Community/Academic Recognition of Faculty
Adisa Velic M.Ed, CCMA
Completed Masters of Education/Educational Psychology degree

Spring 2024
Adisa is passionate about helping students at East Central College reach their maximum potential and making a positive impact within the community by educating competent healthcare professionals. She is captivated by a continued desire to learn and grow. Adisa started her Doctorate Degree in higher education at UMSL in Fall 2024.
Dr. Parvadha Acosta
NISOD Excellence Award

Dr. Acosta has grown in her role as faculty, becoming one of ECC’s strongest student advocates. She is an active supporter of faculty professional development and took on a leadership role in ECC’s faculty professional development’s first ever Chew On This watch party and discussion. Her commitment to the community shows in her leadership of ECC’s Earth Day and United Way.
Dr. Shanee Haynes
Doctorate of Education

Spring 2024
Dr. Shanee Haynes has successfully completed her doctoral studies and has been awarded a Doctorate of Education degree (EdD) in Educational Practice from the University of Missouri St. Louis. She successfully defended her dissertation, “Student-Faculty Engagement Solutions For Retention of Racially Minoritized Students.”
Katie Holtmeyer
She Asked Me Where

Spring 2024
Katie’s debut poetry collection She Asked Me Where was recently published through Unsolicited Press. The book captures the pull of several spectrums innate to the human experience: pain and triumph, fear and power, longing and overcoming, the perfect and the flawed, approaching the liminal spaces of these binaries through recurring themes that are connected in their struggle for control and understanding over what cannot be controlled or understood.
Writing has always been a huge passion of Katie’s, and she is so grateful for the support she’s received from the ECC community upon the publication of the book.
Watch Katie’s poetry reading from on campus.
Aaron Bounds
Phi Beta Mu

Spring 2023
Aaron was inducted into the Lamba chapter of Phi Beta Mu. Phi Beta Mu is an international honorary fraternity for band directors. Membership is through invitation as voted on by your peers and is selective. It was extra special for Aaron as his father was also a member and was able to be at his induction.
Jessica Van Leer
Outstanding Young Professionals

October 2022
Nursing Instructor, Jessica Van Leer was nominated by Dr. Bauer, ECC President, for the Outstanding Young Professionals award through the Washington Area Chambers of Commerce. Bauer said, “Jessica leads by example. Jessica is devoted and passionate about nursing education and teaching future nurses. She teaches from the scope of compassion while adhering to the standards of excellence in nursing. She challengers herself to step out of the box, think critically, and deliver excellence in nursing education on a daily basis.”
Bobby Bland
NISOD Excellence Award

June 2022
Welding Program Coordinator Bobby Bland was nominated by Dr. Richard Hudanick, dean of career and technical education for “extraordinary work” he exhibits daily.
“Over and above his duties as a faculty member and a coordinator for East Central’s Welding program, Bobby continuously is setting the bar higher and higher for standards in classroom instruction and industry partnership relations.” Hudanick commented.
“On any given day, Bobby can be found critiquing the quality of weld-joints performed by his students to talking with industry partners to coordinate interviews for future graduates.”