The 2012 Outstanding Alumnus Award was given to Guy Worley, MA, ’91, at the Glenn School’s Welcome Home Alumni Reception. The Glenn School presents the Outstanding Alumnus Award annually to an alumna/alumnus of the Master’s or Ph.D. programs whose strong support of the school, its academic programs and its students is highly valued. Sen. John Glenn, as well as Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, helped present the award.
Worley, who since 2007 has served as president and chief executive officer of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. and Capitol South Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., earned an undergraduate degree in economics and a master’s degree in public administration from Ohio State.
He played a key role in projects such as the Scioto Mile along the riverfront and Columbus Commons, which replaced City Center. Before joining the development corporation, Worley was county administrator for the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, serving as its chief executive officer.
Danielle Smith, MSW/MA ’10, receives the 2012 William Oxley Thompson Award at the Ohio State Alumni Award ceremony. The William Oxley Thompson Award is presented to young alumni who have demonstrated distinctive achievement in a career, civic involvement or both.
Smith began working with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - Ohio Chapter as a student intern in 2007. Just three years after graduating from Ohio State’s College of Social Work, she was named the organization’s executive director.
Part of her rapid ascent stemmed from her role in passing the law against human trafficking in Ohio. She also made her mark at the Ohio Statehouse as a leading advocate for social work. In addition, Smith created programs to help other young graduates pursue similar careers in advocacy, policy and lobbying. “Danielle’s career achievements and civic engagement personify Ohio State’s tradition of excellence,” said Cynthia Webb, NASW - Ohio’s former executive director. “She personally and professionally demonstrates social work’s core values of service, social justice, and dignity.
Smith is active in a variety of civic organizations, including the Fellowship for Emerging Women Leaders, League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus, United Way of Central Ohio, and the Women’s Leadership Council.
Dale McGirr, MPA ’72, retired from his second career as an associate and senior finance/planning consultant at GBBN Architects after six years with the firm. His work with the global design firm was focused on creative financing, edge development in neighborhoods near colleges and universities, articles and presentations on campus edge development, and strategic business planning. For 29 years prior to working at GBBN, McGirr was the senior vice president for Finance and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.
Starting just two months after the conversion from a City of Cincinnati university to a State of Ohio university, McGirr was a key member of the administration working to strengthen the university and transform it into a nationally recognized public research institution.
In addition to the traditional financial management roles, he led the Campus Master Plan effort starting in 1990, which has resulted in an internationally recognized campus transformation and the inclusion of the campus in the list of most beautiful campuses in the world.
He also led a transformation of six neighborhoods on the edge of the university into a vibrant district now called Uptown Cincinnati, which continues to draw private development investment and economic growth.
After fifteen years of service as associate state director for Advocacy in the AARP Ohio State Office, Ron Bridges, MA ’85 has accepted the position of State Director for the AARP of Kentucky. Prior to joining AARP, Bridges served as was vice president for Strategic Planning with the Health Coalition of Central Ohio (1993 – 1997), a network of employer health purchasing officials coalesced to find innovative solutions to concerns about health system capacity, access and value within the region. 
Jennifer Dring, MPA ‘01 has been named the first executive director for the Dublin Foundation. In her new role at the Dublin Foundation, Dring will manage current scholarship and grant programs, represent the Foundation in the community (Dublin, OH), and coordinate the Foundation’s fundraising activities. 
Ellen Crivella, WAIP ’03, was recently promoted from project manager to department head, North America, Environmental and Permitting Services at GL Garrad Hassan, in Portland, Oregon.
After completing a grant-funded project at the American Library Association in Chicago, and becoming a certified project management professional, Lynn Slawsky, MPA ‘09, will start a new job as curriculum coordinator for Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, in the Office of Medical Education. She will oversee the reaccreditation process of the medical school, and co-facilitate the development of a brand new medical school curriculum. 
Sierra Austin, NEW Leadership ’09, received a bachelor of arts degree in Mass Media Communications from Wilberforce University in 2010, a master of arts degree in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University earlier this year, and is currently a Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Ph.D. student at Ohio State. 
Lingzhi Li, MPA ’12, is working as a research assistant at The Ohio State University Medical Center. 
Brittany Falkowski, MPA ’12, has a new job as project coordinator at the American Institute for Reserach (AIR). AIR is one of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations in the world.
Michelle Crandall, MPA ’93, who currently serves as the director of administrative services for Dublin, Ohio, was featured on the International City/County Management Association’s website. Founded in 1914, the ICMA advances professional local government worldwide. You can read the profile story at: 