Celebration of Faculty Excellence Recognizes A&T’s Outstanding Professionals

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 25, 2021) – Dozens of faculty and other academic professionals were recognized in a streamed “Celebration of Faculty Excellence” today at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for exceptional work during the 2020-21 and 2019-20 school years. 

The coronavirus pandemic prevented the celebration from taking place in the 2019-20 school year and dictated that this year’s event be conducted virtually. North Carolina A&T academic leaders opted to recognize both years’ winners in a single ceremony that shone a spotlight on an abundance of accomplishments in colleges and departments across campus. 

The ceremony is available in its entirety here on YouTube.

“Our faculty and academic staff go above and beyond, year in and year out, and their work creates an environment of excellence for our students and our university,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Beryl C. McEwen. “We are always grateful for the chance to pause and applaud our colleagues’ excellence and exemplary service. We’re very proud of the positive impact they have in the lives of our students.” 

In addition to the recognition of award winners, promotions and faculty who were awarded tenure, viewers heard keynote remarks from Fay Cobb Payton, Ph.D., a professor of Information Technology/Analytics at North Carolina State University and a University Faculty Scholar for her leadership in turning research into solutions to society's most pressing issues. 

2020-21 Awards and Award Winners
Teaching Awards

• 2021 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence In Teaching: Comfort Okpala, professor of Leadership Studies and Adult Education, College of Education
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics: Mark Burkey, professor of Economics
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the College of Education: Comfort Okpala, professor of Leadership Studies and Adult Education
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the College of Engineering: Ahmed Megri, associate professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences: Deana Melton, associate professor of Kinesiology
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the College of Science and Technology: Nicholas Luke, associate professor of Mathematics and Statistics
• Outstanding Teacher of The Year for the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering: Lifeng Zhang, associate professor of Nanoengineering
• Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award: Andrea Ofori-Boadu, assistant professor of Built Environment, College of Science and Technology
• Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award: Jared Webb, assistant professor of Educator Preparation, College of Education
• Non-Tenure Track Outstanding Teaching Professor Award: Cailisha Petty, assistant professor of Educator Preparation, College of Education

Advising Awards

• Outstanding Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty): Ahmed Megri, associate professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Outstanding Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional): Amy Anderson, academic counselor/lecturer, Center for Academic Excellence
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Engineering: Ahmed Megri, associate professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: Marissa Dick, lecturer, Liberal Studies
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the Center for Academic Excellence: Amy Anderson, academic counselor/lecturer
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Tonia Hamilton, retention advisor, Center for Academic Excellence
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the College of Engineering: Amanda Hughes, student services specialist, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Community Engagement

• Community Engaged Teaching Award: Kim Smith, associate professor, Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Community Engaged Research Award: Karen T. Jackson, assistant professor, Leadership Studies and Adult Education, College of Education

Thesis and Dissertation Advisors

• 2021 Advisor to the Recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award: Guibing Chen, assistant research professor, Center of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
  • Si Zhu, Ph.D., College of Science & Technology. Program: Ph.D. in Energy & Environmental Systems. Dissertation Title: “Kinetic modeling of microbial inactivation in foods: model development, parameter estimation, and application in process design.”            
• 2021 Advisor to the Recipient of the Outstanding Thesis Award: Arvind Chandrasekaran, assistant professor, Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering, College of Engineering
  • Vikram Surendran, College of Engineering. Program: M.S. in Bioengineering. Thesis Title: “Tumor-Immune Microenvironment (TIME)-on-Chip: A Novel Hybrid-integrated Device Mimics Three-dimensional Neutrophil-Tumor Dynamics and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Formation.

Research Awards

• Senior Researcher of the Year: Salam Ibrahim, research professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Outstanding Young Investigator: Bishnu Bastakoti, assistant professor, Chemistry, College of Science and Technology
• Rookie of the Year: Reza Zadegan, assistant professor, Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
• Intellectual Property: Hyoshin Park, assistant professor, Computational Data Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
• Interdisciplinary Team: Sustainable Materials Research Team; Lifeng Zhang, Ajit Kelkar, Abolghasem Shahbazi, and Lijun Wang
• Interdisciplinary Team: Food-Energy-Water Team; Manoj Jha, Chyi Lyi "Kathleen" Liang, Lyubov Kurkalova, Leila Hashemi Beni, Greg Monty and Timothy Mulrooney (of N.C. Central University)

Patents Awarded in 2019

• Mannur Sundaresan, professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. U.S. Patent No. 10,546,207, “Normalized Defect Characterization of Pulse Thermographic Nondestructive Evaluation.”
• Hyoshin "John" Park, assistant professor, Computational Data Science and Engineering, College of Engineering. U.S. Patent No. 10,743,198, “Anticipator Dynamic Traffic Sensor Location Problems with Connected Vehicle Technologies.”

Undergraduate Research Mentor

• Provost's Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring: Antoniette Maldonado-Devincci, assistant professor, Psychology, John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences

Promotion and Tenure
(Effective July 1, 2021)

• Chastity Warren-English, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Michael Brooks, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Counseling, College of Education
• Manoj Jha, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Mohd Anwar, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering
• Paul Stanfield, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
• Sun Yi, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Uchenna Anele, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Yewande Fasina, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Kimberly Harper, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, English, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Amy Schwartzott, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Visual and Performing Arts, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Andrea Ofori-Boadu, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Built Environment, College of Science and Technology
• Evelyn Sowells-Boone, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Computer Systems Technology, College of Science and Technology
• Adelle Bish, associate professor, tenured, Management, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
• Subrata Chakrabarty, full Professor, tenured, Management, Willie A Deese College of Business and Economics

Post-Tenure Review: Exceeds Expectations

• Osei Yeboah, professor, Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, College of  Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Radiah Minor, associate professor, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Jenora Waterman, associate professor, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Lijun Wang, professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Design, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Guochen Yang, professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Design, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Valerie Nieman, associate professor, English, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Faye Spencer-Maor, professor, English, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Shamsuddin Ilias, professor, Chemical, Biological, and Bioengineering, College of Engineering 
• Albert Esterline, associate professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering
• Abdollah Homaifar, professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• Phyllis Ford Booker, associate professor, Psychology, John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences
• Shanthi Iyer, professor, Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
• Perpetua Muganda, professor, Biology, College of Science and Technology
• Roy Coomans, associate professor, Biology, College of Science and Technology
• Etta Gravely, associate professor, Chemistry, College of Science and Technology
• Marion Franks, associate professor, Chemistry, College of Science and Technology
• Yuh-Lang Lin, professor, Physics, College of Science and Technology
• Ashot Gasparian, professor, Physics, College of Science and Technology

2019-20 Awards and Award Winners 

Teaching Awards

• 2020 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching: Jenora Waterman, associate professor, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Jenora Waterman, associate professor, Animal Sciences
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the Willie A Deese College of Business and Economics: Mark Burkey, professor, Economics
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: Kimberly Smith, associate professor, Journalism and Mass Communication
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the College of Engineering: Manoj Jha, associate professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year for the College of Science and Technology: Jian (Jessica) Han, associate professor, Biology
• Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award: Brian Williams, assistant professor, Educator Preparation, College of Education
• Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award: Yi Cai, assistant professor, Applied Engineering Technology, College of Science and Technology

Advising Awards

• Outstanding Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty): Elizabeth Hopfer, associate professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Outstanding Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional): Antja Caldwell, academic advisor/lecturer, Center for Academic Excellence
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Elizabeth Hopfer, associate professor, Family and Consumer Sciences
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics: Roland Leak, associate professor, Marketing & Supply Chain Management
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Engineering: Salil Desai, university distinguished professor, Industrial Systems Engineering
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Health and Human Sciences: Jeannette Wade, assistant professor, "Sociology and Social Work"
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Faculty) for the College of Science and Technology Scott Harrison, associate professor, Biology
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Kishaa James, director of Student Services, Office of Student Support Services
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the Center for Academic Excellence: Antja Caldwell, academic advisor/lecturer
• Academic Advising Excellence Award (Professional) for the College of Engineering: Renisha Jones, academic advisor/lecturer, Center of Academic Excellence

Community Engagement

• Community Engaged Teaching Award: Odile Huchette, lecturer, Natural Resources and Environmental Design, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Community Engaged Research Award: Stephanie Teixiera-Poit, assistant professor, "Sociology and Social Work", College of Health and Human Sciences
• Community Partnership Award: Elimu Empowerment Services (EES)

Thesis and Dissertation Advisors

• 2020 Advisor to the Recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award: Salil Desai, University Distinguished Professor/Director of CEPDAM, Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Izabele Marquetti. Program: Ph.D. in Industrial & Systems Engineering. Dissertation Title: “Understanding Multiscale Release Behavior of Biomolecules for Tissue Engineering Applications.”
• 2020 Advisor to the Recipient of the Outstanding Thesis Award: Sonya Draper, graduate coordinator, Leadership Studies and Adult Education, College of Education
  • Noor Al Samraai, Program: MS in Adult Education. Thesis Title: “Literacy and Educational Development Programs for Arab Refugee Women in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina.”

Research Awards

• Senior Researcher of the Year: Salil Desai, University Distinguished Professor/Director of CEPDAM, Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering
• Outstanding Young Investigator: Dongyang “Sunny” Deng, associate professor, Built Environment, College of Science and Technology
• Rookie of the Year: Arnab Bhowmik, assistant professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Design, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Intellectual Property: Lifeng Zhang, associate professor, Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
• Interdisciplinary Team: Autonomous Robotic Non-Destructive Investigation (ARNDI) Team; Sameer Hamoush, Sun Yi and Younho Seong 

Patents Awarded in 2020

• Yeo Heung Yun, professor, Chemical Biological and Bioengineering S. Patent No. 10,308,942, “Methods and compositions for treating autoimmune disorders by targeting Kv1.3 ion channels with functionalized lipid-derived nanovesicles.”
• Shengmin Sang, research professor, and Yingdong Zhu, research scientist, Center of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. U.S. Patent No. 10,342,766 and U.S. Patent No. 10,363,230, “6-shogaol derivatives and activities thereof.” 
• Lifeng Zhang, associate professor, and Nafisa Sirelkhatim, research associate, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. U.S. Patent No. 10,412,962, “Antifungal Compositions and Methods of Use Thereof.”
• Yeo Heung Yun, professor, Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering, and Jagannathan Sankar, Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. U.S. Patent No. 10,505,201, “CNT Sheet Substrates and Transition Metals Deposited on Same.”

Promotion and Tenure

• Hye Won Kang, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Devona L. Dixon, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Reza Tahergorabi, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
• Cephas Naanwaab, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Economics, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
• Laquanda Leaven Johnson, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
• Glacia Ethridge, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Counseling, College of Education
• Paige Dunlap, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Counseling, College of Education
• Daniel Limbrick, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
• Minyong Lee, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Human Performance and Leisure Studies, College of Health and Human Sciences
• Choongseok Park, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Mathematics, College of Science and Technology
• Seong-Tae Kim, assistant professor, promoted to associate professor with tenure, Mathematics, College of Science and Technology
• Alice Stewart, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Management, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
• Keith Schimmel, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Applied Science and Technology, College of Science and Technology
• Elimelda Moige Ongeri, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Biology, College of Science and Technology
• Kossi D. Edoh, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Mathematics, College of Science and Technology
• Yevgeniy Rastigeyev, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Mathematics, College of Science and Technology
• Jing Zhang, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Physics, College of Science and Technology
• Paula Faulkner, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Taher Abu-Lebdeh, associate professor, promoted to full professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Abdullah Eroglu, professor/chair granted tenure, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering

Post-Tenure Review: Exceeds Expectations

• Joseph Stephens, professor, Psychology, College of Health and Human Sciences
• Jeffrey Richardson, professor, Visual and Performing Arts, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• Mulumebet Worku, professor, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• Galen Foresman, professor, Liberal Studies, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• James Wood, professor, History and Political Science, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Sherrie Drye, associate professor, Business Education, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics
• Michael Brooks, associate professor, Counseling, College of Education
• Pauline Uwakweh, associate professor, English, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Post-Tenure Review: Exemplary

• Mary Lind, professor, Management, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics