Inspire, Winter 2007

20Winter 2007 alumni association news 2007 Alumni Award Winners Alumnus of the Year — Randy Wilcox ’81 Motivation and drive. Energy and passion. All could be listed as an individual’s secret to success. According to Dr. Ron Walker, professor of management science, Alumnus of the Year Randy Wilcox demonstrated the kind of determination needed to succeed in the business community. And, Ron says, “It certainly helped that he was very talented as well.” Upon leaving Cedarville University, the 1981 business administration graduate went to work for Otis Elevator Company (a subsidiary of United Technologies) as a sales trainee. Through the years, Randy moved up the chain, landing in a variety of branch and regional management roles. Before reaching his current position as president of Otis’s North and South America Area, he served as president for the South Asia Pacific Gulf Area. Randy says of that position, “It included 7,000 employees and one billion in sales in India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Arabian Gulf countries.” Not a job for the faint of heart, to be sure. “Randy’s tenure with Otis speaks to the dedication he has brought to his work,” Ron says. “He and Sandy have continued to faithfully serve the Lord in each locale as God has led them around the world.” But making a name for himself in the business world is but a small aspect of Randy’s life. He has also thrown his heart, soul, and time into helping others. Besides teaching youth and adult Sunday School, he currently serves on the board of International Care Ministries, a Philippine ministry dedicated to helping the “poorest of the poor” in the cities of Negros, Bohol, Cebu, and Mindanao. “I am working with ICM and Gaward Kalinga (a ministry of the Catholic church) to begin rebuilding the second-largest slum in the Philippines,” Randy says. Barely taking a breath, he adds, “Our family is also involved in supporting a ministry to orphans and street children on Bali, Indonesia.” That family includes his wife, Sandy Seals Wilcox, who graduated from Cedarville in 1982. They have three daughters. The oldest, Laura, is a sophomore at Wheaton College, and the younger two, Emily and Rachel, are helping their parents during a rather significant event — moving the family from Hong Kong to Connecticut. Young Alumnus of the Year — Sharla Megilligan ’97 Sharla Megilligan epitomizes faith in action. The 1997 graduate heard God’s calling on her life while still a Cedarville student, and in 2004 she turned that calling into a reality when she started Makarios, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational and economic development in the Dominican Republic (DR). “It is our responsibility to follow the call God places on our lives to make a difference in the world,” she says, “and He is faithful to accomplish that work through us.” The whole thing began when Sharla went to the DR through Cedarville’s student teaching abroad program while pursuing her degree in biology and secondary education. God moved in her heart and she went back several more times. Through each visit, the Lord opened her eyes to the country’s needs — especially in education. The idea to form an organization to meet those needs grew, so Sharla started taking the necessary steps. She delved into research, and headed to the University of Texas for her masters of public affairs. In the spring of 2004, Makarios became a reality. Sharla gives much of the credit to her time at Cedarville, specifically the chapels. “They impacted me through biblical teaching and challenged me to be passionate about the Word,” she says. “And to get out of my comfort zone and serve the Lord in big ways.” Of course, her education classes also helped, not only preparing her to be a teacher, but also providing her with the knowledge to set up and direct a school in another country. Donnie Woodyard ’99, chief of the Cedarville University Emergency Medical Squad while Sharla was a member, witnessed her compassion. “I remember that Sharla had a passion and desire to serve the people of the DR,” he says. “It is wonderful to see God’s faithfulness evident in her life.” Though she spends most her time running the organization from her home in Austin, Texas, Sharla has other outlets for service, from leading small group Bible studies to volunteering her time in a tutoring and mentoring program at local public schools. In 2006 she opened Dominican Joe, a coffee shop that supports Makarios programs and fair-trade farmers in the DR. She is also in the process of adopting twin boys from the DR! Sharla’s life philosophy accounts for her success. “If God puts something on your heart, act on it,” she says. “We spend a lot of time thinking, praying, and talking about how we can make a difference, but there comes a time for action. It doesn’t matter how big it is, how out of your comfort zone it is, how young or old you are, or how much experience or education you have.”