Below is a celebration of the accolades and accomplishments of the graduates of the MSU College of Education. While an non-exhaustive list, it is a collection of the great things that our alums achieve(d) in their professional journeys, beyond the walls of Erickson Hall and IM Circle.
Let these stories serve as an inspiration to continue doing incredible things every day. Know your work is appreciated back in MSU's "ivy-covered halls." Each success is an aspirational story to tell current students — our future alums.
In Spring 2025, the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) awarded Allison C. Altenberger-Olson, B.A. ’13 (Special Education – Learning Disabilities) and TCRT ’14 (Elementary Education), with the Excellence in Education award. Altenberger-Olson is a special education instructor at North Aurelius Elementary, where she has served for eight years, supporting grade 1-5 students. MACC recognizes one teacher annually.
The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and the Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies celebrated Tara Becker-Utess, M.A. ’08 (Curriculum and Teaching) and TCRT ’10 (Secondary), of Mason High School, as Michigan 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year. Additionally, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and Michigan College Access Network welcomed Becker-Utess to the second cohort of the Michigan Leadership for Equity and Transformation Fellowship. The effort supports developing the principal pipeline by motivating fellows to pursue leadership roles in secondary schools. (Read more about Tara Becker-Utess.)
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) recognized Courtney Bell, Ph.D. ’04 (Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy), as a 2025 AERA Fellow. Bell is the director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research as well as a professor of educational psychology and learning sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She will serve as the incoming chair of the AREA Professional Development and Training Committee. (Watch more on Bell's career in this video from AERA, links to YouTube.)
Benajmin Berger, STCRT ’10 (Elementary), completed his first year as principal at Traverse City Central High School, having accepted the role in summer 2024. Berger previously held the position of assistant principal.
University of Toronto Associate Professor Cassie J. Brownell, Ph.D. ’18 (Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education), received the 2025 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Media Literacy Award. The award recognizes Brownell’s innovative ability to integrate media analysis and composition into instruction. The honor is the most recent award from NCTE for Brownell, who previously received the Early Childhood Education Assembly’s Early Literacy Teacher Educator of the Year Award, the Linda Reif Voices from the Middle Award and two Research Initiative Grants from NCTE’s English Language Arts Teacher Educators.
MSU Ombudsperson Shannon Lynn Burton, M.A. ’02 (Student Affairs Administration) and Ph.D. ’12 (Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education), co-edited “The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals & The Future.” The book was the first published by the International Ombuds Association. (Read more about Burton and the book.)
David Cherry, STCRT ’05 (Secondary), M.A. ’10 (K-12 Educational Administration) and ACRT ’12 (Elementary/Secondary Principal), received the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association honor of 2024 Principal of the Year. Cherry is principal at Challenger Elementary School in Howell. (Read the full story.)
In January 2025, Sarah Dimaria, STCRT ’13 (Secondary), M.A. ’17 (Teaching and Curriculum), became a national awardee of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in Mathematics (2021). Established in 1983 by Congress as the highest national recognition for K-12 teachers of science, technology, engineering or mathematics, the PAEMST has been administered annually by the National Science Foundation for the White House, until summer 2025. A math and science teacher, instructional coach and founding staff member at Cedars International Next Generation High School in Austin, Texas, DiMaria is also a senior fellow and academy instructor of the Knowles Teacher Initiative. Her early career is full of moments that celebrate her prowess as an educator, including Outstanding Texas Educator in 2022. In 2019, she served on the National Assessment of Education Progress Mathematics Exam Rewriting Panel. With fellow Spartan educator, Sheila Orr, DiMaria cofounded ProgressED Pathways LLC, an organization dedicated to the coaching and professional development of educators.
In summer 2024, College Sports Communicators recognized the academic record of former Spartan gymnast Baleigh Garcia, B.S. ’24 (Kinesiology), with a second-consecutive spot on the Academic All-District At-Large team. Garcia received numerous student-athlete academic accolades throughout her time at MSU, including three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Scholastic All-American. From 2022-24, Garcia was Second Team All-Big Ten and was the first B1G beam champion from MSU since 1996.
East Jordan Middle/High School history and video production teacher, Matthew D. Hamilton, STCRT ’02 (Elementary), M.A. ’06 (Curriculum and Teaching) and TCRT ’07 (Secondary), won the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation’s 2025 Award for Teaching Excellence. The award celebrates a K-12 public school educator who exemplifies excellence in the classroom, dedication to family and community engagement, commitment to equity and diversity and advocacy for the teaching profession. Hamilton is leader and founder of the Charlevoix County, Michigan school’s “Shoe Club,” which instills foundational ideas of hard work, dedication and self-worth in students as they learn life skills through the design and execution of community service project. Hamilton is also a recipient of the NEA Foundation’s Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence (2025) and the 2024 Michigan Education Association’s Educational Excellence Award.
In honor of her incredible 38-year career as head coach of women’s softball, the University of Michigan awarded Carol S. Hutchins, B.S. ’79 (Physical Education), with the inaugural President’s Medal of Excellence in summer 2024. Hutchins was one of four recipients of the award, given in recognition of individual achievements and contributions to the university and community beyond. In addition to her success in sport, she is also known for her advocacy, which began when she competed in basketball as a student-athlete and won a case presented to the MSU Board of Trustees to receive food and lodging allowances for away games equal to those of the men’s team.
Alums Jennifer (Pilnik) Dickens, B.A. ’12 (Education) and STCRT ’14 (Secondary), and Arminda (Frey) Westra, M.A. ’03 (K-12 Educational Administration) and TCRT ’04 (Elementary), represented a contingent of the Michigan delegation at the U.S. Department of Education conference in Chicago in June 2024. Leaders from Michigan’s education community addressed the teacher shortage, sharing the state’s efforts and successes. Westra serves as executive director of the Center for Leadership and Learning Division at the Michigan Education Association. Dickens is an educational consultant at the Michigan Department of Education.
In fall 2024, Erik Edoff, TCRT ’03 (Secondary), M.A. ’04 (K-12 Educational Administration) and ACRT ’07 (Elementary/Secondary Principal), became the Michigan Education Association (MEA) senior executive director. Edoff came to the MEA after over 25 years in the L’Anse Creuse public education system, most recently leading it as superintendent.
In June 2025, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer named Kelly Herberholz, M.A. ’17 (K-12 Educational Administration), the 2025 Educator of the Year. The award honors a single public school educator from the state through the Michigan Lottery’s Excellence in Education Program. Herberholz, who serves as assistant principal at Algonquin Middle School, Chippewa Valley Schools (Macomb County), is the third Spartan to receive the award, which recognized her outstanding work at Dakota High School as a science teacher and administrative team intern. (Read the full story.)
Brittany Jones, Ph.D. ’23 (Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education), was the recipient of the 2025 Larry Metcalf Exemplary Dissertation Award, given by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS). The research award was for Jones’ dissertation, “Learning from Black Perspectives: A Case for Making Space to Feel Race in High School U.S. History Classrooms.” The dissertation also won the 2024 American Education Research Association (AERA) Teaching and Teacher Education Division Outstanding Dissertation Award. Jones is an assistant professor of learning and instruction in the Graduate School of Education at University of Buffalo.
In recognition of his leadership as interim director and dedication over more than 20 years at MSU, the Native American Institute named two-time Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education graduate, Kevin Leonard, M.A. ’05 and Ph.D., its director in August 2024. Leonard is also an active member of MSU’s Native American Faculty and Staff Association, EAGLE (Education Anishinaabe: Giving, Learning and Empowering). His service to the community extends beyond MSU as an elected trustee of Holt Public Schools and a member of the Delhi Township Park Commission.
Two-time K-12 Educational Administration graduate, Matthew Militello, M.A. ’97, TCRT ’01 (Secondary) and Ph.D. ’04, published his seventh book, “Leading and Learning Together: Cultivating School Change From Within,” (Teachers College Press) in December 2024. Militello is currently the Wells Fargo Distinguished Professor in Educational Leadership at East Carolina University. Prior to his work in higher education, he held multiple positions in Michigan public schools as both a teacher and administrator. Militello is a past principal investigator and recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education.
Eric Muiter, B.S. ’15 (Kinesiology), is in his second season as strength and conditioning coach for women’s basketball at the University of Dayton. Muiter accepted the position in July 2024 after previous roles with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the University of Minnesota, the United States Air Force Academy and MSU.
The Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society (MATS) recognized Fowlerville High School Athletic Trainer Martha Munsell, B.S. ’05 (Kinesiology), as the 2025 Secondary Athletic Trainer of the Year – the second college grad to receive the award is as many years. The award is the most recent acknowledgement of the two decades Munsell has dedicated to her role, having received the MATS’ Distinguished Athletic Trainer award in 2020. Munsell also serves as the Livingston County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee chair.
Jeremy Patterson, TCRT ’05 (Elementary) and M.S. ’09 (Kinesiology), accepted the appointment as superintendent of Jackson Public Schools (JPS) in summer 2025. Patterson’s leadership of the district is significant as he is a grad of Jackson High School and has spent the past 27 years working for JPS in numerous roles, the most recent being assistant superintendent of secondary curriculum. Patterson’s education at MSU included a teaching major in Physical Education and Exercise Science as well as a concentration in Sports Administration, a passion continued in past high school coaching roles in baseball and basketball.
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) awarded Shawna Patterson-Stephens, M.A. ’07 (Student Affairs Administration), the 2024 Bobby E. Leach Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award. The award honors the individual commitment of student affairs professionals and faculty members to advancing diversity and inclusion throughout their higher education careers. Patterson-Stephens is the vice president for university engagement and student affairs at Central Michigan University, expanding her former role as vice president for inclusive excellence and belonging.
In summer 2024, Kristin H. Perry, Ph.D. ’07 (Language, Technology and Culture), became the associate dean for administration and faculty affairs at the University of Kentucky Graduate School. Perry is also the director of the graduate certificate in Teaching in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms as well as a literacy education professor in the UK College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO), the undergraduate alma mater of Kyle Petit, Ph.D. ’20 (Kinesiology), celebrated his early career accomplishments, including the prolific research he conducted at MSU, by awarding him the 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award in the fall of the same year. Petit is an assistant professor in Kinesiology and Athletic Training at UWO, researching sport-related concussion.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer reappointed Rehabilitation Counseling grad Jenny Piatt, M.A. ’97, to the Michigan Autism Council. Piatt, the division administrator for the Rehabilitation Services Business Network Division of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, will represent Michigan Rehabilitations Services and employment services on the council. The council oversees the implementation and management of Michigan’s Autism Spectrum Disorders State Plan. Piatt’s appointment runs from October 2025 through September 2029.
The Michigan Athletic Trainer’s Society (MATS) awarded Meaghan Rourke, M.A. ’17 (Health Professions Education), the 2024 Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in June 2024. Rourke is a member of Henry Ford Health, whose athletic training career spans nearly two decades with 13 years at Allen Park High School. Rourke is the first college grad to receive the honor since its inception in 2000.
University at Buffalo associate professor of higher education, Stephen Santa-Ramirez, M.A. ’13 (Student Affairs Administration), received multiple accolades in 2024 and 2025. Most recently, the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) awarded Santa-Ramirez with the 2025 ASHE Early Career Award and the State University of New York (SUNY) chose him to be a SUNY Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year. In 2024, the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) recognized him as a 2024-2026 ACPA Emerging Scholar and the President's Office at the University at Buffalo chose him for the Exceptional Scholar – Young Investigator award. In addition to his role as an educator, Santa-Ramirez serves as co-chair of the Latinx Network via ACPA, as an associate editor for the College Student Affairs Journal and co-chair for Local and Community Engagement for the ASHE 2026 annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Heather D. Shea, Ph.D. ’19 (Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education), completed her first year as director of pathway programs in undergraduate education at MSU, which she began in August 2024. The role is the most recent in Shea’s nearly 13-year career at her alma mater, following over 10 years dedicated to student affairs and higher education work outside MSU. As director, Shea works with the assistant provost for undergraduate student success and program directors to lead four cohort-based programs that support retention and student success. She is also the co-founder and host of the Student Affairs NOW podcast.
MSU head women’s golf coach, Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, M.S. ’99 (Kinesiology), had an exciting year, which included her third hall of fame honor and qualification for the United States Golf Association (USGA) 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The Michigan Women’s Golf Association inducted Slobodnik-Stoll into its Hall of Fame in August 2024. In 28 seasons, the five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has led the team to: appearances in 24 NCAA Regional and 14 NCAA Championship tournaments, eight Big Ten titles and an eleventh Athletic Director’s Award for academic excellence, in 2024.
The Michigan Science Teachers Association (MTSA) selected Williamston Community Schools educator Kortney Smith, STCRT ’18 (Secondary) and MA. ’21 (Teaching and Curriculum), as one of 24 statewide fellows in 2024. The fellowship is part of the MSTA "Elevating Educator Voices for High-Quality Science Education" initiative. Smith teaches Young-Fives at Discovery Elementary School.
U.S. Army Capt. Tyler Sprunger, B.S. ’15 (Kinesiology), became the Health Facility Planner, Medical Readiness Command, Europe in September 2025. The Army profiled his career path as a Medical Service Corps officer and the legacy he continues as the son of a retired Army Command Sergeant Major, in a recent article. Sprunger is also a graduate of the MSU ROTC program.
John Volesky, B.S. ’22 (Kinesiology), MNUN ’22 (Coaching), M.S. ’23 (Sport Coaching, Leadership and Administration), is the activities director at Rochester Catholic Schools of Rochester, Minnesota. Volesky assumed the permanent role in July 2025 after serving as interim activities director for a year. He also serves as the youth basketball coordinator at Lourdes High School.
In spring 2025, Bradley University named Jeffrey Wanko, Ph.D. ’00 (Curriculum, Teaching, and Education Policy), dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences. Prior to his appointment as dean, Wanko was a professor for 13 years and associate provost for nearly four concurrent years at Miami University (Ohio). Wanko’s term as dean began in summer 2025. While at MSU, Wanko was an instructor and graduate assistant in the Department of Mathematics.
Former MSU alumni officer for the College of Social Science, Jonathan Yarbrough, M.S. ’23 (Sport Coaching, Leadership and Administration), accepted the role of executive director of Northside Association of Community Development (NACD) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. NACD fosters growth and opportunities in the community by focusing on training programs, economic development and housing resources. The role, which he began in July 2025, is a homecoming for Yarbrough, who grew up in the neighborhood, graduating from Kalamazoo Central High School in 2017.
The National Academy of Education (NAEd) named two graduates as Spencer Postdoctoral Fellows in 2025. The fellowship supports scholars dedicated to making significant contributions to the field of education:
- Leonora Kaldaras, GRC2 ’15 (Science Education), Ph.D. ’20 (Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education) and Ph.D. ’20 (Measurement and Quantitative Methods), won for her proposal, “AI-Assisted Learning of Blended Math-Science Sensemaking Skills.” Kaldaras is an assistant professor in Artificial Intelligence, Teaching and Learning at the College of Education, University of Houston.
- Tingting Li, Ph.D. ’24 (Educational Psychology and Educational Technology) won for her proposal, “Designing An LLM-Based Multi-Agent System for Customized Science Assessments Through Multidisciplinary Human-AI Collaboration.” Li is an assistant professor of Science Education at Washington State University.
Michigan Governor’s Appointments to Boards and Commissions:
Kentwood Public Schools (KPS) superintendent, Kevin Polston, STCRT ’02 (Secondary) joined the State Teacher Tenure Commission in fall 2024. The commission acts a board of review for appealed decisions on teacher tenure. Prior to his leadership at KPS, Polston was superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in Wyoming, Michigan.
Henry Ford Health System physician assistant, Andrea Ciaravino, B.S. ’00 (Kinesiology), accepted a reappointment to the Michigan Board of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in fall 2024. In her role on the licensing and regulation board, she will represent physicians’ assistants.
Six alums were appointed to Michigan's Committee for Literacy Achievement. The 2025 State School Aid Act created the panel of educators, researchers and literacy experts to address the state’s urgent literacy challenges and to ensure that schools implement effective, research-based practices statewide. Over the next year, the committee will meet weekly to tackle Michigan’s literacy challenge and fulfill its mandate. (MSU Associate Professor Adrea Truckenmiller also serves on the committee.)
Tamela Jo Mannes - Anna L. Harms, M.A. ‘05 (School Psychology), Ph.D. ‘10 (School Psychology)
- Kelly M. Kujala, B.A. ‘97 (Education)
- Stephanie Long, M.A. ‘01 (Curriculum and Teaching)
- Tamela Jo Mannes, Ph.D. ‘13 (Special Education)
- Leah Porter, B.A. ‘04 (Education), STCRT ’05 (Secondary), M.A. ‘09 (Literacy Instruction) and TCRT (Elementary)
- Leanne Webber, M.A. ‘09 (Literacy Instruction) and TCRT ’09 (Secondary)
MSU Leadership
Two Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education grads and MSU leaders, Erin Carter, Ph.D. ’17, and Allyn Shaw, M.A. ’88 (College and University Administration) and Ph.D. ’02, served in interim leadership roles that commenced in winter 2024. In addition to serving as chief of staff for Student Life and Engagement, her current position, Carter served as interim associate vice president for Residential and Hospitality Services until August 2025. Shaw served as interim co-lead of the Division of Student Affairs, in addition to his roles as assistant vice president for Student Development and Leadership, and dean of students. Following the interim leadership position, Shaw assumed the role of assistant vice president for Student Life & Engagement, while maintaining his position as dean of students. Shaw retired from the university in January 2026, after more than 30 years of dedicated service.
In summer 2025, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program recognized Carolyn Kolar, B.A. ’25 (Elementary Education) and Justin Weller, M.A. ’25 (Student Affairs Administration) as finalists for the 2025-26 awards. Kolar, a current master’s student in Teaching and Curriculum, served as an English Teaching Assistant in Senegal, while Weller served in the same capacity in Taiwan.