2024 Faculty Award Winners

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award

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Dr. Justin A. Haegele

Dr. Justin A. Haegele, is a Professor and the Director of the Center for Movement, Health, & Disability in the Department of Human Movement Studies & Special Education at Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA, USA). Contextualized within the interdisciplinary field of adapted physical activity, his primary research interests center on exploring how disabled individuals experience physical activity participation, including within school-based physical education contexts. Since joining Old Dominion University in 2015, Dr. Haegele has amassed over 230 peer-reviewed research publications, as well as several edited or authored texts. He currently serves as the Director of Project CAPER and the Co-Director of the MAMC, two adapted physical activity training collaboratives that are funded through the U.S. Department of Education focused on training doctoral scholars in the field. He is also currently the President of the North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity, and the Editor-in-Chief for the peer-reviewed publications Quest (2022-2024) and Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (2023-2025).


 

Eminent Scholars

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Dr. Jennifer N. Fish

Dr. Jennifer N. Fish is a sociologist who focuses on women’s labor and migration in the informal economy, with an emphasis on transnational activism and development. As a public sociologist, Dr. Fish has conducted community-based research with students and partner organizations in Nepal, South Africa, Rwanda, Haiti, and Senegal. Her research informs four books, numerous chapters and journal articles, and organizational reports for policy and research organizations worldwide, including the International Labour Organization of the United Nations. Dr. Fish is a member of the Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) policy-research network at Harvard University, and a Research Associate at the Social Law Project at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Her work is currently funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and the Centre for Global Social Policy at the University of Toronto.


 

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Dr.  Khan Iftekharuddin

Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin obtained his B.Sc. degree from Bangladesh Institute of Technology in 1989. He received an M.S. and a Ph.D. both in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1991 and 1995 respectively. Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Principal Research Engineer at Timken Research, Canton, OH before joining North Dakota State University Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. There he was involved in research in signal and image processing, neural networks applications, time-frequency analysis, sensors, and embedded system design. Prior to Timken, Dr. Iftekharuddin was a Senior Systems Engineer at BDM Federal in Dayton, OH. There he was involved in software development, software process improvement, and automatic target recognition (ATR) research.


 

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Dr.  Michael Nelson

Dr. Michael Nelson joined the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University in 2002. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center from 1991-2002. Through a NASA fellowship, he spent the 2000-01 academic year at the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Nelson is active in the Open Archives community and is an Editor of the OAI-PMH, OAI-ORE, Memento, and ResourceSync specifications. He has developed many digital libraries, including the NASA Technical Report Server. In 2007, he received an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Nelson’s research interests include web science, repository-object interaction, and digital preservation.


 

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Dr.  Willy Wriggers

Dr. Willy Wriggers earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1998. He held Postdoctoral positions in Electron Microscopy (Scripps Research Institute) as well as Theoretical Chemistry (University of California, San Diego). In 1999, he was appointed Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute. In 2003, he moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, where he earned tenure as Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Molecular Medicine. In 2007, he joined the private D. E. Shaw Research laboratory in New York City, where he participated in the historic millisecond length molecular dynamics simulation on the Anton Special Purpose Supercomputer. In 2014, he returned to an academic position as Frank Batten Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at ODU. 


 

University Distinguished Teachers

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Cathleen Rhodes

As a Senior Lecturer in Women's Studies, Cathleen Rhodes teaches a variety of courses related to Women's and Gender Studies, with a particular focus on queer lives and experiences.


 

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Jennifer Sloggie

Professor Jenn Sloggie received her B.A in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia in 1999 and her M.A. in English (Professional Writing) from Old Dominion University in 2000. Professor Sloggie is currently the Director of General Education Composition at Old Dominion University. 


 

Provost’s Award for Leadership in International Education

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Dr. Christine Sump

Dr. Christine Sump is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Undergraduate Nursing Program. She received her BSN from Saint Joseph University in West Hartford, CT, an MSN from ODU, and an DNP from Case Western Reserve University. She joined the ODU faculty in 2010.


 

Provost’s Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award

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Joy Kelly

Professor Kelly earned her B.A and M.A in Secondary Education and Teaching, in 1992 and 1994 respectively, from Old Dominion University. She also received an M.B.A in Marketing from Regent University in 2019.


 

Provost’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor

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Dr. Jian Wu

Dr. Jian Wu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Before joining ODU, Dr. Jian Wu was an Assistant Teaching Professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at The Pennsylvania State University.


 

A. Rufus Tonelson ’33 Faculty Award

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Dr. Wie Yusuf

Dr. Wie Yusuf is a policy scholar who focuses on policy issues at the intersection of governments, non-profit/non-governmental organizations, businesses, and civil society. These not only include issues that are inter-governmental and multi-sectoral, but also issues that address the interactions between citizens and governments, such as transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. Her current research examines coastal adaptation and resilience with an emphasis on equity.


 

Old Dominion University Alumni Association New Faculty Award

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Angela Wilson

Angela Wilson received her B.A. in Biology from Russell Sage College in 1997 and her M.S. in Bioethics from Union Graduate College in 2008. Angela Wilson currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Medical Diagnostic & Translational Sciences.


 

Faculty Research, Scholarship and Creative Achievement Award Nominee

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Dr. Tom Allen

Dr. Thomas Allen is a Geography Professor at Old Dominion University. He focuses on conducting research and teaching in coastal geography, environmental management and resilience, applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and remote sensing. He received his Bachelor of Science in Geography from ODU and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 


 

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Dr. Helen Crompton

Dr. Helen Crompton is the Executive Director of the Research Institute for Digital Innovation in Learning at ODUGlobal, Professor of Instructional Technology, and Director of the Virtual Reality Lab at Old Dominion University. Dr. Crompton earned her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Mathematics Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Dr. Crompton has achieved a place on Stanford's esteemed list of the top 2% of scientists worldwide. Her exceptional work in technology integration has garnered her numerous accolades, including the SCHEV Award for the Outstanding Professor of Virginia. Dr. Crompton's expertise extends beyond academia, as she frequently serves as a consultant for various governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, leveraging her knowledge and experience to drive meaningful change in the field of educational technology.


 

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Dr. Charles Hyde

Dr. Charles Hyde received his B.A. in Mathematics from UC San Diego in 1978 and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. Dr Hyde has been a professor of Physics at Old Dominion University from 2002—present, and has held the distinction of Eminent Scholar since 2014.


 

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Dr. Jingdong Mao

Since Dr. Mao first arrived at ODU, he has secured research grants from the funding agencies such as the NSF, Petroleum Research Fund, USDA, and Jeffress Foundation. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed journal papers and nine book chapters, and his papers have been cited more than 10,000 times with an H index of 58. He was awarded Distinguished Research Award by the College of Sciences, Old Dominion University. In addition, Dr. Mao has been invited to give talks at many institutes and conferences. He was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research, Biogeosciences and currently serves as an Academic Editor of Plos One. He is among the top 2% of most-cited researchers in the world.


 

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Dr. Ed Neukrug

Dr. Ed Neukrug obtained his B.A. in Psychology from SUNY Binghamton, his M.S. in Counseling from Miami University of Ohio, and his Doctorate in Counselor Education from the University of Cincinnati. After teaching and directing a graduate program in Counseling at Notre Dame College in New Hampshire, he accepted a position at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia where he currently is a Professor of Counseling and Batten Endowed Chair of Counseling. He is also the Executive Director of the International Institute for the Advancement of Counseling Theory. Dr. Neukrug has held a variety of positions in local, regional, and national professional associations in counseling and human services. In addition, he has published numerous articles and has received a number of grants and contracts with school systems and professional associations.


 

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Dr. Wie Yusuf

Dr. Wie Yusuf is a policy scholar who focuses on policy issues at the intersection of governments, non-profit/non-governmental organizations, businesses, and civil society. These not only include issues that are inter-governmental and multi-sectoral, but also issues that address the interactions between citizens and governments, such as transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. Her current research examines coastal adaptation and resilience with an emphasis on equity.


 

Doctoral Mentoring Award Winners

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Dr. Vanessa R. Panfil

Dr. Vanessa R. Panfil is an ethnographer, criminologist, sociologist, and advocate. Her research explores how intersections of gender and sexuality shape individuals’ experiences with gangs, crime, victimization, and the criminal and juvenile justice systems. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior to joining ODU, she served as a Postdoctoral Associate in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Newark and earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany.


 

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Dr. Jori Beck

Dr. Jori S. Beck joined the faculty at Old Dominion University after three years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In her career so far as a Teacher Educator, Dr. Beck has been awarded over $1 million in external funding and has published in journals such as Teacher Education Quarterly, The Teacher Educator, and the Journal of Teacher Education. Her work focuses on clinically rich teacher education broadly including foci in Third Space theory, use of data and evidence, teacher leadership, and school-university partnerships with an underlying theme of equity. Dr. Beck primarily specializes in qualitative methods, including case study.


 

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Dr. Charles Sukenik

Dr. Charles Sukenik received a B.A. in Physics from Cornell University in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Physics from Yale University in 1993. As a member of ODU's Experimental Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Group, he has done research using the Free Electron Laser at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News. His physics work also shows great range. While much of his current research focuses on the interaction of atoms and molecules with light at temperatures close to absolute zero, Dr. Sukenik has also conducted research in cavity quantum electrodynamics, ultrafast optical science, laser science, and quantum chaos.


 

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Dr. Tina Gustin

Dr. Tina Gustin has over 35-years of Advanced Practice Nursing experience. She received her undergraduate degree from the Medical College of Virginia, which is now Virginia Commonwealth University. She received her master’s degree as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Virginia, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Old Dominion University. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Ellmer School of Nursing where she teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. Dr. Gustin was most recently appointed as the Director of the school’s Center for Telehealth Innovation, Education, and Research (C-TIER). The center will serve as a telehealth learning hub and research center not only for the state but also the East Coast Region of the United States. She is the Clinical Manager for the Pediatric Telehealth program at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. 


 

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award

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Dr. Andrew Bennett

Dr. Andrew Bennett focuses on employee well-being, negotiations, and improving management research and education. His research has been published in multiple top scholarly journals and has been profiled in outlets like the Washington Post, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and the BBC. He has worked on projects for multiple Forbes Global 2,000 companies, the U.S. Army, and national non-profits as both a researcher and consultant.