was also honored by the alumni association when he was named an alumni fellow.
“There’s truly something special about Kansas State University, but what really shines in everything that we do is the people,” K-State President Richard Linton said. “Our students, faculty, staff, friends, and alumni, like Steve and Cathy Lacy, are helping us make K-State the next-generation land-grant university.”
“We both received strong educational backgrounds at K-State that served as the foundation for successful careers,” said Steve.
“Equally as important,” added Cathy, “we made lifelong friends and have had the opportunity to give back to the institution we both care deeply about.”
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance K-State.
