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The College of Education and Health Professions executive leadership team. Top row, from left: Matthew Ganio, Michelle Gray, Marilou Shreve and Harry Patrinos. Middle row, from left: Michael Hebel, Suzanne Kucharczyk and Steven Wheeler. Bottom row, from left: Kay Brusca, Paul Kaleja, Kate Mamiseishvili and Kristin Higgins.
The College of Education and Health Professions leadership team is entering the new academic year eager to build on last year’s success.
“The College’s leadership team, comprised of people who are passionate about students, faculty and staff, is now even stronger with the addition of several new members,” Dean Kate Mamiseishvili said. “I look forward to working with these incredible leaders to improve health and education in Arkansas and beyond.”
In July, Steven Wheeler became chair of the Department of Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy. Dr. Wheeler is an occupational therapist with 30 years of experience in brain injury-related education, research, and clinical work. He previously served as chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at West Virginia University. Previously, he was a tenured professor and founding director of the Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Cincinnati.
The School of Educational Reform is under new leadership with the appointment of Harry Patrinos, Endowed Professor of 21st Century Education Policy, who, after a distinguished career at the World Bank, most recently served as Senior Advisor for Education and is a distinguished scholar whose work has been cited nearly 23,000 times, making him the seventh most highly cited scholar at the University of Arizona.
Suzanne Kucharczyk will begin a five-year term as dean of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction after serving in the interim role for the past year. Kucharczyk joined the University of Arkansas as a faculty member in the Special Education Program in 2015. She has been the recipient of several multi-million dollar grants, most recently the five-year, $6 million ELEVATE grant to support the transition to adulthood of young people with disabilities and the $9.9 million STAR grant to improve the economic independence of Arkansas teens with disabilities.
Marilou Shreve has been appointed Interim Executive Director and Boyce W. Billingsley Endowed Professor of Nursing in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Shreve joined the University of Arkansas in 2012 and has over 25 years of pediatric experience in acute and primary care settings. She specializes in child and adolescent obesity and has opened and maintained one of the first nurse-owned clinics in Arkansas.
Christine Higgins and Michelle Gray continue to provide steady leadership in their respective roles as deans of the Department of Counseling, Leadership and Research Methods and the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation. Higgins joined the Counseling Department in 2006 and served as program coordinator prior to her appointment as dean. Gray is a professor of exercise science who studies age-related diseases to improve the quality of life for older adults.
The college’s associate deans, who will be appointed to five-year terms in 2023, will continue to be critical to the college’s success. Paul Calleja will continue in his role as associate dean for administration, Matthew Ganio as associate dean for academic and student affairs, and Michael Hebel as associate dean for research, strategy and outreach. Kay Brusca will continue to serve the college as chief of staff and executive assistant to the dean.
Dean Kate Mamiseishvili is in her third year as dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. She has been working with the leadership team to advance the College’s WE CARE strategic plan. The plan’s three priorities are centered on concrete ways faculty can work together across the College and state to address complex education and health challenges.
About the College of Education and Health Professions: The six departments of the College of Education and Health Professions prepare students for a variety of education and health professions. In addition to its longstanding role in training educators and educational leaders, the college also trains nurses, speech-language pathologists, public health professionals, recreation and sports specialists, counselors, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, and exercise scientists.
