College of Education and Health Professions Announces 2026 Staff Awardees

The College of Education and Health Professions recently announced the winners of its 2026 Staff Awards.

The college's Staff Council selects these recipients from a pool of peer-submitted nominations, which outline each nominee's outstanding qualities and achievements.

"These incredible staff members are at the heart of our success," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. "They represent the very best of what makes our college so special, and I am grateful for their passion, hard work, positive attitude, and exceptional performance."

The following awardees will be recognized alongside the college's faculty award winners at its end-of-year, all-college meeting on May 1.

The winners are:

Excellence in Service Award

Jennifer Williams, Office of Innovation for Education
Williams has been a dedicated member of the U of A community since 2008, contributing her expertise across two research units within the College of Education and Health Professions. Since 2014, she has served as office manager for the Office of Innovation for Education (OIE), overseeing all aspects of the office's operations. She plays a central role in advancing the OIE mission by coordinating key initiatives and managing daily operations effectively. Her efforts to secure and sustain grant funding further strengthen OIE's impact. Her leadership, attention to detail and commitment to excellence have been key to OIE's success. Through her exceptional service, she sets a high standard that inspires quality, consistency and continued progress.

Excellence in Service Award 

Joanna Evans, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
Evans serves as the administrative specialist for the online undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, supporting clinical education operations. She oversees affiliation agreements across all programs to ensure strong partnerships with clinical sites and sufficient placement opportunities for all students. In addition, she oversees the clinical placement process for the Online BSN program, ensuring placements align with both program requirements and students' timelines. Evans has contributed to the development and integration of new systems for both affiliation and clinical placement processes. Through a commitment to collaboration and problem-solving, she helps ensure a consistent and supportive experience for students navigating their clinical education.

Excellence in Mentorship Award

Paryn Browning, Boyer Center for Student Services
Browning is an academic advisor in the Boyer Center for Student Services, where she supports students through individualized academic planning, orientation programming and ongoing retention initiatives. Browning holds a bachelor's in public health with a minor in social work from the U of A. She brings extensive experience in student services, having previously served as a school certifying official in the Veterans and Military‑Affiliated Student Center and in multiple administrative roles within University Housing. Browning's work emphasizes student advocacy, departmental and cross‑campus collaboration, and compliance with institutional and federal policies. Recognized for her dedication to mentorship and care‑centered service, she has received the Excellence in Mentorship Award, the WE CARE Round of Applause Award, and University Housing's Residence Education Employee of the Month. She is passionate about fostering student success and creating supportive learning environments.

Excellence in Mentorship Award

Crystal Beshears Duncan, Office of Innovation for Education
Beshears Duncan brings 28 years of experience across K-12 and higher education to her work supporting educators and systems across Arkansas. A former high school teacher and curriculum and instruction director, she now leads innovation initiatives at the Office of Innovation for Education, where her work spans rethinking school and learning, coaching, team development, stakeholder building and educator effectiveness. A cognitive coaching training associate, Duncan is known for her ability to sit with teachers and leaders in the complexity of their work — asking the right questions, creating space for reflection and building the conditions where growth is possible. She is also a yoga instructor whose practice deepens her commitment to the whole person, not just the professional. Outside of work, Duncan is an enthusiastic world traveler and a proud mom and grandmom — reminders, she would say, of exactly why this work matters.

Emerging Staff Leader Award

Crystal Evans, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
Evans provides operational and administrative support to the six academic programs within the Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods (CLRM). She oversees daily office operations, personnel processes, and administrative functions supporting faculty, staff, adjunct instructors and graduate assistants. Her primary responsibilities include managing course scheduling, maintaining departmental records, coordinating room reservations, and leading internal communications, including a weekly newsletter. As the department's primary point of contact, Evans manages phone, email and in-person inquiries while fostering a welcoming environment. In collaboration with leadership, she supports key processes such as graduate faculty applications, faculty workload preparation, annual reports, evaluations, promotion and tenure and departmental awards. She also assists with meeting preparation and documentation. Additionally, Evans supports faculty with grants and accreditation efforts, including program reviews and site visit preparation. With over eight years at the university, including nearly three years in CLRM, she actively contributes to staff engagement and community-building initiatives.

Distinguished Staff Leader Award

Dani McCool, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
McCool serves as the clinical operations manager for the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. In this role, she leads clinical operations that support both pre-licensure and online undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. McCool oversees clinical placements, compliance processes, and scheduling while managing a team that coordinates the complex logistics required for students to complete required clinical experiences. She works closely with faculty, healthcare partners and university leadership to ensure high-quality clinical learning opportunities and maintain strong relationships with clinical agencies throughout the region. McCool is known for her collaborative leadership and her ability to develop efficient systems that support students, faculty and staff. Through her dedication, strategic oversight and commitment to excellence, she has strengthened clinical operations and enhanced the overall effectiveness and growth of the nursing programs.