The Dr. Glenn L. Clayton Award will be given each year to an individual who either is employed or is retired from Ashland College/University. The recipient must demonstrate the qualities of a committed and dedicated leader such as Dr. Clayton and should exhibit the mission of the University through their actions both inside and outside the campus environment and go above and beyond by representing the University in a positive manner in all aspects.
Don grew up in Beaver, Pennsylvania, graduating from Beaver High School and nearby Geneva College with a speech degree. He served four years as a Navy Cryptographic Communication Officer. He graduated from Northwestern University as a Speech & Hearing Pathologist. In 1964, at the request of Dr. Glenn Clayton, Don left the Cincinnati Speech & Hearing Clinic to come to Ashland College to establish a Speech & Hearing Clinic and degree on campus.
At Ashland, Don served as Associate Professor for 44 years and also taught in the Special Education Department. He served as Chairman of the Speech and Education Departments and twice as President of Faculty Senate. Over the years, he received two mentor awards; outstanding Phi Kappa Psi advisor on campus and national advisor of the year in 2000.
As a community volunteer, Don served as President of the Dale-Roy MRDD Board, as well as 25+ years as the Pronouncer of the Ashland County Spelling Bee.
In 1967, he and Gail Wiepking were married. Their daughter Kimberly, an AU graduate, lives in Middleburg, Florida with husband Michael and their four children.
Herb Broda is an emeritus professor of education at Ashland University. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. from Kent State University. His career in education includes experiences as a sixth-grade teacher, school administrator, curriculum developer, author, professor and outdoor learning advocate. Herb is a Trustee of The Wilderness Center, and serves on the Board of Directors of Camp Nuhop, near Loudonville, Ohio. He also serves on OSU’s Secrest Arboretum Support Council.
Ralph Tomassi was serving as senior associate vice president for development at Ashland University when he retired on Oct. 10, 2014, after 36 years of service at Ashland University. Tomassi came to Ashland in 1973 and was a four-year captain of the baseball team. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1977. In 1978, he returned to the then Ashland College as director of transfer admissions and has been with the institution ever since.
During his tenure at Ashland, he held many positions including Director of the Annual Fund, Executive Director for Development, Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Executive Director for Development, Associate Vice President for Development, and Senior Associate Vice President for Development. He was involved in the planning and implementation of numerous fund raising campaigns at the University and helped bring those to successful completion, and also was the founder of the Gridiron Club and the Varsity Walk program. His dedication and commitment to the University and the city of Ashland through the years has been unmatched.
Krispinsky has worked at Ashland University for more than 30 years. He started as assistant director of special programs in 1978, was promoted to director in 1980 and soon became director of the bachelor of science in business administration evening and weekend program. He became director of the BSBA and MBA Extension programs and served in that role until he was appointed to his current position as executive director of the MBA Program in 1996.
Krispinsky is a member of the Dauch College of Business and Economics Dean’s Council, a member of Graduate Council and has served on numerous faculty and administrative search committees. He also is a member of the MBA Curriculum Committee and a member of the MBA Admissions Committee and chaired search committees for Assistant Director of MBA Program. He also served as a member of the Ashland University Marketing Committee during the 1990s.
Krispinsky received the Ellis Award from the Dauch College of Business and Economics in 1994 and 1995, as well as the Academic Mentor Award in 1996. He is an honorary member of Delta Mu Delta (National Honorary Business Society) and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership society. He also served on the initial ACBSP committee for the Business School accreditation in 1992-1993.
Krispinsky has a master of arts degree from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor of science degree from Ferris State University, and Ph.D. coursework completed at Ohio University.
John Byron is the Dean of the Seminary and Professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary. He completed undergraduate studies at Elim Bible Institute in Lima NY, a Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA, post-graduate work at Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem, Israel and a Ph.D. in Theology at the University of Durham in England. He is the author of six books and more than 30 published articles and essays. He served as a translator for the Common English Bible, is a columnist for Biblical Archaeology Review and excavated at Tel-Gezer in Israel. He has been married to Lori Byron since 1990 and they enjoy spending their free time cycling, cooking and traveling together.
Karen Carter Hagans `81 received her Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing from Ashland University and her Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. She is a certified job search strategist, a certified career management coach and she is also Myers-Briggs qualified. Hagans is passionate about coaching individuals in areas of vocational exploration, discovery and pursuit. In 1984, Hagans started as the Assistant Dean for Student Development at Otterbein University, later becoming Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and the Director of Career Development at Bluffton University. From 2008-2009, Hagans served as the Director of Career Services and Internships at Lake Erie College. In 2003, she started her current position with KMB Career Quest in Medina as a Career Coach. She had a number of stints with Ashland College/University, including serving from 1987 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2007, and again in 2001 to 2017. Hagans started at AU as Director of Career Development and currently holds the position of Executive Director of Career Services. Hagans started her teaching career at Ashland University as an instructor of the required Freshman Studies course. She also served as an academic advisor to students during their freshman year and to any “undecided” upperclassmen. Hagans then became an instructor at The University of Akron and Medina County University Center as she taught an elective Career Planning course. Hagans made her return to Ashland University teaching a required Lifetime Wellness course and she recently team-taught the elective Life Calling courses. She has received the Academic Mentor Award and the Alumni Association Special Achievement Award from Ashland University. On the Ashland University Alumni Board, Hagans has served as President, Vice President and Activities Chair. Additionally, for the Ohio College Personnel Association, she has served as President, Conference Presenter, Conference Co-Chair, Placement Chair and Program Chair. Hagans also participated in the Ohio College Personnel Association as a member and as a part of the election committee. The association awarded her with two awards at the annual Ohio College Personnel Association in January. She will leave her full-time position with Ashland University in May after 33 years as a higher education professional.
Robert Wendling graduated from Ashland College in 1959. He taught mathematics at Elyria High School from 1959 to 1962 and attended Penn State University in 1962-1963 on a National Science Foundation Grant, where he graduated with his Master of Education degree.
He taught mathematics at Ashland from 1963 until his retirement in 2000, and during those years he held membership in the Mathematics Association of America, the Ohio Mathematics Association (OMA), and served on two committees of OMA for four years.
Wendling has been a member of the AU Athletic Hall of Fame committee including chair of the committee for 10 years, and a member of the AU Gridiron Club Board of Directors. He has won a number of awards from being inducted into the GLVC Hall of Fame in 2005 to being awarded the Golden Helmet Award by the AU Gridiron Club in 2010. He served as the scoreboard and clock operator for all the men’s basketball games and most of the women’s games ever played in the Kates Gymnasium through the end of the 2012-13 season.
Wendling is a member of the Dr. Glenn L. Clayton Society, the AC/AU 1000 Club, and he established the Robert and Kathleen Wendling Endowed Scholarship.
Jill earned her BSBA in 1982, majoring in Hotel/Restaurant Management and Spanish. Jill was a member of Alpha Phi sorority and the Women's Swim Team. She was an RA and Assistant Hall Director in Amstutz Hall. Jill met her husband Tom ‘83 in 1981 when Amstutz became the first co-ed dorm on campus.
In 2001, Jill began her career at AU in the Alumni Office. She organized and implemented the Silent Auction at Homecoming, planned alumni events, collaborated on the Accent magazine, and worked closely with the Alumni Board of Directors.
The Charltons are an Ashland Lovebird family! Tom and Jill have three children: Kristie ‘08 (Adam ‘15 Veteran), Karie ‘11 (Brian ‘11) and Cooper ‘15, ‘20 M.Ed. (Courtney ‘15) and nine Ashland legacy grandchildren.
Michael Hupfer joined the Ashland College Center for English Studies (ACCESS) in July 1979. After a year as instructor and Foreign Student Advisor, he became ACCESS Director in 1980, a position he held until 1998, when he joined the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences. He served as Assistant Dean (1998-99, 2000-08), Acting Dean (1999-2000), and Associate Dean (2008-15) before retiring in December 2015. He also held office in several state and national professional organizations. He earned his B.A. in English at Earlham College and his M.A. in English and Certificate in Applied Linguistics (TESOL) at Indiana University. Mike continues to be an enthusiastic supporter of AU at campus events including lectures, conferences, athletic contests, music recitals, plays, and art exhibitions. Mike and his wife Seiko `86 live in Ashland with their son Noah `17. Their other son Raymond lives in Louisville, KY.
Karen Little was serving as director of institutional research at Ashland University when she retired in January of 2014, after 29 years of service to the university. She came to AU in 1984 when her husband, after a career in insurance, enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at Ashland Theological Seminary. She began her service to the university as an administrative assistant to Jim Barnes, then Vice President of Business Administration.
Three years later, her husband was hired as director of the Midwest Counseling program at the Seminary, and she realized they would be staying in Ashland. When an opening in academic advising (her profession) was announced, she applied for and obtained the position.
About 15 years later, after several title changes, each adding duties, she was given the challenge of creating an Institutional Research office. She agreed to do that as long as the University let her continue to serve as the academic eligibility coordinator for student athletes. Her commitment to student athletes brought her back to Ashland after retirement, where she now serves in the registrar’s office as the athlete academic eligibility officer, among other duties.
Sue Heimann has received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Sociology and Social Work from Bluffton College, and her Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. Heimann has worked for Ashland University since 1979, working as a Residence Director and Graduate Assistant (1979-1980), Area Coordinator and Orientation Chair, (1980-1981), Assistant Director of Housing (1981-1982), Director of Career Planning and Placement (1984), Director of Housing (1982-1985), Assistant Dean of Students (1985-1987), Associate Dean of Students (1987-1992), Dean of Students (1992-1998), Dean of Student Affairs (1998-1999), and currently the Vice President of Student Affairs since 1999.
Heimann has supervised many programs on the Ashland University campus, including Career Services, Community Service, Commuter Services, Counseling, Diversity, Greek Life, Mail Center, Multicultural Student Services, Orientation, Recreational Services, Residence Life, Safety Services, Student Activities, Student Conduct, Student Health Services, Student Leadership, Student Success and Retention, and Study Abroad. Heimann has given her time to organizations outside of Ashland University as well and received awards from the American College Personnel Association, Ohio College Personnel Association, Ashland County Women of Achievement, and Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce.
Rev. Dr. JoAnn Ford Watson is Professor Emerita of Theology and Spiritual Formation at Ashland Theological Seminary and Ashland University after 31 years of teaching. She held the H.R. Gill Chair in Theology, and served as Chair of the Theology Department. She received mentoring awards and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2016. She has authored 13 books and edited the seven-volume set of the Selected Spiritual Writings of Anne Dutton. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA and has pastored churches in Ohio, New York, and New Jersey. She served as a chaplain at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She worked as a missionary volunteer with Mother Teresa. She served as Moderator and President of the Muskingum Valley Presytery of Ohio. She served as President of the Ashland Symphony Board and serves on the Ashland County Community Foundation Board and as President of the Foundations Community Childcare Board.
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