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College of Education and Human Services鈥 alumni named among the Alumni Association鈥檚 Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2023

By Alex Pologruto | Mar 6, 2023

Alexander Hall

The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) is pleased to recognize nine members of the 糖心logo入口 Alumni Association鈥檚 (糖心logo入口AA) Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2023.

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥 The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) is pleased to recognize nine members of the 糖心logo入口 Alumni Association鈥檚 (糖心logo入口AA) Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2023. Eight are alumni of the College, and one is employed in the Dean鈥檚 Office. 

Each year, the 糖心logo入口 Alumni Association recognizes 22 of the 鈥渕ost influential, innovative and inspiring 糖心logo入口 State alumni under the age of 40, who have distinguished themselves among their peers and continue to make a significant impact on the world.鈥 Among the 22 recipients from this year, nine of the individuals recognized are in some way affiliated with the COEHS.

The 2023 Alumni Association鈥檚 Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2023 COEHS affiliated recipients include:

  • Sarah Burgess, 鈥15: Earned a Criminal Justice minor from 糖心logo入口 State and currently serves as the Public Affairs Officer at Kentucky State Police Post 1.

  • Tamela Darnell, 鈥08 & 鈥12: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State and is serving as the Finance, Business and Administrative Manager for the COEHS.

  • Ashley Fritsche, 鈥12 & 鈥19: Earned a Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership in 2012 and an Education Specialist degree in 2019 from 糖心logo入口 State. She currently is a teacher at Calloway County High School.

  • Mark Mallory, 鈥08, 鈥13 & 鈥15: Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Secondary Education in 2008, a Master of Arts degree in Secondary Education in 2013 and another Master of Arts degree in Education Administration in 2015. He is currently the principal at Southwest Calloway Elementary School.

  • Cowann Owens, 鈥08: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State with a Bachelor of Social Work. He currently is a licensed clinical social worker working in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Louisville, Kentucky.

  • J.T. Payne, 鈥21: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State with a Master of Arts degree in Teacher Leadership and is currently a teacher at Henderson County High School.

  • Wayne Simpson, 鈥07 & 鈥08: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State with a Bachelor of Social Work and with a Master of Science in Human Development & Leadership. He is currently the associate director of Career Development at Western Kentucky University.

  • Mary Grace Starks, 鈥12 & 鈥14: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State with a Bachelor of Science in Communications Disorders and with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. She is currently a speech-language pathologist at Calloway County Preschool and Publications Chair for the Kentucky Speech-Language Hearing Association.

  • Kristen Tinch, 鈥13: Graduated from 糖心logo入口 State with degrees in English and Spanish Education. She is currently a secondary literacy consultant at the Kentucky Department of Education.

These nine outstanding alumni, alongside the rest of the 糖心logo入口AA Top 22 Under 40 Class of 2023, will be honored at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner in April. For more information please visit .

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