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| JHLP NewsletterSummer 2022
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Hello, Friends:
The beginning of summer is a time of reflection for those of us on college campuses. Although the past two years have been full of challenges, JHLP is thriving. We held our first overnight leadership retreat since 2019, offered exciting new programs for Holmes Leadership Associates, and established a new committee structure to give HLAs greater opportunities to guide program operations and practice their leadership skills. Our community of mentors, individual donors, and corporate sponsors provide time, treasure, and talent in support of our mission to help Gallogly and Mewbourne students become effective and ethical leaders. And Holmes Leadership Associates continued to provide leadership to many college and campus-wide organizations. I hope you enjoy reading about their accomplishments.
With appreciation,
Kim Graves Wolfinbarger, Director
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| Students Enjoy the Outdoors at Leadership Retreat
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| Yangzom Dolma ascends the climbing wall.
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The Engineering & Geosciences Student Leadership Retreat, sponsored for the third time by Boeing, was held in early October at St. Crispin’s Camp & Conference Center near Wewoka, Oklahoma. This two-day intensive event was open to all Gallogly and Mewbourne students, from freshmen to doctoral candidates, and was designed to help students learn practical leadership skills. Members of the JHLP Leadership Retreat Team contributed extensively to planning and leading the program.
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Members and officers from a wide range of GCoE and MCEE organizations attended, including technical and professional societies and competition teams. Friday’s program began with low and high ropes-course activities facilitated by St. Crispin’s staff. These challenges helped build trust among the diverse group of participants, establishing a foundation for the weekend. Boeing engineers Courtney Baukal, Erica King, Dave Ruedy, and Willy Morales joined us for dinner and participated in a panel discussion about leading technical teams. ISE senior Alberto Alonso-Sandoval (top left) moderated the panel. We closed the evening with a traditional campfire and s’mores under starry skies.
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| Patrick Oketcho and Hussain al Saif ride the zip line.
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Saturday began with a downpour, canceling the planned hike and run, but the weather cleared in time for breakfast. The day’s program opened with a Values and Visioning session led by Yokly “Lee” Leng and “values auctioneer” Christian Newkirk. A second session, Building Relationships, was facilitated by HLAs Filipa Ribiero Soeiro de Carvalho and Patrick Oketcho. After lunch and free time for games and short hikes, attendees reflected on their learning, identified their new leadership development and organizational improvement goals, and created an action plan for pursuing those goals.
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| Auctioneer Christian Newkirk points to a bidder during the Values Auction.
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Delta TechOps Executive Shares Wisdom
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JHLP hosted Don Mitacek, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations for Delta Air Lines, as the Distinguished Speaker in October. Mitacek shared his perspectives on leadership and lessons learned in a challenging and dynamic industry. His talk emphasized values, building a strong team, focusing on the "right stuff," maintaining optimism, and acting with courage. "A leadership team," he said, "is the catalyst to remove the obstacles in the pursuit of our goals and vision. We must make it happen and be accountable."
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HLAs Learn Decision-Making, Innovation Skills through Case Study Workshops
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| Harvard Professor Stefan Thomke gestures during an online workshop.
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The November HLA meeting featured an innovation workshop with Harvard Business School professor and OU electrical engineering alumnus Dr. Stefan Thomke. Students examined the innovation process employed by the famous industrial design company IDEO. In February, HLAs joined their counterparts in the Price College's JCPenney Leadership Program for a Shell Business Case Simulation workshop. HLAs and business students worked in teams to solve a problem based on a realistic business scenario, the operation of an off-shore drilling platform. Credera Consulting hosted a third business case workshop for the two leadership programs in March, giving students insight into client-focused smartphone app development.
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| Business student Peace Mojekwu and HLA Salma Omara work intently as Shell engineer and facilitator Willy Morales observes.
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Boeing Engineers Teach Workplace Teamwork
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In March Boeing engineers facilitated a team activity imitating corporate projects, complete with constraints that can arise during project execution. In this “Building a Bridge to Success” workshop, students competed in teams to build a paperclip bridge to a customer’s specifications. True to life, the project requirements sometimes changed with little notice, and the teams had to use ingenuity and resourcefulness to complete their project on time.
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| Boeing engineer and former HLA Courtney Baukal checks the length of a paperclip bridge as civil engineering student Hussain al Saif looks on.
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| Student Advisory Board Expands Capacity for Leadership Development
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While JHLP offers leadership development opportunities to all students in the Gallolgy and Mewbourne Colleges, Holmes Leadership Associates (HLAs) form the core of the program. This year, we expanded opportunities for HLAs to lead within JHLP by restructuring our Student Advisory Board (SAB). The board consists of a student chair; committee chairs for Membership, Social Media, Campus Connections, and the Leadership Retreat; and several at-large members. Committees organized a game night for HLAs, co-hosted a mixer with other OU leadership programs at Recess Taco Park, managed our new Instagram account, recruited new Associates, helped build relationships among HLAs, and facilitated activities at the retreat and monthly HLA meetings.
Visha Patel was the inaugural SAB chair. Committee chairs included Alberto Alonso-Sandoval and Sydney Kropp (Membership), Hussain al Saif (Social Media), and Lee Leng (Campus Connections). At-large board members were Christian Newkirk, Dan Nyagol, Alene Basmadjian, Filipa Carvalho, Elina Avila, Kolby Brewer, Ishman Alawee, and Patrick Oketcho.
By all measures, the new structure was successful and resulted in increased participation and engagement. We appreciate the efforts of all SAB and committee members, and we look forward to expanding the board's responsibilities in the coming year.
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Students Win Leadership Awards
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Christian Newkirk honored with Make It Better Award
Each year, JHLP honors a student, faculty member, or staff member who has made outstanding contributions to JHLP operations with the Make It Better Award. Honorees receive a pocket knife engraved with the phrase “Make It Better–Make It Happen” on one side and “Jerry Holmes Leadership Program” on the other. The inspiration came from a favorite General Holmes story about another engraved pocketknife, which he received from his Air Force boss for performance and morale improvements at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
The 2022 recipient is Christian Newkirk. Christian has been one of the most active HLAs during the past few years and has made several recommendations that have improved the program's experience for students. He is always ready to volunteer and has provided significant leadership to JHLP through his work on the Student Advisory Board and the Leadership Retreat Team.
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Miguel Payan and Rachel Penner receive William J. Kennedy Leadership Award
The William J. Kennedy Award recognizes Gallogly College seniors for exemplary leadership and outstanding service to the College. Recipients are nominated by fellow students and receive a cash award. The 2021 honorees were Miguel Payan (Architectural Engineering and Mathematics) and Rachel Penner (Engineering Physics).
Miguel (below left) has served as President of OU's chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, as a Dean’s Leadership Council peer mentor for first-year students, and as a student assistant for Summer Bridge. In the words of his nominators, “The College of Engineering would not be the same without Miguel’s passion to lead change.”
HLA Rachel Penner (below right) is a co-founder and past president of the OU chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). According to her nominators, Rachel’s leadership “has transformed the OU Engineering community.” In establishing the SEDS chapter, “she argued tirelessly for inclusive policies [and] recognized that space is for everyone.” Due to her efforts, “SEDS [is] an incubation hub for up-and-coming leaders.” During her time at OU, Rachel has also served as an officer in the Society of Women Engineers and Alpha Sigma Kappa–Women in Technical Studies.
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More than 30 Holmes Leadership Associates graduated in December and May. Several are pursuing additional education, while others are starting their careers in industry and government. We congratulate our graduates!
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Amilton Pensamento
BS, Electrical Engineering
Amilton will be pursuing a master's degree at OU.
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Gracie Johnson
BS, Civil Engineering
Gracie will join Dunaway in Fort Worth as a Graduate Engineer.
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Visha Patel
BS, Industrial and Systems Engineering; Engineering Leadership Certificate
Chair, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Visha will be pursuing a master's degree at OU.
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Hussain Al Saif
BS, Civil Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Chair, JHLP Social Media Committee
Member, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Hussain will join Guernsey in OKC as a Transportation Engineer.
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Aadarsh Bhetuwal
BS, Mechanical Engineering
Aadarsh is joining FSB Architects and Engineers as a Mechanical Engineer In Training.
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Alene Basmadjian
BS, Mechanical Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Member, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Alene will be pursuing a master's degree at OU in Mechanical Engineering.
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Ngoc Tran
MS, Petroleum Engineering and MS, Data Science
Ngoc is joining American Airlines in Dallas as an Analyst.
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Presley Stephens
BS, Environmental Engineering
Presley will be joining Kimley-Horn in Dallas as a Water/Wastewater Civil Analyst.
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Filipa Maria Ribeiro Soeiro De Carvalho
BS, Biomedical Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Member, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Filipa will pursue a PhD at the University of Delaware.
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Yokly "Lee" Leng
MS, Chemical Engineering
Chair, JHLP Campus Connections Committee
Member, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Lee is pursuing a position in industry.
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Jared Isaacson
BS, Chemical Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Jared will be joining ExxonMobil in Houston as a Project Engineer.
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Jamal Hassan
MS, Data Science and Analytics; Fulbright Scholar
Jamal will return to his position with the Kenya Defence Forces in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Kolby Brewer
BS, Mechanical Engineering
Member, JHLP Student Advisory Board
Kolby will be joining Deloitte Consulting in Dallas as an Application and Program Analyst.
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Richard Even Wagner
BS, Mechanical Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Even will be joining Cargill in Freedom, Oklahoma, as a Project Engineer
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Syed Ishmam Alawee
BS, Petroluem Engineering
Ishmam will be pursuing a master's degree at OU.
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Elizabeth Valdivia
BS, Chemical Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Elizabeth is pursuing a position in industry.
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Ramona Manzanares
BS, Aerospace Engineering; Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Ramona join the Department of Air Force in OKC as an Engineer with the Commercial Engine Replacement Program.
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Also graduating with bachelor's degrees were Alberto Alonso-Sandoval (ISE), Melani Anguiano (PE), Wambui Gachunga (Biomed), Kaley Hassell (Aerospace), Jose Moreno (CS), Salma Omara (Electrical), Hailey Fisher (Chemical), Omar Yadak (Architectural), Nataly Hurt (Computer Eng), Laila Mahdi (Chemical), Dan Nyagol (Aerospace), and Shaila Patel (Chemical). Master's degree recipients included Tha Iang Len (Civil) and Yangzom Dolma (CS).
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| Engineering Leadership Certificate Awarded to 15 Students
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JHLP passed a milestone this year as a record number of Gallogly and Mewbourne College students earned the undergraduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Recipients completed the required course Leadership and Management for Engineers and an additional 12 hours of electives aligned with JHLP’s Leadership Capabilities. The certificate curriculum incorporates courses from across the University in business, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. Completion is noted on a student’s transcript, providing tangible evidence of their leadership education. This year's recipients were Hussain al Saif, Alberto Alonso-Sandoval, Melani Anguiano, Elina Avila, Alene Basmadjian, Jared Isaacson, Ramona Manzanares, Elizabeth Valdivia, Richard Even Wagner, Visha Patel, Filipa Maria Ribeiro Soeiro de Carvalho, Oluwatofunmi Odunuga, Hana Stevenson, Shaila Patel, and Dan Nyagol.
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Mentors play a key role in HLAs' leadership development. They act as coaches, guides, and advocates, providing a listening ear as students make important decisions about life and careers. We will begin recruiting additional mentors later this summer, so email us if you would like to learn more.
To our current mentors, thank you! As always, we appreciate your feedback. If you have not already done so, please complete the Spring 2022 Mentorship Survey. This short survey takes 5–10 minutes and supports our continuous improvement efforts.
If your mentee is continuing their studies, do stay in touch over the summer. When school resumes in August, we will maintain current matches as long as both the HLA and the mentor agree.
If your mentee has graduated, consider holding a closure meeting. An intentional closure process helps the formal mentorship relationship end on a positive note, allows the partners to reflect on their growth, and provides a transition to the next phase of the relationship. Chapter 8 of your Mentor's Guide book has suggestions for successful closure.
We appreciate the time you spend with your mentees and the effort put into the relationship. Thank you!
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Senior Jared Isaacson and mentor Eliot Townsend visit the Switzer Center.
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| JHLP Thanks Our Sponsors & Donors
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JHLP is supported in part by financial and in-kind contributions from corporations and individuals. This year's corporate supporters included Boeing, Shell, and Credera Consulting. If you would like to discuss a contribution to JHLP, contact Becca Barsetti.
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