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Each year, the School of Information makes a special effort to recognize the alumni who are transforming the global information environment and making us proud to call them our own.

Below are the awards and award winners who have received our acclaim for 2024. (Here are our past winners.)

2024 Alumni Award Winners

Nicole Clarkson

August Alpers Award

Nicole Clarkson graduated with her M.L.I.S from �鶹��ѡ in 2023. She was President of the American Library Association (ALA) Student Chapter in Spring 2023 and Fall 2023, organizing two webinars (Included: Neurodiversity and Disability in Libraries in Spring 2023 and Knowledge is Power: Activism and Political Literacy in Information Institutions in Fall 2023) and co-writing a publication for ALSC Matters! in May 2023. She was also a student employee for KSU's University Libraries in 2022 and 2023. She is now a Research & Engagement Services Librarian for Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University. At the 2024 conference for the Academic Library Assocation of Ohio (ALAO), she presented a lightning talk called I Will Not Be Silent: An Autoethnography of Academic Librarianship with Tourette Syndrome. Her librarianship will continue to highlight disability justice and accessibility in libraries and within the profession. 

Carrigan Dummitt

Dan Maclachlan School Library Media Award

Carrigan Dummitt is the Media Specialist for Big Walnut Local Schools, a position she took on after earning her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree with K-12 Licensure from �鶹��ѡ in 2022. She previously graduated from Otterbein University with a degree in History Education. Carrigan travels between the Intermediate, Middle, and High Schools, providing tailored media and library support. She also oversees a Library Aide who manages the district’s four elementary libraries. Passionate about community involvement, Carrigan enjoys partnering with the local library to run book clubs for students of all ages. She is dedicated to making intentional improvements across the district, ensuring the libraries continue to evolve and meet the needs of all Big Walnut students.

Jennifer McKee

Dan Maclachlan School Library Media Award

Graduating with an MLIS + K-12 School Library Media Licensure while simultaneously completing her first year as district librarian for the Dover City School District, Jennifer McKee was able to immediately apply principle to practice.  Starting her career in education as a preschool and then kindergarten teacher, she has been able to use her knowledge of content and developmentally appropriate practice to help create engaging library programming for students from preschool through senior year.  Since graduating, Jennifer has spear-headed a library resource class on information literacy at the middle school, introduced students grades 4-12 to the Beanstack reading tracker platform, obtained grant funding for a complete middle school library makeover, and leads a book club to promote reading at the high school.  Yet, the most rewarding part of her day is connecting students, some of whom she taught as three-year-olds, with a book that helps them discover their own personal love of reading.  

Erica Minniti

Dan Maclachlan School Library Media Award

Erica Minniti graduated from �鶹��ѡ in 2023 with an MLIS and K-12 Library Media Licensure. She proudly serves as a Library Media Specialist at Scioto Ridge Elementary in Powell, Ohio. Committed to fostering a welcoming and vibrant library environment, Erica strives to make the library the heart of the school, where everyone feels happy and inspired to explore new ideas and resources.

Passionate about integrating STEAM into the library experience, Erica creates interactive stations featuring circuits, digital microscopes, coding, and video editing. Her goal is to encourage students to explore and learn through hands-on experiences, fostering a love for learning and creativity.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Erica enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, and baking. She cherishes quality time with her husband and their three adult sons.

Robert Nowatzki

H.F. Group Preservation Award

Robert Nowatzki started working at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, MD in 2019 as an archives technician, and since 2022 has been an archivist in textual processing and accessioning at NARA, with a focus on civilian agency records. He earned his MLIS degree from �鶹��ѡ in 2019. His most recent article, “From Datum to Databases: Digital Humanities, Slavery, and Archival Reparations” was published in the American Archivist in 2021. He also earned a Ph.D. in English, and before switching to a career in archives he taught American and African American literature at several universities in Indiana and Ohio. He is the author of the book Representing African Americans in Blackface Minstrelsy and Transatlantic Abolitionism (LSU Press, 2010). He grew up in Milwaukee, WI and earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He enjoys reading, hiking, homebrewing, and attending baseball games.

Timothy Dickey

iSchool LIS Alumni of the Year Award

Timothy J. Dickey, recipient of the 2022 ALA-RUSA Margaret E. Monroe Award for Library Adult Services, is a practicing public librarian and library science educator. He is currently an Adult Services Librarian with the Columbus Metropolitan Library, where he 10 years’ service to diverse communities across the city. He teaches library reference, emerging technologies, research methods, and music librarianship for Kent State, the Catholic University of America, and San Jose State University; prior to that he assisted Dr. Lynn Connaway at the OCLC Office of Research. His research has appeared in many core LIS publications, and he is a frequent panelist, invited speaker, and clinician. An active member of ALA, PLA, and ALISE, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T). Dr. Dickey's book Library Dementia Services: How to Meet the Needs of the Alzheimer Community was published by Emerald in 2020.

Jeff Mixter

iSchool M.S. Alumni of the Year

Jeff Mixter graduated from Kent State's Library and Information Science program in 2013 with Master's Degrees in LIbrary Information Science and Information Architecture and Knowledge Management. Jeff is currently a Sr. Product Manager and part of OCLC's Metadata and Digital Services product division. He manages OCLC's linked data products, applications, and services and advocates for linked data adoption across the library industry. While he was a graduate student, Jeff pursued research in linked data and knowledge organizations systems (KOS) and worked as a research assistant at OCLC on the Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST) project. He has had the opportunity to present his research and work at library conferences around the world and currently volunteers in a variety of library community groups, including LD4, IIIF, IFLA, and the PCC.

Sarah Bihn

Janice Smuda Children's Librarianship Award

Sarah Bihn received her BA in Communication in 2021 and her MLIS in 2022 from �鶹��ѡ. She had the great privilege of working with both Michelle Baldini and Kathleen Campana on the Project S.H.I.E.L.D. Grant where she gained hands on experience working with families. Originally intending to focus on Collection Services, Sarah began working for the Reinberger Children's Library Center in 2019 and quickly realized that Youth Services was where her interests lay.  

After graduating, Sarah first moved to Pittsburgh to work for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and then was offered a position at the Boston Public Library. After moving again in January 2024, Sarah has immensely enjoyed working as a Children's Librarian for BPL and getting to know the community she serves. All of this would not have been possible without the support and guidance of �鶹��ѡfaculty, specifically Michelle Baldini and Nan Garrison who acted as mentors and friends since Sarah's first year of undergraduate school. 

Amber Cristofaro

Janice Smuda Children's Librarianship Award

Amber Cristofaro earned her MLIS from �鶹��ѡ (2023). Amber is the Early Literacy Coordinator for Dayton Metro Library, where she has worked for 30 years. She focuses her work on community partnerships, family engagement, and whole-child pedagogical approaches to early literacy.  One of her notable achievements is designing the successful Kindergarten Club program, a school readiness initiative that she expanded systemwide thanks to the Ohio Department of Education’s Libraries Accelerating Learning grant.

Amber is a member of the Ohio Ready to Read task force, OLC, PLA, ALSC, ALA, NAEYC, and many local committees, contributing to regional and national efforts to improve child development, school readiness, reading proficiency, and caregiver education. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and learning alongside colleagues through professional development opportunities, mentoring, and speaking engagements. Her dedication to learning and collaboration is evident in her work and commitment to advancing early literacy and supporting families.