Lt Col Mark A. Friend, Ph.D., was recognized in the December 2011 issue of Ohio Magazine as Ohio an Excellence in Education honoree. Lt Col Friend is an Assistant Professor of Operations Research in the Department of Operational Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). He began teaching at AFIT in January 2011, and was selected by the students in his Department of Operational Sciences as Instructor of the Quarter, following the second quarter he taught. Students appreciated his enthusiasm for his subject the numerous examples he developed to illustrate key concepts. Dr. Friend solicited input from the class during the quarter to make immediate improvements to presentation of the material. In less than a year Dr. Friend has been and is involved with 7 master student committees (2 now graduated) and 3 PhD committees. He is Secretary for the Cincinnati-Dayton chapter of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). Outside the classroom, Dr. Friend volunteers at the local elementary school, at Boy Scouts, with Relay for Life activities. The complete list of Ohio Magazine honorees can be found at http://www.ohiomagazine.com/Main/Articles/4499.aspx.