OU employees, alumni make Oakland County Executive’s ‘40 Under 40’ list

OU employees, alumni make Oakland County Executive’s ‘40 Under 40’ list
Alex Delavan and Shaun Moore

Two Oakland University employees have been named to the Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. The program honors exceptional individuals, under the age of 40, who excel in their field and improve the quality of life in Oakland County. Alex Delavan, director of Sponsored Programs, and Shaun Moore, director of e-Learning, are being recognized for outstanding career achievements and community contributions. 
 

Alex Delavan


Alex Delavan

As OU's director of Sponsored Programs, Alex Delavan works with faculty and staff supporting more than $14 million in federal, state, foundation, corporate and institutionally funded research each year. 

Delavan, 34, has served as Director of Sponsored Programs in The Research Office, since 2013. In this role, Delavan directs the administration of all externally funded grants, contracts and other sponsored programs to ensure compliance with governmental and institutional policies. He works with faculty and staff supporting more than $14 million in federal, state, foundation, corporate and institutionally funded research each year.

Since Delavan started at OU, the university has reported an increase in new awards every fiscal year. In 2014, OU was named among the top 25 most innovative companies in Southeast Michigan by Crain’s Detroit Business for its research innovations. That same year, Delavan represented Oakland University research in Washington D.C., meeting with Michigan’s U.S. senators and congressmen to update them on the impact that the university and its research was having on their districts. Delavan earned a Master of Business Administration at Oakland in 2016.

Aside from his work at Oakland, Delavan serves on the Board of Directors for the Research Administrators Certification Council, an independent nonprofit whose role is to certify that an individual, through experience and testing, has the knowledge to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator though the Certified Research Administrator exam. Since joining the board in 2012, he has been involved in launching a new certification exam for financial research administration professionals, chaired the marketing committee, and has served on numerous other committees. More than 1,500 of the certificate holders have earned their designation on exams that he oversaw.

Active in the surrounding community, from 2013-2016 Delavan served on the Board of Directors for CityScape Detroit, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the city’s continued development and revitalization. In his role on the board, he oversaw the work of Detroit SOUP, an organization that has raised more than $100,000 for community projects, including nonprofits, after-school programs and park clean-ups.


 

Shaun Moore

 

Shaun Moore

Shaun Moore has worked for OU's Department of e-Learning and Instructional Support for 15 years, starting as a student employee and moving up the ranks to become director in 2015.

Moore, 38, has worked in OU’s Department of e-Learning and Instructional Support (e-LIS) for 15 years, starting as a student employee and moving up the ranks to become director in 2015. He is responsible for leadership and oversight of the department, including supervision and professional development of staff, budget development and planning.

Among other duties, Moore monitors the research and implementation of new technologies as they relate to e-Learning and oversees an annual departmental Teaching with Technology Conference. In addition, he and his staff collaborate with faculty and academic units to create fully online and blended programs and degrees.

Along with his full-time position, Moore is a lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Business Administration, has served on numerous university committees and councils, and received university honors, including Employee of the Month and the Administrative Professional Award. A self-described “lifelong learner,” Moore has earned four degrees from Oakland, including a double major for his undergraduate and most recently, a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, which he completed in 2015.

His academic career and experiences have inspired him to mentor others. He is a mentor to students in the Educational Leadership Ph.D. program and in the Leadership OU program, which is focused on helping undergraduate students prepare for leadership roles. He also recently graduated from the first Oakland University Leadership Academy, a program designed to further develop the members' leadership skills, increase their contributions to OU, and build stronger relationships with their peers.

Beyond his contributions at Oakland, Moore has participated in 25 events for the 501st Legion, a Star Wars themed charity group that raises money for causes such as Make-a-Wish and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.

In addition to Moore and Delavan, seven other OU alumni are on this year’s 40 Under 40 list:

 

  • Matthew Baumgarten, 32, Berkley City Manager, CAS '09
  • Derek Dickow, 37, Founder, Steward Media, CAS '02
  • Jessica Knapik, 38, Program Analyst, Walsh College, SBA '01
  • Andrew Kurecka, 29, Manager of Outcomes Research, MedNetOne Health Solutions, SHS '13, '15
  • Samantha Mariuz, 25, Director of Authorities, City of Auburn Hills, CAS '13
  • Emily Paula, 26, Human Resources Business Partner, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, SBA '12, '15
  • Danielle Zuccaro, 34, Director, Human Resources, Common Ground, SEHS '05

 
The Elite 40 Under 40 program was launched in 2012 by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. This year’s class will be recognized during Patterson’s 2017 State of the County Address on February 8.