CASE Announces 2026 Asia-Pacific Award Winners
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is pleased to announce that Lea Sublett and Professor Lily Kong have been named the recipients of the 2026 CASE Asia-Pacific Individual Achievement Awards. Lea Sublett has been awarded the CASE Asia-Pacific Distinguished Service Award, and Professor Lily Kong has received the CASE Asia-Pacific Leadership Award.
The CASE Asia-Pacific Leadership Award was presented at the CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference in Brisbane from 5–8 May 2026. The CASE Asia-Pacific Distinguished Service Award will be presented at the CASE Europe Annual Conference in Edinburgh from 10-12 November 2026.
Lea Sublett – 2026 CASE Asia-Pacific Distinguished Service Award
The CASE Asia-Pacific Distinguished Service Award honors advancement professionals whose leadership and service have had a lasting impact on institutional advancement.
Lea Sublett is an international leader in alumni engagement. As the inaugural Director of Alumni Relations at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, she developed a best-practice office of Alumni Affairs and successfully implemented a global alumni engagement strategy and University-wide programs and events. Lea spearheaded global initiatives for the university, including a collaboration with the World Economic Forum to establish a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) and a partnership with Google.org to support initiative for non-English AI modeling.
Throughout her career, Lea served in leadership roles at various institutions, including Manager of Alumni Affairs at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, Director of Alumni Relations at The Australian National University, and Director of Alumni and Community Relations at The University of Queensland.
Lea has been a dedicated CASE volunteer for over a decade. She shared her expertise with fellow alumni relations professionals on the Commission on Alumni Relations, and has helped to further CASE’s global impact through her involvement planning the Asia-Pacific and Middle East advancement conferences.
“Lea Sublett’s longstanding service to CASE and the advancement profession has been truly exceptional,” said Nilanjana Pal, Executive Director, CASE Asia-Pacific. “Over more than a decade, she has generously shared her expertise and played a key role in strengthening our community, particularly in regions like West Asia, where deeper engagement was needed. Her contributions have helped expand CASE’s reach and impact, and exemplify the spirit of service this award recognises.”
Professor Lily Kong – 2026 CASE Asia-Pacific Leadership Award
The CASE Asia-Pacific Leadership Award honors institutional leaders for their exceptional commitment to education and advancement.
Professor Lily Kong has become a beacon of visionary leadership throughout her 30-year career in higher education. In 2019, she became the President of Singapore Management University—the first Singaporean woman to lead any university in Singapore. Her execution of bold institutional visions, including SMU’s Impact Agenda and the development of SMU2030, has strengthened SMU’s academic excellence, strategic partnerships, and global reputation.
Under her leadership, SMU has expanded its international footprint through new Overseas Centres, deepened strategic partnerships across Asia, and advanced global thought leadership in human‑centred education. Professor Kong has championed values‑driven, interdisciplinary learning and lifelong education, embedding ethics, sustainability, and digital intelligence into the curriculum.
She has built a philanthropy ecosystem that aligns SMU’s fundraising priorities with the institution’s mission and long-term vision for societal transformation. She pioneered the flagship, award-winning SMOO Challenge to support students with financial need, which also clinched the university a CASE Circle of Excellence Grand Gold Award in 2021.
“Professor Lily Kong’s impact extends far beyond her institution,” said Nilanjana. “Through her visionary leadership, she has not only shaped a highly innovative university in Singapore, but has also influenced the broader higher education landscape across the Asia-Pacific region. Her commitment to advancing education, fostering global partnerships, and leading with the community at heart reflects the very essence of CASE’s mission.”
Lea Sublett and Professor Lily Kong have made a profound impact on advancing education in the Asia-Pacific region through their strategic vision and global engagement.
For more information about the CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference and the Individual Achievement Awards, visit www.case.org.
About CASE
CASE—the Council for Advancement and Support of Education—is a global, not-for-profit membership association with a vision to advance education to transform lives and society.
CASE is the home for advancement professionals, inspiring, challenging, and equipping them to act effectively and with integrity to champion the success of their institutions. CASE defines the competencies and standards for the profession of advancement, leading, and championing their dissemination and application with more than 97,000 advancement professionals at 3,100 member institutions in 80 countries.
Broad and growing communities of professionals gather under the global CASE umbrella. Currently these include alumni relations, development services, communications, fundraising, government relations, and marketing. These professionals are at all stages of their careers and may be working in universities, schools, colleges, cultural institutions, or other not-for-profits. CASE uses the intellectual capital and professional talents of a community of international volunteers to advance its work, and its membership includes many educational partners who work closely with the educational sector.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CASE works across all continents from its regional offices in London, Singapore, and Mexico City to achieve a seamless experience for all its stakeholders, particularly its members, volunteers, and staff.