President
Dr. Dana Tribble
Arkansas Tech University
Dr. Dana Tribble is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Student Affairs Administration and coordinator for the first-year undergraduate student success skills courses (TECH 1001 & TECH 1013) as of August 2020. Before her assistant professor position, she served as the director of career services at Arkansas Tech University from 2012-2015. She also has experience in marketing and recruiting for the College of Business at Arkansas Tech University. Dr. Tribble is a passionate educator and enthusiastic advocate for all students pursuing their educational goals. Her research interests include but are not limited to, leader identity, leader identity development, leadership theories/models, positive psychology, self-authorship, grit, resilience, first-year student success courses, and first-generation students. Dr. Tribble resides in the River Valley with her family and enjoys running, hiking, boating, and gardening.
First Vice President
Dr. Melanie Wicinski
Arkansas State Univserity
Dr. Melanie Wicinski currently serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Accreditation and Assessment and HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer at Arkansas State University. Dr. Wicinski earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, Adult Education (Cognate: Research and Measurement) from University of South Florida in 2014. Dr. Wicinski also has a master’s degree from University of Florida (1992) and a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University (1991), both in Early Childhood Education. She continues to teach by serving Arkansas State University as an adjunct professor in the educational leadership master’s program and previously held a courtesy appointment as Assistant Professor at Florida A&M University, where she taught in the higher education master’s program. Dr. Wicinski values service to the university and to her community and, thus, acts as an Assistant Editor and content specialist for the Journal of Global Education and Research (JGER); is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for NE Arkansas 2nd Judicial District; and is an active member of the University Community Rotary Club. Melanie lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas with her husband Vince and son Jacob and her miniature pinscher, Indy.
Second Vice President
Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch
Arkansas State University
Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch is Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of History at Arkansas State University. An award-winning scholar of Rural, Women’s, and African American history, Dr. Jones-Branch is the author of Crossing the Line: Women and Interracial Activism in South Carolina during and after World War II, Better Living By Their Own Bootstraps: Black Women’s Activism in Rural Arkansas, 1913-1965, and the co-editor of Arkansas Women: Their Lives and Times. Her next book project, titled “. . . To Make the Farm Bureau Stronger and Better for All the People:” African Americans and the American Farm Bureau Federation: 1920-1966, will be published by the University of Arkansas Press’ “Rural Black Studies” series of which she is co-editor. She is also the co-founder of the Arkansas Delta Women’s Leadership Academy, which aims to increase the number and visibility of women leaders in the Delta region by providing them with leadership training and networking opportunities. Dr. Jones-Branch is a U.S. Army Persian Gulf War Veteran.
Third Vice President
Dr. Kristen L. Hoyt
Arkansas State University
Dr. Kristen Hoyt has earned an Ed.D. in Educational Policy & Leadership, and Ed.S. in Educational Policy & Leadership from Liberty University, an M.A.T. in Curriculum & Instruction (Reading and English as a Second Language) from the University of Texas at Arlington, an M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum in Reading Education from the University of Oklahoma, an M.Ed. in Education Administration, Curriculum and Supervision from the University of Oklahoma. A B.A. in Romance Languages and a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Cameron University. She has been a National Board Certified Early Childhood Generalist, a program reviewer for the International Literacy Association, a program reviewer for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator
Preparation, and a validator for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Dr. Hoyt has served as a professor at universities in Oklahoma, Colorado, Indiana, West Virginia, and she is now at Arkansas State University. Her research interests are emergent literacy, English as a second language learners, and dyslexia.
Immediate Past President
and
Treasurer
Dr. Aubrey Holt
Arkansas Tech University
Dr. Aubrey Holt currently serves as the director of assessment for the division of student affairs and a visiting lecturer in leadership studies at Arkansas Tech University. She completed her Ed.D. in higher education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Previously, she served as the assistant dean for campus life at Arkansas Tech University. In this role, she coordinated the co-curricular experience program and the leadership living-learning community, as well as advised the student government association. She also oversaw the areas of civic engagement, fraternity and sorority life, registered student organizations, student activities, student leadership, and student transition. She served in various other roles within Campus Life since 2011.
Dr. Holt obtained her M.A.E. in student affairs in higher education at Western Kentucky University. Prior to her graduate work, she traveled to over 50 college campuses as an educational leadership consultant for Delta Zeta Sorority national headquarters to facilitate officer and membership development. She obtained her B.A. at Arkansas Tech University in broadcast journalism.
Her research interests include social return on investment (SROI), student engagement, collaboration, and co-curricular experiences.
Secretary
Dr. Topeka Small Singleton Arkansas State University
Dr. Singleton began her career in K-12 teaching and has been actively involved in higher education teaching and administration for over 22 years. Her interests in research include higher education leadership, accountability in higher education, and experiential learning. Dr. Singleton has served in several leadership roles over the span of her career. These roles include Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Assistant Director of Assessment and Accreditation on two separate occasions, Interim director of the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) within the Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Special Education (ELSCE) department, and Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. Topeka was recently awarded the University’s Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching, non-tenure track, at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro.
Communication Coordinator
Michelle Standridge
University of Central Arkansas
Michelle Standridge is a Graphic Designer and Project Manager for the Marketing and Communications department at the University of Central Arkansas. With ten years of experience, she has worked with her department, developing and executing visual design concepts for recruiting, retention, advancement, and overall branding.
Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, an Associate of Applied Science in InformationTechnology, and a Minor in Spanish from Arkansas Tech University in 2014.
Michelle is from Pereira, Colombia, and resides in the River Valley with her family. She is bilingual and enjoys doing CrossFit, gardening, and painting. Michelle is a U.S. Navy Veteran.
Membership Coordinator
Krystal Shipp
Arkansas Tech University
Krystal Shipp currently serves as the Director of Early Childhood Education and is an Instructor of Teaching and Educational Leadership at Arkansas Tech University. She teaches Classroom & Behavior Management, Literacy Assessment and Intervention, Development & Characteristics of Diverse Learners, and Methods & Materials Using Developmentally Appropriate Practice & Activities for Young Children. On top of teaching a full load of classes, Mrs. Shipp observes and evaluates student interns in the pre-K-12 classroom each semester. She is an education advisor who guides students about their class schedules & other college-related items. She serves as the ATU College of Education Facebook & Instagram social media co-coordinator. She also serves as the Spirit Squads Director. She coaches the Arkansas Tech cheerleaders. Mrs. Shipp was voted ATU Professor of the Year in 2021. Previously, Mrs. Shipp served as a public school teacher. In this role, she taught Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Fourth Grade. She was the principal designee, served on the leadership team, served on the response to intervention committee, and piloted a multisensory instruction classroom for students with exceptionalities. She was the Monticello teacher of the year in 2017 and the top educator in 2016. She is a National Board-certified teacher. She has her MA in Educational Leadership from Arkansas Tech University and a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Arkansas.
Graduate Student Representative
Lynnlee Mitchell
Arkansas Tech University
Northwest Regional Representative
Holly Haynes
University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
Holly Haynes is the Retention Advisor for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural/Geospatial Studies with minors in Anthropology and Geography from Arkansas Tech University. She obtained a Master of Science in Student Affairs Administration and a Graduate Certificate of Advising at Arkansas Tech University in 2022.
During her undergraduate career, she worked as a Teacher’s Assistant. She was a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and the International Honor Society in Psychology. Through her academic achievement and involvement, she was recognized in Arkansas Tech University’s 2020 Who’s Who honorees. During her graduate work, she was a Teaching Graduate Assistant. She was also a member of Chi Sigma Alpha Student Affairs Honor Society International and Alpha Chi Honor Society.
She lives in the Ozark National Forest, 20 minutes outside of Clarksville, Arkansas. She is an animal lover; She has two dogs, one aquatic turtle, and a cat. When she is not busy with her animals, she spends her time playing video games or watching YouTube.
Northeast Regional Representative
Dr. Amy Hyman
Dr. Amy Hyman
Central Regional Representative
Natasha Branch
Arkansas Tech University
Natasha Branch is a Post Award Grants and Contracts Accountant in the Office of Budget at Arkansas Tech University. She is originally from Donetsk, Ukraine, and currently resides in Pottsville, Arkansas, with her family. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international business relations from Donetsk National University in June 2000, and a Master of Science in Student Affairs Administration from Arkansas Tech University in May 2024. Natasha has 24 years of experience in global higher education in Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. She is trilingual and enjoys cooking Eastern European cuisine, knitting, gardening, and traveling. She is a member of the Chi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, a recipient of Tradition Keeper 2024, and the Who is Who Award 2024.
Southwest Regional Representative
Dr. Melody Mayo
Southern Arkansas University
Melody Mayo is an Assistant Professor of Education at Southern Arkansas University (SAU). She earned
her BBA in 2002 and her M.Ed. in Secondary Education in 2007, both from SAU. She earned her Ed.D. in
Higher Education Leadership from Walden University in 2018. Melody has been in higher education for
22 years. She began her career in the School of Graduate Studies as an administrative assistant. During
her time in graduate studies, she served as the graduate recruiter, coordinator of special projects, and
assistant dean. In 2023, she became a full-time faculty member and program director for the Higher,
Adult, and Lifelong Education and the College Counseling and Student Affairs programs.