MARIETTA, OHIO (November 30, 2018)—The Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO) Foundation recently honored Douglas Mallet and Esther Salem as the 2018 WSCO Distinguished Alumni. The Distinguished Alumni awards are presented annually to graduates who exhibit the qualities of community and professional leadership that represent the mission and goals of the College.
“This year’s Distinguished Alumni have made our community, our state, our nation, and our world a better place to live. Doug and Esther are exemplary representatives of the mission and vision of Washington State College of Ohio,” said WSCO President Dr. Vicky Wood. “As an institution, our goal is to incite our students to find success, to inspire them to make an impact in the community and that’s exactly what they have done.”
J. Douglas Mallett was presented with the Outstanding Professional Achievement award. Mallett graduated from WSCO in 1974 with an A.A.B in Accounting Technology. In the four decades since his graduation, he has held a variety of executive and financial positions, which have provided him with invaluable experience successfully developing and implementing creative financial management strategies. His career accolades include 25 years with Marietta Savings Bank where he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. He is the founder of WestMar Mortgage Company, where he held the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer for nine years. He is also the Founder/Partner of Mallett Rentals, and for the last several years, Partner and CFO of MNW Energy LLC. Currently, he is the CFO at Farrar Scientific Corporation.
Mallett also serves Marietta and Washington County in numerous capacities. As a dedicated member of the First Baptist Church of Marietta, he is Past Chair of their Trustees and of the Stewardship Commission. He is a member of the Washington County Children’s Services Board, of which he is also Past Chair, and he is the Chair and Co-Founder of the Washington County Foster Families Foundation. In 2017, Doug was elected to a four-year term on the Marietta City School District Board of Education, where he currently serves as President.
“To say Washington State has had an influence on the Mallett family is probably an understatement,” proclaimed Mallett, who pointed out that both of his sons and one daughter-in-law graduated from Washington State, and his daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandson have all taken classes at the institution. Describing the principles that he has lived by in his professional life, Mallett explained “Anything I am involved with, I attempt to leave it better than I found it. In any partnership, you should always give more than you take, and you should always bring passion to succeed. I also believe we need to serve a higher calling than ourselves.”
Esther Salem was presented with the Outstanding Community Service award. Salem graduated from WSCO in 1995 with an A.A.B. in Microcomputer Applications Technology, then went on to earn an A.A.B. in Computer Systems Technology/Support Technology in 1999. She also has a B.A. in Anthropology from York College, SUNY, and a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from the University of Rio Grande.
Salem currently serves as a Professor of Computer Science at WSCO with plans to retire at the end of the year after a nearly 20-year teaching career at WSCO. Throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley and abroad, Salem is involved with several non-profit organizations. As a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Salem offered services on the ground to first responders and residents of New York City after the September 11 attacks, and she participated in the cleanup after the tornado outbreak in Norman, Oklahoma two years later. She currently serves on the disaster action team for Washington County and also volunteers for the Marietta Area Recycling Center, the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley as a board member, and the Mid-Ohio Valley Habitat for Humanity. In addition, Salem served for five years on the Board of Directors for the Washington County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Overseas, Salem has taught in impoverished areas of China. In 2016, in cooperation with WSCO and Marietta College students, Salem solicited and delivered donated computers and laptops to schools in rural Ghana in West Africa. Her service has been inspirational to many other volunteers, including her students, who have participated in community projects of refurbishing and donating computers to local schools.
