NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University has granted tenure to 15 faculty members and 20 faculty have received promotions effective with the start of the 2025-26 academic year, according to Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Greg Handel. The tenure and promotion recommendations have been approved by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System.
Those earning tenure were Dr. Aimee Badeaux and Dr. Aaron Stigers of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health, Dr. Susan Campbell and Dr. MaryAnne Candley of the Department of Social Work, Dr. Debra Jo Hailey of the Gallaspy College of Education and Human Development, Anna MacDonald and Sherri Voebel of University Libraries, Dr. Billie Myers of the Department of Psychology, Trenton O’Neal of the Department of Biology and Microbiology, Dr. Timothy Pardue of the School of Social Science and Applied Programs, Dr. Yohaselly Santiago-Rodriguez of the Department of Physical Science, Dr. James Smith and Dr. Mary Edith Stacy of the College of Business and Technology and Dr. Dominique Taylor and Dr. Jie Zhang of the Department of New Media, Journalism, & Communication Arts.
Receiving promotion to associate professor were Dr. Kaylee Ackel and Dr. Meryn Olivier of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health, Dr. Sean Bartley of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Campbell, Candley, Leah Forsyth of the Department of Music, Hailey, MacDonald, Myers, Santiago-Rodriguez, Stacy, Stigers and Smith.
Those receiving promotion to full professor were Badeaux, Dr. Marcia Hardy, Dr. Eddie Horton, Dr. Carmella Parker and Dr. Sarah Wright of the College of Business and Technology, Dr. Nabin Sapkota of the Department of Engineering Technology and Dr. Zhang.
Badeaux serves as dean of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health at Northwestern. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University and a Master of Science in Anesthesiology from Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University.
An educator for more than 15 years, Badeaux joined NSU in 2020 as the inaugural Nurse Anesthesia Program director, guiding the program through capability review, and later served as director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program while maintaining her practice as a nurse anesthetist. Her research and scholarship focus on visual cognition, assessment and evaluation, and emotional intelligence as a predictor of graduate nursing success. She is active in grant writing and has held numerous leadership roles, including president of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Anesthetists and current Chair of the State Organizational Development Committee for the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiologists.
Campbell earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina, an M.Ed. in Counseling from The Citadel, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Kansas. In addition to teaching and advising full time in the Department of Social Work, she has held multiple leadership roles, including interim department chair, social work professional program coordinator and Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society faculty advisor. Her NSU awards include the Mathilde Bradford Endowed Professor and the Excellence in Teaching Award for the Gallaspy College of Education and Human Development in 2022-2023. Campbell serves as the associate director of the Cenla Mental Health Workforce Accelerator Program. She has presented her work at local and national conferences and published in several peer-reviewed journals. With more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Campbell brings extensive practice knowledge in education, social services and research.
Candley holds a BSW and MSW and earned a Ph.D. in Human Services with an emphasis on social and community services from Capella University. She joined the Social Work faculty at Northwestern in 2019 as an assistant professor. In 2024, she was promoted to MSW program director, and in 2025 she was named associate professor and head of the Department of Social Work.
She is the 2024–2026 recipient of the Mathilde Bradford Endowed Professorship, through which she launched a tiered mentorship initiative to increase retention and student engagement. A practicing medical social worker, Candley’s professional background includes work with birth inequities, mental health, homelessness, aging and child and family services. Her research interests focus on macro social work, social determinants of health, and the needs of non-traditional and online learners.
Hailey has been in the field of early childhood education for over 30 years. Her past teaching experiences include private childcare, public school pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, Head Start, children’s ministries and summer programs for gifted education. As an adult educator, she has taught workshops and given presentations at the state, regional, national and international levels and has written articles in peer-reviewed early childhood education journals. Hailey’s teaching focuses on child development, family dynamics and community engagement. She is active across the state as a leader, researcher and community collaborator for conducting family literacy events that educate parents and address school readiness/early literacy. Hailey has served in many leadership positions including president of the Louisiana Early Childhood Association and a co-chair on the Louisiana Department of Education’s Early Literacy Commission.
MacDonald serves as department head of information literacy, library instruction, and reference at NSU’s Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library. She earned a B.A. in Art History from Louisiana State University and a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University. Prior to her appointment at Watson Library in 2019, she managed the Leesville/Fort Polk branch campus library for nine years.
MacDonald is an active member of the Eta Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars, where she currently holds the offices of treasurer and co-membership chair. She has also contributed to institutional service through participation in the Faculty Senate and multiple university committees. In 2024, she was selected by the Louisiana Library Network (LOUIS) and the Louisiana Board of Regents to participate in a three-year U.S. Department of Education pilot initiative in open textbook publishing and course design.
Her research interests include the development of student digital research competencies and documenting the history and significance of the Watson Library art collection.
Myers, LPC, Ph.D. is also a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed professional counselor. She teaches undergraduate psychology courses and graduate courses in the master’s program in clinical psychology. Myers has clinical experience providing psychological treatment to children and adults. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in biology and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from McNeese State University. She went on to earn a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology from Fielding Graduate University. Afterwards, Myers completed a post-doctoral fellowship in rehabilitation neuropsychology. She also has extensive research experience in a variety of psychological topics.
O’Neal has been a member of NSU’s faculty since 2019. He earned his M.S. in Biology from the University of South Alabama and leads a research program that integrates environmental microbiology and applied fermentation science. His work focuses on the biodegradation of man-made chemicals by bacteria to better understand microbial pathways that reduce environmental contaminants. O’Neal also explores Louisiana’s biodiversity by isolating native yeasts and testing their fermentation abilities for potential use in food and beverage production. Since joining the faculty, he has mentored numerous undergraduate researchers and revitalized several microbiology courses, emphasizing hands-on experience and critical thinking. Through teaching, research and mentorship, he is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists while advancing sustainable approaches in microbiology.
Pardue has more than 20 years of combined experience in law enforcement and higher education. He holds a doctorate in education, a master’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in business administration. Over the past two decades, he has taught in various academic roles, contributing to the development of future professionals in criminal justice and homeland security. He currently serves as coordinator of the Master of Science in Homeland Security program at NSU, where he oversees curriculum and program growth. His career reflects a continued commitment to advancing education, public service, and leadership in the field of homeland security.
Santiago-Rodríguez is an associate professor of chemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, with a dissertation focused on catalytic conversion of CO₂ using quantum mechanical calculations. Since joining NSU in 2018, she has taught a wide range of undergraduate courses, including general chemistry, environmental chemistry and chemical thermodynamics. Her research explores nanomaterials for wastewater treatment and fuel conversion, particularly in degrading pollutants such as PFAS. Santiago-Rodríguez has received multiple grants, including awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, NASA/Louisiana Sea Grant and the Louisiana Board of Regents and was recognized as Outstanding Professor in Physical Science at NSU in 2023.
Smith has taught at NSU since 2019. He earned a Doctor of Business Administration and an MBA in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University, along with a Bachelor of Arts in French. A Certified Public Accountant in Louisiana and Minnesota, he integrates extensive professional and academic experience into his teaching. His instructional expertise spans financial, managerial, cost, governmental and advanced accounting, as well as personal finance and international business.
Smith is an active scholar with multiple peer-reviewed publications and international conference presentations addressing accounting, forensic testimony, stakeholder engagement and global education. He contributes to institutional service through roles on curriculum, advising, and faculty development committees, and he serves as faculty advisor for the Beta Alpha Psi Xi Nu Chapter. Dedicated to student success, he combines scholarship, professional practice and mentorship to advance accounting education.
Stacy, a proud NSU alumna and longtime Natchitoches resident, earned her B.S. in Accounting (1991) and M.Ed. (1996) from NSU, followed by a Ph.D. in Vocational Education from LSU (2003). She currently serves as Dean of the Graduate School and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the College of Business & Technology. Her research focuses on improving student success through innovative teaching methods.
Stacy’s administrative experience at NSU includes roles as dean of the College of Business and Technology, director of Enrollment Management, Auxiliary Services and University Scholarships. In these positions, she has strategically led both academic and student services operations, aligning institutional resources and initiatives to advance the University’s mission and achieve key performance goals. Stacy serves on multiple university committees.
Stigers has taught in the College of Nursing since January 2019. Stigers practices as a nurse practitioner with care focused on geriatric clients while also teaching clinical students in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) program track. Stigers has more recently moved into an administrative role as director of the MSN and PMC program tracks that aid registered nurses on their pathway to becoming advanced practice registered nurses.
Taylor’s motto is “Make the small story big.” He oversees the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication’s electronic news gathering inventory, advises the Hispanic Student Journalist Association, NSU-TV and other student multimedia broadcasts. Taylor’s students have produced award-winning work including five Telly Awards. The Tellys are an international multimedia competition with categories spanning news, graphics, advertising and film. NSU students have also won more than a dozen awards from national, state and regional organizations. Taylor has extensive experience in news production and digital content production. During his academic career, he has produced award-winning humanities related podcasts and documentaries. Taylor has focused his creative work on sharing humanities focused stories, primarily connected to the Hispanic American experience. He remains an active producer.
Voebel holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor. Since 2018, she has served as head librarian and liaison to the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health at NSU, supporting over 2,800 students. In her role,Voebel teaches information literacy and specializes in systematic reviews focused on medicine, pharmaceuticals and clinical trials. With a background in intellectual property beginning in 1997, she instructs students on the use of research and AI tools including Rayyan, AI, Covidence, Coral AI, SciTe, Claude and Genesis, alongside medical databases. Voebel is a past president of the Louisiana-Mississippi Special Libraries Community and currently serves on committees for HSALA (Health Sciences Academic Libraries of Louisiana) and PIUG (Patent Information Users Group). She is an active or past member of HSALA, SLA (Special Libraries Association), MLA (Medical Library Association), AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) and PIUG.
Zhang is the head of the Department of New Media, Journalism, and Communication Arts at Northwestern. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising at Shanghai University, China, Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Oklahoma, and Ph.D. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin. Her dissertation received the Dunn Award that acknowledges outstanding dissertations in international advertising from the American Academy of Advertising in 2010. Zhang’s research topics are varied, including cross-cultural comparison studies of strategic communication, digital word-of-mouth communication, online marketing communication, psychological motivations for social media usage, written Chinese to English translation and more. Since joining the faculty of Northwestern, Zhang continued her passion for teaching. Zhang is a firm endorser of “learn by doing.” She tried to help students find internships and grow their social network through class projects with real-world clients. Zhang has worked and taught in the area of strategic communication for 15 years. She is also in the process of building new joint degree programs between the department and an array of overseas universities.
Ackel, DNP, RN primarily teaches in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She also has experience in the Associate and Doctoral Nursing Programs. Ackel completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her clinical background includes med/surg, oncology, long-term care and nursing leadership.
Ackel’s doctoral project was focused on nurse-to-nurse hand-off, alongside completing a project that used data to analyze grant funding for nursing programs during her work with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She serves on the Faculty Senate and is a member of multiple nursing and community organizations. Ackel is part of an interdisciplinary research team that has recently published, “Finding Strength Amidst the Crisis: Student Parent Experiences during the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Bartley teaches theatre history. His research centers on contemporary experiential and immersive theatre practices, postdigital pedagogy and the intersections of sport and performance. He is the co-editor (with William Lewis) of “Experiential Theatres: Praxis-Based Approaches to Training 21st Century Theatre Artists” and the series “Advances in Experiential Media and Performance.” His work has been featured in collections with Routledge, Methuen and Northwestern University Press and in TDR: The Drama Review, Theatre History Studies and Theatre Journal. Bartley’s directing credits for NSU include “The Government Inspector,” “Antigone,” “RoosevElvis” and the 2024 Christmas Gala. He holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from Florida State University and an MFA in Dramaturgy from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.
Forsyth is an associate professor of oboe. Prior to joining the NSU faculty in 2011, she served as an oboist with the United States Army Field Band in Washington D.C. Forsyth holds the position of principal oboe with the Rapides Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria, second oboe with the Texarkana Symphony, and she performs regularly with the Shreveport Symphony. She is a founding member of the Three Reeds Duo with husband and saxophonist Paul Forsyth. They have commissioned many new works featured on their two albums, “Signals Cross” (2016) and “Metamorphosis” (2019). A native of central Ohio, Forsyth holds a B.M. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory and an M.M. from Florida State University.
Hardy earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), focusing on research, evaluation, policymaking and management. Her teaching and research interests include leadership, strategic management and policies and organizational management. She has received the College of Business and Technology Excellence in Teaching Award.
She is a past president of the Eta Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Delta (PBD) at Northwestern and was recently elected as international president-elect of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. She holds the Barry Smiley Professorship in Marketing. Hardy has served as co-chair of the NSU SACS-COC Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Steering Committee for the NSU Center for Positivity, Well-Being, and Hope and on the NSU CREATE Steering Committee. She has served two terms as president of the NSU Faculty Senate.
Recently, she completed an Executive Program on Artificial Intelligence Implications for Business Strategies and graduated from the NSU Re-IGNiTE Leadership Program.
Horton now teaches in the program which he graduated from in 1996. He obtained his M.Ed. in Educational Technology, also from NSU, and his Ph.D. in Information Security from Northcentral University. He currently serves as the Bryant and Heloise Lewis Endowed Professor of Business. Horton holds multiple industry certifications in networking, security and information assurance. His current research interests include making AI hallucinate and secure distributed storage. Horton currently serves as the president of the Louisiana Association of Business Educators and is past president of the Association of Business Information Systems (ABIS/FBD).
Olivier, DNP, FNP-C, APRN has worked full time in academia since 2016. She has been a full-time assistant professor of nursing for Northwestern since 2024. Olivier began her healthcare career within the critical care unit in 2007 and has practiced as a family nurse practitioner since 2015 in the orthopedic, urgent care and occupational medicine settings, which she continues to practice part time Olivier currently teaches within the DNP core curriculum and serves as the project coordinator for the DNP Project Practicum courses.
Olivier maintains active memberships in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau International.
Her areas of research interest include primary care/family practice medicine, emergency medicine, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the role of technology in educational advancement, interprofessional education and collaboration, active learning strategies for online learners and the use of AI to enhance the learning experience.
Parker is a licensed attorney in Louisiana with over 22 years of legal experience. She teaches courses including cyber business law, business law II, international business, international comparative management, entrepreneurship and fintech law and policy. Her legal career includes roles as field counsel for Liberty Mutual Group and assistant attorney general in the Louisiana Department of Justice for three Louisiana Attorneys General. She also served on the Youth Development Panel, a sub-group of the Crime and Public Safety Advisory Council, which was one of nine cross-political transition advisory councils for Louisiana’s then Gov.-Elect Bobby Jindal. She also served on the Military Law Committee for the Louisiana State Bar. She was also a 2020 judicial candidate and currently serves as Of Counsel for law firms. Academically, she holds a B.S. in Business Administration, a J.D. with a Certificate of International Studies and an MBA.
Sapkota joined the Department of Engineering Technology at NSU in 2014. He holds both a master’s and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida. At NSU, he has led numerous initiatives focused on curriculum development, faculty engagement and student success. He chairs the Faculty AI Club and is active in interdisciplinary grant writing, ABET/SACSCOC accreditation efforts and the development of proposed AI curricula for STEM students. Sapkota’s research and outreach efforts focus on improving student retention, integrating AI into STEM education and advancing safety and productivity practices in manufacturing environments. He has also played a key role in building industry-aligned programs that support career readiness and hands-on learning. His work bridges the classroom and real-world applications, empowering students and faculty alike to adapt to the evolving demands of technology-driven industries.
Wright is beginning her 24th year at Northwestern where she has been a dedicated faculty member. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from NSU, a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in Applied Computer Science from Northcentral University.
At NSU, Wright teaches a variety of computer information systems and business statistics courses, combining her background in mathematics, computing and business to prepare students for success in today’s data-driven world. Throughout her career, Wright has focused on fostering student engagement, problem-solving and practical application of technical skills. Her long-standing commitment to the university and her students reflects her passion for education, technology and the role both play in shaping future professionals in business and information systems.
