Outstanding graduates were announced and scholarships were presented to students at the East Central University School of Business Awards Banquet, "A Night to Shine."
Nataly Keaton of Ardmore was named the Distinguished Accounting Graduate, and Susan Leonard of Sulphur was selected as the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants' Outstanding Accounting Graduate. Both also received graduate scholarships from ECU's Accounting Department.
Recipients of the Accounting Department's Outstanding Graduate Awards were Ian Adams of St. George's, Grenada, and Connie Nice of Ada. Nice also received the Department of Accounting Graduate Scholarship and Adams received the Dr. Barbara McKinzie CPA Endowment Scholarship.
The Distinguished Business Administration graduates were John Demoss and Barbara Miller, both of Ada.
Outstanding Graduate Awards also went to Teresa Reams of Stratford in Entrepreneurship; Trent Roberts of Ada in Finance; Erin Haney of Wewoka in General Business; and Cynthia Tackett of Wynnewood in Management. Roberts and Reams both received Department of Accounting Graduate Scholarships and Reams also was awarded the Marion Fenton Scholarship.
Mark Wallinger of Choctaw was the Outstanding Student in Management Information Systems, and Amy York of Mason was Outstanding Student in Marketing. York also received the Kenneth Rhynes Retail Scholarship.
A Special Recognition Award went to Talisha Strange of McAlester, a marketing intern for spring 2009.
The first recipient of a new Carl Bardin Scholarship was Nicky McNeely of Ardmore. Bardin was a retired faculty member and CPA who died in 2008.
The Dr. William Chapman Endowed Accounting Scholarship went to Brandon Lackey of Ada. Tamra Allspaugh of Ada received the East Central Credit Union Mick Cowan Accounting Scholarship and Suzan Smith of Ada was awarded the Mickey Cowan Endowed Accounting Scholarship. Chapman and Cowan, retired long-time accounting professors, estimate they taught approximately 30,000 students during a combined 80 years in the classroom.
The Crawford & Associates Scholarship, including a summer internship, was presented to Chase Townley of Konawa. Monica Tickel of Madill received the Vauda Nell Cowan Accounting Scholarship.
In addition, Jessica Detherow of O'Fallon, Ill., received the Charles Fletcher Endowed Accounting Scholarship while Bethany Toombs of Ada received the Urlaub & Company Accounting Scholarship, including an internship.
Other students winning Department of Accounting Graduate Scholarships were Chad Claborn, Ada; Dakota Cole, Connorville; Linda Ladd, Seminole; Julie Lee, Ada; Rhonda Maness, McAlester; and Andre Pegg, Allen.
The Business Administration Faculty Scholarship went to Dustyn Russell of Davis, and Matt Sweatt of Ada received the Citizens Bank of Ada Scholarship. Sarah Reihart of Broken Arrow is the recipient of the Kenneth Rhynes Retail Scholarship. The Kevin Turner Scholarship was awarded to Mitch Enos of Holdenville.
# # #