Mr. Justin Malone

Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching

Mr. Justin Malone is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, which recognizes a full-time faculty member in the college for outstanding achievement in the area of undergraduate teaching.

Mr. Malone is a clinical instructor in American Sign Language in the Department of Learning Sciences. He taught American Sign Language and Deaf culture at Towson University from 2018-2020 before joining Georgia State University in fall 2020. He currently serves as the Director of Deaf Studies program. He teaches a number of courses aimed at undergraduate students, including beginner to advanced American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf history and culture.

He has been instrumental in curriculum updates across several programs, including bringing the sign language interpreting and undergraduate Deaf education programs under one umbrella. Mr. Malone oversees all part-time instructors who work within the Deaf studies programs and coordinated the first ASL Immersion Weekend in summer 2023, which provided students with three days of workshops with Deaf community members and instructors, all in ASL.

Dr. Lauren Beasley

Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching

Dr. Lauren Beasley is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching, which recognizes a full-time faculty member in the college for outstanding achievement in the area of graduate teaching.

Dr. Beasley is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health. Her research lies at the intersection of social work in sport, with a recent focus on the social work profession in sport, mental health programming in sport organizations and college athletes and college coaches’ physical and mental health literacy. She teaches graduate courses in cultural aspects of sport, mental health in sport administration and sport sociology, and she publishes education-based materials for her field. Dr. Beasley developed three graduate courses that have been added to the sport administration program of study: Mental Health Systems and Policy in Sport Administration, Critical Social Theories in Sport and a doctoral seminar on professional development. She also developed and proposed the Sport Social Work Graduate Certificate, which is currently going through the curriculum proposal process.

In her three years at Georgia State, Dr. Beasley has taught more than 100 graduate students, advised more than 50 master’s students and co-authored nine publications and 26 presentations with master’s and doctoral students. She has led graduate students in national case study competitions, including the first-place team at the 2024 College Sport Research Institute Conference. Many of her master’s students have earned positions in athletic departments or sport organizations in Atlanta and around the country.

Dr. Margo Williams

Outstanding Part-Time Instructor Teaching Award

Dr. Margo Williams is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Part-Time Instructor Teaching Award, which recognizes a part-time instructor in the college who demonstrates excellence in teaching students.

Dr. Williams is a National Board Certified Teacher and currently serves as a university coach and part-time instructor in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education. In this role, she has many responsibilities, including coordinating, supervising, mentoring and assessing teacher education students during their year-long student teaching experiences. She was also instrumental in developing the ESOL Exit Requirement Portfolio and the related assessment tool (the digital dossier).

Dr. Williams holds teacher interns to high academic standards by scaffolding the teaching content knowledge, modeling and mentorship necessary for their success in classrooms across the metro-Atlanta area and beyond. She is committed to adapting learning objectives to ensure that students with different learning needs and abilities can succeed. One of her goals is to successfully connect K-12 student needs in ESOL with curriculum and teaching strategies across four content areas: English, mathematics, science and social studies. She is passionate about teaching and learning.

Ms. Claire Miller

CEHD Staff Community Builder Award

Ms. Claire Miller is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Staff Community Builder Award, which recognizes a staff member who demonstrates a record of building and fostering collaborations within the college and the university community to bring about a positive transformational change.

Ms. Miller is a public relations coordinator in the College of Education & Human Development’s Public Relations Unit. She serves as the primary writer for the college, writing news and feature stories for the college’s website and its publications, including Research & Innovation, the CEHD’s biannual research newsletter, and Faculty Research Highlight, a monthly e-newsletter highlighting faculty members’ published research. Ms. Miller manages the college’s social media channels (Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn) and advises faculty and staff on social media use. She designs printed and digital materials for the college’s programs, centers and departments and takes photos at some college events and activities. She also supports her colleagues in the Public Relations Unit with event coordination and website maintenance.

Ms. Miller previously served on the university’s MLK Series Planning Committee from 2011-2014 and Georgia State’s Women at Work Planning Committee from 2018-2023, supporting event planning and communication efforts for each. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia in 2008. Prior to joining Georgia State, she worked for two years as a reporter and editor at The Paper of Braselton, Chateau Élan, Hoschton and Jefferson.

Ms. Sandy Vaughn

CEHD Customer Focus Award

Ms. Sandy Vaughn is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Customer Focus Award, which recognizes a staff member in the college who demonstrated concern for meeting internal and external customer needs in a manner that provided satisfaction for the customer. (“Customers” can be co-workers, peers or managers, as well as external customers of a service, such as students, parents or community members.)

Ms. Vaughn is an administrative specialist-administrative in the Department of Learning Sciences. She has consistently demonstrated an exceptional commitment to providing outstanding service to students and faculty. She works with both current and prospective students to provide the administrative support they need to be successful.

Ms. Vaughn works with Brendan Calandra, chair of the Department of Learning Sciences, to improve processes and enhance the overall experience for faculty. This proactive approach has led to several successful initiatives, including a one-stop shop for prospective student inquiries and advisement, a streamlined procedure for processing student paperwork and a new process for publicizing the department’s work.

Dr. Tamika La Salle-Finley

Outstanding Faculty Research Award

Dr. Tamika La Salle-Finley is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Research Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member in the college for outstanding achievement in the area of scholarship.

Dr. La Salle-Finley is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services and the director of the college’s Center of Research on School Climate. Her research focuses on the intersection of cultural factors and student perceptions of school climate and interventions and supports to improve educational outcomes for students with marginalized identities. She recently published the edited book, “Creating an Inclusive School Climate: A School Psychology Model for Supporting Marginalized Students.”

Dr. La Salle-Finley focuses on examining cross-cultural school climate experiences and is the project leader for the International School Climate Collaborative. She is the PI and/or co-PI on five federally funded grants through the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $4 million. She is expanding her work with the Georgia Student Health Survey, which has the notable distinction of being vetted in 2018 by the U.S. Department of Education for distribution nationally. Her collaborative research efforts have resulted in numerous research and practice publications; chapters in books; presentations at national and international conferences; and partnerships with schools and organizations in the U.S. and around the world. In 2023, Dr. La Salle-Finley became a member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.

Dr. Min Kyu Kim

Outstanding Faculty Research Mentoring Award

Dr. Min Kyu Kim is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Research Mentoring Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member who fulfills in an exemplary way the college’s commitment to providing mentoring in the conduct of research to faculty colleagues and doctoral students.

Dr. Kim is an associate professor in the Department of Learning Sciences. As a leading researcher in educational artificial intelligence (AI), Dr. Kim has dedicated his work to designing AI technologies that offer personalized learning support while helping educators adopt problem-centered teaching practices. He has advised 17 doctoral students, serving as dissertation chair for eight of them and as a committee member for others, including one at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His successful funding endeavors have supported 12 full-time graduate research assistants, and he has supervised internships for two doctoral students.

In 2022, he established the AI2 Research Laboratory, an interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration uniting experts in learning sciences, computer science, STEM education and literacy. The lab has engaged 24 undergraduate interns in AI-powered application projects and structured lab meetings to discuss research progress and development. Thanks to his mentorship, they have co-authored 13 journal articles, 13 prestigious conference proceedings and 25 presentations at national and international conferences.

Dr. Gary Bingham

Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award

Dr. Gary Bingham is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to faculty mentoring through their work with clinical and/or tenure-track faculty in developing their career advancement efforts in the areas of teaching, service and/or research.

Dr. Bingham is the Hettie Floyd Lee Professor of Young Learners in Urban Settings and Executive Director of the college’s Urban Child Study Center (UCSC). He has mentored several junior faculty in the Department of Early Childhood Education, and he’s authored several letters of support for these faculty – two of whom have received the Reading Hall of Fame’s Emerging Scholars Fellowship.

Dr. Bingham provides support to faculty mentees through the promotion and tenure process, reviewing faculty dossiers and by providing feedback on grants and manuscripts for mentees. He tries to tailor his mentoring approach to the needs of mentees. He also provides substantial mentoring to undergraduate and graduate students in the UCSC using a collaborative Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) approach. For example, he leads a weekly scholarly writing session with doctoral students and faculty/research scientists that supports their development as scholars.

Dr. Dionne Cowan

Outstanding Faculty Service to the Community Award

Dr. Dionne Cowan is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Service to the Community Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member who fulfills in an exemplary way the college’s commitment to service and has consistently demonstrated exemplary service to the community and Georgia State University.

Dr. Cowan is the executive director of the college’s Principals Center (PC) and a clinical assistant professor of educational leadership. Prior to this role, she served as the center’s associate director for eight years. Under her visionary leadership, she led the development and launch of CultivatED Leaders, the center’s new five-year strategic plan, rooted in community, capacity and cutting-edge practices. Some of her most exciting work involves co-designing cohort curricula alongside a team of six and developing curriculum for the center’s customized programs. The PC is projected to host more than 850 leader touchpoints during the 2024-2025 academic year. She leads the Principals Center Advisory Board, fostering a statewide network of visionary leaders, while cultivating and maintaining 14 strategic partnerships with area school districts.

She contributed to the 2024 Georgia Association of Educational Leaders’ Conference and the 2024 University Council for Educational Administration Annual Conference, engaging in critical discussions about the future of educational leadership. In fall 2024, she led writing workshops to support CEHD educational leadership doctoral student success through collaboration and accountability in the cohort model.

Dr. Jonathan Cohen

Outstanding Faculty Service to the Profession Award

Dr. Jonathan Cohen is the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Service to the Profession Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member who fulfills in an exemplary way the college’s commitment to service and has consistently demonstrated exemplary service to their profession at a national level.

Dr. Cohen is an associate professor in the Department of Learning Sciences. He has consistently demonstrated exemplary service to his profession at a national level, most notably as the president of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), an invited participant in the National Technology Leadership Summit (NTLS) and EDUsummIT, and as the founding chair of the SITE/NTLS Emerging Leader program. As president of SITE, Dr. Cohen is helping the organization adapt to the changing landscape of teacher education and helping SITE’s publications to reach a broader audience. The SITE/NTLS Emerging Leaders program is succeeding in its mission to diversify national educational technology leadership.

In addition, he has served as an external reviewer for the promotion and tenure processes at multiple universities, including Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. He also sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, the Journal of Research on Technology in Education and Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education.

Mr. Zaki Hyder

CEHD Staff Innovation Award

Mr. Zaki Hyder is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Staff Innovation Award, which recognizes a staff member in the college who generated novel and valuable ideas and used these to develop new or improved processes, methods, systems, products or services. The award recognizes creative ideas that improved any area of the college and made the CEHD a better place to work.

Mr. Hyder is an administrative specialist in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. He is a College of Education & Human Development graduate with a master’s in creative and innovative education. He worked for more than 10 years in Pakistan in the development sector, mainly with government-funded projects focused on teacher sensitization, gender empowerment-based curriculum design and critical thinking training with K-12 students across the country.

Ms. Angela Turk

CEHD Staff Mentoring Award

Ms. Angela Turk is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Staff Mentoring Award, which honors a staff member who exemplifies the college’s commitment to fostering professional growth and success through mentorship.

Ms. Turk is the director of communications for the College of Education & Human Development, overseeing the college’s overall communications strategy and public relations activities. A member of the college’s staff since 2001, she played a key role in establishing the college’s Public Relations Unit, shaping its staffing and implementation to align with the college’s mission and goals.

Ms. Turk is an alumna of the Georgia State University Leadership Academy for Women (Class of 2006) and a former Georgia State Staff Council college representative. She extended her service to the Leadership Academy for Women by serving on its planning committee from 2006–2008. Her additional service includes roles on the Georgia State Women at Work Series Planning Committee (2009–2023) and the Georgia State Sparks Award Selection Committee (2010–present). Currently, she serves as a mentor in the college’s inaugural CARE Staff Mentoring Program.

Her contributions have been recognized with honors, including the Georgia State University Sparks Award (2009) and the college’s Outstanding Staff Service Award (2005). Ms. Turk earned a master’s degree in communication from Georgia State in 2001 and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1998.

Dr. Chantee Earl

Innovation in International Education Faculty Award

Dr. Chantee Earl is the 2025 recipient of the Innovation in International Education Faculty Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member in the college for their outstanding achievement in international education.

Dr. Earl is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education. A former high school social studies teacher with over a decade of classroom experience, Dr. Earl has extended her impact well beyond traditional educational settings. Since 2015, she has provided students with transformative global learning opportunities in the Dominican Republic, guiding them through experiences that deepen cultural understanding and foster international connections. Her partnership with MICO University in Jamaica allows students to engage in comparative studies of contemporary social studies topics in the U.S. and the Caribbean via virtual exchanges. By facilitating dynamic discussions, collaborative assignments and microteaching activities, Dr. Earl creates opportunities for intercultural exchange and mutual learning. In addition, she has served as a general education instructor and co-PI for the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program.

She is a recipient of the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange grant and will be leading a project entitled “‘Jiggen’: Leadership and Project Management for Senegal’s Rising Women” in rural communities in Senegal in June 2025. She has also served as a panelist for the college’s signature International Education Week event for the past two years, where she has shared her insights and inspired colleagues and students to adopt global perspectives.

Snap Inc. Center for Computer & Teacher Education

CEHD Interdisciplinary Team Award

The Snap Inc. Center for Computer & Teacher Education is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Interdisciplinary Team Award. This award recognizes an interdisciplinary faculty team with outstanding achievements who have made a significant contribution to the university’s research, scholarship and/or teaching mission through successful interdisciplinary collaborations.

The Snap Inc. Center for Computer & Teacher Education supports the practice of teaching with computing throughout K-12 education for every student. Twenty faculty members across four departments work together to co-design innovative computing- and artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated activities that prepare teacher candidates to use these powerful technologies in their classrooms. Each year, the center reaches more teachers from CEHD’s programs, growing from 229 teachers in the 2021-2022 academic year to 598 in the 2023-2024 academic year. The center has supported other faculty in the college to use AI responsibly through workshops on AI literacy and applications, and a mini-grant program that allocated $13,000 to help faculty learn about and implement AI in their courses. Since its founding, the center has secured $1.7 million in grants and produced numerous interdisciplinary publications that blend theoretical frameworks, research methods, tools and perspectives.

Ms. Jeriann Jones

CEHD Rising S.T.A.R. (Early Career) Staff Award

Mr. Jeriann Jones is the 2025 recipient of the CEHD Rising S.T.A.R. (Early Career) Staff Award, which recognizes a staff member who demonstrates a record of excellence, impact and professional service in the CEHD within 2-5 years of working in the college. The awardee will demonstrate a clear record indicating a strong potential for continuing to make positive contributions to the college.

Ms. Jones is an academic advisor II in the college’s Office of Academic Assistance. In this role, she provides excellent customer service to her students and regularly assists staff in the University Advisement Center when they have questions about CEHD programs. She works closely with faculty from the Department of Learning Sciences and the Department of Kinesiology and Health to solve complex student issues, and she has created detailed advisement course maps for students in the Deaf education program.

For the last three fall semesters, Ms. Jones has taught an education section of GSU 1010, the first-year orientation course that helps new CEHD students acclimate to college. She volunteered to serve on Staff Council during her first year working in the college and was an active participant, regularly volunteering to assist with welcome week activities in the lobby and assisting with Staff Council events.