2025: Honorary Degrees
Scott Cameron Pelley
Scott Cameron Pelley is a renowned author, CBS journalist and news anchor whose honest and uncompromising approach to reporting has shaped the public’s understanding of major events and elevated the credibility of broadcast journalism. For over three decades as a trusted voice for CBS, Mr. Pelley distinguished himself as a war correspondent in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, as CBS chief White House correspondent, and as the anchor and editor of the “CBS Evening News.” He is also the most highly awarded “60 Minutes” correspondent in the history of the iconic program.
Journalistic integrity is paramount to Mr. Pelley, and his reputation for professionalism, accuracy and unflinching honesty has facilitated face-to-face conversations with prominent newsmakers and leading voices of our time. Among his most notable subjects are Pope Francis, Jane Goodall, the Sandy Hook families and world leaders, including five U.S. presidents and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For his groundbreaking interviews and investigative reporting, he has been awarded 51 Emmy Awards, four Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons and three Peabody Awards.
Mr. Pelley is a gifted storyteller who can humanize any event, and some of his most riveting narratives are about everyday people. According to Mr. Pelley, the people are the story. In his 2019 book, “Truth Worth Telling,” he profiles famous and not-so-famous individuals who discover meaning in their lives when they experience a historical event. Mr. Pelley shares his own pivotal moment when he reported from the World Trade Center on 9/11 as the North Tower collapsed. “Truth Worth Telling” is an insightful memoir that explores the impact of values and courage, reminding us of the importance of free speech and free press in a democratic society.
For modeling Pro Humanitate values in his intentional efforts to humanize historic events, for inspiring future generations of journalists to adopt an uncompromising approach to broadcast journalism and for tirelessly defending democracy’s need for free press and free speech in challenging times, Mr. Scott Cameron Pelley is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Akinyele “Yele” O. Aluko (MBA ’14)
Dr. Akinyele “Yele” O. Aluko is a values-driven physician executive who serves as EY’s chief medical officer and founding director of the EY Center for Health Equity. Guided by a Pro Humanitate vision for global health equity, Dr. Aluko utilizes an integrated business strategy to drive transformational change in health care delivery. His collaborative approach to improving health services has reshaped industry standards and proven significantly beneficial to EY stakeholders and the populations they serve.
For the first 25 years of his career, Dr. Aluko practiced cardiovascular medicine, ultimately serving as senior vice president of heart and vascular services at a 15-hospital regional health care system in the Southeast. In a deliberate effort to amplify the scope of his impact on health care, he joined EY as chief medical officer in 2016. In this new role, Dr. Aluko leveraged his medical and business expertise to engineer a comprehensive approach to advancing health equity and creating long-term value for organizations and communities. He uses a holistic approach to optimize workplace health by targeting the social and political determinants that drive care. His strategic efforts have measurably reduced health care disparities in the employee community and improved the fiscal health of corporations.
Dr. Aluko currently serves the Wake Forest School of Professional Studies as a valued member of the Health Administration Program Advisory Board. He received his MBA from the Wake Forest School of Business and earned a medical degree from the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Dr. Aluko was awarded prestigious cardiology fellowships at the medical centers of the University of Massachusetts, Cornell University and Columbia University. He is an advisory board member at Harvard Business Review, Honeywell Healthcare Solutions and Children’s National Hospital.
For fostering Pro Humanitate ideals in his efforts to advance health equity on a global scale, for leveraging his unique blend of clinical and business expertise to help reduce health care disparities and drive systemic change, and for modeling values-based leadership for future health administration professionals, Dr. Yele Aluko is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration.
Dr. John Fiadjoe
Dr. John Fiadjoe is a pioneer in pediatric anesthesiology who spearheaded global efforts to improve pediatric airway management through groundbreaking research, innovative clinical practices and international collaboration. He serves as anesthesiologist-in-chief and chair of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Fiadjoe’s tireless advocacy for the wellbeing of young patients and his clinical leadership in reviewing thousands of challenging cases led to making video laryngoscopy the gold standard for pediatric airway management.
Realizing the need for a global registry of cases and outcomes, Dr. Fiadjoe founded the Pediatric Difficult Intubation International Collaborative of researchers and educators in 2012. Since then, the multicenter registry group has grown from three to 35 sites worldwide, producing transformative research and patient-focused best practices, including video laryngoscopy. With the Pro Humanitate purpose of advancing universal quality of care, the registry has significantly improved pediatric airway management in resource-limited settings. The comprehensive success of the registry validates Dr. Fiadjoe’s belief in the transformative power of shared knowledge and collaboration.
Beyond his clinical and research accomplishments, Dr. Fiadjoe is a dedicated educator and mentor who has inspired and guided countless physicians. In a role that promises lasting impact in the field, he has fostered the development of the next generation of clinicians and researchers, particularly in perioperative pediatric anesthesia care. Dr. Fiadjoe also extols the value of networking and sharing ideas through professional organizations. His leadership extends to his role as president-elect of the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia’s board of directors and his service on the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Difficult Airway Task Force, where his expertise has shaped global safety protocols. In addition, he serves as secretary of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s board of directors.
For leading a global response to pediatric airway challenges and producing transformative research, for serving as a values-driven mentor who is preparing the next generation of physicians and for demonstrating unparalleled dedication to establishing safety protocols in treating the most vulnerable patients, Dr. John Fiadjoe is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Science.
Carmine Di Sibio
As global chairman and CEO of EY, Carmine Di Sibio was the driving force behind the organization’s tremendous growth in technology investment, sustainability efforts, long-term value creation and global workforce. During Mr. Di Sibio’s five-year tenure as CEO, EY invested over $10 billion in digital technology, far-sighted solutions and industry talent. When Mr. Di Sibio retired in July 2024, global revenue at the Big Four accounting firm had increased from $36.4 billion to $51.2 billion under his bold leadership as CEO.
Mr. Di Sibio began his 39-year career at EY as an auditor and then shifted to the firm’s consulting side. Before his tenure as global chairman and CEO, he served as EY’s global managing partner for client service with prominent audit clients that include Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Walmart and Verizon. In that role, he spearheaded innovative technology investments and helped execute the firm’s ambitious acquisitions and alliances strategy, which resulted in 120 acquisitions over six years. Under Mr. Di Sibio’s leadership from 2014 to 2024, EY’s earnings and workforce doubled: Global revenue increased from $25 billion to more than $50 billion, and employees increased from 160,000 to 400,000 worldwide.
Since Mr. Di Sibio’s retirement from EY, he has used his extensive experience in financial services to advise other organizations. Currently, he serves on the boards of PayPal and Prudential Financial. Mr. Di Sibio also serves his community as a board member of Empowering Citizens with Autism and Hackensack Meridian Hospital in his home state of New Jersey. Notably, his expertise helps prepare future business leaders, and Wake Forest is grateful for his membership on the School of Business Board of Visitors and his devotion to the merits of higher education. Mr. Di Sibio is a first-generation college graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Colgate University and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. For honoring EY’s commitment to “build a better working world” by creating long-term value and building trust in capital markets, for modeling Pro Humanitate principles in his decision to expand their global pool of industry talent and for preparing the next generation of business professionals through his board membership at Wake Forest, Carmine Di Sibio is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration.