McDaniel alums recognized for alumni career and service achievement

James A. Felton III is recognized as a national leader and scholar-practitioner in the field of diversity in higher education, Felton graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1995 and master’s degree in Educational Administration (now Educational Leadership) in 1998.

Felton actively works to engage alumni in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for the McDaniel College Alumni Council and member of the DEI subcommittee of the Academic and Campus Life committee of the McDaniel College Board of Trustees. He has also served as a member of the Graduates of Last Decade (GOLD) Committee, undergraduate relations committee, reunion task force, and fundraising committee. 

Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development of several diversity and strategic plans and has managed scholarship and mentoring programs for underrepresented students. He has also collaborated with corporate, nonprofit, and federal agencies and NGOs to promote international programs and initiatives on diversity and social justice.

As the inaugural vice president for inclusive excellence at The College of New Jersey, Felton has established a new Division of Inclusive Excellence, which includes the Accessibility Resource Center, Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Compliance, and Institutional Equity and Intercultural Affairs. He also developed a faculty diversity recruitment initiative, academic diversity officers’ initiative, among other accomplishments.

Previously, Felton was the chief diversity officer at a number of institutions, including the State University of New York at Cortland and Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and was the first full-time director of multicultural student services at McDaniel.

Named the “Top Vice President for Inclusive Excellence” in 2023 by the International Association of Top Professionals and one of New Jersey's most influential DEI leaders in 2021, he serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Association of Liaisons and Officers for Multicultural Affairs (PALOMA), a statewide organization that provides advocacy, support, best practices, and continual renewal for diversity professionals in the field. He is the co-author of the book “Inclusive Directions: The Role of the Chief Diversity Officer in Community College Leadership.”

Donald J. Hobart, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1962 from the college, received McDaniel’s alumni college service award in 2013 and was named Alum of the Year in 2016.

A member of the WMC Heritage Society Advisory Council and Carroll County Alumni chapter, he is also an active supporter of McDaniel events, including Green Terror home football games, where he is best known for chairing the McDaniel Tailgate Committee which has given free hot dogs and beverages to alumni for the past 10 years. He was a visitor to the Board of Trustees in the early 1990s and again 2009-2012 and president of the Alumni Association from 2009-2011.

During his time as a student, Hobart was a member of the Green Terror football team and the Alpha Gamma Tau fraternity. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army for three years before attending the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Physical Education. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from University of Maryland, Baltimore.

An expert in kinesiology, he served as assistant chair of Physical Therapy and associate professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Medical School, where he taught for more than 40 years. An endowed scholarship was established in his name by the Physical Therapy Alumni Association at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in 1993.

As a non-physical therapist, he is also a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Maryland Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association. He served as secretary and a member of on the board of governors International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology and was secretary general of the 8th International Congress.

Hobart was a trustee and faculty member of Rehab Essentials, a private company specializing in distance learning programs for licensed physical therapists, and served on the board of directors of the Historical Society of Carroll County. He also operated Hobart Studio, a woodworking and photography business, and is a member of the Carroll County Arts Council.