Marine science professor Dennis L. Kelly was...

Marine science professor Dennis L. Kelly was named Orange Coast

College Faculty Member of the Year. Kelly has taught at the college

for 30 years and chairs the school’s marine science department. Kelly

is the director of the school’s 1,600-gallon aquarium and teaches

courses on oceanography, marine biology, marine mammals and other

subjects.

He was nominated for the award by two other professors in his

department, and was one of seven candidates considered for the award.

Kelly was announced as the winner after the school’s entire staff

voted. Others honored at the college were Part-Time Faculty Member of

the Year Barbara Price and Staff Member of the Year Luis Ortiz.

Price, a retired teacher and university administrator, has taught

education courses at the college for the past three years. Price was

nominated by one of her students. Ortiz, a groundskeeper, has been a

full-time staffer at the college for the past 15 years. He maintains

the landscaping at the college’s quad area and was nominated by a

staffer in the school’s personnel services department. All three

winners will be honored at a ceremony in April, when Kelly is

scheduled to be the featured speaker. ... Sage Hill School in Newport

Coast has named Heather Keddie, former assistant dean of admissions

at Stanford University, to serve as assistant director of college

counseling.

Keddie is scheduled to join the school in January. In addition to

her duties with the school’s counseling program, she will also work

in admissions. ... Ben Wicke has been named project manager at The

Peterson Group, a Newport Beach-based marketing communications

agency.

Wicke will lead client projects by coordinating the activities of

the agency’s copywriting, art and production departments.

* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please

direct noteworthy information to Andrew Edwards by fax at (714)

966-4679, or send e-mail to andrew.edwards@latimes.com.