The Cameron University Alumni Association is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni honorees as well as inductees into the CUAA Faculty Hall of Fame. The awards will be presented during the university’s homecoming festivities. Rhonda Clemmer and Paul Ellwanger will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards. Kallan Glasgow and Brett Leavell have been named Outstanding Young Alumni, and Dr. Robert Bausch and Dr. Stephanie Boss will be inducted into the Faculty Hall of Fame. The awards will be presented during an awards dinner on Saturday, February 24, in the McCasland Foundation Ballroom.
The Distinguished Alumni Award and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award are presented to former Cameron students who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments have brought credit to Cameron by distinguishing themselves in their careers, in service to their communities or through continued support of Cameron University. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to Cameron alumni who are 40 years of age or older. The Outstanding Young Alumni Award is presented to Cameron alumni who are 39 years of age or younger.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Rhonda Clemmer, Class of 1989
After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1989, Rhonda Clemmer has demonstrated her expertise in management, serving as president of Eagle Systems and Services (a federal government contractor) for more than 20 years and then as an executive vice president at The Columbia Group, where she directed marketing, branding, strategic planning and merger/acquisition activities. She has served as a management consultant for Merich Corporation since 2014. In addition to her corporate leadership, Clemmer is the founder of Best! Mentoring, an initiative that pairs positive role models with middle and high school students. Honors include Oklahoma’s 50 Women Making a Difference, Inc. 500’s Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S., Veteran Employer of the Year and Oklahoma’s Small Business Person of the Year. Her service to the community includes positions on the Lawton/Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Great Plains Technology Center Foundation Board and the Cameron University Foundation Board of Directors, where her last position was serving as president.
Distinguished Alumni Awards: Paul Ellwanger, Class of 1976
While attending his last semester of college in 1976, Paul Ellwanger began his career with City National Bank (CNB). During his successful 44-year tenure, he served in a number of positions throughout the organization before retiring in 2020 as Executive Vice President and Chief Loan Officer. He continues to serve as a member of CNB’s Board of Directors and remains a very active leader in the community. Currently, he serves on the following committees: The City of Lawton Pension Trust Authority, the Comanche County Industrial Development Authority (Chairman), the Lawton-Fort Sill Economic Development Corporation, the McMahon Memorial Auditorium Authority and the Comanche County Home Finance Authority.
In 2023, Ellwanger agreed to serve as the industry lead for Cameron University’s Banking Institute, which offers financial professionals the opportunity to participate in the program, or to be mentors, offer internships and job shadowing, or participate in financial conferences for students including those who already work at banks and credit unions.
Previous community service includes Lawton Food Bank, Hospice of SW Oklahoma, Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, Lawton Chapter of Ambucs, Bank Administration Institute and United Way of Southwest Oklahoma.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Kallan Glasgow, Classes of 2009 and 2014
As a member of the CU men’s basketball team, Kallan Glasgow distinguished himself both on the court and in the classroom. In 2009, he was named Academic Player of the Year as the top player selected for the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Basketball Team. Glasgow earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics in 2009 and a Master of Science degree in educational leadership in 2014. Glasgow began his coaching and teaching career at Cache High School in 2010, where he taught math and coached basketball. In 2013, he moved to Snyder High School, and during this tenure was recognized as the Region 4 Assistant Coach of the Year. His first principal position was at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, where he served for five years, ending in 2021. He is now the principal at Eisenhower Middle School in Lawton.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Brett Leavell, Classes of 2010 and 2013
A member of Cameron’s Presidential and Leadership University Scholars (PLUS) program, Brett Leavell was a stand-out on the Aggie men’s golf team, earning accolades as a two-time NCAA Academic All-American and a two-time Lone Star Conference All-Conference selection. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice with a minor in management and subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration degree.
Leavell has been active in the Cameron University Alumni Association, previously serving as vice president. Additionally, he has frequently visited campus to speak to students in the Department of Business and serve as a mentor for PLUS students.
He serves as a senior managing examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he has worked for 10 years, in safety and soundness bank supervision. During his tenure, he has served as a traveling examiner and manager responsible for ensuring sound financial condition of banks and bank holding companies in the 10th Federal Reserve District. Leavell also leads district- and nation-wide risk specialist groups in the area of capital markets supervision, ensuring appropriate training, staff development, risk monitoring, and examination practices are in place to assess market and liquidity risks. He has presented to nation-wide audiences on market and liquidity risk management, including public presentations on emerging risks facing financial institutions. He also leads examiner training throughout the Federal Reserve System, focusing primarily on market, liquidity and credit risks.
Faculty Hall of Fame: Dr. Robert Bausch
A professor of sociology in CU’s Department of Social Sciences, Robert Bausch has inspired students to pursue jobs and occupations within social service, local community building and teaching for more than 30 years. The nominator referred to Bausch as one of the most knowledgeable persons in southwest Oklahoma “when it comes to educating students on the importance of the sociological understanding of community and what it means to be a good, productive member of said community.”
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Bausch has been active in numerous state and national organizations, including Oklahoma Sociological Association (past president and advisory board member), American Sociological Association (section on Teaching and Learning membership and awards committees), editorial board member for Teaching Sociology, Mid-South Sociological Association (membership committee) and manuscript reviewer for “Teaching Sociology,” “Journal of Marriage and Family,” Family Relations” and “Sociological Perspectives.”
During his tenure at CU, he has served as faculty advisor for Alpha Kappa Delta and the Sociology Club and as a member of the Faculty Senate. Additionally, he has served on a multitude of university committees. Bausch is a member of the American Sociological Association, Oklahoma Council on Family Relations and Oklahoma Sociological Association. He has been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Kappa Delta.
Faculty Hall of Fame: Dr. Stephanie Boss
Since joining the Cameron faculty in 2011, Stephanie Boss has served the university in numerous positions. An associate professor in the Department of Sports and Exercise Science, she chaired that academic unit from 2011 through 2022 and also served as the interim chair for the Department of Education for two years. In 2023, she was appointed Director of Distance Learning. Additional university involvement includes serving on a variety of committees.
Community involvement includes membership in the Online Consortium of Oklahoma (steering committee), Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women, Congressional Youth Leadership Council, State Department of Education (curriculum reviewer for K-12 health), Fit Kids Coalition (Building Healthier Communities initiative), Live2Lead (Lawton Rotary Leadership Institute), DaVinci Institute Forum, Great Plains Technology Center (Advisory Board, Teacher Preparation), Oklahoma Women in Higher Education Conference, and Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
In 2018, Boss received the Honor Award for Outstanding Leadership from the Oklahoma Alliance in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
For more information about the Cameron University Alumni Association, call 580-581-2988.
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