Ohio University recognizes faculty, administrative leaders for excellence in community engagement

Ohio University’s Center for Community Impact has announced its 2025–26 Community Engaged Awards, recognizing faculty and administrative leaders whose work advances community engaged teaching, scholarship and partnership across the University and the region.

Community Engaged Faculty Award

The 2025–26 Community Engaged Faculty Award is presented to Dr. Pamela Kaylor, professor of instruction in communication studies at Ohio University Lancaster. 

For nearly two decades, Kaylor has embedded community engagement into her teaching and mentorship, creating sustained service-learning experiences that connect students with community partners locally and globally.

Her work includes partnerships with Community Refugee and Immigration Services, where students support refugee resettlement and community integration, and Fairfield County Juvenile Court, where she contributes to restorative justice and youth engagement initiatives. Through these experiences, as well as numerous others, she fosters civic responsibility, intercultural understanding and applied communication skills while addressing community-identified needs.

Community Engaged Administrator Awards

The Center for Community Impact is recognizing two recipients of the Community Engaged Administrator Award this year, acknowledging the exceptional strength and impact of both honorees’ contributions to community engagement across the institution and region.

Sarah Simmons, communications and external relations manager at the Ohio University Southern Campus, is recognized for her leadership in strengthening Ohio University Southern’s role as a key connector between the University and the surrounding region.

Simmons engages personally and professionally to build and sustain partnerships that align campus initiatives with community priorities in economic development, civic engagement and cultural vitality. Her work expands experiential learning opportunities for students while deepening collaboration between the University and regional partners, positioning Ohio University Southern as a hub for applied learning and community impact.

Larry Hayman, Esq., director of legal engagement and pre-law programs in Ohio University’s Center for Law, Justice and Culture, is recognized for more than a decade of leadership in community engaged legal education and access-to-justice initiatives.

He develops and sustains partnerships with the Legal Aid of Southeastern and Central Ohio, co-creating programs including the Summer Law and Trial Institute, Access to Justice Internship Program, and the OHIO Rural Justice Lab. These initiatives expand legal service capacity in rural Ohio while creating structured experiential learning pathways that prepare students for careers in public interest and rural law.

“Sarah, Larry, and Pam truly exemplify what authentic community engagement looks like at Ohio University,” said Courtney Lefebvre, associate director of the Center for Community Impact. “They are not simply working in or alongside communities—they are embedded within them as trusted partners and community members themselves. Their work is grounded in long-standing relationships, genuine care, and a shared commitment to moving the region forward together.”

Together, these honorees reflect Ohio University’s commitment to community engagement as a core institutional value. Their work demonstrates the power of sustained, reciprocal partnerships that strengthen communities, enrich student learning and advance the University’s public mission across Ohio and beyond.

The Community Engaged Awards are administered by the Center for Community Impact and recognize faculty and administrators who demonstrate exceptional commitment to community-engaged scholarship, teaching, and practice.

This year’s honorees will be recognized in an awards ceremony at the Engage OHIO Symposium in the fall.