Faculty and staff recognized for inspiring excellence
Staff and faculty joined together at Fisher’s 2025 Recognition Luncheon to celebrate the college community’s excellence in teaching and service. This year’s event highlighted employees who have the highest standards of integrity, embrace Fisher’s values and make the college a richer and more diverse place to work and teach.
“Students are why we’re here and there’s no way we can do great things to honor them without all of you faculty and staff,” said Trevor Brown, interim dean of Fisher College of Business. “We’re here to pause and celebrate you.”
The individuals honored consistently demonstrate honest and transparent behaviors, are supportive of their colleagues, display the highest standards of leadership and creativity and are compassionate team players. The underlying theme of all the awardees is that they provide an unwavering commitment to student success and ensure that every member of the Fisher community feels valued and respected.
“We’re recognizing those individuals who have gone above and beyond this past academic year and demonstrate Fisher’s core values in all they do,” said emcee Melanie DiFeo, chief of staff and Culture Initiatives and senior director, Marketing and Communications at Fisher. “At Fisher, we are fortunate to work with some very inspiring people.”
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Awards and Recognitions
These student-nominated awards recognize and celebrate exceptional teaching by faculty and staff at the undergraduate level. They honor individuals who, through their commitment to excellence in teaching, have gone above and beyond to provide the next generation of business leaders with exceptional educational experiences.
- John Draper, clinical associate professor, Operations and Business Analytics
- Dr. Marlena Harper, program manager, Undergraduate Programs, Leadership and Engagement Office
- Maria Landekhovskaya, senior lecturer, Management and Human Resources; Marketing and Logistics
- Steven Salopek, senior lecturer, Finance
- Ty Shepfer, senior lecturer, Management and Human Resources
- Kathy Wantuch, senior lecturer, Accounting and Management Information Systems
- Michael Wittry, assistant professor, Finance
The Coykendale Awards
The Coykendale Rising Star Award is presented to a staff member with less than five years of service at Fisher, while the Coykendale Service Excellence Award is reserved for a staff member with five or more years of Fisher service. Award winners demonstrate commitment and contribution to one or more of the core values of the college and provide consistent and excellent job performance, promote a positive and motivating work environment, and provide outstanding service to all.
- Coykendale Rising Star Award: Ben Chapman, supervisor, instructional technology, Facilities and Classroom Technology
- Coykendale Service Excellence Award: Jill O’Neill, project management consultant, Associate Dean’s Office
The Fisher Champion of Inclusive Excellence
This award honors a staff member who has five or more years of service and who goes beyond their official job responsibilities to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere at the college. The award winner embodies the belief that a community embracing everyone fosters a robust and unified culture.
- Fisher Champion of Inclusive Excellence: Lorraine Pennyman, director, leadership and engagement, Undergraduate Programs and Advising
The Fisher Culture Champion Award
This award recognizes a staff member who serves as an unsung hero, working to support colleagues, often without fanfare or recognition. A culture champion exemplifies servant leadership, making a positive impact on all those around them.
- Fisher Culture Champion: Annie Platten, associate director, the Center for Operational Excellence
Fisher Values Awards
Culture and community are inextricably linked at Fisher with college employees taking active roles in shaping the mission, purpose and values that guide the institution. Fisher Values Awards recognize staff members who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to Fisher’s core values.
- Integrity: Hannah Bushman, manager, Undergraduate Academic Advising
- Empathy: Vicki Christian, marketing copywriter, Office of Marketing and Communications
- Diversity: Juleanna Smith, admissions counselor, staff assistant administrator, Undergraduate Programs and Advising
- Community: Jacquez Printup, undergraduate academic advisor, Undergraduate Programs and Advising
- Social Responsibility: Angela Less, administrative assistant, Accounting and Management Information Systems
- Creativity: Ariel Murphy, visual content creator specialist, Office of Marketing and Communications
Faculty Pace Setters Awards
The Faculty Pace Setters Awards honor the outstanding contributions of Fisher College of Business faculty in the areas of teaching, research and service — the cornerstones of academic excellence. Each award reflects the college’s deep appreciation for the transformative role faculty play in shaping Fisher’s mission and advancing its reputation as a world-class business institution.
Daniel Westerbeck Teaching Excellence Award
The Daniel Westerbeck Teaching Excellence Award was established in 2000 with a gift to the college. The award draws from student input to honor two Fisher College of Business faculty members — one teaching at the undergraduate level, another at the graduate level — for teaching excellence.
- Daniel Westerbeck Teaching Excellence Award, Undergraduate: Birsel Pirim, clinical associate professor, Finance
- Daniel Westerbeck Teaching Excellence Award, Graduate: Patrick Kielty, clinical assistant professor, Accounting and Management Information Systems
Bostic-Georges Faculty Service Award
The Bostic-Georges Faculty Service Award was established in March 2002 with gifts from the Bostic family of Columbus, Ohio; the Georges family of Westerville, Ohio; and other friends and supporters. The award recognizes a Fisher faculty member for exemplary service to the college and/or university community.
- Bostic-Georges Faculty Service Award: Elliot Bendoly, distinguished professor, Operations and Business Analytics
Pace Setters Faculty Research Award
The Pace Setters Faculty Research Award was established to recognize a Fisher faculty member who has made a notable research contribution in their field of study. Nominees are evaluated on the basis of the impact of their research in a given area, and the college research committee makes the final selection.
- Pace Setters Faculty Research Award: Andrei Gonçalves, associate professor, Finance
Staff Pace Setter Award
The Staff Pace Setter Award is a prestigious new honor recognizing an individual with five or more years of service who exemplifies exceptional leadership, dedication and innovation in their role at the college. This award celebrates a staff member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to advancing the college’s mission and vision through creativity, influence and collaboration. The Staff Pace Setter fosters a culture of excellence and teamwork while inspiring others to reach their full potential.
- Inaugural Staff Pace Setter: David Harrison, senior director, Office of ACCESS
Each year The Ohio State University recognizes staff members who innovate, connect, celebrate community and live the university’s Shared Values. The Distinguished Staff Awards honor staff members for their contributions to Ohio State’s mission and Shared Values. Recipients are nominated by their peers and carefully chosen by a selection committee.
- 2025 University Distinguished Staff Award: Melanie DiFeo, chief of staff and Culture Initiatives and senior director, Marketing and Communications
Committees dedicated to fostering community are a vital component of the Fisher employee experience. Leading such a committee and collaborating with colleagues from various areas of the college to devise and execute significant initiatives represents a considerable commitment. These Fisher employees have distinguished themselves by overseeing various college committees during the last academic year. The college acknowledges their steadfast dedication and invaluable contributions to the Fisher employee community.
Fisher Culture Council
- Annie Platten, associate director, the Center for Operational Excellence
- Kathy Wantuch, senior lecturer, Accounting and Management Information Systems
Staff Advisory Committee
- Randy Spears, associate director of instructional development, Information Technology Services
- Dustin Stinson, marketing specialist, Graduate Programs
Fisher Buckeye Wellness Innovators
- Beth Miller, director, client relationships, Executive Education
- Jonee Winnick, lead strategist, digital marketing, Office of Marketing and Communications
The Fisher Inclusion Champions Program (FICP) deepens the college's commitment to building an inclusive community. The FICP also seeks to empower participants to engage in activities and projects that support a culture of belonging and inclusion. The result is a college-wide effort to promote a more inclusive and equitable experience for all at Fisher and beyond.
The 2025 Fisher Inclusion Champions
- Emma Adams
- Nicole Allender
- Anil Arya
- Kim Bader
- Lauren Batzer
- Audrey Bledsoe
- Julie Boothman
- Danielle Brown
- Trevor Brown
- Amber Bruney
- Hannah Bushman
- Aravind Chandrasekaran
- Hannah Conklin
- Tiffany Cooper
- Keely Croxton
- Dominic DiCamillo
- Melanie DiFeo
- Twhila Dowdy
- John Draper
- Tracy Dumas
- Sandhya Elango
- Lauren Faherty
- Lisa Faiello
- Jill George
- Gretchen Gombos
- Patti Hambley
- Marlena Harper
- David Harrison
- Amber Herron
- James Hill
- Katie Hipp
- Brian Hipsher
- Kellen Holsinger
- Monica Jacobs
- Aaron James
- Tai Johnson
- Mrudula Josyula
- Tim Judge
- Brenna Kernan
- Dan Kieffer
- Ashley Kontras
- Alyssa Kyff
- Maddy Lepore
- Angela Less
- Alice Li
- Jana Lithgow
- Betsy Ludwig
- Nina Malloy
- Noella Mascarenhas
- Jennie McAndrew
- Stephanie Medors
- Katie Mellett
- Jen Mercer
- Bernadette Minton
- Deb Mitchell
- Katie Passen
- Lorraine Pennyman
- Andrew Piletz
- Taner Pirim
- Jackie Pittman
- Annie Platten
- Kelly Reo
- Steve Salopek
- Erika Santolalla
- Kathryn Scheid
- Robyn Scholl
- Bonnie Schroeder
- Ty Shepfer
- Melinda Shilling
- Heidi Shull
- Thomas Shuman
- Kay Smith
- Robin Soster
- Randy Spears
- Sarah Steenrod
- Asiah Stewart
- Dustin Stinson
- Cynthia Turner
- Bill Watercutter
- Amy Weisbach
- Zeynep Yavic
- Walter Zinn
- Chad Zipfel