Awards conferred on three at Pittsburg State University – Newstalk KZRG

Three alumni of Pittsburg State College accepted “Meritorious Achievement Awards” on Friday, April 15.  The awards have been offered by PSU Alumni & Constituent Relations.

The chief govt officer of a extremely profitable house constructing firm, a longtime chief in well being, security and setting administration, and an award-winning superintendent of one of many nation’s largest college districts have been chosen by Pittsburg State College Alumni & Constituent Relations as recipients of the Meritorious Achievement Award.

The alumni are Scott Bailey of Palm Desert, California, Joseph Harris, of Carl Junction, Missouri and  Michael Robbinson, of Lenexa, Kansas.

Bailey

Bailey, who grew up in Kansas, graduated from PSU with a bachelor’s diploma in schooling in 1988 and a grasp’s in schooling in 1990.

Having accomplished 32 years in schooling, he has served because the superintendent of colleges for Desert Sands Unified Faculty District since 2017, overseeing a $400 million finances, 27,000 college students, 2,800 staff, and 34 colleges. In 2018, he had the chance to dedicate a brand new, $31 million elementary college, and facilitated bond gross sales of greater than $150 million to assist a number of college modernization initiatives.

His district has earned the District of Distinction Award by District Administration Journal. He additionally oversaw an LTE community construct mission that created fairness and entry to college students no matter their socioeconomic standing, leading to all 28,000 college students now having broadband connectivity by means of district-issued gadgets.

He yearly funds two scholar scholarships at PSU, and one scholarship for a highschool FFA officer in his college district in honor of his late father, a former highschool FFA president in Kansas.

Harris 

Harris graduated from PSU with a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration in 1995 and a grasp’s diploma in enterprise administration in 1996.

He went on to grow to be a extremely sought-after chief on this planet of enterprise, significantly mergers and acquisitions, earlier than changing into proprietor after which CEO of Schuber-Mitchell Properties in Southwest Missouri.

His profession contains having labored for Koch Industries in Wichita, Dash in Kansas Metropolis, and Leggett & Platt, the place he spent 17 years first as an analyst, then an assistant director of Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Planning. In 2005, he was promoted to director of Enterprise Improvement, overseeing new product traces, new applied sciences, and geographic enlargement right here and overseas.

In 2005, whereas nonetheless at Leggett & Platt, he and his spouse, Danica, shaped Harris Properties to offer high quality and reasonably priced single-family properties to households in Carl Junction, Joplin, and Webb Metropolis. In 2015, he bought a 3rd of Schuber Mitchell Properties and have become a member of the corporate’s management group.

At the moment, he serves as chief govt officer and is a member of the board. It has grown to have a presence in 17 cities in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas.  The corporate is on observe to construct about 800 properties this yr, making it one of many prime 100 house builders within the U.S.

Harris, whose household are also PSU alumni, serves on the Kelce Faculty of Enterprise Advisory Board and is a supporter of Campus Christians.

Robbinson 

Robbinson graduated from PSU in 1978 with a bachelor’s diploma in environmental research from the Division of Biology, and in 1983 with a grasp’s diploma in biology.

For greater than 25 years, he labored with main manufacturing firms within the aerospace and protection industries, the place he developed and maintained environmental and security compliance and greatest practices. He served as vice chairman of Well being, Security, and Surroundings for Honeywell Worldwide, and as company vice chairman of Surroundings, Security, and Well being for Alliant Techsystems, Inc.

He spent the ultimate eight years of his profession with Jones Lang LaSalle, a $16 billion world services administration and industrial actual property firm with 88,000 staff, the place he developed greatest environmental & security practices, efficiency metrics, and instruments throughout a number of services, in addition to compliance with regulatory necessities.

When retiring from JLL, he earned the Lifetime Achievement Award for Security. He’s a member of the PSU Heritage Society, and he and his spouse, Carol, are legacy members of The Nature Conservancy.

Robbinson has been a pacesetter in {many professional} societies and organizations and has been a sought-after speaker. He was chosen as considered one of two world specialists to conduct a administration techniques audit in Dubai, U.A.E., of the Burj Khalifa Tower — the tallest constructing on this planet — and the Dubai Mall — the biggest mall on this planet.

He nonetheless has discovered time to volunteer, together with with a stormwater runoff prevention program in his hometown, and at PSU’s Sperry Herbarium aiding Professor Neil Snow within the processing of collected plant specimens.