by Rich Stratton
Cedarville University will honor three alumni whose careers and service demonstrate faithful leadership, professional excellence and a lasting commitment to others during the 2026 Alumni Awards Chapel on Saturday, Oct. 3. The honorees will be recognized at 10 a.m. in the Jeremiah Chapel of the Dixon Ministry Center during Cedarville University’s homecoming celebration.
Jim Houser ’91 will receive the "Alumnus of the Year" award, Peter Grinalds ’21 will be named "Young Alumnus of the Year," and Jeff Reep ’79 will receive the "Distinguished Service" award. The chapel will also include the induction of Dr. Sarah Zeltman ’08, a former Cedarville volleyball player, and Alison (Lemon) Rice ’10, a former women’s basketball player, into the Cedarville University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Houser is being recognized for his leadership in Christian music and media and his continued connection to Cedarville. A broadcasting major, Houser was involved in student radio, the Student Government Association, residence life and missions during his time at the university. His career began in college radio and led to a position with Focus on the Family, a Christian media ministry, where he edited the nationally syndicated daily broadcast featuring Dr. James Dobson. During this time, Houser and two partners also created a weekly syndicated Christian music program that expanded to more than 300 markets in the United States.
Houser later joined Sparrow Records, now part of Capitol Christian Music Group, working in radio promotion before advancing into marketing and artist development. He later joined Creative Trust and became managing partner, helping develop and support the careers of Christian recording artists, including Steven Curtis Chapman.
More recently, Houser served as chief radio officer for K-LOVE and Air1, helping lead programming that reached more than 18 million listeners each week. He now leads Housemix Partners, providing media consulting to organizations, authors, recording artists and nonprofit organizations. Houser and his wife, Sarah, live near Nashville, Tennessee, and have three children.
Grinalds, a 2021 electrical engineering graduate, is being honored for his entrepreneurial leadership and commitment to developing current Cedarville students. While at Cedarville, he participated in the honors program, launched his first business with classmates and developed his skills through the university’s Engineering Projects Lab. After graduation, Grinalds joined Procter & Gamble, advancing from engineering manager to senior engineering manager while also founding businesses in engineering, product design and consumer electronics. He now leads Grinalds Solutions, an engineering firm that provides comprehensive product design services to clients.
Grinalds continues to invest in Cedarville students by returning to campus as a guest lecturer and recruiting at career fairs. Through his businesses, he has provided students with hands-on professional opportunities and hired Cedarville graduates. He and his wife, Emily (Mattocks) Grinalds ’21, have one daughter.
Reep's honor is in recognition of more than three decades of service to Cedarville students. A 1979 physical education graduate and former men’s basketball player--who was in Cedarville's top 10 in scoring and rebounding after his senior year--Reep began his career as a college basketball coach. He was on the sidelines for several college teams, most notably, he was the associate head basketball coach at New Mexico State University (NMSU) when the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1992. After a successful tenure at NMSU, he returned to Cedarville as the university’s head men’s basketball coach.
Reep led the Yellow Jackets for five years, before transitioning to Cedarville's career services department. It was in this role that he served for more than 20 years, most recently as director. Through relationships with thousands of employers and conversations with generations of Cedarville students, Reep has helped students explore career opportunities and pursue meaningful work consistent with the university’s Christian mission.
Reep has also served as an adjunct professor, mentored married couples alongside his wife, Criss (Wilson) Reep ’82, and represented Cedarville at conferences, homeschool events and in media interviews.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,542 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2027 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
Jim Houser ’91 will receive the "Alumnus of the Year" award, Peter Grinalds ’21 will be named "Young Alumnus of the Year," and Jeff Reep ’79 will receive the "Distinguished Service" award. The chapel will also include the induction of Dr. Sarah Zeltman ’08, a former Cedarville volleyball player, and Alison (Lemon) Rice ’10, a former women’s basketball player, into the Cedarville University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Houser is being recognized for his leadership in Christian music and media and his continued connection to Cedarville. A broadcasting major, Houser was involved in student radio, the Student Government Association, residence life and missions during his time at the university. His career began in college radio and led to a position with Focus on the Family, a Christian media ministry, where he edited the nationally syndicated daily broadcast featuring Dr. James Dobson. During this time, Houser and two partners also created a weekly syndicated Christian music program that expanded to more than 300 markets in the United States.
Houser later joined Sparrow Records, now part of Capitol Christian Music Group, working in radio promotion before advancing into marketing and artist development. He later joined Creative Trust and became managing partner, helping develop and support the careers of Christian recording artists, including Steven Curtis Chapman.
More recently, Houser served as chief radio officer for K-LOVE and Air1, helping lead programming that reached more than 18 million listeners each week. He now leads Housemix Partners, providing media consulting to organizations, authors, recording artists and nonprofit organizations. Houser and his wife, Sarah, live near Nashville, Tennessee, and have three children.
Grinalds, a 2021 electrical engineering graduate, is being honored for his entrepreneurial leadership and commitment to developing current Cedarville students. While at Cedarville, he participated in the honors program, launched his first business with classmates and developed his skills through the university’s Engineering Projects Lab. After graduation, Grinalds joined Procter & Gamble, advancing from engineering manager to senior engineering manager while also founding businesses in engineering, product design and consumer electronics. He now leads Grinalds Solutions, an engineering firm that provides comprehensive product design services to clients.
Grinalds continues to invest in Cedarville students by returning to campus as a guest lecturer and recruiting at career fairs. Through his businesses, he has provided students with hands-on professional opportunities and hired Cedarville graduates. He and his wife, Emily (Mattocks) Grinalds ’21, have one daughter.
Reep's honor is in recognition of more than three decades of service to Cedarville students. A 1979 physical education graduate and former men’s basketball player--who was in Cedarville's top 10 in scoring and rebounding after his senior year--Reep began his career as a college basketball coach. He was on the sidelines for several college teams, most notably, he was the associate head basketball coach at New Mexico State University (NMSU) when the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1992. After a successful tenure at NMSU, he returned to Cedarville as the university’s head men’s basketball coach.
Reep led the Yellow Jackets for five years, before transitioning to Cedarville's career services department. It was in this role that he served for more than 20 years, most recently as director. Through relationships with thousands of employers and conversations with generations of Cedarville students, Reep has helped students explore career opportunities and pursue meaningful work consistent with the university’s Christian mission.
Reep has also served as an adjunct professor, mentored married couples alongside his wife, Criss (Wilson) Reep ’82, and represented Cedarville at conferences, homeschool events and in media interviews.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,542 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2027 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
