Spotlights

SPOTLIGHT Jay Graham

Q&A with Jay Graham, Office of the University Architect Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Design; Alumnus

Congratulations to Jay Graham who was promoted to Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Design and University Architect in August 2021! Jay has 20 years of experience, 17 at Kent State University.  Jay will be leading the Office of the University Architect (OUA) and supervising a staff of twelve professionals. Jay is responsible for managing construction and renovation activities on all Kent State properties.

• What sparked your interest in in architecture? My father and uncle are both architects. So, from an early age I was exposed to construction sites and my dad’s drafting desk in the basement.  I spent so much time playing with his drafting tools and looking through the Sweet’s Catalogues that I couldn’t understand why other kids at school didn’t have these things in their basement.
   
• What are your favorite accomplishments or projects you have worked on so far? One of my favorite projects was working on the John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design.  It was a once in a career opportunity to be part of such an amazing design team and collaborative construction process that was able to deliver Kent State it’s first LEED Platinum building.
   
• What are you looking forward to working on? I am really excited about the opportunity to again be working along side an amazing design team and an equally talented team of colleagues on the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.  This new facility will be a transformation project not only for the students and faculty within the college, but also for the north edge of the Kent Campus by anchoring the gateway entrance to campus.
   
• How does sustainability manifest itself in what you do at Kent State University? I like to remind those that we work with that buildings are each prototypes, they are not manufactured on an assembly line where you get to adjust and make changes as you learn from problems along the way.  Each building is unique.  The buildings that we design are a collection of thousands of products that are assembled to create a built environment that we hope will inspire great teaching, creative thinking, and places for our students to thrive in their academic and personal growth.  All of those products have to be researched, studied, and engineered to be purposefully assembled to create safe and healthy buildings.  Therefore, though the design process we feel a great responsibility to ensure that our buildings are a collection of the most sustainable elements, while ensuring the building is engineered to be resilient enough to meet the needs of our students, faculty, and staff for the next 50 years.
   
• Where is one of your favorite spots to visit on campus? And what makes it your favorite?  I really enjoy the Portage Bike and Hike Trail from campus to Dix Stadium.  Most of the year you can find me walking or jogging the trail at lunch time.  It offers a great opportunity to escape from the office and technology (mostly) to get some fresh air and some exercise along the way.  I especially enjoy passing the CDC outdoor playground and recalling the time spent there with each of my three boys.  There is even a ‘Do Not Litter’ sign design by my oldest son while at the CDC (some 10 years ago) along the trial that I visit each trip past.

Thank you Jay!

Kent State University Office of The University Architect

Spotlight Anna Droz

ANNA DROZ, GREEN ROOF PROFESSIONAL, P.H.D. ECOLOGY CANIDATE

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT featured in: LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR FEBRUARY 2022

Spotlight Yewande Odunaiya-Moore

Q&A with Yewande Odunaiya-Moore, University Housing Student Leadership Coordinator

What sparked your interest in working in Higher Education, with students, and/or at University Housing?
I started as an RA in my undergraduate career and that sparked my interest in working with students and so then I went on to obtain my masters in higher education and student affairs.  I started working here at Kent State in 2012 as a hall director and in 2017 was promoted to Student Leadership Coordinator. I have a serious passion and interest in developing our student leaders and helping them reach their goals and shine. 

What sparked your interest in sustainability in both your professional and/or personal life? 
I think once I had a son I realize that I needed to do my part to make this world a better place for him and to make the world a sustainable place for him, so I really began to be more intentional about my usage of all things and how I impart that knowledge onto my son about sustainability. Also, through my work with Kent Interhall Council I’ve been able to throw myself into a lot of different sustainability initiatives that have truly made me more passionate and more knowledgeable about sustainability practices

What is your favorite part of your position?
I love so many things about my position but what I love the most is being able to help my students execute their visions with whatever they want to do. My eboard is very passionate about sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives and I just love to support them and help them bring their visions to life.

How does sustainability manifest itself in what you do at Kent State University? 
Through my role we do a lot of sustainability initiatives such as Do it in the Dark, Campus Race to Zero Waste, and Earth Month (and a lot of other initiatives in the residence hall such as plastic bag drives, can drives, and cardboard crafting programs which allow us to reuse all the cardboard from packages we get).

What do you want the people of Kent State to know about you and your position as University Housing Student Leader Coordinator (or any other roles you have)? 
Being responsible for the leadership development of the students in our department is not a role that I take lightly. It is very important for me to be able to affect some sort of change in the students lives and be able to give them opportunities that can sharpen and enhance their leadership skills. I love being able to provide programming and resources and workshops and information that can actually tangibly help the students with whatever they’re doing on campus but also once they graduate and leave Kent State.

Where is one of your favorite spots to visit on campus? And what makes it your favorite? 
I love walking campus a lot especially if I have a lunch break or something. One of my favorite spots to visit is the student green and the K. I love seeing all the students out there  eating lunch or doing homework it’s just a good vibe. I also really just love Tri towers I love being near my students and they do a lot of their work out of Tri towers and yeah it’s a great place to be.

What would people be surprised to learn or know?
People might be surprised to know that I do run my own business in addition to working a full-time job. It has been a great lesson for me on discipline and commitment and dedication to two different things that I love immensely.

Thank you Yewande!

Kent State University Housing

Kent Interhall Council

Spotlight Alumna Emilie Oxel O'Leary

Alumna Emilie Oxel O’Leary, '93, is the CEO of Sunshine Solar

KENT STATE TODAY OCTOBER 12, 2021

Alumna Emilie Oxel O’Leary, '93, is the CEO of Sunshine Solar, a woman-owned mechanical installation company that partners with major brands such as L’Oreal and Amazon by installing solar power to support their overarching goals of being sustainable companies.

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit,” O’Leary said. “But I knew I needed a good education. I couldn't just go out and start a business and not have good support.”

O’Leary graduated from Kent State University with a degree in fashion merchandising. With an interest in fashion, she started her first business when she was just 16-years-old before even attending Kent State. She called it For Your Fashion and did makeovers for cancer patients.

After graduation, O’Leary worked in retail, but knew that wasn’t where her heart was. She packed up her belongings and moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she landed a job with the Olympics in 1996. From there she worked at The One World Trade Center while pursuing a masters degree in business with a concentration in e-commerce.

With all this experience and knowledge that she had gained, O’Leary founded her own consulting business called Oxel Company. During that time, a client hired her to work with him in a construction business, leading them to dabble in solar projects, which helped her realize the value in supplying solar power.

“Even though I had zero experience in working in construction or working in solar, I just knew as an entrepreneur this is a business I wanted to start,” O’Leary said.  “So I moved on from my consulting business and opened Sunshine Solar in January of 2016 and really just dove in. I used a lot of my past experience to run the company.”

Sunshine Solar’s first solar project was installing a solar carport for the Atlanta Falcons stadium. Since then, the company has installed solar panels to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Verizon and FedEx whether it be with carport tops, rooftops or solar fields.

Just before the pandemic began in January 2020, O’Leary sold the business but remained CEO. Sunshine Solar has since tripled its business, making it a pivotal turning point for the company.

“Being a woman-owned company differentiates us from other solar businesses,” O'Leary said. “There are not a lot of women-owned solar businesses out there, so when I first started Sunshine Solar, it took a lot of time and a lot of effort to get to where we are now.”

She attributes many of her successes to her undergraduate education for providing her with a solid foundation.

“Kent State is 100% a factor in my success, and I say that because the instructors were very practical. It wasn't just textbook knowledge, especially in the fashion world. They had real life examples that I could completely relate to,” O’Leary said. “I feel that Kent State really provided me with not only a good education, but real world experience and knowledge.”

Additionally, O’Leary admires Kent State’s commitment to being more sustainable. In 2018 the university adopted a 10-year Master Plan that embarks on a $1 billion transformative journey of the Kent Campus to better serve the needs of students and the entire Kent State community. The plan includes the addition of solar panels to each Kent State location.

“Kent State is such a great foundation for students,” O’Leary said. “I love to see the growth Kent State is making, and how the university is embracing renewables on all their campuses.”

Her story is proof that with a solid foundation, students can pursue any career they set their minds to.

“I hope my story can inspire others to explore careers outside of your major,” she said. “The field you study can open doors that you didn't know were possible.”

WRITTEN BY: OLIVIA FUTO

Spotlight Gina Kucmanic

Q&A with Gina Kucmanic; Nutrition and Dietetics Major; Hometown: Willoughby, OH

• Flashes Fighting Hunger Cooking Manager

What is your area of research or interest?
My areas of interest in nutrition are currently functional medicine and sustainable agriculture. From interning at sustainable farms, urban gardens, and working for Campus Kitchen, I have recognized the key parts of preventive medicine start at the root of the body and the produce we consume. My family has always been my greatest inspiration for pursuing an interest in nutrition and agriculture. Coming from a Croatian household, the Mediterranean lifestyle was my norm, which later on, I realized was the main reason I became so interested in nutrition. 

Can you tell us more about Flashes Fighting Hunger (previously known as Campus Kitchen) and what it does?
Flashes Fighting Hunger, is a student-run kitchen that recovers food that would otherwise go to waste to support the efforts of food security, waste, and sustainability.  Being a cooking manager with FFH means that I get to be creative with the meals I prepare and make a difference for the community and planet. We have several opportunities for students to help the community through cooking, recovering food, serving at the pantry, or even showcasing our organization at the Haymaker's Farmer's Market. Students may sign up or view our volunteer shifts on helperhelper.com. One of greatest accomplishments was being able to support the community throughout the pandemic. Despite days with little to no volunteers, I feel proud to say that the kitchen was able to operate and grow in efforts during very hard times. 

What career or path do you see yourself pursuing after graduation?
During my undergrad, I have learned through real-world experiences in culinary and integrative nutrition, the strong connection between nutrition and sustainability. As I approach graduation in the Spring, I hope to pursue my next education in nutrition with a focus on sustainable actions. Through this, I hope to motivate more people to have their own garden, grocery shop sustainably, and possibly start an urban gardening nutrition program. Once I become a Registered Dietitian, I hope to become a strong advocate for sustainable food systems with a community focus.

What is one of your favorite spots on campus? And what makes it your favorite?
One of my favorite spots on campus is the Herrick Conservatory because it is like no other spot on campus. While participating in Greenhouse Club for a short time, I loved maintaining the space and learning more about horticulture.  

Thank you Gina!

Flashes Fighting Hunger

Spotlight Nathan Ritchey

Q&A with Nathan Ritchey; Honors Mathematics and Neuroscience Majors with Minors in Chemistry and Psychology

• Flashes Fighting Hunger Manager
• EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) for Community Care Ambulance
• Brain Health Research Institute undergraduate researcher
• Phi Delta Theta president
• Phi Beta Kappa scholar
• volunteer at UH Portage

What is your area of research or interest?
I am interested in neurotrauma. In my lab, we study the affects of spinal cord injury on urogenital function, as well as ways to recover these functions using pharmacological studies.

What made you interested in pursuing this area?
I first became interested in neurology after my father’s stroke. Luckily, he made a full recovery, but the entire situation represented the mystery and complexity of neurological systems.

Can you tell us more about Flashes Fighting Hunger (previously known as Campus Kitchen) and what it does?
Flashes Fighting Hunger is a student run food pantry that seeks to fight food insecurity while also reducing food waste. We take food that would otherwise be thrown out and work very quickly to get it to those in need. We serve about 100 households in the area, and are on track to recover 100,000 lbs of food this year! That is 50 tons of food that would otherwise go to waste!!!

What do you enjoy about being a Manager for Flashes Fighting Hunger?
My favorite part of this position is the people. The people we serve are so grateful for everything that we do! We are truly making a difference in their lives. At the end of the day, working at Campus Kitchen is the most fulfilling thing that I have ever done. No other student organization has such a direct impact on people’s lives, relieving them of the burden’s caused by food insecurity.

How can students become involved with Flashes Fighting Hunger?
Students can get involved by going to the helper helper website and looking for shifts labeled campus kitchen. They can look up Campus Kitchen at Kent State or follow this link as well. https://www.kent.edu/community/campus-kitchen Here, they can find more information about our organization as well as ways to get food or get involved! I would also be happy if you put my email (nritche3@kent.edu) on this for people to contact with any questions about Campus Kitchen.

What are your favorite accomplishments or projects you have worked on so far?
My favorite accomplishment is receiving the flashes humanitarian award. I received the award for my work at Campus Kitchen.

How do your studies or classes at Kent State support you in your sustainability endeavors?
Many of my classes have moved into a paperless format. This allows us as students to limit the amount of paper we consume for notes, tests, etc. This has been very important for me, as I used to go through several reams of paper each semester.

What type of work, research, or projects are you working on this year?
This year, we are very excited to announce the beginning of the mobile food pantry! We will be using census data and our new mobile food unit to take food directly into the areas that are most affected by food insecurity.

What career or path do you see yourself pursuing after graduation?
After graduation, I plan on going to medical school. During my time in medical school, I will be studying to continue my research as a neurosurgeon.

What is one of your favorite spots on campus? And what makes it your favorite?
My favorite spot on campus is the kitchen. I have so many good memories in the kitchen area, that it feels like a second home.

Anything else you’d like to add/tell think is important to mention? (anything else I missed?)
I initially joined Campus Kitchen for selfish reasons. I joined to get hours to look good for medical school. But after only a week, I realized how much good this organization does. I realized how much we were helping. I was hooked. Since then, I have dedicated over 1000 hours to this organizations. I have driven through a blizzard on Christmas Eve and I have given up time with my family and friends, but every second was worth it. I have never regretted spending more time at Campus Kitchen. Of all my college experiences, I am the most proud of my work at Campus Kitchen.

Thank you Nathan!

Flashes Fighting Hunger