The Young Professional Achievement Award recognizes alumni for their early professional accomplishments. This award provides recognition for these individuals and serves as a stimulus toward further efforts by younger alumni. Nominees are to be 35 years of age and younger at the time of receiving the award. We checked in with them to see what they have accomplished since earning their award and what it meant to them. Hear from a few of our honorees below.
Michael Simpson, ’68 BS Animal Science
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1982
Q: Describe what receiving your award meant to you.
A: I was surprised by the nomination, which I think came from a fellow classmate in Animal Science. Thus, being recognized by peers is special to me.
Q: What has been your biggest milestone since receiving your award?
A: I have always been involved in animal association leadership work, namely three organizations. Working with volunteers in new startup programs/organizations and making them successful is something that I am proud of. Networking with diversified people who were successful has been a blessing to my career, thus I give them credit too. I am most proud of my leadership in the pork industry, starting in a narrow responsibility for a major event attended by 20,000 producers annually to being the first CEO of the National Pork Board and establishing the $60-plus million organization and its programs and processes to earn the trust of 100,000 producers to vote in a national program by a more than 80% positive vote that continued the internationally recognized “Pork. The Other White Meat” campaign.
Paul James Faust, ’70 BS Agricultural Education, ’70 MS Agricultural Education
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1981
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: I have been involved in agriculture all my life. I grew up on a dairy and hog farm and was active in 4-H and FFA. I served as a state FFA officer, and I began teaching agricultural education and serving as an FFA advisor in 1970. I have dedicated my life to serving students, the community, and agriculture. To have been honored as a CFAES Alumni Award winner was a very rewarding and humbling experience that I will always cherish. It is an indication that I was evidently a positive influence on many people, and for that I am very pleased and thankful.
Q: Do you have other thoughts about your alumni experience?
A: I am very appreciative of CFAES and its effort to honor alumni who have served agriculture in so many effective ways. I will always have fond memories of my experiences at Ohio State in the College of Agriculture in the late 1960s, and I value the relationships I have developed with so many great people of all ages over the years. I will always be happy to promote and support agriculture wherever I go in the future.
Hilary (Amos) Mayclin, ’01 BS Animal, Dairy, and Poultry Science
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2009
Q: What has been your greatest achievement and/or milestone since winning your alumni award?
A: On the career front, becoming a director and member of the leadership team at Midan Marketing, a full-service marketing agency that focuses on the meat industry. On the personal front, getting married to my husband, Shawn, and having two daughters, Ella and Leah.
Q: Do you have any thoughts on your experience with the CFAES Alumni Awards and your alumni experience?
A: I am very appreciative of the award and recognition from the college and to Dr. Kinder for the nomination for the award, especially as an alum who has lived most of my time since graduation outside of Ohio, which prevents me from being as involved as I would like at the university.
Steve Buckalew, ’77 MS Agricultural Economics
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1986
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: It meant recognition from the institution that was instrumental in launching my career in agribusiness.
Q: What has been your greatest achievement and/or milestone since winning your alumni award?
A: I enjoyed a 38-year agribusiness career in various positions of leadership and being awarded the CFAES Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016.
Q: Do you have other thoughts about your CFAES Alumni experience?
A: I am so grateful to Ohio State and CFAES, especially Dr. Richard Meyer and Dr. Warren Lee, for preparing me for a long and satisfying career in agribusiness.
Karen McMillan McCary, ’83 BS Agricultural Economics
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1990
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: It was and is Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences that taught me how to work hard and to move my career along a path to achieving my personal and professional goals. And for the college to recognize my hard work and perseverance by the age of 29 was remarkable. I am not a stand-out-in-the-crowd type and was left humbled that the college and those in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics would recognize my hard work and achievements in my career. It is this university and the close ties I keep with those professionals I met during my time at Ohio State that enabled me to receive this award.
Jay Weiker, ’82 BS Dairy Science
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1987
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: I was honored to receive the Young Professional Achievement Award and was pleased to know that others were following my career. At the time, I was living and working in California for an export company, so it was not easy to be involved in university and ag alumni functions. Receiving the award was additional motivation to continue building my career combining the dairy industry with my passion for international agriculture.
Q: Do you have other thoughts about your CFAES Alumni experience?
A: Since graduating from Ohio State, I have not lived in Ohio. I have lived in several states and spent over five years living and working in other countries (Argentina, two years; Australia, three years). I always look forward to reading about the CFAES Alumni Award winners and have known several through industry- or work-related activities. While it has been a challenge to be involved in activities sponsored by the ag alumni, I am always impressed by the achievements of Ohio State ag alumni. I often find fellow board members that are ag alumni, so we have an instant connection. Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye!
Bo Harstine, ’13 MS Animal Science, ’16 PhD Animal Science
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2019
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: I was thrilled to receive recognition for my work and efforts in my career, but more importantly, I was humbled to be nominated by mentors that I look up to.
Q: What has been your greatest achievement and/or milestone since winning your alumni award?
A: Not long after receiving my CFAES Alumni Award, I was named as one of the 30 Under 30 in Agriculture by AgGrad, and I also received ASAS/ADSA Midwest’s Outstanding Early Career Agribusiness Award. It was a great year!
Q: Do you have other thoughts on your CFAES Alumni experience?
A: I am always so impressed when I see fellow alumni in the news for their discoveries, contributions to science or industry, or for just being high-quality people within their community. I’m proud to be a Buckeye.
Kristopher Corbin, BS ’99 Animal, Dairy, and Poultry Science
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2010
Q: What has been the greatest achievement since winning your Alumni Award?
A: Commercializing Duncan Hines Perfect Size for 1 mug cakes. This created a disruption in the baking category that revived a declining business and accelerated baking as a new activity for millions of consumers. This success opened the door for me to pursue disruptive innovations that are tackling climate change through agriculture and food production.
Q: Do you have other thoughts on your CFAES experience?
A: Being connected with Ohio State has proven to be an enabling relationship for bringing the best science to the most innovative companies, so together, we can drive innovation and continuous improvement in industry.
Sandra Endicott, BS ’86 Agronomy, MS ’90 Agronomy
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1995
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: It filled me with a lot of pride and excitement! It also encouraged me to continue to work hard and achieve more.
Q: What has been your greatest achievement since winning your alumni award?
A: Working in an international role within Pioneer Hi-Bred International. I had the most amazing experiences traveling the world.
Q: Do you have other thoughts about your alumni experience?
A: I would encourage the young and more mature to work hard toward their dreams. Dreams can be realized if the effort is put forth.
Nancy Bishop Prafke, MS ’73 Textiles and Clothing
CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1983
Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.
A: It was a humbling experience and an honor to receive the recognition for not only career milestones and accomplishment but also for giving back to the university that provided this foundation in the development of leadership skills.
Q: What has been your greatest achievement since winning your alumni award?
A: I believe in stewardship. Moving to Punta Gorda, Florida, in 2005 after it was devastated by Category 4 Hurricane Charley on Aug. 13, 2004, I volunteered to help in any way I could. I became the volunteer CEO of nonprofit TEAM Punta Gorda, a civic organization formed to partner with government in helping not only restore but revitalize the community and develop a vision for its future. This led to me becoming a Punta Gorda city council member, where I have had the privilege and honor of being the mayor for the past two years. It’s all about giving back to others and making our communities a better place.