The William E. Gortney Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented each year by Elon's Kappa Sigma chapter to a graduate who has brought honor to the fraternity and distinguished himself in his career and community.
The Lambda-Lambda Alumni Association of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity has named Nicholas (Nick) D. Dyer of Hoboken, New Jersey, the recipient of the William E. Gortney Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2018. Dyer is a 2011 graduate of Elon University and the 682nd initiate of the Kappa Sigma chapter at Elon.
“Elon provided me the opportunity to learn every aspect of the entertainment industry,” Dyer said. “My time at Elon and Kappa Sigma really helped shape who I am today, and I have Elon and Kappa Sigma to thank for giving me a foundation to succeed.”
Dyer is an Emmy Award-winning producer at Comedy Central for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Dyer collected a Creative Arts Emmy in 2017 for “Outstanding Short Form Variety Series,” recognizing the show’s online content supplementing the late-night television program and was nominated for three Emmy Awards in 2018. Additional honors for Dyer’s work on the show this year include four Webby Awards, a Shorty Award, a ProMax award and the Outdoor Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival.
In April 2018, Dyer was promoted to director – late night, digital at Comedy Central where he oversees the development of digital content, strategy and production for the show. He is also a producer on The Daily Show Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library book, which is now a New York Times Best Seller and peaked at No. 2 on the Amazon Best Sellers list.
Dyer participates in Comedy Central’s parent company, Viacom, community activities including Viacommunity Day, a clean-up project in Brooklyn and has served as a mentor for Reel Works, a filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard.
He is married to Elon alumna Jackie Dyer, a Tri-Sigma sister. They met at Elon, and reconnected two years later at an Elon Alumni Event in 2013 and married in 2017. They reside in Hoboken with their two dogs.
The William E. Gortney Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented annually to alumni of the Lambda- Lambda chapter. The Award recognizes brothers who bring great honor to Kappa Sigma Fraternity, whether it is through service to his community, outstanding career work, or other achievements. Gortney is a retired U. S. Navy four-star admiral. He is the Kappa Sigma International Fraternity 2013 Man of the Year and the Elon University 2013 Alumnus of the Year. Gortney was the 50th initiate of the Lambda-Lambda chapter.