UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Education has announced the winners of its 2024 faculty, staff and student awards. A ceremony was held April 1 at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.
The winners of the awards are as follows:
Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award (Faculty): LaWanda Ward, associate professor of education (higher education); associate director (Center for the Study of Higher Education), Department of Education Policy Studies.
Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award (Staff): Liana Cole, Prison Education Program manager of the Restorative Justice Initiative.
The Cotterill Leadership Enhancement Award was created through an endowed donation from Joan and David Cotterill to recognize faculty or staff for exemplary performances and leadership efforts. The award includes resources for professionally related activities, including participation in conferences, seminars and sabbaticals. Recipients are encouraged to include a colleague, spouse, or partner in the activity of their design and the award can be used to cover the costs of that colleague or partner’s involvement.
Career Achievement Award: James Herbert, professor of education (rehabilitation and human services), Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.
Herbert has clearly distinguished himself as a leader in rehabilitation research. He has more than 85 referred articles and book chapters, the vast majority of which are published in leading journals. Over the course of his career, Herbert’s primary research program has been devoted to the clinical supervision of rehabilitation counseling trainees. His contributions to the understanding of clinical supervision in state vocational rehabilitation programs have been particularly impressive.
It is difficult to read about clinical supervision in rehabilitation without reading and finding reference to Herbert’s work. He is sought out by other leaders in the field, and is frequently asked to collaborate, review, advise and provide consultation to colleagues.
Herbert’s nominator wrote: “Dr. Herbert’s passion and commitment to enhancing education about disability, the quality of life for those who live with disabilities and his advocacy to include persons with disabilities in all conversations related to diversity, equity and belonging are clear when reviewing his life’s work. Dr. Herbert’s record of scholarship, invited presentation, mentorship of students who have achieved high academic success, prior recognition from the field in the form of numerous awards, and significant leadership in raising the standards of the university with respect to teaching, research and service, provide convincing evidence for his deserving receipt of this award. Dr. Herbert began his academic career at Penn State and all his many accomplishments have contributed to the quality and reputation of Rehabilitation Counseling and Rehabilitation and Human Services at Penn State over his long and impressive career. He has also spent countless hours providing mentorship and support for his colleagues to support our success and ability to continue his legacy of leadership, research, scholarship and service.
“For all of these reasons and more, Dr. Jim Herbert is highly deserving of this honor.”
Outstanding Senior Researcher Award: Kathleen Collins, associate professor of education (language and literacy education), Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Collins has 36 publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. She has presented 53 papers at esteemed national research conferences and seven at international conferences. She is the sole author of the book “Ability Profiling and School Failure: Once Child’s Struggle To Be Seen As Competent,” which was nominated for the Literacy Research Association’s Ed Fry Book Award in 2013 and has been picked up by nearly 1,500 libraries across 14 countries. The book has been cited 263 times to date. According to Google Scholar, Collins has a total of 1,195 citations with 494 in the past five years.
Collins’ nominator wrote: “Across the many different contexts of her investigations, Dr. Collins makes visible the positioning effects of classroom interactions and forms of literacy as well as those of larger sociopolitical discourses embedded in political and legal texts. In doing so, her research program demonstrates the connections between theory, research, practice, and policy. Consistent throughout each of her studies is a focus on identifying and disrupting patterns of literate privilege that position some students as less than others. Her voice is needed and necessary within the educational research community and we are honored to count her among our Penn State College of Education colleagues.”
Outstanding Junior Researcher Award: Matthew Kelly, assistant professor of education (educational leadership), Department of Education Policy Studies.
Kelly has published numerous studies regarding K-12 school finance systems and the fiscal impacts of various policies. He has also been the first to bridge the disciplines of history and education finance to produce a book documenting the inequitable nature of state school finance systems over the past century.
Kelly was also hired to be the primary expert witness by the plaintiffs in the historic William Penn School District et al. vs. Pennsylvania Department of Education et al. school finance court case. His report and testimony based on his report were instrumental in the court’s decision to rule for the plaintiffs. In light of the court’s ruling, the commonwealth created a commission to propose a new school finance system. The commission relied heavily on Kelly’s additional work that estimated the amount of new funding needed to provide every child in Pennsylvania an opportunity to receive a quality education. This decision is will be very significant for communities of color and low-wealth communities across Pennsylvania. His work has led to historic change in Pennsylvania that will have an impact lasting decades.
Kelly's nominator wrote: "As a full professor and someone who has worked in the policy world for 25 years, I can attest that Dr. Kelly has made remarkable contributions with his scholarship. Dr. Kelly's work has led to significant change around the commonwealth and will have an impact that will last for decades. His scholarship is groundbreaking, of the highest quality and will impact students in Pennsylvania and around the nation for decades to come."
Outstanding Senior Teaching Award: Maria Lewis, associate professor of education (educational leadership), Department of Education Policy Studies.
Lewis’ teaching portfolio includes courses spanning respective EDLDR programs across undergrad, master’s, and doctoral levels, and delivered in online asynchronous, hybrid (synchronous + asynchronous), and in-person modalities. In her nine years of service, Lewis has taught: 476: The Teacher and the Law (in-person); 565: Human Resources Leadership (hybrid); and 530: Leadership for Inclusive Education (online). Additionally, she has authored and taught: 831: Leadership for Equity and Diversity (online); 531: Research on Leadership for Equity and Diversity (in-person); 576: The Law in Education (hybrid); and 876: The Law in Education for Education Leaders (online).
In keeping with the college mission, Lewis skillfully uses educational tools, systems and processes to integrate teaching and learning for complex problem solving, while maintaining a caring, inclusive and supportive classroom environment, both online and in person.
Lewis’ nominator wrote: “Maria Lewis doesn’t just teach. Rather, she nurtures, she advises, she inspires, she shifts conventional perspectives, and she informs how aspiring leaders shape their practice as well as how future scholars engage in their research. Each student comes away having felt seen, heard, and inspired ... and with Lewis, they’re also sure to come away challenged in their pre-existing notions of what equitable and socially just education and leadership in education look like. In Dr. Lewis’ classes, students not only come away with better developed educational practices, but they also come away as better human beings.”
Outstanding Junior Teaching Award: Tanner Vea, assistant professor of education (learning, design and technology), Department of Learning and Performance Systems.
Vea is investing in creating new curriculum that will serve the future of the Learning, Design and Technology (LDT) program. They created a new course for LDT’s online M.Ed. (master of education) students focused on ethics and equity of educational technologies, called “Learning Technologies for Good and Evil.” This course has helped to expand the curriculum of the master’s program to include a more critical and equity-focused perspectives on educational technology.
Vea also developed a new doctoral seminar course, "Power, Politics, and Equity in Learning Environment," which has helped modernize and expand the equity perspectives within the doctoral curriculum in LDT. They are also working to help expand enrollments at the undergraduate level by creating a new undergraduate course on Advanced Learning Experience Design Lab which is a capstone for a new undergraduate minor in LDT. In all three cases, Vea created the new curriculum and shepherded the process through curriculum affairs.
Vea’s nominator wrote: “One thing that sets Dr. Vea apart as a teacher is a deep commitment and concern for students’ wellness, sense of community, and growth. In fact, during the first year of the (COVID-19) pandemic when many graduate courses were being held remotely, Dr. Vea met with doctoral students to listen to their needs and concerns. It was clear the students needed more community with each other and with faculty, so Dr. Vea volunteered to co-lead a one-credit doctoral seminar. For some of the students enrolled, it was the only course that year where they actually met with an instructor face-to-face following the shutdown.”
Outstanding Staff Award: Wendy Williams, administrative support coordinator, Dean’s Office.
Williams serves as the primary staff member providing support for all faculty affairs processes (including promotion and tenure, annual evaluations, sabbatical, faculty searches and hiring, new faculty orientation, faculty development events, teaching assessment, etc.). Because these important processes impact almost 200 full-time faculty members across four departments in the college, Wendy interacts with a large number of faculty, staff and administrators on a daily basis. She ensures that all processes run according to policy, due dates are met, and people (faculty, staff, department heads, and the dean) have the information and support they need.
Williams’ nominator wrote: “There are many things that Wendy does that make her stand out as an exceptional staff member, and what I feel is really important for me to emphasize here is the extent to which Wendy takes time to make a concerted effort with everything that she does, even in the face of a heavy workload, competing deadlines, and constant demands on her attention. She is always available to help think through a problem or figure out how to respond to a challenge. Her outstanding work ethic is matched with a great sense of humor and positive attitude. I believe that one reason Wendy is so competent is that she consistently pushes herself to improve her skills and expand her knowledge in all areas of her work. Her commitment to ongoing learning is also a reason that she fits so well in our community. She takes advantage of opportunities for her own learning, and she provides parallel opportunities for those around her. Over the past several years, she has offered numerous opportunities to learn about faculty affairs processes and policies. Through her work, Wendy shows her unwavering care and dedication to the people of the college.”
Climate Enhancement Award (Staff): Tami Hinish, events and operations coordinator, Operations Department.
Hinish plans and executes all of college-wide events, such as the "Welcome Back" picnic, ice cream social, all college meeting and the winter party. Additionally, she plans and executes various departmental events such as the Faculty Tenure and Promotion reception, faculty retreats, AERA reception, etc. Hinish has been involved with the Staff Advisory Council for the past two years. This year she has been the treasurer as well as co-chair of the events committee.
Hinish maintains schedules for various conference rooms and departmental rooms in Chambers Building, supervises the scheduling of the Krause Innovation Studio, and recently was given the responsibility of supervising the Krause Innovation Student Workers. She performs all administrative tasks including purchasing for the Operations Department as well as Carrera Education Technology Center (CETC) and Human Resources. She serves on various committees such as the Safety Committee and Centennial Committee.
Hinish’s nominator wrote: “Tami has been a pivotal member of the college focused on re-igniting community and forwarding our mission and brand through every activity she engages. One example of the work she stewards is focal to staff, identifying and building engagements that demonstrate the value we have for the backbone workforce of the college. Whether it is monthly BINGO, potluck competitions, or summer solstice barbecues, I am confident our staff feel seen and recognized for their tireless work. This same approach has worked to refresh our college-level events creating a new spark and energy among those that partake. Finally, there is no event too large or too small for Tami’s detailed care. Department, units, alumni relations and development, and OESE (to name a few) have benefited from Tami’s expertise and constant efforts to fill our broader college with joy. I cannot think of a corner of the college she has not touched. Tami serves as a true inspiration for how we embrace our community and celebrate our successes together.”
Climate Enhancement Award (Faculty): Michelle Knotts, associate teaching professor of education (secondary education and English), Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Knotts is in her third year as co-chair of the Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee (DCEC). In this role she has spearheaded several initiatives which have greatly improved the climate of the College of Education. Perhaps most notably, Knotts started the Community in Conversation series in collaboration with staff and graduate students. Meetings began over Zoom in 2020 and continue monthly. Each Community in Conversation meeting is grounded by a shared text (articles, films, websites, etc.) which addresses some aspect of inclusion, equity and social or racial justice. Knotts provides guiding discussion questions for the group. Recent topics included "Black Lives Matter at School," Native American Heritage Month at Penn State, gender-inclusive language, and free speech at the University.
As co-chair of the DCEC, Knotts also serves on the Equity Team and the Equity Coalition. Her work with these groups led to the Equity First Academy, an initiative that included collaborative professional development workshops on equity-related topics. The workshops were prepared and facilitated by Knotts in collaboration with faculty members Elizabeth Smolcic, Seria Chatters and Efraín Marímon. Equity First Academy grew into an initiative to make equity foundational in First Year Seminar, and ultimately the workshops developed for Equity First Academy were offered to first-year seminar instructors across the University.
Knotts’ nominator wrote: “Dr. Knotts actively pursues opportunities to bring together members of the College of Education community around issues of diversity and inclusion. Dr. Knotts is fully committed to making the College of Education a more inclusive place for everyone, and she works toward making that dream a reality every day. As a result of Dr. Knotts’ work, members of the COE community are talking about topics and concerns which encourage us to engage in more humanizing, inclusive ways of being with and speaking to each other.”
Graduate Student Recognition Award: Beth Howd, doctoral student in educational theory and policy.
Howd has been accepted to two national competitive-entry workshops — the 2023 Sandra K. Abell Institute for Doctoral Students Fellowship through the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and the 2023 David L. Clark National Graduate Student Research Seminar in Education Administration and Policy Scholar through University Council of Educational Administrators. Howd was also a critical team member for a study funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, “Analyzing the Effects of COVID-19 on Educational Equity in Rural Pennsylvania School Districts.” She was a co-author of the final report.
Howd’s dissertation, “Changing Science Education Standards,” explores why science education was dramatically re-imagined twice in a two-decade period: beginning with the introduction of the National Education Science Standards in 1996 and then through the overhaul of those standards, culminating in the Next Generation Science Standards in 2013.
Howd’s nominator wrote: “Beth is a remarkable individual. She is a gifted and motivated scholar, a strong intellect, and an outstanding (and highly sought after) instructor. Beth is undertaking a creative and nuanced dissertation; her study on the significant shifts in science education policy is certain to offer a strong contribution to the field. I have served as Beth’s adviser since her arrival at Penn State in 2019. Beth is one of the strongest doctoral students I have worked with in my 25 years at Penn State. Already a seasoned educator when she arrived in our doctoral program — she spent over 15 years as a high school science teacher — Beth hit the ground running in graduate school.”
Undergraduate Award for Student Leadership and Service: Gabriella Achampong, education and public policy.
Achampong serves as president of the Unity Christian Campus Ministry, where she also serves as worship coordinator and a member of the gospel choir. She is also a member of the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Student Association. With the goal of being a civil rights attorney, Achampong recently learned that she was accepted to Harvard Law School.
Achampong’s nominator wrote: “As a testament to Gabriella's promise as a scholar and professional, I asked Gabriella if she was interested in working as my research assistant, a position she has held since the Summer of 2022. In this role, Gabriella consistently exemplifies impressive organizational skills, strong writing abilities, maturity, and she takes on new challenges with enthusiasm. She is a thoughtful collaborator and regularly comes to our meetings with questions and insightful analysis. As an undergraduate student, Gabriella has taken on all tasks that a graduate or law student research assistant would take on and she has excelled in all aspects of the work that she has done with me. She has worked on multiple research teams with me and for each project, she has proactively taken on leadership roles.
"In addition to written work, Gabriella has presented at the Education Law Association's Annual Conference with me. Our presentation, titled 'An Examination of Legislation, Litigation, and Policies that Implicate Racial Equity in Schools,' was well-attended and Gabriella fielded questions from the audience with confidence and precision. Following the presentation, many colleagues reached out to share how impressed they were with Gabriella's presentation and knowledge of the law. This was particularly noteworthy since she was a junior in college at the time and many questions were coming from practicing attorneys and professors who have been doing this work for many years.
"Service is a core feature of Gabriella's values and contributions not only to the university but society more broadly. ... She has a firm commitment to dismantling systemic oppression and promoting racial justice. Her work record and career aspirations solidly reflect this commitment.
"Overall, Gabriella has stood out not only as the top student in my Teacher and the Law course but one of the most impressive students I've encountered during my entire 8 years at Penn State. In her time as a student, she has made a significant impact on the classroom experience for her peers and has made a significant contribution to critical areas of research. Based on my experiences working with Gabriella, I have no doubt she is going to be a changemaker and an impactful leader in education and civil rights.”