2019 Honorees

Few in the field of exercise and sports physiology have matched Fleck’s contributions to resistance training research and education during his 40-plus-year career. He studied with Edward Fox, Robert Bartels and Donald Mathews, icons in exercise physiology and historical pillars of the kinesiology program at Ohio State. Fleck was the first sports physiologist for the U.S. Olympics Training Center in Colorado, designing programs to address the athletes’ needs specific to their sports. His interests in resistance training for athletic development, rehabilitation and performance earned Fleck national and international recognition.

Fleck’s career work in research, teaching and service – at University of Wisconsin, Colorado College, Ohio University, University of Alabama-Birmingham and University of North Carolina-Greensboro – includes nearly 150 publications and more than 16,000 citations from researchers worldwide. Many of these works on physiology and strength training have been foundational in training new researchers. He co-authored Designing Resistance Training Programs, one of the first books documenting the science of training programs, as well as eight other books on exercise physiology and strength training.

Fleck is a fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and American College of Sports Medicine. In 2016, he was named the first executive director of the Andrews Research and Education Foundation, an organization focused on sports medicine education.

Jim Mahoney is a celebrated education ambassador and consensus builder. Ohio State launched his far-reaching influence on education, taking him first to teach seventh grade at one of the most financially strapped southeastern Ohio Appalachian school districts. From that early experience to his present university teaching, he has introduced innovative practices that excite students and engage the community, thanks to his knowledge of community engagement and demonstrated success as a change leader.

By the time he became a district superintendent, he was a master at gathering wide-ranging ideas and options, then creating responsive and manageable solutions. As Muskingum County Educational Service Center’s superintendent, he led a merger to create Ohio’s largest service center, encompassing five counties. As president of the Ohio Association of School Superintendents, he spoke statewide about policies to improve student performance and opportunity.

As executive director of Battelle for Kids, he in six years transformed the start-up into a national nonprofit agency working in 30 states, Hong Kong and Ireland. Throughout his career, Mahoney has advised policymakers in Ohio and the federal government. He has impacted classrooms, students, teachers, administrators, universities and governors. He leads with a showman’s voice and a servant’s heart, as evidenced by the multiple awards he has won during his career.

A champion for kindergarten readiness, Miller has spent her career helping Ohio provide early childhood education for kids in underserved communities. A two-time alumna and former assistant professor in the college, she was a career leader in the Ohio Department of Education for nearly 30 years. Throughout the region, she helped expand efforts to educate young children, set up home-visitation programs and served as school readiness director at Learn4Life Columbus. Her scope was wide, working with early childhood educators, K-12 teachers and administrators, teacher educators, policy makers and academic and government leaders. She has an acute understanding of the science of early childhood and evidenced-based interventions for young children. A focus of her career has been leadership development of professionals and developing policies that ensure children receive critical instruction. Miller’s career is articulated by guiding others, drafting policy, convening key players and advocating for what is right and good for children.

Stowell is an inspiring and charismatic leader. She broadens the literacy achievements of students and teachers of all levels. Her philosophy and practice focus on achieving social justice and equity for all students. Since joining California State University-San Marcos in 1992, she has become the backbone of its literacy and middle-level education programs.

She draws on her middle school teaching background to engage teachers in advanced degrees or professional development. Both are invaluable because California has no middle-grade credential or endorsement for teachers. Her initiatives have improved education for youth in the mixed socioeconomic region.

Stowell’s National Writing Project grants, renewed yearly since 2001, have inspired the region’s teachers and provided Young Writers’ Camps for thousands of children. She drives collaborations between the university and K-12 schools, serving as a multi-year literacy coach in schools and modeling best practices. Stowell’s influence is inextricably woven into San Marcos and the California region.

For 50 years, Edwards has made a career of making students and teachers rethink the teaching of mathematics. He put to use his 24 years’ experience in Buffalo City Schools, finding ways to translate research so that mathematics mattered to students’ lives and increased their problem-solving skills. His mathematics education theory and practice doctoral degree from the College of Education led him to a 26-year teaching career at Wayne State University in Michigan, where he was professor, researcher and associate dean of research. He has participated in 29 funded research projects totaling nearly $6 million. The Mathematics INstruction using Decision Science and Engineering Tools (MINDSET) project enhanced students’ abilities and attitudes toward mathematics and resulted in multiple journal articles, books, workshops and curriculum sequences. The connections Edwards made between grade school and college mathematics made his graduate students look at the teaching of mathematics with a fresh, new perspective.

Allen’s career in baseball began humbly as an unpaid Columbus Clippers intern while in his sports management program at Ohio State. His education and experience led him to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Cincinnati Reds and one of the most respected front-office executives in Major League Baseball. He was a driving force behind the development and construction of Great American Ball Park and the Cincinnati Reds’ Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, he has served as an outstanding professional role model to young interns. He frequently returned to the university to talk about his experiences with Ohio State students. Allen’s character, integrity, vision and courage guided his 18-year career with Major League Baseball and his commitment to his community.

A career spanning 42 years and the development of influential initiatives in exercise physiology and kinesiology in New England, Camaione credits many of his achievements because of his education at Ohio State. The triple Buckeye was a successful cross-country, wrestling and tennis coach while at MacMurray College. There he co-authored his first book, Wrestling Methods. He returned to Ohio State to complete his doctoral studies with Donald K. Mathews, who launched the first lab dedicated to exercise physiology research.

During 11 years at Central Connecticut State University, Camaione helped develop the curriculum for new majors and authored his second book, Concepts in Kinesiology. He spent the next 22 years as a professor at the University of Connecticut. There he developed its first human performance laboratory, created the university’s physical activity program and formed the university’s Center for Health Fitness.

Camaione has many career honors including: the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, the MacMurray College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989 and the New England-ACSM chapter Honor Award in 1988. Connecticut Governor John Rowland declared May 30, 2002, Dr. David N. Camaione Day for his service and his hometown of Watertown, New York inducted him into its Hall of Achievement in 2014 for his lifetime achievements.

Gaskill is a vibrant leader in apparel merchandising and design and a valued contributor to outreach and international affairs. A graduate of the college’s textile and clothing doctoral program, she is a professor of fashion merchandising and design at Virginia Tech. She also managed the Oris Glisson Historic Costume and Textiles Collections and was associate dean of outreach and external relations at Virginia Tech. Gaskill is known for her scholarship incorporating cultural and historic contexts in clothing selections, retailing and design. Her passion for international affairs and ethnic dress studies, from Cape Town to Rome, propelled her to lead students in multiple study abroad experiences. She has a long-standing relationship with the Hong Kong University Clothing and Textile Institute, serving as external examiner of doctoral research and member of the program review team.

Bob Norton, PhD, is known worldwide for his 40-year expertise in competency-based teacher and trainer education. He first developed the Center on Education and Training for Employment’s Performance-Based Teacher Education program to train career-technical education teachers. It became the model for curriculum development in more than 30 countries.

In the 1970s, Norton refined and taught the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) process. He used job experts as panelists who, with a facilitator, define the duties of a job. Norton’s job analysis process is the recognized model worldwide. He also created the Systematic Curriculum and Instructional Development model that complements DACUM, developed facilitator training for both, established quality criteria and more.

Norton trained more than 5,000 facilitators in the five-day DACUM Institute. He trained at more than 400 community colleges, more than 350 companies, 100 state and federal government agencies, and developed trainers from 57 countries and governmental ministries in 33 countries. His DACUM process is a flagship service still offered by CETE.

The foundation of Gill’s career as director of athletics is established in his commitment to students’ academic and athletic success. Instilling core values in his coaches through character development of young student-athletes also is an important part of the work the sport and leisure studies graduate does. Gill’s service-oriented nature creates a platform to elevate the athletic achievements of his students as well as their academic success. He introduced academic recognition programs, created platforms for athletes who wish to compete collegiately and enhanced sports opportunities for young women. He is a mentor to coaches helping them become more accountable, responsive and competitive. Gill is a change agent who provides schools with strategic leadership and direction for positive change.

An integral part of the Center for Aviation Studies at The Ohio State University, Morrison is described as a true leader. She is a vocal advocate for students redesigning the Center’s curriculum and gaining the trust of internal and external stakeholders in the process. She won Ohio State’s Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award in 2018 and used the momentum to plan and execute her vision for the university’s first Diversity in Aviation Conference. Morrison’s ability to bring others along with her and encourage them to achieve their goals expands beyond her role at Ohio State. Her contributions to the Aviation Accreditation Board International has resulted in the creation of a new diversity committee that encourages inclusive practices in the aviation and education environments. Her curiosity and relentless pursuit to learn will result in her third master’s degree in 2019.

2021 honorees

2020 honorees

2019 honorees

2018 honorees