From the Nominator

Kent State Works is an ongoing multiplatform alumni portrait series targeting prospective students, current students, employers, donors, and the broader higher education community. The goal is to show not just that graduates succeed but also that Kent State positively influenced their careers. Communications and Marketing's photography and strategy team produced a series of alumni portraits; each subject was photographed at their place of work, in locations ranging from Rocket Arena to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to high-rise architecture firms in Cleveland. The series appears in digital editorial, print magazine features, and social media, and each portrait anchors a written profile. Lead photographer Rami Daud, with supporting photography from Bob Christy, traveled across Ohio over the course of a year to capture each subject in their professional environment. Creative Director Mike Rich and Assistant Vice President of Strategy Todd Snider collaborated on each shoot to ensure visual and strategic alignment across the series. The series has produced published profiles spanning industries, including insurance, aviation, law, sports management, and architecture—building a cumulative, visual case for Kent State's workforce impact across Northeast Ohio and beyond.

From the Judges

The judges recognized this series for its strong environmental portraiture and effective storytelling through workplace contexts. The photos consistently situate alumni within the environments where they are actively contributing, emphasizing location as a core narrative device. Strong compositional intent across varied civic, corporate, and athletic environments reinforces a unified visual series.