Alfred University Athletics

Hill is the second Saxon alumni to be honored as the Distinguished Saxon Alumni award. This award, established in 2018, recognizes Alfred University alumni for outstanding achievement following their playing career at AU. The award is not necessarily based on athletic achievement, but based on the nominees’ career success following graduation via leadership, service, advancement or similar means.

Hill was a two-year letter-winner of the men’s basketball team from 1985-87. Affectionately nicknamed “Thrill” by his peers, Hill helped run the offense as a point guard off the bench. He played a role in helping the Saxons to a 25-3 record, the best in program history, and a trip to the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship game. He graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s in public administration and earned an MPA in from the University of Southern California in 1995.

Hill then embarked on a remarkable career in finance. Hill served as the vice chancellor for finance and operations at the University of South Carolina’s Beaufort/Bluffton Campus, and as the director of finance for the University of Maryland’s Office of Information and Technology as well as director of administration for the Department of Aerospace Engineering. In 2008, Hill held his first governmental role, serving as deputy county administrator in Beaufort County, S.C., a role he would hold until 2014. He then moved to James City County, Va., a then-struggling county of about 73,000 people, serving as the chief administrative officer and clerk to the county board. His infrastructure and economic proposals helped turn the county around, triggering financial stability for the county’s residents and businesses.

He then got the call to lead Virginia’s most populous county, earning the position of county executive in Fairfax in 2018, overseeing 12,000 employees, 1.3 million residents and a $4.29 billion general fund budget, one of the highest county budgets in the country. He also serves as a member of the International City/County Management Association’s Advisory Board on Graduate Education, a nod to his academic roots.

Hill has earned numerous awards in his professional career, receiving an award for academic excellence from the American Association of Budget and Program Analysts and also earned the A. James Clark School of Engineering Staff Award at Maryland, while also receiving a commendation from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at its 50th anniversary celebration. He served as the keynote speaker at Alfred University’s Opening Convocation in 2019 and has also mentored students and participates in AU’s VISA Recruitment program.