An EKU official has been selected to receive the 2002 American Association for Health Education Health Education Professional of the Year in the Administration category.

Dr. Don Calitri, chair of EKU's Department of Health Promotion and Administration and associate dean of the College of Health Sciences, will receive the award at AAHE's awards luncheon in San Diego, Calif., April 12.

Calitri, in his 26th year at EKU and 16th as department chair, earlier received the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Southern District Health Education Professional of the Year Award in the Administration category. The Southern District comprises 13 states.

"I'm deeply honored to be recognized by my professional colleagues," Calitri said, "but I owe any success I've had to the faculty, staff and students at EKU."

One colleague at EKU, Dr. Merita Thompson, a professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Administration, called Calitri "a person of vision who often tells us we can do something new and, as a result, his leadership has pushed our department into new ways of serving and viewing ourselves.

"Health promotion is all about nurturing ourselves and others physically, mentally, socially, spiritually; but how often do you find an administrator who works to maintain a workplace where that goal is modeled? Don Calitri walks the talk of health promotion."

Dr. Danny Ballard, president of AAHPERD's Southern District, noted that Calitri "has given of his time and expertise to serve on state, regional and national professional committees, and he has made contributions to health education through writing and research projects."