Where are they now? Alumni Awards edition

Young Professional Achievement Award

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. 

Julie Royer-EstvanderJulie Royer-Estvander, ’92 BS Food Science and Technology 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2003

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.

A: I was extremely proud to receive the Young Professional Achievement Award. To be recognized by the college and The Ohio State University for my accomplishments as a young professional woman in the food industry was a distinct honor.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since winning your alumni award? 

A: I have been fulfilled with a very successful career in the food industry. I am currently in a key corporate quality role with the Campbell Soup Company. Previous to joining Campbell's, I was in a corporate quality role with Hormel Foods for 16 years. One main achievement I accomplished since winning the award was earning my black belt in Six Sigma.

Melanie WiltMelanie Wilt, ’98 BS Agricultural Communications 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2011

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.

A: Receiving this award from the college was among my proudest moments because it affirmed two things for me: that (1) I could achieve my goals in my career and life, and (2) that I was able to do that at a young age, whereby I could push and challenge myself beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve set even greater goals and accomplished them since then thanks to that encouragement.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since winning your alumni award? 

A: Running for and being elected as a Clark County commissioner, and since then serving as president of the commission for the last two years. Also, starting the Virtual Farm Trips program through Shift•ology to connect more consumers with farmers in real, unscripted experiences. 



Joel PankowskiJoel Pankowski, ’89 BS Dairy Science, ’91 MS Dairy Science 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2002

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.

A: Being named a College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Young Professional Achievement Award recipient was both humbling and gratifying. Personally, it was humbling given the pool of high-caliber alumni candidates that were eligible. In addition, it was a “family” award in the sense that it provided me an opportunity to formally thank and recognize my wife and parents for the sacrifices and counsel they provided me during my education and professional career.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since receiving your alumni award? 

A: My 20-plus-year career has included a variety of technical and leadership positions with Monsanto Dairy Business, CPG Nutrients, AGWAY Inc., Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, Alpharma Animal Health, and Church and Dwight Inc. Currently, I am manager, ruminant technical services, for Church and Dwight’s Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production Division—providing technical support to key dairy professionals and producers throughout the U.S. and Canada—for food safety solutions that maintain animal productivity and fight foodborne pathogens. However, my greatest achievement is my family. 

Q: What are some reflective thoughts on your alumni experience? 

A: Never forget your roots or those that contributed to your personal and professional development and successes. You are only as good as your foundation, and for me ... The Ohio State University provided me a launching pad for a fulfilling life! 

Heather BiehlHeather Biehl, ’01 BS Food Science and Nutrition, ’03 MS Food Science and Nutrition 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2012

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you. 

A: Winning this award was an honor! It was a great feeling to be recognized for hard work and perseverance in my professional career!

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since receiving your alumni award? 

A: Since winning this award, I went on to work on developing infant formula for the U.S. and China markets and ultimately ended up in product development at the largest retailer—Walmart—working on OTC and personal care items for private brands.

Matthew Pullins, ’00 BS Agribusiness and Applied Economics

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2014

Q: Describe what receiving your alumni award meant to you.

A: It was great to be recognized by the college and especially the professor who nominated me.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since receiving your award? 

A: Expanding my professional responsibilities to managing PNC Bank’s regulatory reporting and loan accounting functions, which includes direct responsibilities of an organization of approximately 70 staff.

Connie Cahill Connie Cahill, ’70 BS Family Resource Management 

CFAES Young Professional Development Award, 1980 

Q: Describe what receiving your Alumni Award meant to you. 

A: As an aspiring young professional, recognition by my college and dean was a huge honor. I feel that receiving the award propelled me into creating a great career for myself.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement since receiving your award? 

A: My family. Seeing them achieve their goals in the workplace and at home gives me such satisfaction. Enjoying an incredible career and food consulting business, one of the first among my peers, was highly satisfying, too.  

Kenya HairstonKenya Hairston, ’98 BS Food Science and Nutrition 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2009

Q: What did receiving your alumni award mean to you? 

A: The award has allowed me to be invited to be a liaison on the Food industry Advisory Board, where I can share my knowledge and insight of the industry to the students and faculty.

Q: What has been your greatest milestone since receiving your award? 

A: I have had the pleasure to mentor several prospective food scientists and use my skillset and experience to help coach them.

Tracy KitchelTracy Kitchel, ’98 BS Agricultural Education, ’99 MS Agricultural Education

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 2008

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.

A: I was aware of previous award recipients and was quite honored to be included on the roster of other CFAES alumni who had early career success. It was rather meaningful that others felt my impact in my profession was noteworthy.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement and/or milestone since winning your alumni award? 

A: Career-wise, there are two major milestones that come to mind. First was when I had the opportunity to return home to Ohio in 2016 to work at Ohio State as professor and chair of my home department (the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership), where my academic training began. The second was when I was named a Fellow of my professional organization, the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE).

Bruce SherrickBruce Sherrick, ’85 BS Agricultural Economics, ’89 PhD Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology 

CFAES Young Professional Achievement Award, 1995

Q: What has been your greatest achievement and/or milestone since winning your award? 

A: I have had an incredibly fortunate academic and private sector career since leaving Ohio State. I am currently the Fruin Professor of Farmland Economics and director of the TIAA Center for Farmland Research at the University of Illinois. I am also a Presidential Nominee on a GSE Board, and have had the privilege of a Kellogg National Leadership Program Fellowship. In any list of memories in an academic career, seeing students continue and succeed and build their own careers always ranks highest, however.

Q: Do you have any comments about your CFAES alumni experience? 

A: The bonds with my fellow students and faculty from over 30 years remain unbroken. I still join my OSU family at get-togethers whenever we can, and follow the college and department closely. In the end, once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye—and I am forever grateful for the experiences I could have only had at The Ohio State University.

Lynn AngellLynn Angell, ’81 BS Agricultural Economics 

CFAES Young Alumni Achievement Award, 1994

Q: Describe what receiving a CFAES Alumni Award meant to you.

A: I felt that I had met the high standards of our university when I received the award. I had opened my own business and was contributing to my community, and this award told me I was doing it right. Many times alumni that return to their small Ohio communities worry that we aren't keeping up with our big-city peers. This told me the university cared about our Ohio and returning to our communites, not just job titles and big dollars.  

Q: Do you have any comments about your CFAES alumni experience? 

A: I miss coming to Columbus for activities and seeing my university right now. I love still being active and tied into my school, and no matter where my other degrees have come from, I am an OSU alum.

To see the complete list of International Alumni Award winners, click here.