College of Education and Human Ecology Homecoming Weekend

Speaker 1:
Welcome to the 2022 Hall of Fame and Alumni Award Celebration. These awards not only elevate the contributions that each of our alums have made, but also by direct connection elevates the enterprise of the college. 

Join me in congratulating and celebrating our Hall of Fame and Alumni Award winners for the current academic year. 

This year, the College of Education and Human Ecology and Alumni Society are recognizing five individuals in three different award categories, the Career

Achievement Award, the New Leader Award, and the  Hall of Fame Award. The Career Achievement Award honors  alumni who have made outstanding contributions to  their professions and a difference in the lives of  others. The emphasis of this award is on teaching,  mentoring, and sharing their skills and talents with  others in their profession. 

Three individuals were  selected for the 2022 Career Achievement Award.  The first winner is Ms. Katherine, Kat DePizzo. We will now hear from the individuals who joined forces to  nominate their accomplished colleague.    

 We a collective team came together representing  faculty, co-workers and industry board, to nominate  Kat Depizzo for this prestigious award. When we reviewthe criteria for Career Achievement, there was no doubt that she came top of mind, Kat has been  transformational in our industry, by taking a brand  that was historically a brick-and-mortar and an  E-commerce site and actually implementing it and  integrating it into Walmart's portfolio. When we think  of Kat, not only is she a trailblazer, but she's  passionate in what she does and how she does it is  really what makes Kat DePizzo shine in the area of  achievement. 
 
 She's a team player, so as she went  through the transformation, she didn't just do it for  herself, she did it for everyone around her. And when you look at Justice, Justice as the brand and what it  stands for internationally on empowering young women,  that's what Kat's done. And that's really what makes  Kat spectacular in all she does. It's how she does it.

She exemplifies excellence, and we could not be more  proud of her career achievement.  Kat, I echo what Kristin has said. When I got the  announcement that they were looking for somebody for  the EHE Alumni Award, you immediately came to mind. I  just have so much admiration for how you always reach  back to lift other people up. 

I think that's one of  the things I admire the most about you. What you have  done in the face of adversity is just amazing. And  you're such a great role model. I really can't think  of anybody that deserves this award more than you do.  So, congratulations, we are so proud of you. And so,  so happy to have you as one of ours.

Kat, I'm here to say how very thrilled I am that  you're receiving this award. Because if there's one  person that embodies the passion for education, and  girls across the world, it's you. You're excited about  what you do. You provide enthusiasm for so many  people. And you give back to everyone that you touch.  Congratulations, Kat, I'm so excited for you.

Kat, my dear friend and mentor, I couldn't be more  excited for you to receive this award. When I think  about the positive impact that you've had on not only  this retail industry, but the lives of so many people  that you've come across in this industry, whether it  be a friend or a mentor, you've had a huge impact on  my life. And I'm so thrilled to be working with you in  this brand that really lives to empower girls and their moms. And you really live all the values that we  that we preach every day. So, congratulations, my friend.   Love you.

The second Career Achievement Award winner is Dr.  Marcia Millet. Please welcome her nominator Dr. Lauren Wilson,  who joins us to explain why she nominated   Dr. Millet for this distinguished award.  Hello, I am Dr. Lauren Hurley Wilson. I am honored to  recognize Dr. Marcia Millet for the Career Achievement  Award. At a young age of 18, I had the privilege of  sitting in many of Dr. Millets classes at Tennessee  State University in the College of Education. From  that first class it confirmed that I was in the right  place because of Dr. Millet, her leadership and her  instruction. 

Furthermore, she showed me that I could  wear multiple hats and be successful. I could be a  woman that is passionate in the field of education. I  could pursue a doctorate degree. I could be a wife, I  could be a mother, I could be an administrator in a  public school setting. I could wear all these hats and 
give my all to everything and do a great job at it.

Dr. Millet is inspirational. She is a role model to so  many people. And what is so inspiring to me is that  this is just the beginning. She is dedicated to  research specifically in STEM. I love the fact that  she builds up pre service teachers, teachers who are  in programs to make sure they have what they need to  be successful. 

She is the same person if you see her  on the street, or if you see her in a board room  leading the meeting. She captures the room. She is the  epitome of kindness, character and grace.  Congratulations, Dr. Millet. Thank you for being a role model to me.

The third and final 2022 Career Achievement Award  winner is Dr. Tracy Nájera. Tracy, through the work that she's doing, at the  Children's Defense Fund is helping all of us to be  better persons, as members of society, and better  citizens, better to one another because she is helping  to create policies and conditions that protect the  well being of the most vulnerable in our society, our  children. And she recognizes as a leader that we need  to take input not only from those who are normally not  invited to be traditionally at the table, but also  from those whose voices go unheard.

Hello, my name is Maria Sanchez and I was one of the  nominators of Dr. Tracy Nájera. I've had the distinct  honor knowing Dr. Nájera and she is one of the sisters  of Alpha Psi Lambda, the nation's first co-ed Latino  interest fraternity which was founded here at Ohio  State. We are both members of the fraternity and as  such she has served as a mentor for me since I was an  undergrad. Having a mentor like Tracy has been such a  game-changer in my life. When I say that she helped me  start my business and that I would not be here had it  not been for the advice, and the support and continued  guidance of Tracy, I could not be telling the truth  anymore. So Tracy, thank you. This award is so well  deserved. I'm so proud of you. And I'm hoping that  this is just one of many more awards that are coming  your way. So congratulations.

And now for the New Leader Award. This award is  granted to alumni who are aged 36 or younger and have  already made significant professional accomplishments.  Recipients of this award show great promise for  continuing their contributions to their professions,  the college and society. This year's award winner is  Dr. DeLeon Gray. Dr. Gray was nominated by two  individuals, Dr. Eric Anderman and Dr. James Moore.

I am so pleased and honored to announce Dr. DeLeon  Gray as this year's recipient of the New Leader Award.  I had the pleasure of serving as Dr. Gray's  dissertation chair and advisor when he was at Ohio  State. He graduated in 2012, and I have had the grand  pleasure of watching him become truly internationally  recognized as one of the leaders in the world in the  study of motivation in diverse populations,  particularly focusing on adolescents. His  contributions to research theory and practice have  been extraordinary, but I think what's most important  is that his work has positively impacted the lives of  so many youth. So often our research doesn't impact  people directly and his truly does. 

The number of  recognitions besides this one that Dr. Gray has  received throughout his career, in his short career  has been phenomenal, and I've never had somebody whom  I've mentored has been so incredibly successful, and  I'm so proud of him. I can't think of any early career  scholar who's more deserving of this award. It's my  honor to call DeLeon Gray my student, my colleague and  my friend. Congratulations Dr. Gray.  I am delighted to be here today. It's always a  pleasure to be able to celebrate a deserving awardee  such as Dr. Gray. Dr. Gray is one of my most beloved mentees.  I've watched him from a undergraduate student  soar to now a tenured professor. He's certainly one of  the towering leaders In higher education, I believe  that we haven't seen the most of, of his achievements. 

This is just a small sample size of the many awards  that he will receive in the future. On behalf of the  Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and its fabulous  staff, we just want to wish you well. We want to  congratulate you on receiving the New Leader Award in  the College of Education in Human Ecology. I'm quite  confident that you will continue to receive many other  awards so continue to make excellence a priority in  your professional journeys, and as we say at  Ohio State, Go Bucks!

And now, to cap off this celebration of the 2022 award  winners, we turn to the Hall of Fame Award.  Induction into EHEs Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed  by the College and Alumni Society. Those who are  chosen for this award must have made significant  contributions to education and human ecology, and  serve as a role model for all others in their fields.

They must be former college faculty members, administrators, or graduates from an education or human ecology program. This year's award winner, Dr. David Magill, is presented by Ms. Judy Magill.  I am Judy Magill and I nominated my husband Dave Magill, for this recognition from the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University.  Dave began his career in an urban school and ended up at the University of Chicago, one of the largest independent schools. On the journey in between he did a little bit of everything. He was superintendent at 34, the youngest in the state to be a superintendent.

Everywhere he went, he found that he needed to improve facilities in order to improve the content of the curriculum. 

He was successful in raising $92 million at the laboratory school for a large overall facilities improvement and the building of an art center which would take care of the new technology, and filming and so many future things ready to go for students. The arts building was named after Gordon Parks, the first building on the campus of the University of Chicago to be named after an African American person. 

All the architecture that was done for the school included students, parents, it was done as a collaborative of all the people who care. He is most proud of all things other than the testimonies of students who tell their stories after they leave the school with the practice that he had in hiring good leaders and then asking of them, "Give me five of your best years. And after that, I'm going to send you out and we're going to make more great educators to help more children." And he did. Dave ended his career at a school founded by John Dewey, the great philosopher and educator who is known as the progressive father of education. And then Dave was called back after being retired for six years to come and lead the school through the pandemic. 

Dave and I met at Ohio State. On our first date, he took out an album of pictures of children who were from Variety Club Camp where he had begun working at 15 years old. He said to me as he told each story, this is my life. And I will end by saying, thank you Dave, because it's my life too now for 52 years and it has been a wonderful, rich, rewarding life and I'm so glad it happened. Go Bucks!

What an amazing group of awardees. 

On behalf of the College of Education and Human Ecology, the more than 100,000 alumni across the globe and the EHE Alumni Society Board of Governors, congratulations to Kat, Maria, Tracy, DeLeon and David. These amazing awardees have made contributions to their communities, to their professions and to society at large. They truly embody the core mission and values of the College of Education and Human Ecology. To those of you who have tuned in, thank you so much for sharing in this special moment with our awardees and with us. And of course, Go Bucks!