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Darnell Carter attended Concordia College from 1971-1975 after growing up in Springfield, Ohio. He became involved in several organizations including Alpha Epsilon Sigma, the Concordian, and Harambee Weuse, the Black Student Union. Graduating from Concordia with degrees in history and English literature, Carter went on to study at Drake University Law School. He enjoyed a successful law career as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Clark County, Ohio from 1980-2008. Carter has also taught high school English, earned a master’s degree in history from Ohio State, and in 2018 received Concordia’s Alumni Achievement Award.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Earl Lewis came of age during the hard struggle for school integration in the South, and nationwide, that followed the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decisions (1954-1955). When Lewis studied at Concordia College between 1974 and 1978, the Civil Rights, Black Power, and Black Student Movements had already instigated momentous racial reform in the country’s colleges and universities. He participated in the Black Student Strike in the spring of 1976, a memorable marker in Concordia’s history as black student enrollments reached high tide before receding. Lewis’s academic achievements as an undergraduate anticipated a storied career as a scholar, administrator, innovator and entrepreneur, and leader in higher education. Serious and steady, yet affable and down-to-earth, Lewis embodies Concordia’s commitment to influence the world through studied preparation and dedicated service. Recipient of countless honors and awards, Lewis joined the college’s Board of Regents in 2008 and became chair in 2018.

Born in La Porte, Indiana, offspring of a Lutheran household, Fay Holmes-Ferguson followed her faith tradition in attending Concordia College. As changes set in motion by the Civil Rights and Black Student Movements rippled through higher education, Holmes joined the first cohort of African American students on Concordia’s largely white campus. She graduated magna cum laude, going on to earn an M.B.A. degree from Indiana University. Holmes-Ferguson followed a successful career in advertising, eventually being named co-CEO at Burrell Communications Group, Chicago, Illinois. Ferguson joined Concordia’s Board of Regents in 2012. In 2016, Fay saw a need and felt compelled to create the Diversity Student Endowed Scholarship which she co-founded with Concordia alumnus Dr. Earl Lewis '78. The goal of the scholarship fund is twofuld: to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to attend a quality liberal arts college and to increase the diversity of experiences represented on Concordia's campus. A gifted executive and community leader, Ferguson’s core life motto of leading a purpose-driven life focused on helping others, exemplifies the spirit and mission of Concordia College.

Jean Ahlness Stebinger was a 1943 graduate of Concordia. She was stationed in the American Embassy in Cairo, Egypt during World War II and arranged meetings between North African leaders and President Franklin Roosevelt. She also travelled the world and participated in humanitarian efforts. 

Women’s athletics thrive at Concordia, but the varsity programs currently known and loved did not have their beginning until 1972 and have undergone some dramatic changes in management over the decades, from the Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) and the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Women have fought for the chance to have their talents shine on the court, on the field, in the pool, and more, and while this trend towards gender equality is still ongoing, women’s athletics have nonetheless gained great strides.