We Salute Our Fall 2025 Graduates

Heather Biddle is completing her bachelor’s degree in marketing and brings over a decade of experience supporting executive leaders in education. Her career has included roles in admissions, administration and student services, where she discovered her passion for helping individuals access opportunities that support their personal and academic goals. Heather’s marketing background strengthens her ability to connect people with the right resources through clear and intentional communication. As she continues her career in higher education, she plans to pursue a master’s degree.

Brent Neal is a military veteran who possesses the discipline and resilience that results from 10 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard. Graduating with his B.S. Cloud Computing with a minor in Management & Leadership, Brent credits Franklin University with helping him to regain confidence and the ability to achieve his goals. Brent plans to continue to build on his many years of experience in the IT field and will begin Franklin’s M.S. in Information Technology-IT Leadership Focus during the Spring 2026 term. 

William Hayes is a driven and dedicated criminal justice professional with a strong academic background in law enforcement administration. Graduating summa cum laude with his M.A. in Criminal Justice, William also earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Franklin, as well as an associate degree in criminal justice from Columbus State Community College. His expertise includes criminal investigation, which he applies in his role as a detective with the Pataskala Division of Police. William is passionate about advancing ethical law enforcement practices, promoting justice, and continuing to grow in his career as an investigator and law enforcement officer.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduate Oluremi Omodara is an accomplished and motivated enrollment supervisor at Elderplan with expertise in managed long-term care, care management and clinical assessment. She leads interdisciplinary teams, streamlines enrollment workflows, and ensures regulatory compliance to improve patient outcomes. With over a decade of nursing experience, Oluremi is passionate about advancing healthcare quality, equity and patient-centered care. Her DNP project focused on implementing pain reassessment workflow in compliance with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirements in hospice. She leverages clinical knowledge and leadership skills to foster collaboration, drive quality improvements, and promote a culture of excellence.

Dr. David E. Weirich teaches in the graduate data analytics program at Franklin University. His teaching style encourages students to connect theory with real-world data science applications through hands-on projects. He is passionate about inspiring students to become excellent communicators and critical thinkers. Outside academia, David has worked as a data scientist at a variety of start-ups and large companies for over a decade. He holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s from Virginia Wesleyan College. His research in abstract harmonic analysis has been published in journals such as the New York Journal of Mathematics and the Journal of Number Theory. In his free time, David plays piano with The Jay Birds, a jazz band that performs at small venues around Columbus.

Stephanie Thomas is an experienced science educator and geoscientist with over two decades of teaching across secondary, college and online settings. Stephanie has been a Franklin University adjunct professor since 2011, teaching undergraduate courses in geology and critical thinking in science. Holding a master’s in geological sciences with a concentration in geophysics and a teaching certificate in Earth science, she brings expertise in geology, geophysics and STEM education. Her career includes middle and high school instruction, adjunct faculty roles, and international English language teaching, demonstrating a breadth of experience in both traditional and virtual classrooms.