Oklahoma Wesleyan University

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

James A. Occhipinti

James A. Occhipinti has over 23 years of operations management experience and has worked in 54 nations as a leading operational efficiencies and technology expert. Occhipinti serves as President of Consolidated Air Support Systems (CASS), A US Air Force Sponsored Reserve Company specializing in air operations management and air mobility strategic planning. CASS is contracted with the Defense Department working directly with Air Force Strategic Planning at the Pentagon and many Defense Contractors and Aerospace companies to provide leading edge and transformational solutions to complex business problems. Most notable, CASS is providing to the Secretary of the Air Force the creation of a third element of defense forces called Sponsored Reservist’s facilitating the transformation of civilian defense contractors into military personnel during the time of war.

As a Principal for the world’s largest airline operations and technology consulting firm, AMR Consulting, a division of American Airlines, Occhipinti consulted to over 150 airlines and aviation organizations in over fifty countries. Occhipinti has authored industry papers on Airline Safety in a Deregulated Environment, Current Trends in Airline Automation, and Modern Airline System Operations Control Methodologies. He has been recognized as a leading industry speaker for airline safety and operational efficiencies. Occhipinti is an FAA licensed Airline Transport Pilot with Turbojet and line flying experience. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force.

Occhipinti is a graduate of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Minor Studies in Computer Science, as well as a graduate with distinction from the IATA Institute in Geneva Switzerland (Operations Management Course). Currently Occhipinti serves on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Foundation and as Chairman of the Board forHumanitarian Airlift International.

YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT

Matt Pendergraff

Matt Pendergraff is a Bartlesville area native and graduated from OKWU in 1992 with B.S. in Communications. He was one of the first three students to graduate from the newly formed program. Upon graduation, he worked with a consulting firm as a Communication Specialist, where he directed internal communication with several Fortune 500 companies. Eight short months later, Matt gave into his entrepreneurial spirit and founded PDG+creative with his wife Barbara (Macy), who is also a 1992 OKWU graduate. Some 14 plus years later, their firm has grown to receive world wide recognition providing creative solutions to clients in both print and interactive development. Matt has consulted with clients from around the globe to develop and communicate gripping marketing concepts that will further their brand. The firm’s work has received 30-plus industry awards and has been featured in numerous industry publications and blogs. Though it has been 15 years since graduating from OKWU, he stays close to the communications program at OKWU. Matt serves as a professor of branding and design at OKWU, but the long-time relationship doesn’t end there. Five of the firm’s 13 staff members are OKWU graduates, and two of the team member’s are current OKWU students. Matt and Barbara have three awesome kids…Gabby is 8 years old, Gavin is 6 years old, and Gracie is 3 years old.

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CDR David Bates

CDR David Bates is a 1981 graduate of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. After graduating, David pastored Wesleyan churches in Kansas from 1980 to 1988. He then went on to be accepted into Pharmacy School in 1989 and graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1993. He was commissioned in the United States Public Health Service in 1993 and began his tour of duty among the Navajo People as a pharmacist in Fort Defiance, Ariz. He currently serves at Zuni Indian Hospital, Zuni, New Mexico as their Chief Pharmacist.

This year he has also been detailed to The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary as the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response and Chief Pharmacist of Pharmacy Logistics.

A highlight of David’s career was his deployment to perform the responsibilities of Chief Pharmacist for all operations in New York City during the World Trade Center Disaster. He was responsible for all pharmaceutical control and purchasing for the DMAT operations in the city. He also coordinated all the pharmaceutical issues related to patient care and the drug formulary. Because of his work in New York City, David was presented the Public Health Service Achievement Medal.

David is married to Louise and they are proud parents of five sons and two daughters. Two of their sons live in Bartlesville.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO OKWU

Wendell & Amelia Thompson

Amelia lived in a little house full of love near the mouth of the Arkansas River far from any city. Holiness preachers from Indiana and Pennsylvania came to their community and talked of Bible colleges in their home states. Amelia Coose entered Frankfort Pilgrim College after graduating, nearly 600 miles from home. She worked her way through two years of college at FPC and then transferred to Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. She worked in the library there and the head librarian encouraged her to go to library school. After teaching math and English for two years, she was chosen to receive the Oklahoma State Library scholarship to pay for tuition and books for library school. She worked in the library at Denver University while earning a Master of Arts in Librarianship. She then returned to Bethany Nazarene College to serve as reference librarian where she met Wendell Thompson after he enrolled there as an Air Force G.I. They were married in 1967, and life was forever changed for both of them. God blessed them with two children, Dallas and Vadean. Amelia reentered the professional education world in 1976 at the OKWU Library.

Since retirement in July 2007, Amelia has been working hard in physical therapy, volunteering some time in the library and trying out some new recipes.

Wendell Thompson came to OKWU in 1974 as the first (and only) full-time library director. Wendell has a master’s degree in Library Science and a bachelor’s degree in music education. He has been a Gideon since 1976 and served on the Bartlesville Board of Education. His music degree led him to serve as Minister of music at Sooner Park Wesleyan Church for nine years and church treasurer for seven years. He has also been active at First Wesleyan Church in Bartlesville. He has a vital interest in missions and has gone on three missions trips.

Wendell has competed in the Senior Olympics and has won over 70 medals at the state level and one silver medal at the National Senior Olympics in shuffleboard. He has also excelled in croquet at state, regional and national tournaments, having won the Oklahoma tournament three times, the Texas state title twice, and the National Seniors/Masters tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida twice.

Wendell and Amelia now have five grandchildren.