ASU Honors Top Faculty for Teaching, Research, and Leadership in 2025 President’s Awards

Curtis is the award winner for Faculty Excellence in Leadership/Service. Kelley received the award for Faculty Excellence in Research/Creative Endeavor. Kelly is the award winner for Faculty Excellence in Teaching. Each received $2,500 and Signature Presidential Recognition Awards. Kelley and Kelly will also be ASU's nominees for the Texas Tech University System Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Research and Excellence in Teaching.

Curtis, a professor of psychology, joined the ASU faculty in 2013. From last July until April, he stepped up to fill the role of interim dean of the Archer College of Health and Human Services when the previous dean unexpectedly passed away. Prior to that, he was the executive associate to the dean and director of the counseling psychology graduate degree programs. He has also served multiple terms on the ASU Faculty Senate and is a member or chair of several other campus committees. One of his many high-impact initiatives featured the digitization of the annual faculty evaluations and tenure/promotion process for the Archer College. It was so successful, it has now been instituted campus-wide. He has also worked with nursing faculty on a grant-funded project to increase Nursing Department enrollment, and he partnered with Shannon Health and Texas A&M University to form a new Healthcare Research Symposium in San Angelo. In his department, he led the efforts to develop the new Doctor of Psychology in counseling psychology program while also continually evolving the department's curriculum to stay current with licensure and accreditation changes. Off campus, he is chief executive officer of the Southwestern Psychological Association and past-president of the Psychological Association of Greater West Texas. He has also co-authored three textbooks in his specialty field of pathological lying and has become a popular source on the subject for national and international media.

Kelley, an associate professor of psychology, joined the ASU faculty in 2020. He has participated in both large-scale and more distinct research activities, has published his findings in multiple textbooks and peer-reviewed journals, and has made presentations at over 30 professional conferences and continuing education seminars. He is co-author of the textbook, "Abnormal Psychology: Myths of 'Crazy,'" that is in its third edition and has been adopted by 12 academic institutions. It has also received national media attention and been nominated for a textbook excellence award. Additionally, his general-audience book, "Foundations of Abnormality: Myths, Misconceptions, and Movies," has been nominated for a national book award, and his most recent book on the theoretical and philosophical foundations for psychology is under contract with a major university publisher. He has generated over $130,000 in research grant funding, and he has also been involved in international research efforts with entities in China, India and Poland. A strong believer in student research, he has involved students in many of his ongoing projects and has mentored 26 students on their research projects that have been presented regionally. He is president of the Southwestern Psychological Association, research advisor for the Psi Chi international psychology honor society, and a peer reviewer for several professional journals, including Current Psychology, Psychological Reports and The Journal of Psychological Inquiry.

Kelly, an ASU alumna and assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, officially joined the ASU faculty in 2018 after two years as an adjunct. She is the program director of the Master of Arts in professional counseling degree program, which she developed and launched in 2024. She also played a central role in developing the online LPC Bridge program that prepares students who already have a master's degree in counseling to apply for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential. She embodies the qualities of an exceptional educator - one who not only excels in teaching, but also inspires those around her. She is deeply invested in the success of her students through engaged teaching, her passion for lifelong learning, and her ability to empower her students to grow both professionally and personally. She is also a willing collaborator in her department, helping develop numerous new courses, co-creating core courses for new programs, and mentoring multiple adjunct instructors. Not one to rest on her laurels, she is committed to continuous improvement and actively seeks feedback from her students, peers and colleagues that she uses to become a more effective educator and create the best possible learning environment for her students. She doesn't just teach, she inspires, mentors and changes lives.

In addition to the overall winners, four semifinalists in each category received a $500 award.

For Excellence in Leadership/Service, the other semifinalists were: Michael Powers, assistant professor of history; Gayle Randall, assistant professor of management and marketing; Twyla Tasker, associate professor of curriculum and instruction; and Kristi White, professor/department chair of health science professions.

For Excellence in Research/Creative Endeavor, the other semifinalists were: Michael Holcomb, assistant professor of physics; You-jou Hung, professor of physical therapy; Amy Murphy, associate professor of curriculum and instruction; and Cheryl Stenmark, professor of psychology.

For Excellence in Teaching, the other semifinalists were: Taylor Gruman, assistant professor of history; Cynthia Lackey, assistant professor of teacher education; Tammy Stafford, associate clinical professor of nursing; and Paige Trubenstein, assistant professor of psychology.

Other nominees in the Excellence in Leadership/Service category were: Kevin Garrison, professor of English; Biqing Huang, professor of finance; Elizabeth Koeman-Shields, assistant professor of geoscience; Eduardo Martinez, senior instructor in security studies; Ben Skipper, associate professor of biology; and Elaine Stribling, assistant professor of teacher education.

Other nominees in the Excellence in Research/Creative Endeavor category were: Edson Abreu, assistant professor of biology; Erdogan Dogdu, professor/department chair of computer science; Kinsey Hansen, associate professor of curriculum and instruction; Jamal Husein, professor of economics and finance; Rebekah McMillan, assistant professor of history; Marva Solomon, professor of teacher education; and Nicole St. Germaine, professor of English.

Other nominees in the Excellence in Teaching category were: Jessica Garza, instructor in geoscience; Cathryn Golden, senior instructor in accounting; Steven King, senior instructor in chemistry; Carlos Maya-Lastra, assistant professor of biology; and Chelsea Procter-Willman, assistant clinical professor of health science professions.