Malone University announces 2018 Alumni Awards
Malone University will award four individuals with its annual alumni awards on Friday, September 27 at 6 p.m. Each Fall, awardees are honored for demonstrated professional success, service to community, non-profit organizations, educational organizations, professional organizations, or Malone University. These individuals have exhibited high personal integrity and character demonstrating and living out the mission of Malone University as a person of intellectual maturity, wisdom, and Christian faith committed to serving the church, community, and world.
This year's recipients:
- Alumnus of the year - Keith Cureton, of Atlanta
- Graduate School Alumnus of the year - Norm Wengerd, of Hartville
- Degree Completion Programs - Barbara Lange, of Ashland
- Young Alumnus of the Year - Dishon Kamwesa, of Canton
Keith Cureton is the vice president of global compliance and ethics for UPS, with responsibility for oversight of all domestic and international compliance programs for employees, customers, and vendors including the UPS code of business conduct, the UPS policy book, the UPS help line, and special investigations. He directs a team of compliance professionals located throughout the world with regional offices in Singapore, Dubai, Brussels, and Miami.
Cureton has more than 35 years of experience in the global transportation industry across multiple disciplines. His career has included extensive assignments with wide-ranging involvement in operations, project management, strategic planning, M&A integration, and the development of an Enterprise Risk Management program for UPS.
Cureton earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Malone University, an MBA from Franklin University, and a master’s in project management from George Washington University. He is a frequent speaker on the subjects of leadership, compliance & ethics, change management, and ERM.
Cureton and his wife, Dr. Deborah Burdick-Cureton, live in Atlanta, Georgia. They have four adult children and five grandchildren. His father, Charles Cureton ’55, was a psychology professor at Malone from 1976 to 1996.
Norm Wengerd is the CEO of Gentlebrook, a nonprofit social purpose organization. He has more than 45 years of extensive and broad experience in health and human services. He began his career at Mercy Medical Center in respiratory therapy. He later served as director of cardio-pulmonary services, then as vice president of marketing & outreach and ambulatory care. At the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine Health System, he was vice president of development before a return to Mercy as the senior vice president and COO. He was interim president & CEO at Mercy Medical Center and later at St. John Westshore Hospital in Cleveland. A graduate of Leadership Stark County, community involvement includes serving on the boards of Lake Center Christian School (chair), Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Prescription Assistance Network of Stark County (president), Hartville Meadows (chair), Stark American Cancer Society; director and officer of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, trustee for Parmadale Family Services, chair of American Cancer Society Lake Relay for Life, elder at Hartville Mennonite Church, and member of the Malone College School of Theology Advisory Council to name a few. He also volunteered as director of development for Lake Center Christian School and administrative pastor at Hartville Mennonite Church. Awards include the Vocational Service Award from the Rotary Club of Canton; the Parmadale Family Services Trustees’ Award for excellence in leadership and philanthropy, St. John West Shore Hospital’s Celebrating Excellence Award from St. John West Shore Hospital; Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine’s Caritas Service Award, and the Lake Chamber of Commerce Community Service Individual and also Economic Impact Award.
Wengerd received a diploma for respiratory therapy from the University of Chicago Hospitals & Clinics; an associate’s degree from the University of Akron Community and Technical College; a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Akron; and a master’s degree in Christian Ministries from Malone University. In addition, he completed further from the University of Minnesota and Case Western Reserve University; and he graduated from the Anabaptist Leadership Institute.
Wengerd and his wife, Pauline, have three children and seven grandchildren.
Barbara Lange is the president and CEO of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Chamber, Lange was the co-owner, treasurer of the board of directors, and compliance and human resources manager at Ashland Precision Tooling, LLC. The business was formerly part of The Timken Company, where she started her career in 1978. Lange serves on the board of directors for the Ashland County Cancer Association, Ashland County Women of Achievement, Ashland Main Street, North Central Ohio Workforce Alliance, and Ashland County Community Foundation Women’s Fund. Other current community involvement includes service to the advisory council for the Dauch College of Business and Economics at Ashland University, Ashland City Schools Strategic Planning Core Team, and the City of Ashland Targeted Action Plan Steering Committee. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, North Central Ohio Human Resource Association, Rotary International of Ashland, and the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio as the chair-elect of the board of directors. She and her family are active members of Grace Brethren Church, where she and her husband lead a “Grace Group,” participate in short-term mission trips and music events and serve on various committees. She was honored with Ashland County Woman of Achievement, and Distinguished Alumnus of Ashland High School awards.
She earned an associate in arts degree from Ashland University, and a bachelor of arts degree in management from Malone University, where she was named the outstanding graduate of her class. She maintains certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SHRM). In 2012, she received her certificate of completion at the Institute for Organization Management (IOM), a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, she attained her Accredited Professional designation from the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio (CCEO).
Lange is married to Dennis, a graphic designer and illustrator, and they have three adult sons and four grandchildren.
Dishon Kamwesa has served as an oncology nurse at Mercy Medical Center for nearly 10 years. He is the recipient of the 2014 Nursing Excellence – Cameo of Caring award and in 2018 was named to the prestigious list of yStark’s “20 under 40” award recipients. He serves the 3rd Street Community Church in Southeast Canton, where the church partners with organizations such as Love the Children Ministries, Kahiniwalla, Compassion International, Lighthouse Ministries, and Canton Calvary Mission. He also serves on the board of the Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, an organization that serves children and families.
He earned his BSN in 2010 from Malone University and is currently earning his master’s of science in nursing (MSN) with a Family Nurse Practitioner focus.
He is married to Jordan (Deweerd) ’11, ’15, who is a licensed professional counselor at Encompass Christian Counseling and owns “Fish and Bird Photography.” They have three young children, Theo, Shiloh, and Judah. They live in Canton. He is the youngest of four sons of George and Rose Kamwesa.