Wamsley

Mercer

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes Kent State graduates for their professional accomplishments and community involvement, while the Friends of Kent State University at East Liverpool Award honors individuals who work tirelessly to improve the community and support the university’s mission to provide quality education to the tri-state area.

Wamsley and Mercer will be recognized at the annual awards banquet on Thursday at the East Liverpool Masonic Lodge.

Also at the event, the Rehab Department at East Liverpool City Hospital is receiving the Community Partner Award, recognizing its support of academic success for students and community outreach.

Wamsley graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from Kent State University in 1990. She received the prestigious Alpha Phi Sigma award for her academic excellence and was inducted into the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society.

Although Wamsley’s first interest was in the criminal justice field, she felt called to nursing and just two years later, in 1992, she earned an associate degree in nursing from the Kent State East Liverpool Campus, graduating with distinction.

She began her career as a critical care nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown and, after experiencing emergency nursing, she continued her training and received her pre-hospital registered nurse certification followed by a certification in emergency nursing.

A self-described lifelong learner, Wamsley went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Carlow College, graduating summa cum laude.

Armed with degrees in criminal justice and nursing, she combined her knowledge and skills by joining the United States Public Health Services Commissioned Corps, earning the rank of Lieutenant, and working for the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense stationed at the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a nursing officer.

Wamsley worked for the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense where she was stationed at the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a nursing officer and clinical nursing supervisor. There, she combined her criminal justice and nursing education, training and skills to provide emergency and chronic health care to incarcerated persons.

During her tenure, she developed chronic care clinics and served as the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Officer. She received numerous accolades, including recognition for her exceptional performance and academic excellence at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy. Likewise, she received several commendations, medals and awards from the Bureau of Prisons and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps for exemplary performance of duties.

Wamsley also received the Medal of Commendation for her heroic life-saving efforts performed during her off-duty time.

But, her love of nursing really took off more than 22 years ago when she earned the distinguished honor of achieving her certification in flight nursing and became a flight nurse.

Flight nursing is conducted in a demanding and autonomous emergency care environment, requiring advanced clinical knowledge and skills matched with unparalleled safety. It combines the complexities of spur-of-the-moment critical assessment with clinically-necessary life-saving interventions, all while in a rotor wing aircraft with just her, her partner and the patient.

Wamsley’s career path has spanned various arenas, servicing a multitude of populations in intensive care units, Level 1 trauma centers and community emergency departments, as well as pre-hospital care settings.

She currently serves as a mentor and preceptor to nursing students and professional colleagues, while actively involved in numerous committees and unit-based practice councils, with the goal of continued patient care improvements and outcomes. Wamsley currently is active as a certified legal nurse consultant after continuing her education at the Milazzo’s Legal Institute.

Last fall, Wamsley was inducted into the Beaver Local Hall of Fame, from where she graduated in 1985. She is the daughter of Audrey Springer Wamsley and the late David Wamsley and lives in Calcutta.

Mercer is a longtime member of the Kent State East Liverpool Campus advisory board, serving three terms as chair. He is active with the Friends of the Campus and supporting scholarship endeavors.

He is the senior gift officer for the Mercy Health Foundation-Mahoning Valley, serving in that role since 2018, where he works to raise funds that support programs and services of St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, St. Joseph Warren Hospital and St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.

Prior to joining Mercy Health, he was the director of development for the Washington Health System Foundation in 2008, where he was responsible for daily operations; managing an $11 million capital campaign; grant writing; and planned giving activities. During this time, he also served three years as the director of development for the former St. Alloysius School in East Liverpool.

Earlier, Mercer served at Pittsburgh’s Ohio Valley General Hospital; Sweetwater Center for the Arts; the Pittsburgh Public Theater; QED Communications; Dino DeLaurenttis Communications; and briefly in the music industry for Richard Marx.

Mercer earned his Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2006 and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Mahoning Shenango Chapter, currently serving on its board as president-elect.

He is serving his fifth term on the East Liverpool City Council and is the secretary for the East Liverpool Community Partnership in Revitalization Board, as well as the president of the Help Network of Northeast Ohio Board.

Mercer served on the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council as vice president of programming; president of the Team Mojo Foundation; the United Way of Washington County; and as a deacon of the First Baptist Church.

He is certificated in group exercise and indoor cycling through the National Exercise Trainers Association and has been teaching indoor cycling classes at the East Liverpool Area YMCA since 2012.

Mercer is married to the former Suzanne Ward. The couple lives in downtown East Liverpool and has three children: JoJo, Ethan and Jude.

The Rehab Department at East Liverpool City Hospital, through its staff of occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs), provide valuable clinical opportunities in outpatient, inpatient, public schools and behavioral health settings as they teach and guide Kent State East Liverpool students toward lifelong professions of serving the community.

The facility provides clinical spaces and opportunities to inspire learning and reflect best practices. Some ELCH therapists also serve as program advisory board members, while others provide valuable education as guest speakers and lab patients on campus.

The Rehab Department at ELCH consistently demonstrates its support of the OTA and PTA programs at Kent State East Liverpool through hiring practices that reflect confidence in these programs.