News

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College announced Dr. Joel Grigsby as the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Alumnus for the School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences award.

NEO will formally honor Grigsby during the Outstanding Alumni Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 11 a.m. in the Calcagno Family Ballroom.

All alumni and friends of the college are invited to attend the event. Tickets are $25 and $15 for children 12 and under. Purchase tickets at the door or through neo.edu/homecoming. NEO homecoming festivities will take place from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1, 2022.

Grigsby grew up in Miami and graduated from Miami High School. He played football and baseball, and he was a member of the marching, jazz, and concert bands, the student council, and the National Honor Society. He was also actively involved in the youth group at First Christian Church.

Being undecided about his career path, Grigsby chose to attend NEO because he knew it would be a great place to grow and find out what he wanted next for his education path.

At NEO, he was active in band and PTK. He majored in science, and while he was still undecided on what he wanted to pursue, he knew that science always interested him.

After attending NEO, Grigsby transferred to Pittsburg State University with a focus on pre-med. He was a member of the marching band, wind and jazz ensemble, and various student organizations. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. In 2007, he graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

He and his wife, Jennie, moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at University Hospital Case Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, followed by fellowship training in critical care medicine. They moved to Kansas City, where he began working at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He recently completed his Master of Business Administration at Rockhurst University.

Grigsby and his family currently reside in Overland Park, Kansas, where he is an assistant professor of anesthesiology, critical care, and cardiovascular medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He also serves as the co-medical director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the University of Kansas hospital.

He and his wife have three boys, Hollis, Parker, and Graham. He said he would not be where he is today without his family’s support.

Grigsby said he discovered who he was while attending NEO. His proudest accomplishments are being accepted into medical school, assisting in the design and build of a virtual reality medical ultrasound education workshop, traveling and teaching residents and medical students at the local, regional and national levels, and being a father to three outstanding young men, and husband to the best mom they could ever have.

For more information, please contact NEO alumni coordinator Eric Iverson at eiverson@neo.edu.