Two Wright State employees recognized by the American Council on Education

The American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network-Ohio recognized two Wright State University employees in 2014 for supporting the advancement of women in higher education.

Latricia Milhouse, labor relations specialist in the Office of Human Resources, was awarded the Professional Development Scholarship Award.

Melissa Gruys, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Management and International Business in the Raj Soin College of Business, was awarded the Regional Leadership Forum Award.

In an effort to provide women from Ohio institutions of higher education with the opportunity to gain leadership expertise, the Scholarship Award was created to support participation at conferences or workshops, membership in professional organizations and other opportunities for professional development. Two awards of $750 are presented annually. The awards are to be used to reimburse registration and/or travel expenses.

Prior to joining Wright State in 2010, Milhouse worked as an employee relations coordinator in the airlines industry. Milhouse has earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in counseling.

She plans to use her scholarship funds to partially support her attendance at the Strategic HR Business Partner Certification Program offered through Linkage in Chicago. This three-day course will offer her an opportunity to evaluate her strengths and opportunities for improvement in the areas of business acumen, HR capabilities and consulting skills.

ACE established the Regional Forum Award to offer support for participation in ACE’s Regional Leadership Forums. These three-day leadership programs are intended for women administrators who aspire to senior-level posts in higher education. Regional forums, held in locations around the U.S. in May and September, are intended for women in mid-level administrative posts who seek senior administration roles.

Gruys earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota-Morris with majors in management, economics, and speech communications and her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in human resources and industrial relations. Gruys has won teaching, research and service awards at Wright State and Washington State University-Vancouver. She has authored over 20 peer reviewed journal articles, appearing in top-tier and high-quality management journals. As an academic for the past fifteen years, and now in her administrative position, she has mentored fellow women faculty, staff and graduate and undergraduate students.

All ACE awards value individuals who have contributed to the advancement of women colleagues by effectively implementing one or more of the “IDEALS” described by the ACE Office of Women in Higher Education:

• Identifying women leaders
• Developing their leadership abilities
• Encouraging the use of those abilities
• Advancing women’s careers
• Linking women leaders to other women and to mentors
• Supporting women as they pursue their professional aspirations