Staff

Barbara Amato, academic coach for the Institute of Academic Excellence, scored essays for American Mensa. This was her ninth year as a national judge for the Mensa Foundation’s U.S. Scholarship Program. Amato also had a letter to the editor published in the March 2023 issue of Mensa Bulletin. Mensa is a worldwide organization where ethnicity, colour, creed, national origin, age, politics, educational and social background are all completely irrelevant; the only relevant qualification for membership is scoring within the upper 2% of the general population on an approved intelligence test.

Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D., president, joined the BE NKY Growth Partnership’s Board of Directors (previously Northern Kentucky Tri-ED) in summer 2023. BE NKY is governed by a 23-member board of directors comprised of business and community leaders, who are unpaid volunteers. To read more about the role of BE NKY Growth Partnership in the community and other board appointments, CLICK HERE.

Andrew Cole, director of Campus Ministry, was officially reappointed in spring 2023 to Serve Kentucky for a second three-year term by Governor Andrew Beshear’s Office of Boards and Commissions. This state service commission seeks to engage Kentuckians in volunteerism and service to positively impact local communities. To read the full release of appointments in the Lane Report, CLICK HERE.

Terry Connor ’92, director of athletics, now also serves the University in a vice president role, which began in June 2023. In addition to serving on the President’s Cabinet, Connor oversees 30 highly competitive sports teams and the Saints band program. To read the press release, CLICK HERE.

John Ernst, Ph.D., director of Benedictine Library and the Center for Teaching, Learning, & Scholarship, was presented with the Mary Schwab Employee Service Award at the University for 2023. This honor has been awarded to an outstanding employee since 1982, via a nomination process and honors (posthumously) long-time assistant to the registrar, Mary Schwab, who was always cheerful, helpful, patient, and welcoming. The recipient exhibits these same qualities as well as a dedication to serve others.

Jeff Hans, women’s basketball coach, was interviewed in May 2023 by Marc Hardin of LINK NKY regarding Hans’ fantastically successful career coaching the Saints. Coach talked about his time in basketball before and highlights about his 12 years with Thomas More. To read this Q&A, CLICK HERE.

Mark Messingschlager, FAAC® (Thomas More University), along with Tara Verrico (Geneva College), and Jessica Flogaites, FAAC® (University of Pittsburgh), as members of National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), were hosted for in-person meetings on Capitol Hill as part of April’s Advocacy Pipeline. During these meetings, NASFAA members spoke as advocates to congressional staffers from Pennsylvania and Kentucky about financial aid topics affecting college eligible students. Read the full article CLICK HERE. 

Kevin Reynolds, Ed.D., vice president for Institutional Advancement, took on a larger role within the University as senior vice president for mission and university advancement beginning June 1, 2023. In addition to Institutional Advancement, Reynolds now oversees the Center for Faith, Mission & Catholic Education, Campus Ministry, and the Wm. T (Bill) Robinson III ’67 Institute for Religious Liberty. Reynolds has been with the University since 2014, and has served in a variety of leadership roles in both student affairs and institutional advancement. To read the press release, CLICK HERE. Reynolds was also awarded the Exceptional Service Award for 2022-2023 by For College For Life, an organization which he has been associated with for nine years. This group provides a diverse group of speakers on a wide range of topics which have relevance for colleges, universities, and organizations focused on students and professionals.

Robert W. Plaster College of Business

Carrie Jaeger, Ph.D., associate professor, business administration and economics, was named a regional recipient of the 2023 ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award. The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) recognizes individuals each year who exemplify teaching excellence in the classroom. For the official press release,  CLICK HERE.

Malcolm Robinson, Ph.D., professor, business administration and economics, gave his thoughts on the best loans for people who suffer from bad credit in a moneygeek.com article published in March. To read the article, CLICK HERE. Professor Robinson also was featured in a WalletHub piece about How to Lower Your Car Insurance Premiums. To find out if his advice works for you, CLICK HERE.

John D. (Jack) Rudnick, Ed.D., professor, Carrie Jaeger, Ph.D., associate professor, and Nicole Modafari, adjunct professor, business administration and economics, along with Jyoti Saraswat, Ph.D., associate professor, mathematics and physics and Brandi Kenly, biologics program manager for OneBlood, had a book chapter published in the Handbook of Research on Quality and Competitiveness in the Healthcare Services Sector. The book chapter is entitled: Evaluation Cases Frame Healthcare Quality Improvement.

College of Language Arts and Social Studies

Steve Oldfield, assistant professor, creative media: art, communication, music, and theatre, had an article published on Spectrum News 1 regarding environmental attorney Robert Bilott’s visit to campus in March. Bilott is an Ohio lawyer whose battle with Dupont over deadly contamination in West Virginia inspired the movie “Dark Waters.” CLICK HERE, to read and watch the article. 

St. Elizabeth College of Natural and Health Sciences

Christopher Lorentz, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and director of the Biology Field Station, wrote the lead article about the Ohio River featured in spring 2023 in the Midwest Traveler, a subsidiary of Cincy magazine which distributes to a readership of approximately 30,000 in communities along the River. To read the article online, CLICK HERE and flip to page 4.

John T. Spence, Ph.D., AICP, professor, philosophy, political science & interdisciplinary study, Maria Mitchell, professor and department chair, accountancy, and Amy Thistlethwaite, Ph.D., professor, sociology & criminal justice, took part in the Hunger Walk and 5K Run, an event held each year on the banks of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. This year, the walk was held on Memorial Day, May 29, 2023.  Since its inception in 2004, supporters of the Hunger Walk and 5K Run have raised more than $2 million, the equivalent of six million meals, for Freestore Foodbank community partners like The Healing Center.