糖心Vlog传媒LR Distinguished Alumni, Presidents Award winners to be honored May 15
Chief People Officer Pamela Culpepper of the global communications giant, Golin, is the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The award is the highest honor given by the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Alumni Association. Culpepper will receive her award at a luncheon honoring her and other award recipients beginning at 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 15, at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.
Photo of Pamela Culpepper聽courtesy of 聽The聽Daily Record
At PepsiCo Inc., Culpepper聽served as senior vice president and global diversity and inclusion officer. For the bulk of her career, she worked in human resources for the company, which enabled her to live in major cities around the U. S.
Most recently, she was named Chief People Officer of Golin, a global communications firm with about 700 employees and 34 offices around the world. In her role, Culpepper seeks to cultivate the company鈥檚 most important asset, happy and engaged employees.
Culpepper was working full time at a local investment firm when she realized advancing her education would afford her more opportunities. Never one to shy away from hard work, Culpepper enrolled in school full time even as she continued to work.
Upon graduation with a B.A. degree in psychology in 1988, she decided to take a leap and move to California, where she began a career in human resources working for Wells Fargo. While in California, Culpepper pursued graduate school at California State University-Hayward and received her masters degree in public administration with an emphasis in organizational leadership. Most of Culpepper鈥檚 family still resides in Little Rock, including her mother whom she says was a tremendous influence.
Martha Stephenson
Stephenson is no stranger to accolades. She graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒LR with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history and English in 1972, the same year she was named winner of the Whitbeck Memorial Award.聽She earned her juris doctorate from the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Bowen School of Law in 1978.
Stephenson recently spearheaded the efforts to create a courtyard with benches and extra green space near the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Ottenheimer Library in celebration of the Chi Omega Sorority鈥檚 50th anniversary as a chapter. Named the Chi Omega Plaza, Stephenson oversaw fundraising of more than $28,000 for a student sitting area and courtyard. The area will be complete in May, a full year after the 50th anniversary. The landscaping is entering its second phase, and a dedication will be held on May 31.
Stephenson also served on the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Foundation Fund board for six years and is an active member of the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Alumni Association, recently sponsoring a table at the annual Taste of Little Rock event.The Martha Sawrie Stephenson Endowed Scholarship is held in her honor at 糖心Vlog传媒LR. It is awarded to a full-time or part-time student who is a declared major in English, history, or political science.
Saad Azam
Azam is only the second Arkansan ever invited back to NASA for multiple internships. Born and raised in Pakistan until he was 14, Azam graduates as a 糖心Vlog传媒LR Donaghey Scholar and Science Scholar. Azam interned at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology and has been offered a permanent position after graduation.
He is a double major in chemistry and biology, and he received a NASA Workforce Development Fellowship to intern at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he worked on solid-state electrochemistry and chemical physics. The following year Azam was hired for a second internship where he helped develop rechargeable, high energy, aqueous metal hydride-air batteries for electric vehicles. He will return a third time to continue his work at NASA this summer.
He received a $6,500 statewide undergraduate research fellowship grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. His research was published in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. Winner of the National American Chemical Society chapter award, College of Science leadership award, and Chemistry Department award, Azam and his work have contributed to the future of STEM in Arkansas.