Meredith Brunen, a three-time graduate of the University of Arkansas, has been named Young Woman of the Year by the Northwest Arkansas Business Women’s Conference. The conference is in its 16th year and draws more than 1,200 business women from Northwest Arkansas each year.

Brunen will receive the award at the conference scheduled for Sept. 16 at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers. She is executive director of development at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. She joined the college’s staff in 2005.

Brunen earned three degrees from the U of A: a doctorate in higher education in 2012 and a master’s degree in higher education in 2005, both from the College of Education and Health Professions, and a bachelor’s degree from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences with a double major in Middle East studies and international relations and a minor in French.

According to the award announcement, Brunen is passionate about helping people achieve their goals through higher education and she has worked diligently to raise funds for NWACC’s infrastructure, programming and student scholarship needs.

Brunen manages the day-to-day operations of the college’s 501c3 nonprofit foundation and directs all facets of philanthropic giving to NWACC. She was instrumental in the successful completion of NWACC’s first comprehensive capital campaign, raising more than $16 million for capital projects and scholarships.

She is also active in several professional and philanthropic organizations such as the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Bentonville/Bella Vista chapter of the American Association of University Women, the Council for Resource Development and the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She is a former member the board of directors of the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter. She was recognized by Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in the “Forty Under 40” class of 2012.