Ron
K. Chesser, Ph.D., has had an extremely distinguished career in both
academics and international service. He has presented more than 150
seminars at national and international institutions, including the
University of Baghdad and the Royal Scientific Society in Amman,
Jordan. He led more than 50 research expeditions to the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine. In 1998, Chesser was
presented a Certificate of Appreciation from Secretary of Energy
Federico Peña for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine while saving
the Department of Energy over $1 million. Chesser has been awarded
more than $10 million in research grants from various entities of
the federal government. Chesser has authored or co-authored more
than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts and co-edited one book. In 2001,
he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of
Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences. He is currently a professor
at Texas Tech University. Chesser’s commitment to education is
evident through his service to graduate students. He has served on
72 student thesis and dissertation committees and as the
postdoctoral mentor for five Ph.D. continuing students. Chesser
attended Altus Junior College from 1969-1970 before entering the
University of Oklahoma. He earned a B.S. from OU in 1973 and went on
to earn an M.S. from the University of Memphis in 1976 and a Ph.D.
from OU in 1981. An Altus High School graduate, he was blessed with
wonderful parents: Cecil Chesser, Dean Emeritus at Western Oklahoma
State College, and Loweta Chesser, former curator at the Museum of
the Western Prairie and a local artist-in-residence.
