Dr. Howard Kea: Copy runner to diplomat

Folks who once toiled at mundane jobs at the Beacon Journal and then reached prominence are sometimes hidden in plain view.

Overlooked by us this week was an item in a column by Jewell Cardwell with congratulations to a former Beacon Journal copy runner who became a diplomat.

Dr. Howard Kea, the son of retired Akron educator Marian Kea of Akron, was recently appointed to a four-year term with the Human and Societal Dynamics Panel by the NATO Committee for Peace and Security. The panel, which will meet twice a year in Brussels, will oversee the review of international grants in the areas of public diplomacy.

Kea worked as a copy runner while attending the University of Akron where he receivedl a bachelor of science degree in electronic technology.

He has a master's degree from George Washington University in engineering administration and a Ph.D. from Antioch University in leadership organization change. He serves as organization development consultant with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Washington, DC. He's also working with the University of West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, developing and designing the practicum for its Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and serving as a visiting faculty member.