The College of Education and Health Professions recently named the 2025 Staff Service Award winners.

The college's Staff Council selects award winners each year from a pool of peer-submitted nominations, which outline the nominees' outstanding qualities and achievements.

"Each of these award winners consistently goes above and beyond for our college," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. "I'm excited to recognize these staff members who demonstrate exceptional service, mentorship and leadership to our college, campus and broader community."

The following awardees will be recognized alongside the college's faculty award winners at an end-of-year, all-college meeting on May 2.

John Bacon
Excellence in Mentorship Award

As executive director of the IMPACT Arkansas Principal Fellowship Program, Bacon advocates for improving educational opportunities and outcomes for students across Arkansas. He strongly believes that one of the most effective ways to accomplish this is by ensuring school leaders, particularly for schools serving the highest-need populations, are ready to lead from their first day on the job. Having served more than 24 years as a K-12 school and district administrator, Bacon relies on his knowledge, experiences and connections to provide support for each cohort of IMPACT Fellows, ensuring their learning experiences focus on authentic, job-embedded activities. Bacon's favorite aspect of his job is the opportunity to travel the state for on-site mentoring visits with each fellow twice annually so that coaching and support can be matched with each fellow's individual school needs.

Denise Bignar
Distinguished Staff Leader Award

Bignar serves as the assistant dean for academic services in the College of Education and Health Professions. She has dedicated over 20 years of service to the U of A, playing an essential role in supporting undergraduate student success. Since 2006, she has overseen undergraduate degree clearances, designated graduation honors and coordinated critical academic processes, including program modification petitions, appeals and enrollment overrides. Bignar also verifies course selections for athletic and veteran certifications and tracks degree completion progress. In 2021, her role expanded to include serving as the college's academic integrity monitor. She collaborates closely with the associate dean for academic and student affairs to update program and course information for the undergraduate catalog and guides faculty and staff on college policies related to student issues. Widely recognized as the vital "link" between the college's student services operations and the Dean's Office, Bignar works across campus offices to resolve academic concerns with care and expertise. Her tireless and selfless service over the last two decades has left a lasting impact on the college.

Jenny Dura
Excellence in Service Award

Dura serves as the early childhood training adviser manager for Early Care and Education Projects (ECEP) and has been a member of the team since 2013. She oversees the research and development of early childhood professional development programs, manages and supervises the training of advisers and provides coaching to both trainers and participants in the field. Throughout her career with ECEP, Dura has played a role in advancing ECEP's mission to educate, connect and empower early childhood professionals through strategic partnerships and advocacy efforts. She has represented both the U of A and ECEP at key conferences and collaborated with prominent organizations to enhance early childhood education standards at the state level.

Kristen Hartung
Emerging Staff Leader Award

Hartung is a research advancement specialist in the College of Education and Health Professions, where she has built a reputation as a rising leader in research administration. In nearly 12 years with the university, including the last three in her current role, Hartung has submitted over 200 research proposals, driving significant growth within the college. She currently serves as chair of the college's Staff Council and participates in the university's Pre-Award Working Committee, helping to identify and promote best practices across departmental and central research offices. Recognized nationally for her leadership, Hartung was recently awarded one of two scholarships from the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), and she will present on the importance of early engagement with faculty at NCURA's annual conference in April. As an advocate for advancing research excellence, supporting faculty success and mentoring the next generation of research leaders, she is pursuing her Master of Research Administration at the University of Central Florida.

Casey Kraichoke
Excellence in Service Award

In her role as the assistant director of pre-professional advising and graduate school readiness, Kraichoke advises a wide variety of students, including Honors upperclassmen and students in the exercise science, public health, curriculum and instruction, physical education, athletic training and recreation and sport management accelerated master's programs. She also advises all students interested in pursuing a pre-professional path. She is the pre-physical therapy and pre-physician assistant RSO staff adviser and guides students on prerequisites and supplemental application requirements for physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical school and other allied health and education graduate programs. Kraichoke is the advising liaison for the communication sciences and disorders program, leading application information sessions and overseeing the undergraduate application process. Additionally, she acts as the college's liaison with the Graduate School and International Education, serving as a resource for admission and recruitment needs with a focus on the joint U of A/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences occupational therapy program.

Jamie Powell
Excellence in Mentorship Award

Powell serves as the director of novice teacher coaching with the Arkansas Teacher Corps (ATC), mentoring both coaches and novice teachers primarily in the Arkansas Delta. She leads coaching professional learning communities, supports coaches with ATC Fellows in high-needs situations and develops mentors for the ATC Summer Institute. Over the past year, Powell has streamlined the support plan process for struggling fellows and redesigned the mentor development arc to align with ATC's priorities, focusing on high-quality instructional materials and meeting the requirements to become AR Experienced Mentor Teachers. This year, she is especially proud of the summer mentor team (composed entirely of current fellows) that will support nearly 50 new teachers at the upcoming Summer Institute. Nneka Love, a former member of Powell's mentor team now excelling as a full-time ATC coach, said, "Jamie's unwavering commitment and continued support to developing and fostering a culture for mentoring has allowed those under her leadership to thrive and lead with confidence. She empowers others to reach their individual potential and nurtures mentors through growth and leadership development."

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About the College of Education and Health Professions: The College of Education and Health Professions' six departments prepare students for a wide range of careers in education and health, including teaching, nursing, counseling, educational leadership and policy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, public health, exercise science, and many more. The college has approximately 360 faculty and staff members, serves over 6,000 students, and supports over 20 research and service units. Guided by the WE CARE strategic plan, the college strives to advance impactful research that improves people's lives, increase transformative learning opportunities for its students, engage in meaningful partnerships across Arkansas and beyond, and embrace a culture of caring that empowers people to thrive in all aspects of life.