2023 Excellence Award Winners

Nominees | Photo Gallery

The 2023 Excellence Awards presentation was held on Friday, May 12, inside the Covelli Center. A large group of athletic department, business office and SASSO staff were on hand as awards were handed out in 10 different categories.

This year’s overall Higher Purpose Award went to Jerry Emig and Paul Michael. The Higher Purpose Award recognized the person who is committed to fulfilling the mission and vision of the Department of Athletics, Business Advancement and SASSO.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The new hire who demonstrates university values, department values and extraordinary service in their field.

Derek Gross
Marketing & Live Events

Donta Ingram
Brand Engagement Services & Partnerships

INTEGRTY AWARD
The person, who through individual accountability, promotes and progresses the standards and values of Ohio State.

Alicia Schmitt
Business Office

Gretchen Webster
Trademark & Licensing

EDUCATION AWARD
The person who demonstrates an appreciation and application for the lifelong learning through quality academic, competitive leadership and/or social experiences.

Gary Petit
Athletics Communcations

Taylor Curran
Student-Athlete Support Services

PEOPLE AWARD
The person who focuses on providing an excellent experience to include student-athletes, students, staff and guests.

David Egelhoff
Men’s Basketball

Shelly Meyer
Men’s Ice Hockey

RESPECT AWARD
The person who promotes collaboration and inclusiveness while treating all people with respect.

John Paxson
Information Systems

Sarah Precht
Ticket Office

INNOVATION AWARD
The person who utilizes innovative ideas to create and deliver impact.

Ian Schumaker
Development

Meg Valluri
Creative Services and Branding

COMMUNITY AWARD
The person who is committed to paying forward by supporting people and/or causes across campus or in the community.

Siobhan St. John
Cheerleading/Spirit Squad

Alex Sommer
Student-Athlete Support Services

EXCELLENCE AWARD
The person who is committed to representing our values and consistently serves as an exemplar for their peers.

Kevan Donovan
Compliance

Makena Lynch
Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute

Team/Unit Award
The team/unit that went above and beyond throughout the past year to help the department, campus, or community.

Facility Operations
Event Management
Brand Engagement Services & Partnerships

Collaboration Award
100 Years of Ohio Stadium Committee

Higher Purpose Award
The person who is committed to fulfilling the mission and vision of the Department of Athletics, Business Advancement and SASSO. This award will be selected by the leadership committee.

Jerry Emig
Athletics Communications

Paul Michael
Schottenstein Center

Staff Superlatives

• Most likely to reply all to the all-staff email — Meredith Paulicivic (Women’s Gymnastics)
• Most likely to forget their Buck ID — Rob Lachey (Equipment)
• Most likely to volunteer at an all-staff meeting — Caitlin Insana (Women’s Volleyball)
• Person you’d like to see have their own reality show — Tim Filipovich (Schottenstein Center)
• Most likely to fill in as Brutus — Keith Jones (Digital Media)
• Best shoe game — Chris Littler (Trademark & Licensing)
• Most likely to attend an OSU athletic event in a non-working capacity — Tom Bugno (Human Relations)
• Frequent flier at the NEST — Brooks Imhoff (with 14 votes – the most of any category)
• Most likely to win the Hunger Games — Shelaine Larson (Facilities)
• Most likely to have a funny Zoom background — Xen Riggs (Business Advancement)
• Most likely to forget they are muted on a Zoom — Scott Dickson (Schottenstein Center)
• Most likely to bring good homemade treats to work — Maria Slovikovski (Athletics Communications)
• Most likely to have 40 tabs open on their web browser at once — Brett Scarbrough (Ticket Office)
• Most inseparable pair of staff — Katie Sherman & Alexis Sigler (Event Management)
• Most likely to quietly take over the world — Jen Flynn Oldenburg (Women’s Volleyball)
• Most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse — Paul Michael (Schottenstein Center)