Kegley Institute announces 2023 Wendy Wayne Ethics Award winners

Awards honor CSUB alumna, beloved Bakersfield community member

By California State University, Bakersfield

February 13^th, 2023

The Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield has announced the recipients of its 2023 Wendy Wayne Ethics Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Adventist Health, recognize adults as well as youth who inspire through their ethical commitment and actions to improve the lives of others in our community.

This year’s adult awardee is NaTesha Johnson, with Ellen Eggert receiving an honorable mention. The youth co-awardees are 23-year-old Uchechi Okey-Dike and 19-year-old Minaya Valentine, both CSUB undergraduate students.

The awards honor CSUB alumna and beloved Bakersfield community member Wendy Wayne, who was a dedicated volunteer and ethical leader in the Bakersfield community. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer, a nurse at Kern Medical Center and as an advocate for child education with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.

“Our 2023 awardees are an inspiration to our campus and community through their commitment to ethics and service,” said KIE Director Dr. Michael Burroughs. “Much like Wendy Wayne, they identify areas of need in our community, take decisive action to address them, and open up leadership opportunities for their peers as well.”

Johnson will receive a $5,000 charitable donation in her name while the youth winners will each receive a $2,500 academic scholarship.

A celebration dinner will be held on March 25, which is also the date of the institute’s Wendy Wayne Day of Service.

The institute is working with volunteers and the Community Action Partnership of Kern to assemble food packages for members of the community.

Here is more information on this year’s winners:

Kegley Institute announces 2023 Wendy Wayne Ethics Award winners

NaTesha Johnson

Johnson, a CSUB alumna, is the program director of Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development for the Kern Community College District.

She is also the founder of Upside Academy, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides volunteer and community service opportunities for youth in middle and high school in Kern County. In 2019, the Academy was named Nonprofit of the Year by California Black Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson is the co-owner of the Bakersfield Wing Festival and has been involved in many community service and civil work projects, including food and toy drives as well as various fundraisers that have helped raise over $550,000 for local nonprofits.

Johnson is currently the chairwoman of the Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference and has served on several boards, including for the 15th District Agricultural Association and the Kern County Fair. She is also the first African American female president of the Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater in over 90 years.

“I am honored to be receiving the Wendy Wayne Ethics Award,” she said. “Dr. Wendy Wayne was a risk-taker who graciously allowed her passion to lead her. She selflessly gave her life helping others, not only in our community, but around the world. She truly believed in giving and doing it straight from the heart. Through her acts of service, she made our world a better place. For we must always strive to pay our blessings forward — for by giving, we receive.”

Ellen Eggert

Eggert has been an advocate and champion for suicide prevention for decades and is a three-time survivor of suicide loss herself. She has committed her professional and personal life to spreading suicide awareness and prevention and support for survivors of suicide loss.

Eggert is the founder of Save A Life Today (SALT), a local nonprofit that raises money to support suicide prevention and assist those who have lost someone to suicide.

Since 2004, Eggert has worked with Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and is currently the program support supervisor for the Suicide Prevention Hotline. She also started a Survivors Outreach Team that connects suicide survivors to community resources and services.

“People do not want to talk about suicide because they think it will never happen to anyone they know,” she said. “By just mentioning suicide, people’s ears perk up. Anytime I can talk about suicide awareness, I will.”

Uchechi Okey-Dike

Uchechi is a senior at CSUB majoring in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine. She works as a student assistant for the Helen Hawk Honors Program and also serves as an Honors Ambassador, through which she helps spread awareness of the program, provide mentoring and represent the program at various events.

Uchechi has served as president of the Chemistry Club on campus and volunteers her time for many initiatives from Black-focused organizations, including the African Student Association and Black Student Union. She is also a representative for CSU Students for Quality Education, a group that advocates for students in matters of representation, safety, equity and more.

“Winning the Wendy Wayne Ethics Award was a surprising way to end the year,” she said. “Beyond that, it was a confirmation I am living and acting according to a God-given purpose, surrounded by people who foster my talent and passion for leadership and service. It is a very surreal honor, which I am still trying to understand, but one I am truly grateful for.”

Minaya Valentine

Minaya is a sophomore majoring in environmental resource management at CSUB who hopes to one day become a lawyer specializing in environmental law.

She is a student assistant for the university’s Food Pantry, through which she has coordinated events to raise resources and awareness for the pantry. Minaya is also a student ambassador for the Basic Needs Department. In this role, she helps connects students with the various services and resources provided by the department.

Minaya is also involved with a few clubs on campus. She is the vice president of the Environmental Resource Management Club and as a member of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Club.

“It has been a blessing to be recognized with such an honorable award. I am grateful that I am given the opportunity to lead and contribute to our campus community,” she said.