PSU honors 2015 Outstanding Alumni

  Tuesday, September 29, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University will honor four alumni with its 2015 Dr. Kenneth K. Bateman Outstanding Alumni Awards during Homecoming activities Oct. 2-3.

The recipients were selected based on their professional achievements and community and organizational involvement. The award recipients will speak to students in various classes on Friday, Oct. 2, and will be introduced at a public reception in their honor at 4:30 p.m. that day in the Wilkinson Alumni Center. They will ride in Saturday’s Homecoming Parade in the morning and will be recognized at the Homecoming football game that afternoon.

This year’s recipients are: Ronnie Chang, general manager and vice president of the Integrated Bagging Systems Division of Inteplast Group, the largest manufacturer of integrated plastics in North America; Angela Robinson Markley, the 6th District commissioner for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., and in-house counsel to BRR Architecture, Inc.; Brian Moorman, a record-setting NFL punter and founder of the P.U.N.T. Foundation, which serves pediatric cancer patients and their families; and Timothy W. Puetz, operations manager at the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., the world's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research.

Ronnie Chang

Ronnie Chang is general manager and vice president of the Integrated Bagging Systems (IBS) Division of Inteplast Group, the largest manufacturer of integrated plastics in North America.

Chang started his business career in corporate banking with Citibank N.A., Taipei, after graduating from PSU. He joined the Inteplast Group in 1992. In addition to his current role at the corporate offices in Livingston, N.J., he also manages several affiliated companies of Inteplast Group. As such, he serves as executive vice president of Pitt Plastics, Inc.; executive vice president of W. Ralston (Canada), Inc.; and general manager and vice president of Haremar Plastics Division in Canada.

Chang was born in Taiwan and came to the United States at the age of 24 to further his education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Pittsburg State University in 1990 and an MBA from the George Washington University. Currently, he serves as a trustee of Pittsburg State University Foundation.

Chang currently lives in New Jersey and is married to Leah Lee, who is also an alumnus of Pittsburg State University. Their children are Roselynn, a college sophomore, and Leslie, a high school senior.

Angela Robinson Markley

Angela Robinson Markley earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Pittsburg State University in 2003 and a juris doctorate from Washburn University School of Law in 2006. She works as in-house counsel to BRR Architecture, Inc., and this year, was elected to her second term as the 6th District commissioner for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.

A native of Turner, Kan., and a graduate of Turner High School, Markley has already compiled a long record of service to her community. She is president and founder of Share the Bear, Inc., a not-for-profit entity focused on preparing and mentoring Turner High School students as they prepare for college. Markley serves on the board of directors of the Turner Recreation Commission and formerly chaired public relations efforts for the Turner Days Committee. She has been a leader in the SAFE Neighborhood Group and helped create Turner Community Connection, Inc., a neighborhood business redevelopment group.

In her role as commissioner, Markley serves as the chairperson of the Unified Government Administration and Human Services Standing Committee and is the Unified Government’s appointment to the Mid-America Regional Council Board of Directors. She previously chaired the ad hoc committees for the municipal court judge appointment, and twice served on the strategic planning consultant hiring committee.

In addition to her Unified Government duties, Markley co-chairs the Charities Committee of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild of Kansas City and serves as a mentor to Washburn law students. She is also a volunteer religion teacher for Our Lady of Unity Parish and a lector at her church.

Markley and her husband, Joshua, live in Turner and have a son, Lewis.

Brian Moorman

For 13 years, Brian Moorman built a reputation not only as one of the best punters in the National Football League, but also as an outstanding humanitarian.

In 1999, Moorman earned a bachelor’s degree in history education from PSU. Following an exceptional track and football career at Pittsburg State, Moorman signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. In 2001, he signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he remained until 2012. That year, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, playing in 12 games. In 2013, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but returned to the Bills for one final year in October of 2013.

Over his career, Moorman became one of the most decorated NFL punters of all times. He was selected for the Pro Bowl twice, in 2005 and 2006; was named to the All-Pro first team twice; was the AFC special teams player of the week five times; the AFC special teams player of the month twice and recorded the longest punts in the NFL in 2002 and 2009. He was the NFL yards-per-punt leader in 2005 and set the record for the Bills’ longest punt (84 yards) in 2002. For his accomplishments, Moorman was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, to the Bills’ 50th Anniversary Team and this year is being inducted to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Outside of his athletic achievements, Moorman, and his wife, Amber, have worked tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of children suffering with cancer and their families. The Moormans established the non-profit P.U.N.T. (Persevering, Understanding, Need, Triumph) Foundation, to serve pediatric cancer patients and their families both financially and emotionally.

As a result of the Moorman’s community service, Brian received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for excellent play on the field and contributions to the community. He also received the Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Hero Award, the Pro Football Weekly Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian of the Year Award and was a Sporting News “Good Guys” selection.

Brian and Amber Moorman and their son, Cooper, live in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida.

Timothy W. Puetz

Timothy W. Puetz is operations manager at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. With more than 10,000 new patients, 5,800 inpatient admissions, and 102,000 outpatient visits per year, the NIH Clinical Center is world's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research. Puetz is responsible for developing, designing, and improving programs of clinical care, management, and support services to ensure efficient and effective administration of resources in the operation of the hospital.

Puetz joined the NIH in 2012. Prior to joining NIH, Puetz worked in management positions in military, non-profit, and federal government organizations.

Puetz’ professional work experience includes serving in the U.S. Army in both the Medical Service Corps and Infantry, including a tour in Afghanistan. He has also worked in non-profit organizations dedicated to armed conflict and mental health. He partnered with the Republic of Liberia's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in conjunction with the Carter Center's Mental Health Program to examine the accessibility of psychotropic medicines through the evaluation of the national pharmaceutical supply chain. Puetz also worked as a program evaluation and management specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Division of Strategic National Stockpile (DSNS).

Puetz has remained active in the area of public health research, focusing on the intersection of physiology and psychology, especially as it relates to the effects of physical activity on anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain in patients with chronic disease. He has conducted research related to the effects of exercise on feelings of fatigue in cancer survivors, psychological outcomes associated with exercise during and after pregnancy, the effects of sports-related concussions on return to play, and the effect of caffeine on pain perception in endurance athletes. He has published more than a dozen scientific papers and two book chapters in the area of physiological psychology.

Puetz earned his bachelor’s degree (BSED) in physical education in 2001 and a master’s degree in human performance and wellness in 2003, both from Pittsburg State University. He earned a Ph.D. in biopsychology from the University of Georgia and then master’s degree of public health (MPH) in behavioral science from Emory University. He is currently pursuing an MBA in strategic management from Indiana University.

Puetz currently lives in Washington, D.C., where he is an advocate for veterans’ health, working with the Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He also is an avid runner and outdoorsman, completing several ultra-marathons and recently finishing a two-week transect of the Tsingy Limestone Labyrinth in Madagascar as part of a scientific expedition to examine this previously unexplored geographic area, which led to the discovery of new dinosaur tracks and the third largest cave network in the region.

Puetz’s is currently planning a trip to the Canadian arctic to traverse several islands and follow the tracks of history’s most famous polar explorers, including Earnest Shackleton.

Puetz is engaged to Helene Dumais. They plan to marry in the summer of 2016.