Five alumni of Coastal Carolina University have been named 2008 Outstanding Alumni of the Year. The honors were awarded at a recognition ceremony in the Wall Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 25 as part of Homecoming.

Cynthia Galloway, class of 1980, was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year 2008. The award is given to a graduate of the University who has made a significant contribution to his or her profession or community.

Galloway recently retired from the Horry County School District after 28 years of teaching kindergarten. She now teaches early childcare and education at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Coastal Carolina University and a master's degree and a specialist certificate in library/education media from the University of South Carolina. She has been active in professional organizations including the Southern Early Childhood Association and the South Carolina Early Childhood Association, where she served as president and board member, receiving the Outstanding Service Award in 1996. She was also on the Governor's Committee for Early Childhood Education and reviewed books professionally for Gryphon House Publications. Galloway is a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, a board member for Family Outreach of Horry County and a marathon enthusiast.

Other outstanding alumni are:

Sachin (Sunny) Gupta of Seattle for the College of Natural and Applied Sciences

A 1991 graduate in computer science, Gupta has worked in software development in Greenville, in Atlanta and in Seattle where he built the company iConclude, the market leader in Run Book Automation solutions for IT operations. American Venture Magazine named him one of the "Top 40 CEOs Under 40," a distinguished list that recognizes the best and brightest young leaders who have a deep understanding of today's fast-changing technology market, as well as the extraordinary ability to develop new business models with a vision for the future.

Gupta is an active member and contributor to Karuna, a nonprofit organization in his native India that helps distressed woman and children. He and his wife Prerna have two children.

William O. Marsh of Conway for the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration

Marsh, president of Palmetto Chevrolet Co. Inc., earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Coastal Carolina University in 1986.

He is a past president of Coastal Educational Foundation and the Coastal Carolina University Alumni Association, director of the Conway Chamber of Commerce and of the Winyah Rivers Foundation. He is on the Business Advisory Cabinet of the Horry County School District and a director of CNB Corp/The Conway National. He is married with three children.

Forrest L. Alton of Columbia for the Spadoni College of Education

Alton is a certified health education specialist who earned a bachelor's degree in health promotion from Coastal Carolina University and a master's degree in pubic health from the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

Alton is executive director of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, serves on multiple boards and committees and is frequently sought after as a presenter for community, statewide and national events. He was recently nominated for The State newspaper's "20 under 40" award recognizing outstanding leaders.

Natasha Mabry Hanna for the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts

A 1994 graduate, Hanna is an attorney with Hearn, Brittain & Martin who handles a variety of high-profile litigation and criminal cases.

She earned a bachelor's degree from Coastal Carolina University, a paralegal degree from Horry-Georgetown Technical College and a juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2002. She was president of the Horry County Bar Association in 2007, is a member of the S.C. Bar Association and the S.C. Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors, the Horry County Common Pleas Committee and the Coastal Carolina University Legacy Advisory Council.

She is currently on the Horry-Georgetown Technical College Advisory Board and teaches Sunday school at First Baptist Church. She and her husband Christopher Hanna, a 1992 Coastal Carolina University graduate, have two sons.