Recognition celebration to honor area leaders

Staff Report

YOUNGSTOWN

The 2010 Youngstown State University Leadership Recognition celebration will honor the efforts and achievements of community and campus leaders in the area of inclusion.

Justice Maureen O’Conner of the Ohio Supreme court will be the guest speaker at the event scheduled for 6 p.m. March 25 at Mr. Anthony’s, 7440 South Ave., Boardman.

Cost is $35 per person or $280 for a table of eight, and reservations must be made by Thursday. For information, call the YSU Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity at (330) 941-3370.

Honorees are being recognized in three categories. They are:

Leaders of Tomorrow

Bryan Chaidez, a junior majoring in economics, is secretary of YSU’s Economics Club and volunteers for campus Hispanic events as well as the Office of Student Diversity Programs. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Hispanic Student Award.

Ra’Shawd E. Davis is a nontraditional student pursuing a degree in criminal justice with a focus on delinquency prevention. His is a story of a young man who dropped out of high school, spent several years in prison, and turned his life around to become one of YSU’s campus leaders.

Jennifer Edwards is a nontraditional social work student. She is a member of Zeta Phi Alpha, the YSU Student Social Work Honors Society, and has been designated to Who’s Who in Colleges and Universities.

Mason Shattuck, a senior majoring in finance, is a member of Alpha Phi Delta and was honored as Alpha Phi Delta, Order of Omega in 2009, as well as 2008-09 Greek “Man of the Year.” He was listed in the 2009 Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

Campus Leadership

Michael Beverly, coordinator for Multicultural Student Services in the Center for Student Progress, develops and implements that department’s Summer Bridge Program as well as the Bridge and Beyond Program.

Paul Carr, assistant professor of Educational Foundations, Research, Technology and Leadership in the Beeghly College of Education, has been an active member of the YSU Diversity Council for five years.

Sherry Linkon, professor of English and American Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and co-director of the Center for Working Class Studies.

Community Leadership

Rev. Kenneth L. Simon has been the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church since 1995. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from YSU and received his Biblical and religious training from the Evangelical Training Association in Wheaton, Ill., and the Christian Study Center.

Atty. Bonnie Deutsch Burdman is the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. She works with national Jewish agencies on numerous social justice advocacy projects, serves as the primary federation staff person in the promotion of the pro-Israel agenda and does work in Holocaust commemoration and anti-genocide education.

Clifford O. Johnson (posthumously), a graduate of YSU and Westminster College, was a longtime area educator and administrator and was a member of the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and ONTASC, Inc. and was a national instructor for the American Red Cross on diversity issues.