College of Education and Health Professions Celebrates 'Heroic' Alumni at Awards Banquet

The College of Education and Health Professions celebrated 12 "heroic" alumni at its spring awards banquet.

Dean Kate Mamiseishvili called them heroic based on the definition from a collection of short stories by acclaimed children's book authors called The Hero Next Door. The book includes powerful stories that highlight everyday heroes, describing them as "ordinary people who do extraordinary things and the individuals who just might be magic … the risk-takers, the friend-makers, the dreamers and doers."

Mamiseishvili told the crowd at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House that this definition of a hero "perfectly captures the spirit" of the college's alumni awardees.

"Our alumni heroes take risks, like Angela Watson, who took a leap of faith and returned to school after a 20-year career in a different field to pursue a Ph.D. in education policy. They become friend-makers like Nathan Morris, who has built a culture of strong friendships and relationships through innovative character education programming, which has led to better student achievement and community across his entire school district," she said.

"Our alumni heroes are doers, like Kurt Andrews, who  jumps into action in the middle of the night when his athlete is hurt and develops a medical plan for them even when he is thousands of miles away. They are dreamers, like Lori Frost, who, frustrated by the lack of strategies to help nonverbal children with autism communicate, dreamed big of developing a better system that would revolutionize how therapists and children communicate."

The evening was a celebration of these alumni heroes who have always brought "magic" to their research, teaching, leadership or public service. Each alum was invited onstage to receive their award after a video featuring photos and excerpts from an interview about their lives and careers played. As the videos illustrated, these everyday heroes have opened doors to brighter futures, more educational opportunities and a better quality of life for numerous individuals and communities around them. 

Each awardee expressed their humility at receiving the honor. Their short thank-you speeches elicited laughter and tears from the audience, which included awardees' family and friends and esteemed members of the U of A leadership team.

The first six awards were presented to outstanding alumni from the college's five departments and the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. (Details about each departmental award winner can be found in a previously published story.)

The 2026 departmental alumni award winners are:

• Department of Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy: Lindsey Gabbard, founder of Branded Equine Based Therapy Services, a nonprofit that serves individuals, families, veterans and first responders through equine-based therapy, education and wild horse adoption programs.
• Department of Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods: Gigi Secuban, vice president for inclusive excellence and belonging at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, and a nationally recognized leader in student success and institutional transformation. 
• Department of Curriculum and Instruction: Susan "Toni" Lockhart, assistant principal at Sutton Elementary School in Fort Smith and a veteran educational leader with more than 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, consultant and school administrator.
• Department of Education Reform: Angela R. Watson, a senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and an assistant research professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education.
• Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation: Katie Babcock, head athletic trainer of the Memphis Grizzlies, who has traveled and volunteered across the globe, including serving as the athletic trainer for the South Sudan Women's National Basketball Team and volunteering with Basketball Without Borders Asia 2025 in Singapore. 
• Eleanor Mann School of Nursing: Samantha Crouch, a certified nurse-midwife, fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, international board-certified lactation consultant and assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Following the departmental awards, Mamiseishvili announced college-wide recipients:

• Distinguished Public Service Award: Tim Lampkin, founder and executive director of the Higher Purpose Hub (HPH), a regional economic opportunity nonprofit dedicated to serving the Mississippi Delta. 
• Distinguished Career in Education Award: Nathan Morris, superintendent of the Cross County School District in Cherry Valley who, in his 27th year in education, was named the 2026 Superintendent of the Year. 
• Distinguished Career in Health Award: Lori Frost, an internationally recognized speech-language pathologist dedicated to advancing meaningful communication for individuals with autism and related developmental challenges.
• Emerging Leader in Education Award: Matthew Holden, a science teacher at Fayetteville High School who implements engaging, real-world lessons in his classroom and provides students with opportunities to learn through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, municipalities and universities, as well as facilitating international scientific research trips for students every summer.
• Emerging Leader in Health Award: Kurt Andrews, director of sports medicine for Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City, where he leads the medical operations supporting players and staff across the organization.

The last award of the evening — the Dean's Circle of Care  — was presented to Susan Patton, who has dedicated her career to advancing nursing practice, education and leadership. 

During Patton's acceptance speech, she framed her life and career in terms of educational opportunity and impact, how a liberal arts education provided her the foundation to solve "wicked problems" in nursing and the necessity of giving back.

After Mamiseishvili thanked Patton for all she has done for the college and the community, she concluded the event with these parting words: "Congratulations again to all our alumni award recipients. Thank you for taking risks, making friends, dreaming boldly and working tirelessly. And thank you, everyone, for bringing your magic to this beautiful celebration and for being part of our community filled with risk-takers, friend-makers, dreamers and doers."