James Bell (Faculty) 

Recognized as a rising leader in public health and as one of the 40 Under 40 in Public Health for his work with the Michigan Department Health and Human Services work on childhood lead prevention strategy. “Dr. Bell is an asset at MDHHS and a champion for public health,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “His work on childhood lead prevention and his commitment to equity is making our state a better place. Dr. Bell is well-deserving of this award, and we are honored to celebrate his accomplishments.”

Ryan Cumming (Faculty)

Ryan has been named program director for theological ethics, education, and community engagement, with the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In this role, Ryan will be leading on the development of the ELCA's social teachings and providing policy guidance, thought leadership, and ethical analysis to the ELCA's administration, advocates, legal team, and congregations. 

Chris Fulton (Faculty)

In partnership with Udayan Das of Saint Mary's College of California, Chris wrote a paper on "Reducing Barriers to Entry by Removing Prerequisites for a CS1 Introductory Programming Course" that analyzes how removing certain prerequisites diversifies the computer science student body and allows students to begin coursework early.

Jennifer Gettings (Assistant Dean)

Assistant Dean Jennifer Gettings has been selected as the 2024 recipient of The William C. Hine Distinguished Service Award for the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society. This award honors Chapter Councilors for their commitment to promoting lifelong learning, serving adult learners, and leadership. In addition to receiving this distinction, she has been appointed to the Executive Board for 2024.

Maureen Keane (Faculty)

In April 2024, Maureen partnered with her daughter, Abbey Keane, to deliver a TED talk on The Human Venn Diagram - a concept that shows how humans share more similarities than differences through the four connections of Values, Relationship, Communication, and Music.

Devon Price (Faculty)

Devon joined LAist's podcast "Neurodiversity At Work: Advice for Both Businesses and Employees" in May 2024 to discuss neurodiversity in the workplace, challenges neurotypical people face, and tips for both employers and employees on how to navigate certain situations.

In 2023, Devon was also quoted in Huff Post's article on "In Praise of 'Lazy Girl Jobs' That Aren't Actually Lazy At All" discussing how society perceives laziness and its relation to the workplace.

Kesley Richardson (Faculty)
Dr. Richardson was selected for 40 Under 40 with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. in categories including finance, healthcare, civic engagement, education, media, technology, and entertainment

He received the Outstanding Student Award through the American Society for Public Education with West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Kesley also recently wrote a chapter on climate change and emergency operations in academic journal Advances in Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate. Hurricane Risk, vol 3.

Michael Rydel (Faculty)
Michael published his first collection of poetry, Almost a Memoir, in August 2022 

Rydel also went back on the road in 2023 and read poetry at This Old Book in Grayslake, The Book Stall in Winnetka, the Wicker Park Open Mic, Parkside Lounge in New York City’s SOHO district, and La Cave Café in Paris, France.  Recently, two new poems from his untitled second collection have been accepted by The Willow Review and Batayan, a bilingual magazine in Bengali and English published in Perth, Australia. 

Michelle Tucker (Faculty)
In 2023, Michelle was named a Purdue University School of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumna that recognizes change agents that serve as teachers, researchers, business leaders, visionaries, advocates, artists, and innovators in communities.

As a prominent member of the advertising industry, Michelle was also named a Davis Lecturer at Penn State where she spent two days talking with students, meeting with faculty, and giving an evening lecture open to the public. 

Stacey Zurek (Faculty)
Stacey published an article in the November/December 2023 issue of the Rehabilitation Nursing Journal entitled “Preventing Community-Acquired Pressure Injuries in Spinal Cord Injury: Online Healthcare Provider Curriculum".