The work of a college doesn’t happen all at once. It shows up in classrooms, research, mentorship and the day-to-day effort that keeps everything moving.
As the Spring 2026 semester concludes, the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies recognized that work by honoring faculty and staff, while also celebrating the careers of faculty whose impact has shaped the College over decades.
The annual faculty and staff awards luncheon recognized excellence across teaching, research, service and leadership. The program opened and closed with remarks from Dean Tammi Dice, Ph.D., with awards presented by James Bartlett, Ph.D., chair of the Faculty and Staff Awards Committee.
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Sara and Rufus Tonelson Award: Shana Pribesh, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty for outstanding teaching, research and service, representing the highest level of achievement within the college.
Shana Pribesh, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of STEM Education and Professional Studies, spearheaded initiatives that strengthen graduate education, expand access and align academic programs with workforce needs.
Dr. Pribesh is a nationally recognized scholar whose research explores educational equity, family processes, social capital, trauma-informed leadership and student success. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, integrating advanced quantitative and mixed-methods approaches such as longitudinal modeling, causal inference, and program evaluation. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Council of Graduate Schools and has received national recognition, including the 2024 Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research.
Equally dedicated to teaching and mentorship, Dr. Pribesh is known for making complex topics, such as statistics, research design and program evaluation both accessible and engaging — sometimes through real-world datasets and sometimes through humor about her own very real struggles with quantitative methods. She consistently earns student ratings that exceed University benchmarks and is deeply invested in mentoring the next generation of scholars. More than 70 percent of her recent publications include student co-authors, and she has supervised or served on over 100 doctoral dissertations committees. She credits much of her success to her students and colleagues, remarking that her greatest professional accomplishment is “surrounding myself with people who are smarter and nicer than I am and then helping them shine.”
Innovation Grant Award: Selena J. Layden, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty whose externally funded work brings significant impact to Darden College of Education and Professional Studies through grants and contracts.
Selena J. Layden, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Human Movement Studies and Special Education, serves as the executive director of the Virginia Public Schools Behavior Analyst Network (VAPBAN) and the executive director of the Cooperative for Effective Behavior Intervention and Supports (CEBIS). Dr. Layden has published and presented extensively on her research interests focused on providing effective professional development for school personnel, school-based behavior analysts, improving the implementation of evidence-based practices in schools, teacher attrition and retention, and autism spectrum disorder. She has received several grants to support this work which have resulted in the creation of VAPSBAN and CEBIS, leading to innovative and meaningful outcomes that include interactive online training, support for school divisions across Virginia in the area of behavior and improved supports for teachers and other educators working with students with disabilities.
Publications Award: Jinhee Kim, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty with the most significant record of scholarly publications within a given year.
Jinhee Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Instructional Design and Technology program, has maintained a highly productive research agenda at the intersection of learning sciences, human–computer interaction and instructional design, with a particular emphasis on facilitating meaningful learning with advanced technologies. Since 2023, Dr. Kim has produced 28 publications, including 23 peer-reviewed journal articles for two peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and three peer-reviewed book chapters. Her Google Scholar citation metrics further reflect this impact, with citations exceeding 2,600.
Service Award: Tian Luo, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty who demonstrate exemplary service beyond expectations across the University, profession and community.
Tian Luo, Ph.D., a professor and graduate program director of the Instructional Design and Technology program, engages in scholarship centered on teaching and learning with emerging technologies, including generative AI, social media and innovative pedagogical design. Dr. Luo has published over 70 refereed journal articles and more than 20 additional scholarly works, including non-refereed articles, book chapters, conference proceedings and an edited volume. She has served as co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information Technology Education: Research and its sister journal, Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice. At the University, she serves as President of the Asian Caucus, a member of Faculty Senate Committee and faculty advisor to the Global Student Friendship. She is deeply committed to mentoring graduate students and new faculty. In 2025, she received the University Doctoral Mentoring Award. Outside the University, she serves as president of the Technology Integrated Learning Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and as a council member of the Society of International Chinese in Educational Technology (SICET). She also volunteers with local non-profits, such as Global Friendship Ventures and Tidewater Chinese School, advancing community engagement and intercultural connection.
Teaching Innovation and Excellence Award: Lauren Robins, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty for excellence and innovation in teaching and instructional practice.
Lauren Robins, Ph.D. (B.S. ’14), a clinical assistant professor and online counseling program coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Human Services, specializes in digital innovation within counselor education, integrating AI-driven simulations and immersive virtual reality to strengthen clinical skill development and multicultural competence in graduate training. Most recently, Dr. Robins designed and implemented an AI-Integrated Counseling Skills Lab that provides structured practice in counseling micro-skills, therapeutic judgment and culturally responsive decision-making. She is also leading the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations into on-campus and online courses to deepen empathy and strengthen students’ ability to engage with diverse client experiences. As online counseling program coordinator, Dr. Robins oversees curriculum mapping and course development to ensure accreditation standards and clinical rigor remain central across modalities. In close collaboration with ODUGlobal faculty and instructional designers, she is spearheading the redesign of core counseling courses as the program transitions to an 8-week asynchronous model.
Outstanding Student Mentor Award: Emily Goodman-Scott, Ph.D.
Recognizes faculty who provide exceptional mentorship that supports students’ academic, professional and personal growth.
Emily Goodman-Scott, Ph.D., a professor of counseling and coordinator of the school counseling program, previously worked as an elementary school counselor and special education teacher before coming to Old Dominion University 12 years ago. For the majority of her career, youth mental health has been at the center of her work career. Dr. Goodman-Scott is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of counselors and counselor educators. As Director of the Holmes Scholars Program at Old Dominion University, she mentors doctoral students pursuing careers in academia, supporting scholars from varied backgrounds as they navigate research, teaching and professional pathways. Nationally, Dr. Goodman-Scott initiated the American School Counselor Association’s Professional School Counseling Journal Emerging Scholars Program, a mentoring initiative for doctoral students and early-career faculty, where she has served as co-facilitator since 2022. In recognition of her impact in mentoring and research, she received the 2025 Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Exemplary Mentorship Award from the American Counseling Association. Dr. Goodman-Scott is a nationally recognized scholar with more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, nearly half of which are co-authored with her mentees, including doctoral students and early-career faculty.
Outstanding Staff Award: Brenda Houck
Recognizes a staff or AP faculty member who exemplify professionalism, inclusivity and contributions to the College community.
Brenda Houck, a placement specialist in the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies’ Office of Clinical Experiences, coordinates more than 800 annual field experience placements across educator preparation programs, including initial licensure, school counseling, educational leadership and library media. Since joining the University in 2015, she has helped guide the placement process through evolving Virginia Department of Education and Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation requirements by maintaining thorough documentation and record-keeping systems to ensure institutional compliance. She collaborates with information technology staff to develop a custom placement management system that strengthened data integrity, reduced administrative burden and streamlined workflows. In addition to her professional role, Brenda remains active in community programming through youth swim instruction and coaching, reflecting her longstanding commitment to mentorship, skill development and supporting learners of all ages.