For RSU alumna Caitlyn Ngare, business is her business.
As the talent development coordinator at Claremore Economic Development (formerly Claremore Industrial and Economic Development Authority), Ngare appreciates the importance of new businesses and industries having a solid foundation.
Ngare’s own foundation for success was laid at Rogers State University, upon which she quickly built her own personal successes and achievements, for which she will be honored this month as a recipient of the “2024 RSU Alumni Association’s Rising Star Award.”
Originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Ngare moved to Grove in ninth grade, from where she also graduated high school.
“My senior year at Grove (high school), I was tutoring juniors as a part-time school employee, and we had a group that was visiting Rogers State, so I tagged along as a kind of student supervisor/coordinator,” Ngare recalled. “We did the full campus tour, and I was really taken by the campus and the community – they reminded me of Fayetteville – on top of which, I learned about the honors program here at RSU and decided this was where I would continue my education after high school. Rogers State was the perfect fit for me.”
While at RSU, Ngare earned her associate degree in business administration and (general) management in 2019, after which she then earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration, management and operations in 2021, later than planned due to an unexpected global pandemic.
“I was set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2020, but then COVID happened, which changed a lot of people’s plans,” she said.
While at RSU, Ngare was working at Rogers County Volunteers for Youth as community liaison in the PAL Mentoring Program.
“One of my biggest advocates at Rogers County Youth was (executive director) Herb McSpadden,” she said, “and in 2020, (former Claremore Economic Development Executive Director) John Feary asked Herb for his blessing to recruit me on to his team, which Herb gave him and in May (2020), I joined CED as project coordinator.
“In this role, I did financials for the organization as well as for the Claremore Regional Airport, which CED oversaw,” she said. “When John was appointed as Claremore City Manager, Meggie Froman-Knight was moved into John’s former role, and I was moved into her former role, talent and development coordinator, where I work with K-12 schools and tech schools and the university to help students understand what kinds of positions are available within the community and vice-versa. I keep an eye on what’s available in regional businesses and industries, so we can tailor training for employer’ ‘needs.”
Ngare said she was “surprised and honored” when she learned of her selection for the “Rising Star Award.”
“I had no idea I was even being considered. It was a complete surprise,” she said. “I’m very honored to have been selected, and I know that my time here at RSU – the affordability, the education, the support and help of my professors – prepared me for a successful future.”
Ngare is currently working on her MBA in business analytics at Northeastern State University.
She and her husband Giovanni have two daughters, Makena, two years old, and Emerie, eight months old.
Ngare and her fellow honorees will be recognized April 27 at the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner. Other award recipients include Jody Moore, Distinguished Hillcat Award winner, and Dr. Keith and Lisa Martin, Hill Legacy Award winners.
Awardees were selected based on the recipients’ personal achievements and service; statewide, regional, and/or national distinction; and bringing honor to themselves and to Rogers State University.
The 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center Ballroom on the RSU Claremore campus.
Tickets for the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner may be purchased at www.rsu.edu/AlumniAwards.