Celebrating the accomplishments of our alumni, Clark State presented two inaugural awards at graduation in May. Randy Kapp received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Johnne Heard the Rising Alumnus Award.
Randy Kapp

Randy Kapp graduated from Clark State in 1976 with a degree in Civil Engineering and was the College's graduation speaker in 2009. He is president of Kapp Construction and served on the Clark State Foundation board for nine years; he was chairman for two years.

Kapp advises graduates and students to choose a vocation or career that they like and to never stop learning. "One thing I recommend is to have an open mind to continuous learning," he said. "Think of your mind as a sponge to always soak up new ideas and learn more. Never stop learning."
 
Kapp Construction was founded in 1985, and in 1989 Kapp was named by Inc. magazine as one of the Inc. 500: America's Fastest Growing Companies. Kapp credits his success to his talented staff for their dedication and skills. "It is important to like what you do and the people you work with," said Kapp. "If you do, you will put your heart into it, and you will soon be recognized for that. Don't pick something because you think it pays great; that may not lead to happiness. Choose what you do based on satisfaction you get."
 
Kapp served on the campaign committee for the fundraising efforts that built the Sara T. Landess Technology and Learning Center and the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center. Kapp was named a Friend of Community Colleges by the Ohio Association of Community Colleges and his company, Kapp Construction, is a major sponsor of the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
Johnne Heard

Heard was presented the Rising Alumnus Award at the beginning of his career  because his goal-setting work achievements and his inspiration to current students.

 A Chicago native Heard made his way to Clark State in September of 2010, working part-time in the Clark State mail room and later in the Admissions office processing applications and giving campus tours. He graduated with an associate degree in Management in 2012.
  
"I am proud and thankful to be acknowledged by the school where I got started," said Heard. "In the process of researching colleges, I found that the people at Clark State really cared and wanted me to succeed. That's how I knew I picked the right college."
  
He is currently employed as a team lead supervisor at Toughness, High Quality and Know-How (THK) Company, where he also served as intern while in school. Heard began with the company in May 2015 in charge of the distribution center and soon after was promoted to lead supervisor of the third shift rail grinding. According to Heard the support he received from Clark State helped him define his career goals. "I had advisors, staff and faculty that pushed me to the point I didn't think I had the drive to do so."
  
Heard said he never thought he would go on to finish his bachelor's degree and MBA, but "it all worked out" when he realized his credits would transfer. Heard completed his bachelor's degree in 2015 and expects to complete his master's degree in 2019 from Ohio University.

Please Join Us for Our Upcoming Alumni Event!


 
November 7, 2018, 7:00 pm Tailgate ASC Parking Lot | 7:30 Tip-off 
Alumni Night - Let's Go Eagles! Men's basketball first home game. Support our Eagles!


Toni Overholser

Clark State Community College has appointed Toni Overholser as director of the Clark State Foundation. Overholser has been with Clark State since 2014. She has served in the capacity of director of workforce development and the director of business and community development.
  
Contact Toni at 937.328.8070  overholsert@clarkstate.edu 
Kanesha Scott

Kanesha Scott has been named director of the Scholars program at Clark State Community College. These programs include Champion City Scholars, Champaign County Scholars and Clark County Scholars. Scott has been with Clark State since 2015 as the STEM program manager.

Contact Kanesha at 937.328.6079 scottk@clarkstate.edu

Support Our Students

If you're interested in making a donation to our scholarship fund in support of our students please click here.



The Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center (PAC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a diverse schedule of events and performances to commemorate the establishment of the landmark venue in Springfield, Ohio. 

Clark State Foundation | 937-328-6483 | alumni@clarkstate.edu | www.clarkstate.edu
 

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