NEA Business Notes: A-State hosted 32nd annual Distinguished Performance Awards

The 32nd annual Distinguished Performance Awards at Arkansas State University were presented to six staff members and one staff group for excellence in a department or team.

The annual campus ceremony for non-faculty employees was conducted by members of the Staff Senate. The recognitions were presented by members of the award committee: Angela Daniels, Tiffany Mosley and Ian Buchanan.

The Distinguished Performance Award recipients are:

• Enhancing the Student Experience — Rasheda Hamilton, transition studies coordinator, University College

• STAR (Service, Teamwork, Attitude, Reliability) — Prathima Pattada, program director of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute

• Unsung Hero — Phareta Calkin, institutional printer, printing services

• Team Player — Kyle Walker, director of learning support services, University College

• Rookie of the Year — J. Jagriti, Higher Education Institution (HEI) programs coordinator, Graduate School

• Outstanding Part-Time Award — Jacob Short, personal trainer and group fitness coach at Red Wolf Wellness

• Team Achievement Award — Office of Residence Life.

 

Meyer Named WBU’s Graduate MAT Student Award Winner

The Williams Baptist University Graduate School has named Drew Meyer the recipient of this year’s Graduate MAT Student Award, recognizing his resilience, academic excellence and meaningful contributions to both the classroom and athletics.

Meyer’s path to the classroom and the ballfield wound through the dugouts of Williams Baptist University, across military service, through third-shift factory work, and up power poles as a lineman providing for a family of seven. Now, that journey has earned him one of WBU’s top honors.

After beginning his journey at WBU as a student-athlete, Meyer served in the military, returned to complete his degree in criminal justice, and later enrolled in WBU’s master of arts in teaching program. With five daughters and a career as a lineman, he made the decision to pause his graduate studies to keep his family first.

At an end-of-year volleyball banquet, Meyer mentioned to faculty that his dream was to become a full-time teacher and baseball coach. A school superintendent contacted WBU the next morning in search of a qualified coach.

Within days, Meyer passed his Praxis exam, re-enrolled in the MAT program, and was hired as an elementary physical education teacher, assistant baseball coach and assistant girls basketball coach at Lawrence County School District. Earlier this spring, he helped lead the Walnut Ridge High School baseball team to a conference championship.  

 

Dr. Zachary Singleton Delivers Higher Ed Presentation

Black River Technical College (BRTC) Academic Advisor and ADA Coordinator Dr. Zachary Singleton attended the Arkansas Associate on Higher Education and Disability (Ark-AHEAD) Spring 2025 conference in Fairfield Bay.

Singleton gave a presentation entitled “Past, Present, and Future of Accommodation Services.” The presentation covered the development of accommodation services from the past to present and how they could develop going into the future. Singleton said the presentation allowed for excellent interaction on what the future might hold for accommodation services.

According to arkahead.org, Ark-AHEAD is an organization for professionals working with people with disabilities in postsecondary education settings in Arkansas. Ark-AHEAD plays a role in the provision of professional development and networking opportunities. They strive to respond to the rapid changes in the law and accommodation practices, the isolation felt by many disability coordinators, and the dual roles that many professionals serve. Memberships are formed from postsecondary schools: public, private, two-year, four-year, graduate, and vocational-technical colleges. Ark-AHEAD members unite in their common needs and concerns in service to students with disabilities.

 

Students Win Awards at Southwestern Association of Parasitologists Annual Meeting

Students and faculty associated with the Department of Biological Sciences at Arkansas State University recorded several achievements at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Association of Parasitologists, held in Kingston, Okla.

Representing a range of degree programs, the team included Maria Bollinger of Stillwater, Okla., master’s student in biological sciences, poster presenter; Taylor Fiedor of O’Kean, doctoral student in environmental sciences, oral presenter; Renee Pye of Sheridan, bachelor’s degree pre-professional biological sciences student, attendee; Zach Campbell of Paragould, doctoral student in environmental sciences, oral presenter; Sam Messinides of Camden, S.C., doctoral student in molecular biosciences, oral presenter; and Dr. Kyle Gustafson, assistant professor of biology and principal investigator.

Fiedor and Pye each earned competitive research grants for their ongoing work on coccidia parasites. Messinides received a student presentation award for his talk on the phylogeny of trematode parasites. In addition to the student achievements, Gustafson was elected as president-elect of the association. Following the team’s return, Campbell was awarded a research grant from the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust to support his dissertation work on public attitudes toward conservation strategies.

 

Amber Yates Named 2025 R.E. Lee Wilson Award Winner

Amber Yates of Salem was named the 2025 R.E. Lee Wilson Award winner at the Distinguished Service and Wilson Award dinner tonight at Cooper Alumni Center. This is the 92nd year that the Wilson Award, Arkansas State University’s highest award to a graduating student, has been presented.

The award was presented to Yates by Perry Wilson, the award namesake’s great-great-grandson. Yates, a communication studies major in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, graduated from A-State in December. She is one of six exceptional students chosen to be a Distinguished Service Award (DSA) winner. All six nominees for the Wilson Award were honored at the ceremony.

Other DSA honorees included Elizabeth England of Piedmont, Mo.; Rachel Mooneyham of Jonesboro; Sabrina Pierce of Maumelle; Braden M. Ross of Nashville, Ark.; and Jonathan Schaufler of Salem.

In her time at A-State, Yates wore many hats in addition to her studies which included resurrecting Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., an organization that had not been part of campus Greek life for 16 years.   

 

FNBC Promotes Crabtree To Mortgage Loan Originator In Sharp County

Karrigan Crabtree has been promoted to mortgage loan originator in FNBC’s Sharp County market, according to David Norris, senior vice president for mortgage lending.  

In this new role, Crabtree will work with customers through the mortgage lending process, from initial pre-approval to closing. She will assist clients with identifying the loan programs that best fit their needs, managing required documentation, and ensuring a smooth and transparent experience from start to finish.

Crabtree joined FNBC in 2022 as a consumer relationship manager based in the Highland office. She holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Arkansas State University Newport and graduated with her bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University this last May.

 

Waldrum Named Rural Advocate Of The Year

Joe Waldrum has been named Rural Advocate of the Year. The award was presented during the Arkansas Rural Development Conference, hosted by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Division of Rural Services and the Arkansas Rural Development Commission. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership and dedication to improving the lives of people in rural Arkansas communities.

Waldrum began his 39-year career with the Cooperative Extension Service in 1976. He served Arkansas farmers and rural communities through many extension roles — as a soybean specialist, a pesticide assessment specialist, state agriculture leader, assistant director of community and economic development, and director of Leadership Arkansas, better known as LeadAR.

From 1994-2015, Waldrum directed the LeadAR program, cultivating new generations of rural leaders who continue to make a difference in their communities. Modeled after the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s leadership program, LeadAR brings together people from all areas of the state and prepares them to assume greater leadership responsibilities and bring about positive change in their communities. Participants improve their ability to work with others and connect with people and resources that can help them make a difference.

Graduates leave the 18-month program with a deeper understanding of social, economic and political systems to effectively bring about change, and they hone their critical thinking and decision-making skills to become better citizens and leaders.

Since its founding in 1984, more than 500 Arkansans have graduated from LeadAR.