The University of the Ozarks Alumni Association will honor four alumni whose graduation years range from 1981 to 2021 during the Ozarks Awards Ceremony, held in conjunction with the University’s Homecoming 2023.
The ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, in the Rogers Conference Center. Tickets for the event are $25 and can be purchased by visiting: https://ozarks.edu/alumni/homecoming/homecoming-registration/
The Alumni Association will present (pictured, clockwise from top left) Cory J. Maag ’21 of Clarksville with the Young Alumni Service Award; Michele (Wadley) Brown ’81 of Lamar with the Alumni Merit Award; Stephen Houserman ’16 of Clarksville with the Young Alumni Achievement Award; and Faridah Hameed ’86 of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, with the Alumni Achievement Award.
Maag, who graduated from Ozarks with majors in accounting and business administration, serves as an investigator with the United States Department of Labor. While at Ozarks, Maag was involved in alumni engagement for the Walton International Scholars Program and the Career Services Office. He worked in banking until he started a career in public service during his senior year with USDA Rural Development in Fort Smith, Ark., originating mortgages for low-income families and servicing commercial loans for community facilities and rural utility programs. After graduation, Maag transferred to the U.S. Department of Labor as a wage and hour Investigator in Little Rock, Ark., and now Fayetteville, Ark. His duties include leading federal investigations into cases of worker exploitation regarding child labor, minimum wage, overtime, family and medical leave, and protections for seasonal agricultural workers and laborers on government service and construction contracts. Outside of work, Maag is an animal welfare advocate, volunteering with Needy Paws Animal Shelter, including a two-year term as treasurer from 2020-21. He also volunteers his time with the University by participating in career and resume workshops and fundraising efforts as well as speaking at leadership club meetings.
Brown has inspired countless youth to enjoy, understand and appreciate fitness throughout her career. She taught in the Lamar Arkansas School District for more than 20 years, where she won numerous awards for her teaching abilities. A lifelong resident of Lamar, Brown has also written numerous grants for Lamar schools and the city to help acquire fitness and wellness equipment and facilities. She was instrumental in bringing the community health clinic to the Lamar campus. While a student at Ozarks, Brown lettered in basketball and track at Ozarks. She is considered among the most successful physical education graduates during Levada Qualls’ time teaching at Ozarks. In 2023, Brown was named by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and Soiree magazine as one of the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas out of more than 600 nominees. She currently serves as president of the Lamar School District and is a member of the Child Health Advisory Committee at the Arkansas Department of Education and Department of Health. She has also served on the board of directors for the Arkansas Senior Olympics and has participated in track and field in the Senior Olympics at the state and national levels for more than a decade. At Ozarks, she has served on the Teacher Education Advisory Committee, which helps guide students in the teacher intern program. She has also written grants for the Johnson County Historical Society and Johnson County Helping Hands.
Houserman is the economic development director for the City of Clarksville. Raised in Upstate New York, Houserman served eight years in the United States Marine Corps, first as a logistics chief and later as a sergeant of the infantry. After traveling the world, he found his future home at U of O, eventually graduating in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics. As a student, he attended TFAS Institute on Economics and International Affairs at George Mason University, with an internship at the Marine Corps Times. During his time at Ozarks, he met his wife, Elly, who has since blessed him with three children. Houserman’s experience in campaign and journalism led him to become director of communications for the Republican Party of Arkansas. In 2019, Houserman returned to the City of Clarksville to oversee economic development efforts, where he now aims to support the local economy through business and community development. He and Elly spend their time raising their three wonderful children on their small homestead in Johnson County.
Hameed graduated from Ozarks with a degree in mass communication, which has led to a journalism career that included print, TV, radio and digital media. For more than 25 years, Hameed worked for some of the biggest companies in Malaysia in the fields of journalism, public relations, public issue communication, crisis communication, corporate branding, and web content development. She started her career as a current affairs/investigative journalist for the country’s oldest urban-centered newspaper, where she covered breaking news, investigative stories, national general elections as well as human interest stories. She then moved to public relations in the hospitality industry where she was a publishing and communication strategist on national and international campaigns. Today, Hameed is a much sought-after speaker, trainer and coach, specializing in leadership and business communication. Her clients come from more than 100 countries, ranging from North and Latin Americas to the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa regions. She is a regular guest on radio talk shows, discussing socio-economic-political matters of Malaysia.
Topics: About, Alumni, Alumni Stories