All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team announced

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference named its All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team on Thursday, with two representatives each from all 10 member schools being recognized by the league.
 
While the selections were left up to each institution’s discretion, the recipients all shared the common characteristics of demonstrated service to the institution and contributions to campus life and the local community. Faculty members selected have demonstrated strong contributions to teaching, research and/or service, while staff members are being recognized for bringing out the best in others and creating conditions for success.
 
The faculty and staff recipients include: The Citadel’s Sarah Imam, MD and Heyward G. Hutson III; ETSU’s Dr. Taylor Stevenson and Dr. Stacy Cummings-Onks; Furman’s Dr. Tim Wardle and Rolyn Rollins; Mercer’s Dr. Philip T. McCreanor and Michael Junod; UNC Greensboro’s Dr. Malcolm Schug and Dr. Kristy Howell; Samford’s JeNorri Armstead; Chattanooga’s Dr. DeAnna Beasley and Terrence Banks; VMI’s Mattie Smith and LTC Shannon Eskam; Western Carolina’s Dr. Ericka Zimmerman and Holli Stillman; and Wofford’s Dr. Jessica Tomkins and Wofford Workday Rockstars.

"The Southern Conference loves shining a spotlight on the remarkable faculty and staff at our member institutions," said SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross. "Each of the honorees is a leader and mentor at their respective school, and we applaud their service and dedication. We are grateful for the way they cultivate the distinctive and exceptional environments found across the ten SoCon campuses, serve as cornerstones in their communities, and exceed what is expected in their role."
 
The recipients will be recognized at one of their institutions’ home men’s basketball games this year.
 
The 2024-25 selections are:
 
Sarah Imam, MD, The Citadel (faculty)
Sarah Iman, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. She joined the faculty at The Citadel in the fall of 2015. Her teaching responsibilities focus on health-based subjects; advanced physiology subjects which include environmental physiology and exercise physiology, medical terminology and nutrition. She also has research interests which include the neuroscience of musculoskeletal activity and disease, neurotransmitter activity, neurodegenerative disease and aging and its impact on the nervous and musculoskeletal system. In addition to her service to The Citadel, she has contributed to three notable publications regarding studies of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. Imam received her M.D. from Spartan Health Sciences University in Santa Teresa, New Mexico in 1998, and her MBBS I from Kings College in London in 1996.
 
Heyward G. Hutson III, The Citadel (staff)
Hutson is the Assistant Commandant for Discipline at The Citadel. Over his career, Col. Hutson has actively participated as a volunteer in the numerous communities where he resided earning many state and local commendations. He served as a Paramedic and firefighter for the Sackets Harbor Volunteer Fire Department (SHVFD), and 18 years as a Rescue Diver and Dive Team Captain for the Jefferson County, N.Y. Special Tactics and Rescue Team (STAR Team) covering the eastern end of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Outside his work at The Citadel, Col. Hutson is a certified South Carolina State Constable and serves as a diver with the Charleston County Sheriffs’ Underwater Rescue and Recovery Team, along with serving as an EMT and rescue specialist with the Charleston County Rescue Squad. He is a 1990 graduate of United States Military Academy at West Point before earning his master’s degree in education from Northwestern State University. Col. Hutson is married to the former Julie Ellis from Sackets Harbor, New York, and they have five children.
 
The Citadel’s recognition game date: Jan. 25 vs. Western Carolina
 
Dr. Taylor Stevenson, ETSU (faculty)
Dr. Stevenson, an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance in the College of Business and Technology, has been at ETSU since 2008. He has been published in numerous journals, including Public Finance Review, Cato Journal, Economics Bulletin, and The Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice. Dr. Stevenson served for many years on the ETSU Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. One of his nominators said, “He is an advocate for students and has been extremely helpful in guiding students with graduation plans and finding substitutions when there are limited options for classes.” Dr. Stevenson has coached the University High middle school baseball team and can often be found at his children’s sporting events when he is not on campus.
 
Dr. Stacy Cummings-Onks, ETSU (staff)
Dr. Cummings-Onks, the Director of the University Advisement Center and Director of the Learning Support Program, has been at ETSU for 20 years. In addition to serving as an advisor, she has also taught as an adjunct instructor in Clemmer College. She leads sessions for the Summer Bridge program in athletics, has served on the Equity and Inclusion Conference planning committee, has served on numerous community boards, and has volunteered in the Johnson City Schools.  Dr. Cummings-Onks is a strong advocate for ETSU’s students and sets an example for advisors across campus. One nominator wrote that “her communication is top-notch when students are struggling with classes or even when they are doing well.” 
 
ETSU’s recognition game: Feb. 26 vs. Mercer
 
Dr. Tim Wardle, Furman (faculty)
Dr. Tim Wardle, who serves as associate professor of New Testament and chair of the Religion Department, has been teaching at Furman since 2012. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Duke University, M.A. in Religious Studies from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and B.A. in History and Biblical Studies from Wheaton College in Illinois. Dr. Wardle’s courses primarily focus on the New Testament texts in their first century context, Judaism in the late Second Temple Period, and the political and religious history of the city of Jerusalem. He is passionate about teaching Furman students and enjoys interacting with them in a variety of ways, such as in the Dining Hall and through advising several student organizations on campus. He also loves leading Study Away programs for Furman students, which have included programs to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Scotland. A former collegiate athlete, Dr. Wardle is an avid supporter of Furman student-athletes in all of their academic and athletic endeavors.

Rolyn Rollins, Furman (staff)
After receiving her BA in elementary education and Spanish from Furman University in 1997, Rolyn was a schoolteacher for several years before returning to her alma mater in 2011. Through her role with the Cothran Center, she quickly discovered a passion for working with college students and helping them discern what brings meaning and purpose to their lives. As Program Coordinator for Student Initiatives with the Cothran Center, she aims to provide programs and opportunities that not only empower students, but also help them recognize and develop their personal gifts. Rollins recently earned her Master of Social Work degree with a health and mental health specialization from the University of South Carolina. She believes that everyone needs to feel seen, heard, and valued and strives to dedicate her life to bringing positive change through uplifting others. In addition, she is a certified Enneagram teacher through The Narrative Enneagram’s professional training program and uses the Enneagram as a tool for developing compassion for self and others. Rollins and her husband Matt, who also graduated from Furman in 1997, have three children, including two who are current students at Furman. Some of her hobbies include reading, journaling, and spending time with her family.

Furman’s recognition game: Nov. 15 vs. Tulane
 
Philip T. McCreanor, Ph.D., Mercer (faculty)
Dr. McCreanor is a Professor in Mercer University’s School of Engineering. He directs the Engineering Track of the University Honors Program and chairs the Environmental and Civil Engineering Department. Dr. McCreanor holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Miami. He received his graduate education at the University of Central Florida, where he received a M.S. in Environmental Science and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies and is a Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow.  His professional interests include bioreactor municipal solid waste landfills, unsaturated fluid flow, on-site treatment of residential gray water, and adaptive technology. Students working on his gray water research project have received funding from the US EPA’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition. Mercer students involved with the adaptive technology Go Baby Go program have provided mobility solutions to over 150 children. Outside of his academic responsibilities, he enjoys landscaping, wood working, physical fitness, and reading.
 
Michael Junod, Mercer (staff)
Junod serves as the Director of the University Center at Mercer. He earned the designation of a Certified Venue Executive (CVE) by the International Association of Venue Mangers (IAVM) in 2019. He also serves Mercer as the Chair of the Board of Appeals, a Title IX Investigator and Adjunct Professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Junod previously worked at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center and the Macon Centerplex. He has over 30 years as a Citizen-Soldier, retiring from the United States Army Reserves in 2017 at the rank of Colonel. He held command positions from Platoon Leader to Battalion Commander – deploying four times in support of our nation’s conflicts in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Junod and his wife Leigh Ann have two daughters and an English Bulldog named Tubbs. 

Mercer’s recognition game: Feb. 15 vs. VMI
 
Dr. Malcolm Schug, UNCG (faculty)
Dr. Schug is a professor and department head in the department of biology at UNCG.  He has been at UNCG for 26 years. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Potsdam College, Master’s degree in biology from Bowling Green State University, a his Ph.D. in Zoology from Ohio State University and trained as a research scientist at Cornell University. His academic research is in evolution, ecology, and genetics. Dr. Schug’s work is internationally renowned, and he has published dozens of research articles in prestigious journals. Dr. Schug has served as the director of the UNCG Research and Instruction in STEM education (RISE) Network, the director of both undergraduate and graduate studies in biology and has been the head of biology for five years. He has multiple projects funded by the National Science Foundation that are focused on student success at UNCG. These programs support students from marginalized populations with scholarships, stipends, program activities, and leadership training.  They help students graduate on time and gain admission to graduate and professional schools.  He has also been a leader in revising science curriculum at UNCG to implement best-practices in inclusion and success of students from all backgrounds.  He has led a community project with the Duke Energy and the North Carolina Community Foundation to restore two wetlands on campus involving students and faculty across campus, the City of Greensboro, Greensboro Science Center, North Carolina Water Quality Management, and other community groups.  This project is integrated into courses in departments across campus and serves the local community in environmental education and research. Dr. Schug was also a cofounder of the annual UNCG Science Everywhere science fair that draws thousands of community members to campus every spring to celebrate science education and research across campus.  His work has had a positive impact on thousands of students and community members.
 
Dr. Kristy Howell, UNCG (staff)
Howell is the Associate Director in the Institute for Community and Economic Engagement at UNCG. In her work, she helps to lead UNCG’s efforts to ensure our research is deeply connected to the communities we serve. She supports a wide range of professional development and outreach programs for campus and community partners and loves any chance she has to work with faculty who are looking for creative and meaningful ways to connect and build community.

Dr. Howell serves the university in several leadership roles, including as a member of the staff senate, and a member of the UNCG sustainability committee’s executive team. Of all the hats she wears at UNCG, Howell is proudest of her work with the LEAP workgroup, which includes a community advisory board focused on healthy eating and movement and helps to make connections between community members and researchers in the region. In addition to her regular duties, Dr. Howell teaches as an adjunct in the honors program at Johnson County Community College in Kansas, and maintains a research agenda on the history of community colleges in the South and Midwest. Howell is an avid runner, knitter, cook, and reader, mostly of historical monographs.

UNCG’s recognition game: Feb. 1 vs. Wofford
 
Joe Cory, Samford (faculty)
Cory is a seasoned artist and educator who blends traditional and innovative teaching methods to help students acquire artistic skills and foster creative thinking. He loves to bring his curiosity and experience as an artist into the classroom and guide students towards meaningful careers. As an educator and practicing artist, he's gained extensive experience in all aspects of the art world, exhibiting his artwork across the country, and he frequently leads presentations and workshops on the creation and teaching of art. Professor Cory holds an M.F.A. from the University of Chicago, a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a B.A. from Central College in Iowa, where he served as the football team’s manager during his undergraduate years. In addition to his professional endeavors, he enjoys reading, following sports, and spending time with his family.
 
JeNorri Armstead, Samford (staff)
JeNorri Armstead serves as the Senior Associate AD for Internal Affairs at Samford and member of the Executive Leadership Team. She oversees the Athletic Business Office, game, vendor and sponsorship contracts, and athletic department diversity initiatives. She also manages Humans Resources within the Department of Athletics. A native of Hoover, Alabama, Armstead attended Hoover High School where she was a member of the Track and Field team. She graduated “With Distinction” from the University of Alabama in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and minor in Public Relations. Prior to Samford, Armstead served nine years at Hoover High School in the Athletics Department where she maintained compliance and eligibility for students and assisted the Athletics Director, worked with media outlets and served as liaison for booster clubs. Armstead is a mom of three children.

Samford’s recognition game: Jan. 18 vs. ETSU
 
Dr. DeAnna Beasley, Chattanooga (faculty)
Dr. DeAnna E. Beasley is an UC Foundation Associate Professor at Chattanooga. She received her PhD in 2013 at the University of South Carolina in biological sciences. She also has postdoctoral research experience in applied ecology from North Carolina State University. As a faculty member in the Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science department, she regularly teaches across all levels of the biology curriculum. In her lab courses, she strives to create a learning environment where students can explore research questions through hands-on projects and engage with researchers and practitioners in their community. In Sept. 2023, her colleagues recognized her outstanding teaching with the Dr. John R. Freeman Award.  In her current research, Dr. Beasley mentors undergraduate and graduate students on urban ecology and the impacts of urbanization on insect populations and biodiversity. She regularly collaborates with community partners on citizen science projects, including a camera trap study exploring the ecological changes in urban green spaces. She is the Principal Investigator of a 3-year NSF-Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program that aims to study the socio-ecological role of urban greenways. To date, she has published 10 papers with student coauthors and interdisciplinary collaborators, attracting more than $1.8M in external funding, and $27,000 in internal funding. Dr. Beasley serves on the Honors College Advisory Committee and the Africana Studies Advisory Committee. She manages the BGE social media on Instagram and Facebook, developing creative content for the department’s social media channels. She has served on several departmental committees including Strategic Planning, Access and Inclusion, Graduate, and Newsletter. Dr. Beasley is grateful to Chattanooga and the BGE department for providing a supportive environment where she can do what she loves: mentoring students and engaging the community in science and discovery.
 
Terrence Banks, Chattanooga (staff)
Terrence Banks, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, graduated twice from Chattanooga. He attained his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and a Master’s in Public Administration. He has been a part of the Admissions staff for nine years and currently serves the role of Associate Director of Recruitment. Banks lives by the mantra “if you cannot see the representation, then be the representation”. This has been the driving force behind his commitment and dedication, to serving the Chattanooga campus and community.

Chattanooga’s recognition game: Jan. 9 vs. UNCG
 
Mattie Smith, VMI (faculty)
Since arriving at VMI in Aug. 2013, Smith has taught Writing and Rhetoric I & II throughout the academic year and summer sessions, including the summer transition program (STP) for incoming students. Smith also invests critical time developing cadets outside of the first-year writing classroom which has resulted in cadets’ academic, creative, and professional success. This month, Smith hopes to defend her dissertation and finish her Ph.D. in Integrative STEM Education, Curriculum, and Instruction (I-STEM Ed) at Virginia Tech. As a creative writer, Smith has published work in several genres, and she has received awards for poems and screenplays she has co-written and produced. Smith’s academic research and writing address the nature and impacts of integrating critical reflective writing within the iterative phases of technology and engineering design-based problem-solving to support people’s hands-on design thinking and prototyping. Smith uses the I-STEM Ed. model and critical reflective writing in her writing and rhetoric classes to develop cadets’ rhetorical awareness of science writers’ accommodation in articles geared for the public, as well as to develop cross-disciplinary argumentative writing in which cadets explore self-identified issues and topics interwoven with their career interests and declared majors. Smith has prioritized cadets’ academic and creative writing throughout her time at VMI, supporting their efforts to creative writing awards from VMI’s literary magazine, Cadence, and the Virginia Outdoor Writers’ undergraduate writing contest. More recently, as a recipient of a 2023-2024 Cyber-Grant awarded by VMI’s Cyber Defense Lab, Smith and Cadet Stephen A. Ralis ’25 wrote a systematic literature review of research about cyber-tools used to support critical reflection and critical reflective writing within technology and engineering design-based problem-solving activities. Smith and Ralis were invited to present this review Writing Education Across Borders (WEAB) Conference in Salt Lake City, UT, on Sept. 21, 2024, fully supported by the CyDef Lab. As founding member and executive vice president of the Rockbridge-Shenandoah Chapter for the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), Smith facilitates local community outreach and education through a robust speaker program and other community development activities dedicated to emerging leaders in STEM and cyber-related fields at VMI and surrounding colleges, such as Mountain Gateway Community College, Southern Virginia University, and Washington & Lee University. Through collaborations with faculty and staff from these schools, she has mentored cadets and other college students volunteering to present micro-bits microprocessor coding challenges in five Rockbridge County elementary schools. Her collaborative efforts with colleagues in VMI’s Computer and Information Sciences Department have expanded mutually beneficial programs shared by AFCEA’s Rockbridge-Shenandoah Chapter and VMI’s faculty, staff, and cadets. These include mentorships with industry and agency professionals across private and public sectors dedicated to national cybersecurity and local technological innovation. As a result of these collaborations, the Rockbridge-Shenandoah Chapter garnered two “Model Chapter Awards,” from AFCEA International for 2022 and 2023, and AFCEA’s Signal Magazine, July, 2022, named Smith and Cadet John Barker, VMI ’23, “AFCEANs of the Month,” for their community service connecting people, ideas, and solutions for STEM education and cyber-awareness.
 
LTC Shannon Eskam, VMI (staff)
With 12 years of higher education experience, Eskam serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Enrollment Management and Director of Financial Aid at VMI. She is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the execution of the multi-year comprehensive strategic enrollment management plan, and ensuring compliance with Title IV and other relevant state and federal laws and regulations. Eskam comes to VMI directly from Casper, Wyoming, where she served as the director of financial aid, deputy Title IX coordinator, enrollment services supervisor, and Veterans Affairs certifying official at Casper College. Eskam earned her doctorate in higher education administration and a bachelor's degree in communication with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. She holds a master’s degree in organizational management from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. She lives in Lexington, Virginia, with her husband, two children, and three dogs.

 
VMI’s recognition game: Feb. 8 vs. The Citadel
 
Dr. Ericka Zimmerman, Western Carolina (faculty)
Dr. Ericka Zimmerman is the Director of the School of Health Sciences and Professor at Western Carolina. She earned her master’s degree in physical education/athletic training from Indiana State University and a doctoral degree from Marshall University in Leadership Studies, where she focused on risk management for athletic trainers. She is certified by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC) and is licensed by the North Carolina Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners (NCBATE). Before entering the academic arena full-time, Dr. Zimmerman was a clinical athletic trainer in the university setting and worked closely with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to develop and implement the NAIA-ATA Sports Medicine Handbook. In her time at Western Carolina, she has earned praise from her colleagues for her ability to balance extensive administrative, teaching, scholarship, and service duties, while maintaining a “student centric approach to her daily work.”
 
Holli Stillman, Western Carolina (staff)
Stillman is a dedicated higher education professional with over 12 years of experience in both Student Affairs and Academic Affairs at Western Carolina. She currently serves as the Assistant to the Provost, where she plays a pivotal role in supporting university leadership and fostering professional growth within the campus community. Embracing her strength as a developer, Stillman is responsible for designing, facilitating, and sharing professional development and networking opportunities for administrative professionals within the Division of Academic Affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Cortland and a Master of Education in Higher Education Student Affairs from Western Carolina.

 
Western Carolina’s recognition game: Jan. 11 vs. Mercer
 
Dr. Jessica Tomkins, Wofford (faculty)
Dr. Jessica Tomkins is an Assistant Professor of History at Wofford, where she has taught since 2021. She is also the creator and co-coordinator of Wofford’s Ancient World Studies program. As an Egyptologist and Ancient Historian, she teaches a variety of gen ed and upper-level History courses about ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Near East and particularly enjoys traveling with students to show them ancient wonders in person; she has been lucky enough to take students to Italy, Croatia, and Egypt, in addition to accompanying the Wofford men’s basketball team on their 2024 foreign tour of Egypt and Greece. Tomkins serves on several committees at Wofford, but is most proud of her work as one of the coordinators of the New Faculty Program, helping to welcome and orient new faculty to Wofford during their first year and a half at the college.
 
Wofford Workday Rockstars, Wofford (staff)
The Wofford Workday Rockstars are a cross-functional team at Wofford that was tasked with implementing Workday once it was selected as the College’s next ERP system. The members of the team that led the successful ten-month implementation of Workday HCM, Payroll, and Financials were Trey Arrington, Kent Brannon, Courtney Dobbins, Lani Foster, Brittany McDowell, Franklin Pettit, and Raymond Ruff. Implementing an ERP system the size and scale of Workday for such a small team, and on an expedited timeline, was quite a feat. It required 50% or more of each member’s work week for the duration of those ten months, while also maintaining responsibility for their day-to-day roles. Through this process, Wofford has now become an example to other schools with plans to implement Workday on a compressed timeline, while maximizing the resources available. The next phase of this project and for many members of this team will be to implement Workday Student, which is anticipated to go live in the Fall of 2026.

 
Wofford’s recognition game: Dec. 4 vs. Gardner-Webb