2022 Honorees

Mohamed Abdelsalam is a Regents Professor, Boone Pickens Chair of Applied Geophysics and Professor of Geology in Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State University. He joined OSU in the fall of 2012.

Allen Apblett received a B.S. (Honours) degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1984 and a Ph.D. from The University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Tristam Chivers in 1989. He was awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship...

Laura J. Arata is Assistant Professor of History and Director of Public History at Oklahoma State University, where she specializes in public history and the American West.

Beckie Bigler has been an editor at Fire Protection Publications since 2017. She has a doctorate in Spanish and has taught both Spanish and English as a second language to students of all ages.

Suzanne Bilbeisi, AIA is a Centennial Profesor and Department Head in the School of Architecture.

Kay K. Bjornen, Ph.D. is the Research Data Initiatives Librarian and Assistant Professor at the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Library, where she teaches and consults on data management and data literacy. She is co-coordinator of the OSU Carpentries organization and a certified Carpentries instructor.

Richard Boles specializes in early North American and United States history, particularly African American and Native American history from the colonial era to the middle of the nineteenth century, and American religious history.

Dr. Jennifer Borland is Professor of Art History in the Department of Art, Graphic Design, and Art History, Director of OSU’s Humanities Initiative, and a core faculty member in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies.

Errick Braggs started his career in 1995 after graduating OSU-Institute of Technology with an associate degree in graphic design. He worked in the advertising agency industry for several years until after the birth of his first child, when he transitioned his career path to corporate, in-house design jobs.

Rebecca Parker Brienen is Vaughn Vennerberg II Chair in Art and Professor of Art History at Oklahoma State University, where she also serves as the Associate Dean for Personnel and Faculty Development in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Colby Cagle is currently in his 19th year as a volunteer firefighter and now resides in his hometown of Glencoe, OK with his wife and 4 kids. His day jobs have been a secondary educator, Principal and Curriculum Developer.

Director of the Institute of Biosecurity and Microbial Forensics, and Professor of Plant Pathology, at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Cardwell is an internationally renowned expert in agricultural and environmental biosecurity.

Jonathan S. Coley is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University. His research focuses on social movements, politics, religion, education, gender and sexuality and race and ethnicity.

Asya Cooley is an assistant professor of strategic communications in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. Her research revolves around nonprofit communications and management, higher education management, and philanthropy.

Skye C. Cooley is an assistant professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. His research centers on Russian political communication, global media, and digital democracy, as well as developing and testing platforms for civic deliberation online.

Dr. Joshua Daniel (formerly published under Joshua Daniel-Wariya) is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies at Oklahoma State University and he directs the First-Year Composition Program.

Dr. Dursun Delen is the holder of Spears Endowed Chair in Business Administration and Patterson Endowed Chair in Business Analytics. He is the Director of Research for the Center for Health Systems Innovation and Regents Professor of Management Science and Information Systems in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.

Sarah J. Donovan’s professional interests include ethical, inclusive curriculum, methods and assessment practices in secondary English classrooms. She is a former junior high English language arts teacher of fifteen years and an Assistant Professor of Secondary English Education at Oklahoma State University.

Lindsey Dugan started as a student worker at Fire Protection Publications in 2014. She became a full-time instructional developer in 2016.

Regents Professor Ziad El Rassi earned his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Analytical Chemistry from Claude-Bernard University, France, in 1974 and 1978, respectively. Thereafter, he held a visiting Assistant Professorship at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France.

Kathy’s background is in music education, where she enjoyed over 15 fantastic years making music with middle school and high school band students (including her own two kids). She is an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University,...

Kaity Faith, owner and founder of Kaity Faith, is a designer and illustrator in Stillwater, OK. Currently a Senior Graphic Design and Marketing student at Oklahoma State University, Kaity Faith also works as a freelance illustrator and was a Graphic Design Intern for the OSU Libraries Communication Services.

Jeff Fortney is a senior editor at Fire Protection Publications (FPP). He has served as project manager on numerous International Fire Service Training Association’s (IFSTA) training manuals to include those for: Plans Examiners, Industrial and Facility Fire Brigades,...

Zach is currently Oklahoma State University's Visiting Assistant Professor of Graphic Design. They enjoy interests in bookmaking, layout, new media, d.e.i. work, community arts, and interdisciplinary design.

Jami Fullerton earned her doctorate from the University of North Texas in Denton and received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Fullerton currently serves as the Director of Academic Programs in the School of Global Studies and Partnerships at Oklahoma State University, where she primarily oversees the inter-disciplinary MS degree in Global Studies.

Kami L. Gallus, Ph.D., LMFT, is a Research Professor in Human Development and Family Science and Associate Director of Research for the Institute for Developmental Disabilities at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Perry Gethner has taught at Oklahoma State University since 1984. Dr. Gethner's courses have included French at all levels as well as humanities courses for the Honors College. Dr. Gethner's research is mostly focused on early modern French drama...

Carla L. Goad is a Professor of Statistics at Oklahoma State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Kansas State University.

Kelly S. Harrison is a Research Assistant Professor at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. She received her doctorate in Microbiology/Molecular Biosciences from the University of Kansas in 2017.

Dr. Rafael Hernandez is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the English Department at Oklahoma State University. He teaches courses in first year composition, 20th century British literature, and literary theory and criticism.

David Hicks is a graduate of NEO A&M and Oklahoma State University with degrees in Commercial Art and Graphic Design. Hicks is an adjunct Instructor at Meridian Technology Center for Adobe products including InDesign, Photoshop and Premiere.

John T. Holden is a William S. Spears Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Department of Management in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. Holden’s academic scholarship is focused on legal and regulatory issues in the sports gambling industry.

Amanda (Mandy) Horton holds an MFA in Design and currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at Oklahoma State University and at the University of Central Oklahoma in the areas of design history, theory and criticism. Mandy's specialty is in design history and she has developed multiple courses on this subject, including an award-winning History of Graphic Design online course...

Lynn Hughes has had a lifelong education career: teaching grades 7-12 Home Economics at USD #378 Riley County, KS; working as an Education Consultant with Special Populations and Corrections at the Kansas State Department of Education;...

Jennifer Jones, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and Director of the Institute for Developmental Disabilities at Oklahoma State University. All of Dr. Jones’s endeavors are built on the core belief that disability is a natural part of human diversity and everyone benefits from inclusion.

Shelia M. Kennison is Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. She earned her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and bachelor’s degree in psychology and linguistics from Harvard University. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Psychonomic Society.

David Kersnar, is a founding ensemble member of the Tony Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company and has performed, designed, written, instructed, produced and directed with the company since it was founded in 1988, serving twice as the Lookingglass Artistic Director and Lookingglass Education Founder and Director.

Dr. Thomas LaVanchy is a human-environment interaction scientist and Assistant Professor of Geography at Oklahoma State University. His research interests are in hydrology and social vulnerability and adaption to water insecurity.

Bobbi Kay Lewis is an Associate Professor in the School of Media & Strategic Communications. As Associate Dean of Outreach and Communications, she oversees online courses, study abroad, and many noncredit programs,...

Bin Liang (Ph.D./J.D.) is a Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University. His research interests include globalization and its impact on the Chinese legal system, crime and deviance in China, and comparative studies in criminology and criminal justice.

Michael Long has published five books and over 80 journal articles and book chapters primarily in the areas of environmental sociology, green criminology, food insecurity and quantitative methodology. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture,...

Dr. Amber Manning-Ouellette is an Assistant Professor in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Oklahoma State University. She also serves as program coordinator for the Master’s in College Student Development and holds the Anderson, Farris, and Halligan Professorship for College Student Development.

Dr. Mansy is a professor at the OSU School of Architecture. Dr. Mansy has been with the school since 2001.

Andy Mattern is a visual artist working in the expanded field of photography. His work is held in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Tweed Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. His work has been exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Southeast Museum of Photography...

Brad McLelland is a senior editor at Fire Protection Publications who got his start with the company in 2012 as an instructional developer. Brad has worked on numerous projects for FPP, including his most recent duties as lead editor on...

Lynne Murnane graduated from George Washington University and has worked as an editor at Fire Protection Publications for 32 years.

Dr. Jacinta Mutambuki, the Edward Bartlett Professor of Pedagogy in Chemistry, joined the Department of Chemistry at OSU in fall 2018 at the level of an Assistant Professor from the Washington University in St. Louis, where she completed her postdoc training.

Mwarumba Mwavita is the Interim Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, Founding Director for the Center for Educational Research and Evaluation, and a faculty in the Research, Evaluation, Measurements and Statistics (REMS).

Aimee Parkison, recognized for her experimental fiction about women and her revisionist approach to narrative, has won numerous awards and fellowships. These include: a Christopher Isherwood Fellowship...

Tommy Poole is Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater OK. He is an active saxophonist in a variety of genres. Poole's arrangements/compositions have been featured on at least nine CDs.

Mileva Radonjic is a geologist who teaches petroleum engineering with a research focus in environmental aspects of the energy industry, such as the prevention of wellbore leakage and CO2 storage. Dr. Radonjic is originally from Serbia, SE Europe, and spent 13 years in England where she first learned English and later got her Ph.D., followed by postdoctoral research...

Ranjith Ramanathan is an Associate Professor of food science in the Ferguson College of Agriculture. Ranjith’s research focus on both fundamental and applied factors that influence fresh meat quality; more specifically on the meat color and minimizing meat waste.

Holly Reiter is the Director of Library Teaching and Learning at Oklahoma State University. She holds a Master of Science in Library Science degree and a Master of Arts in English.

Russ Rhinehart, professor and BP Chair emeritus in the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University, has experience in both industry and academia. He was Head of the OSU ChE program for 13 years.

Nathan Richardson teaches design, real estate and entrepreneurship at the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture as an Associate Professor. He received a Master of Design Studies with Distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and is a licensed architect in Massachusetts and Oklahoma.

Matthew Salesses is the author of the bestsellers "The Hundred-Year Flood," an Adoptive Families Best Book of 2015 and a Best Book of the season at Buzzfeed, Refinery29 and Gawker, among others, and "Craft in the Real World," an NPR and Esquire Best Book of 2021 which explores alternative models of craft and the writing workshop, especially for marginalized writers.

A Venezuelan-American Fire, Safety & Occupational Health Professional, Reinaldo was born in Valencia, Venezuela on March 5, 1966. He graduated from IUTSI – Safety Technician, Oklahoma State University – Fire Safety Engineering Technology,...

Louise Siddons is a Professor of Art History at Oklahoma State University, where she teaches courses in American and Native American visual and material culture, as well as the histories of printmaking and photography. Her research focuses on visual resistance to structures of marginalization in modernity...

Betty J. Simkins, Ph.D., is the Department Head of Finance, Regents Professor of Finance, and Williams Companies Chair of Business in the Spears School of Business at OSU. Betty received her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, MBA from OSU, and BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas.

Libby Snyder has been a Senior Editor at Fire Protection Publications since December 2009. Her favorite part of her day job is untangling syntax like yarn.

Tom Spector is a professor of Architecture at OSU where he has taught since 2001. His previous books are "How Architects Write" (with co-author Rebecca Damron), "The Ethical Architect," and "The Guide to the Architecture of Georgia."

Mike Stout is the George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Family and Community Policy at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, and Co-Director of the Center for Public Life at OSU-Tulsa (CPL).

Wesley A. Stroud is currently an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice of Instruction and Assessment at Oklahoma State University. His Ph.D. is in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum from the University of Oklahoma.

Matt Upson is the Associate Dean for Research & Learning Services and Claud D. Kniffin Professor of Library Service and Education at the Oklahoma State University Library, where he has been a faculty member since 2014. He received a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Library Science from Emporia State University.

Hongyu Wang is a Professor in Curriculum Studies at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. Her main research and scholarship areas include nonviolence education, curriculum theory, international dialogues,...

Stephen P. Wanger is an Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration. He holds a Don and Cathey Humphreys Chair in International Studies...

John Weir is an associate extension specialist in the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department at Oklahoma State University. He teaches two prescribed fire courses, conducts fire ecology research and has extension responsibilities relating to prescribed fire training and working with landowners to form prescribed burn associations.

Shelbie Witte, Ph.D., is the Chuck and Kim Watson Endowed Chair in Education and Professor in Adolescent Literacy and English Education at Oklahoma State University, where she serves as chair of the School of Teaching, Learning & Educational Sciences and founding director of the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research.

Lisa E. Wright is a Ph.D. candidate at Oklahoma State University in Creative Writing Nonfiction. She currently serves as an Assistant Director for OSU’s Writing Center and First-Year-Composition program.