MARIETTA, OHIO— The Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO) Foundation honored Roy Campbell Jr. and Amanda Haney-Cech as the 2022 WSCO Distinguished Alumni during its reception Thursday evening. This distinction is presented annually to graduates who exhibit the qualities of community and professional leadership that represent the mission and goals of the college.
Campbell was presented with the Outstanding Community Service award. He joined the Navy after high school and served from 1983 to 1987 where he was awarded the Navy Expeditionary, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals and Sea Service Ribbon.
He was employed at Haessly Hardwood for nearly 11 years before joining the ranks at Ormet. After sustaining an injury that left him unable to do the required work, Campbell decided to get an Associate Degree in Drafting from Washington State, where he graduated with honors in 2004. While attending WSCO, Campbell was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and got involved with Opportunity Scholars. His accolades included winning a trip to Washington, D.C., PTK Most Distinguished Chapter President Internationally and in the Ohio Region for the 2003-2004 years. Campbell was also presented with the PTK Most Distinguished Regional Officer for 2003-2004. Upon graduation, he won a scholarship for All-Ohio Academic 1st Team in 2004. More recently, Campbell was presented with the PTK Distinguished Alumni Award for Ohio and Internationally. He continues to work with the Alpha Rho Gamma Chapter of PTK at WSCO and says he enjoys it as much today as he did 20 years ago.
In 2006, Campbell was hired as a drafter at Airolite in Marietta, and after a year was promoted to Senior Drafter, a position he held until the Airolite’s doors were shut in 2009. Finding work after that was difficult being disabled and limited in what he could physically do. One of Campbell’s WSCO instructors introduced him to the Mid-Ohio Valley Veterans Outreach (MOVVO). MOVVO reaches out to veterans and their families to offer assistance when it is needed. Campbell served as the organization’s president until 2021.
He is currently a Gold Legacy member of VFW Post 6387 of New Matamoras, where he holds the positions of Quartermaster and Adjutant. He also holds the position of VFW District 5 Senior Vice Commander in Ohio. Campbell is a member of American Legion Post 64 of Marietta and of Am-Vets Post 1788, as well as being active in the Parr-Hill Community Church in Beavertown.
This year, Campbell was inducted into the Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame. For his service in the U.S. Navy, he was presented with the Quilt of Valor from the Quilt of Valor® Foundation.
Haney-Cech was presented with the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award. She graduated from WSCO in 1996 after earning her Associate Degree in Liberal Arts Transfer as a senior from Frontier High School. The PSEO (now College Credit Plus – CCP) program allowed her to attain both her degree and high school diploma simultaneously. She then went on to the University of Cincinnati to complete her BA in English in 1998. Upon attaining her four-year degree, Haney-Cech returned home to the Mid-Ohio Valley and worked at WSCO as an AmeriCorps volunteer assigned to work with Educational Talent Search to help 7th – 12th grade students learn more about their opportunities for college after high school. During that year of service, Haney-Cech assisted with the grant-writing process for Upward Bound, ultimately becoming the first Assistant Director of the project at WSCO. For the next nine years, Haney-Cech coordinated numerous campus visits, educational trips, cultural experiences, and social engagements all designed to expose students to options for their post-secondary education. During this time, Haney-Cech returned to her education working part-time on her graduate degree.
In 2006, she completed her Master’s in Liberal Learning at Marietta College with concentration areas in Education and Communication. In 2008, she joined the staff at Marietta College directing the Academic Resource Center (ARC). As Director, Haney-Cech has led the center in its growth that includes a staff of four full-time and two part-time team members and added programming to include: operating the campus Writing Center, centralizing the Tutoring and Learning Center, strengthening the academic probation recovery program, developing the PioPREP Academy bridge program, creating and running the Campus Food Pantry, sponsoring and co-chairing the Tri-Alpha first-generation national honor society, and offering academic success coaching. Haney-Cech has received numerous awards, including from the Charles Sumner Harrison Organization during Women’s History Month in 2009, the Outstanding Advising Award in 2012, the staff Inspire Award in 2014, the Douglas Putnam Collaborative Staff Service Award in 2019, and the Dr. Jean A. Scott Staff Award for Distinctive Service in 2022.
Haney-Cech has been active in her community for nearly 25 years. Most of the service she has undertaken includes support of young people as she has worked in a variety of roles including leadership as a member of boards of directors, committee membership, and fundraising with organizations including the Mid-Ohio Valley Junior Players, the Girl Scouts – Rainbow Service Unit, the Warren Middle School Academic Boosters, Warren Youth Softball Association, Marietta College Athletics, and the United Way Alliance.
She and her husband David live in Marietta with their daughter Geneva where they enjoy attending sporting events, listening to live music, and spending time with friends and family. David also graduated from WSCO, and in May of this coming year, Geneva will join her parents as an alumna of the college as a CCP student who will also graduate from Warren High School this spring.
