Honoring Excellence: Meet Our Legendary 2026 Game Changer Honorees

Each year, we honor four individuals from various professions who have made a game-changing impact in the lives of neurodivergent youth and families. This year's honorees are nothing short of amazing. Keep reading to learn more.

Mr. Alvin Edinburgh

Mr. Alvin Edinburgh is a revered, lifelong educator whose transformative leadership has shaped the lives of thousands of youth in New Orleans. For nearly five decades, Mr. Edinburgh served as the driving force behind the Trinity Educational Enrichment Program (TEEP), a tuition-free summer camp dedicated to empowering economically disadvantaged rising fifth and sixth graders. After initially joining TEEP as a drama teacher, he assumed the role of Program Director in 1979—a position he held with absolute dedication for 46 years until his retirement at the age of 89.

Under his visionary guidance, the camp seamlessly blended morning academic instruction with afternoon cultural arts and recreation. Mr. Edinburgh anchored the curriculum in his signature "Five Rs" philosophy: Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Restraint, and Redemption. Known for his distinguished style and firm, welcoming handshakes, he created a legacy of strict but deeply loving mentorship. In honor of his exceptional 49-year tenure of service, Trinity Episcopal Church established the Alvin Edinburgh Endowment to secure the program's future for generations to come.

Dr. Rosalind Pijeaux Hale

Rosalind Pijeaux Hale, EdD, retired as Professor Emeritus in the Division of Education and Counseling at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) after 46 years in education. She earned a B.S. degree from XULA, the M.A. from the University of South Alabama, and the doctorate in educational leadership from Auburn University. She has written and received funding for grants totaling over 5 million dollars to support teachers and students. She has served on several professional and non-profit boards.

Dr. Hale continues to be an active member of her community including Grand Lady of the Knights of Peter Calver Ladies Auxiliary, Fr. Manual Williams Court #345, treasurer of the Montgomery Education Retirees Association (MERA), member of the Meritorious Fourth Degree Ladies of Grace Elmira Myers Chapter 30,  Diamond Life Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the National Association of University Women (NAUW) - New Orleans Branch, and XULA  Alumni Association Montgomery Chapter. She has been recognized for her service including,  Woman of the Year for the South-Central Section of NAUW, MERA Volunteer of the Year, Grand Lady of the Year for the Gulf Coast District, and the XULA  Alumnus of the Year and Dolores Aaron Spirit of Xavier Award.

Dr. James Lyons

James E. Lyons Sr., PhD has served in a number of administrative positions in higher education, including three university presidencies. In addition, he has served as interim president at Concordia College Alabama, the University of the District of Columbia, and Dillard University.

From 2007 to 2010 he served as Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, where he helped to establish policies for Maryland’s public and private colleges and universities. From 1999 to 2007, Lyons served as president of California State University Dominguez Hills, a Hispanic Serving university, making him one of the first presidents to have served at the helm of both an HBCU and HSI. Prior to moving to California, he served as president of Jackson State University and Bowie State University.

Lyons earned his BA, MA, and Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. He has also attended the Harvard Institute for Education Management. He has served on numerous boards, commissions, and committees including the American Council on Education, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the National Institutes of Health’s Task Force on At Risk Drinking, the US Dream Academy, and two Blue Ribbon Commissions reviewing higher education in Louisiana. He has chaired regional accreditation teams, and evaluated the performance of presidents and Boards, both in the United States and abroad. Lyons is a former member of the Board of Trustees at Dillard University, Thomas Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University), and California College of Arizona State University. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Professor William "Bill" Quigley

Bill Quigley is an emeritus professor of law. He served as Director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University New Orleans for more than 30 years. Bill has been an active public interest and human rights lawyer since 1977. Bill has served as counsel with a wide range of public interest organizations on issues including Katrina social justice issues, public housing, voting rights, death penalty, living wage, human rights, civil liberties, educational reform, constitutional rights and civil disobedience. Bill has litigated numerous cases with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Advancement Project, and with the ACLU of Louisiana where he was General Counsel for over 15 years. He has been an active lawyer with School of the Americas Watch and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Bill served as Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights in NYC from 2009 to 2011 before returning to Loyola.

Bill teaches in the Law Clinic and teaches courses in Law and Poverty, Social Justice Lawyering, and Catholic Social Teaching and Law. His research and writing has focused on community lawyering, living wage, the right to a job, legal services, community organizing as part of effective lawyering, civil disobedience, high stakes testing, international human rights, revolutionary lawyering and a continuing history of how the laws have regulated the poor since colonial times. He has served as an advisor on human and civil rights to Human Rights Watch USA, Amnesty International USA, and served as the Chair of the Louisiana Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights.

Bill is the author of Ending Poverty As We Know It: Guaranteeing A Right to A Job At A Living Wage (2003) and Storms Still Raging: Katrina, New Orleans and Social Justice (2008). In 2003, he was named the Pope Paul VI National Teacher of Peace by Pax Christi USA. Bill is the recipient of the 2004 SALT Teaching Award presented by the Society of American Law Teachers. He was awarded the Stanford Law School National Public Service Award in 2006, the 2006 Camille Gravel Civil Pro Bono Award from the Federal Bar Association New Orleans Chapter and the 2006 National Lawyers Guild Ernie Goodman award. In 2007, the University of California named Bill their Social Justice Scholar in Residence. In 2009, he was the Daynard Public Interest Visiting Fellow at Northeastern University School of Law. In 2011, Bill was awarded the Fordham University School of Law Louis J. Lefkowitz Public Service Award and the Activist Scholar Award of the Urban Affairs Association. In 2015, Bill was awarded the Fr. Robert Drinan Pro Bono Award from American Association of Law Schools Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities Section. In 2015, Bill was appointed Co-Dean of the School of Law and Political Science of Universite Fondation Dr. Aristide (UNIFA), Port au Prince, Haiti. Bill also serves as Pro-Bono General Counsel for the Washington Peace Center.

------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTDfjDkm_P0