A social worker, university administrator, fire captain, longtime Home Depot employee and Capitol Hill reporter make up the McCaskey Alumni Association’s 2026 class of Distinguished Alumni.
Lakeesha M. Bair-Myers ’91, Dr. Christina Pantoja Williams ’99, Captain Samar Rudolph ’03, Kyle Charles McWilliams ’05 and Kevin Frey ’11 will be honored during the association’s 30th Annual Distinguished Alumni Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 15.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards began in 1995 as a way to recognize McCaskey graduates for their professional accomplishments and service to others. Each year, a volunteer committee selects five alumni whose lives and careers can serve as examples for current School District of Lancaster students.
Lakeesha M. Bair-Myers has spent more than 30 years working with children and families across education, healthcare, behavioral health and juvenile justice. She now serves as a licensed clinical social worker at Reynolds Middle School, where she supports students and families through counseling, crisis intervention, case management and social-emotional programming.
She founded the Reynolds Middle School Care Closet to provide food, clothing, hygiene products and household essentials to families who need them. She also leads the school’s Secret Angels Program, which has provided holiday gifts to more than 150 students each year since 2022.
Bair-Myers earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a criminal justice concentration from Millersville University and a Master of Social Work from Temple University. In addition to her work at Reynolds, she supervises graduate social work students and licensed social workers pursuing their clinical licenses. She also serves on several community boards focused on health equity, education and opportunities for young people.
Dr. Pantoja Williams has built her career helping students reach college and find the support they need once they arrive. She serves as director of academic engagement and community partnerships at Millersville University, where she works with students, families, schools and community organizations.
A first-generation Latina college graduate, Pantoja Williams knows the difference that access programs, scholarships and academic bridge programs can make. She benefited from those opportunities as a student and now helps create them for others.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Millersville University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Temple University and a doctorate in education from West Chester University. She remains connected to Lancaster through mentorship, outreach and partnerships that give students a clearer path into higher education.
Capt. Samar Rudolph began his career with the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire in 2007 after graduating from the HACC John J. Shumaker Public Safety Center Fire Academy. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2019. Four years later, he became the first African American firefighter in the bureau’s 144-year history to reach the rank of captain.
His career has included the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award, two National Medals of Honor for Courage and recognition as the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire’s 2021 Fire Officer of the Year. He was also named Lancaster City Employee of the Month in October 2025.
Outside the firehouse, Rudolph has worked as a Lancaster-Lebanon League basketball official for more than 17 years and volunteers as a youth sports coach. He graduated from Leadership Lancaster in 2020.
Kyle McWilliams attended Wickersham Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School before graduating from McCaskey High School in 2005. Born with Down syndrome, he began physical therapy through the S. June Smith Center when he was three months old and continued reaching milestones with support from his family, teachers and community.
At McCaskey , McWilliams spent six years in the wrestling program and performed in the percussion pit of the marching band. His sisters, Melanie and Sharyn, attended the district before him and helped their younger brother navigate each step of his education.
For the past 22 years, McWilliams has worked full time in the paint department at the Lancaster Home Depot. He credits his coworkers and managers for encouraging him throughout a career that began shortly after high school and continues today.
Kevin Frey is a Capitol Hill reporter for MS NOW, covering Congress and the 2026 elections. His work regularly puts him in conversation with lawmakers as he reports on what is happening in Washington and what it means for people across the country.
His reporting career has also taken him to Vatican City and Havana. Before joining MS NOW Frey worked as a Washington correspondent for Spectrum News NY1, where his three-part profile of Sen. Chuck Schumer earned a New York Press Club award. He began his career as a political reporter for WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Frey graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University. At McCaskey, he was part of the Honors and International Baccalaureate program and participated in vocal ensemble, orchestra, band and the annual spring musical.
The five honorees have taken what began at McCaskey into very different places. Bair-Myers returned to serve students in the district. Pantoja Williams helps students find their way into college. Rudolph protects the city he grew up in. McWilliams has built a 22-year career in Lancaster. Frey reports from the halls of Congress.
On Oct. 15, they will be in the same room again, this time to be recognized as Distinguished Alumni.
The banquet will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Imperial Event Center inside the Holiday Inn Lancaster Downtown. Tickets are $75 per person, and registration is required by Friday, Oct. 2. Tickets and additional information are available at mccaskeyalumni.org.