Jaime Coronado Newman, a 2008 Wichita State University graduate who majored in both international business and marketing, will be recognized on April 17 as the 2012 recipient of the Charles F. Kettering Award.

First awarded in 1978 by the national organization Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA), the Kettering Award recognizes an employer from industry, business or government who provides outstanding resources and service to the cooperative education and internship field.

Coronado Newman is employed as the human resources intern program manager at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita.

Through his employment at Spirit, he has placed 313 interns in the organization in three years.

“Wichita State is one of the primary schools that we recruit from because of the variety of majors and locations,” said Coronado Newman. “It’s been great to work with WSU and increase our visibility on campus while building relationships with students.”
Kim Kufahl of Wichita State’s Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning wrote the nomination for Coronado Newman.

“Jaime is an excellent fit for this award,” she said. “The students he places (at Spirit) are from all disciplines.”

Kufahl said that the number of cooperative education students placed at Spirit has doubled from 2010 to 2011.

Coronado Newman himself held an internship at Spirit while enrolled at WSU, and the experience he gained there opened the door to his full-time employment with the company.

He considers mentoring the interns he places at Spirit a high priority.

"Jamie Coronado Newman was my mentor at Spirit for a year,” said Mary Anne Leftwich, a Spirit AeroSystem human resource co-op student from Wichita State. “Jamie was an excellent resource for me during my internship.”

As part of Coronado Newman’s award, Spirit AeroSystems will also be recognized at the 2012 national CEIA conference in Chicago this April.

“Spirit AeroSystems is intent on doing everything we can to ensure that tomorrow’s workforce is equipped with the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace and in life,” said Martha Webb-Jones, Spirit’s senior manager for global employment and workforce planning.

“Our internship and cooperative education programs, led by Jaime Coronado Newman, are a critical piece of our talent strategy,” she said. “The programs allow us to provide learning opportunities for students, but are also key in creating and maintaining the future talent pipeline to meet our business goals. We are pleased to partner with Wichita State University through these mutually beneficial programs.”