College of Nursing and Health Professions to Honor Distinguished Alumni
JONESBORO — Seven distinguished alumni of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Arkansas State University will be honored for their professional achievements during the annual recognition ceremony Saturday, announced Dr. Susan Hanrahan, dean of the college.
The event is Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. in Room 222 of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences, 2501 Danner Avenue.
Each of the honored alumni represents a school or department within the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Those to be recognized are Cindy Hannah of Clinical Laboratory Sciences; Sherry Mangrum of Social Work; Jennifer DeClerk of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences; Dan Lee Parker Sr. of Nursing; Tiffany Ryan of Communication Disorders; Cecelia Killough of Physical Therapy; and Stephania Terry of Physical Therapy.
Clinical Laboratory Sciences: Cindy Hannah
Cindy Hannah, MT (ASCP) is a 1980 graduate of Arkansas State, with a bachelor’s degree in medical technology (now called clinical laboratory sciences).
Upon graduation, she began working as a staff technologist at Craighead Memorial Hospital. She remained there until moving to Little Rock in 1984 where she began working at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital. Hannah worked in the chemistry department where she was the student coordinator (preceptor) for the UAMS medical technology students from 1989 until 1991. While in Little Rock, she initiated a STAT lab in the surgical suite and was responsible for overseeing and maintaining the STAT lab operation as well as staff training from 1984 until 1991.
After moving back to Jonesboro in 1991, Hannah joined NEAIMC, (now NEA Baptist Clinic) as a staff technologist. After more than 10 years of service at NEAIMC, she became laboratory supervisor in 2004. In 2010, she was promoted to laboratory manager and then again in 2012 when she assumed the role of director of laboratory services for NEA Baptist Clinic. She currently oversees 17 laboratories throughout the NEA Baptist Clinic facilities, and serves as laboratory director for five of the NEA Baptist Clinic facilities as well as technical consultant for the remaining labs.
Hannah is active in several clinical laboratory related professional organizations, including the Clinical Laboratory Managers Association and the American Society for Clinical Pathology. She has also served on the A-State Clinical Laboratory Service external advisory board for a number of years.
Social Work: Sherry Mangrum
Sherry Mangrum graduated from A-State in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in social work and is a licensed social worker in Arkansas. Following graduation, she took a position with PACES, Inc., an agency that educates expecting teen mothers on childbirth and parenting information. At PACES, she served as a caseworker and eventually director.
Mangrum worked at the Child and Youth Development Center as the first social worker on staff. The center was one of the first multidisciplinary agencies in the area to service children’s physical, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs. She began working with the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 1994. During her tenure, she served as an investigator, investigation supervisor and county supervisor.
In 2012, Mangrum became the resource and adoption supervisor for Area 8, a nine-county area in Northeast Arkansas. In 2016, she was appointed as interim area director for Area 8, and continues to serve in this position today. She was presented with the DCFS Employee of the Year Award in 2012.
Mangrum has previously served on the committee that was instrumental in producing a job realistic preview video, which is shown to all new DCFS staff and is used by most Arkansas universities to inform and recruit students into the child welfare profession. Mangrum is on one of the governor’s child welfare oversight review committees on permanency placements for children in foster care.
She has served the Arkansas State Social Work Department for many years as a field instructor and has supported the A-State student internship and stipend programs and the Title IV-E Academic Partnership in public child welfare professional field training endeavors. She often is on the Arkansas State search committees for Title IV-E field trainers, and is a member of the Arkansas State social work community advisory board. Mangrum is considered one of the go-to field supervisors by the executive leadership of the Division of Children and Family Services in Arkansas.
Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences: Jennifer DeClerk
Jennifer DeClerk is the recipient of the Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences Department’s distinguished alumnus award. She completed the associate degree in radiography at A-State in May of 2002 and continued to complete her bachelor of science in radiologic science (BSRS) in sonography is August of 2002. She finished the master of science degree in health science education at A-State in August of 2009.
DeClerk began her career as a staff sonographer at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center upon completion of her sonography degree. She worked there for a year and then went to work at Methodist University Medical Center in Memphis. After a year, she became the clinical coordinator for the diagnostic medical sonography program at A-State. Two years later, she became the director of the sonography program serving in that role for five years.
During that time, she was one of the first to explore the new idea of interprofessional education by collaborating with other departments within the college to provide student opportunities for learning with other disciplines.
In 2010, the University of Tennessee hired her to become one of the initial users of 3D and 4D sonography on high-risk obstetric patients for the purpose of diagnosis and plan of care. She quickly established a reputation of being one who was interested in and skilled in research opportunities. She became a part of the educational process for residents at UT specializing in maternal fetal medicine.
DeClerk went to Siemans Medical Solutions, sonography branch, in 2013 to provide a clinical perspective in the development and evaluation of new ultrasound products. She missed the clinical world, and in 2014 went to Regional One Health in Memphis in the area of obstetrics and gynecology and now serves that large group as sonography coordinator for research and special projects. Currently, she is also co-investigator on multiple research projects within the maternal fetal medicine division.
DeClerk is active professionally in the national Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, where she sits on two national committees: the Research Institute Task Force and the continuing medical education (CME) review committee. She holds certifications in radiography, ob-gyn, abdominal sonography, vascular sonography and fetal echocardiography.
Communication Disorders: Tiffany Ryan
Tiffany Ryan, MCD, CCC-SLP, is a 2003 graduate of Arkansas State with a master’s degree in communication disorders. She is a speech-language pathologist and owner of Pathways Pediatric Therapies located in Paragould.
She has currently been in private practice for 10 years with extensive experience in early intervention and infant-toddler feeding and swallowing. Ryan and her employees provide speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy services to children in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri.
Ryan has been a guest speaker in classes at A-State, a presenter at the Jane H. LeBlanc Conference in Communication Disorders, and as a clinical instructor for students in their clinical placement.
Nursing: Dan Lee Parker Sr.
Dan Lee Parker grew up in Blytheville prior to attending Arkansas State. He received his bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1978, which was the second BSN class. While at A-State, he was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. He was also active in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity (president 1977-78).
After graduation, he moved to Little Rock and began working at Baptist Medical Center. Starting as a registered nurse providing direct patient care, he was promoted to evening shift supervisor for general surgery floors, then became a unit supervisor for a 40-bed neurology/neurosurgery floor. Parker then became the vice president for the 140-bed Baptist Rehabilitation Institute. He worked closely with senior administration for all system hospitals.
In 1987, he earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. After leaving Baptist Medical Center, Parker joined HealthScope Benefits, an early stage startup company in managed healthcare and third party administration. He consulted exclusively with large self-funded health plans primarily for manufacturers in the Midwest, South and Southeast United States.
He earned a Master of Business Administration in 1995 from Webster University (Little Rock). In 1999, he was honored as a finalist for “Arkansas Business Employer of the Year” award. Parker led the management buyout from Certified Nursing Assistants (CAN) Insurance in 2001. From 2001-06, he led the company from $18 million to $31 million in revenue and developed strong lasting relationships with Fortune 500 corporate entities as well as many large benefit consulting firms.
In 2006, he developed a startup company, IMWell Health that established primary care clinics onsite or near site for large employers with self-funded health plans in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The model embraces the Patient Centered Medical Home as the basis for practice utilizing over 20 family practice providers (physicians and advance practice nurses) to manage care for over 30,000 individuals. Annual revenue grew to $10 million in 2015. Clients include manufacturers, food processing, municipalities /county governments, gaming casino, universities, banking and trucking. The business was sold to Premise Health in 2016. Premise Health is the largest provider of onsite clinics in the US.
Physical Therapy: Cecelia Killough
Cecelia Killough is owner of Crowley’s Ridge Therapies, Inc., serving the pediatric population in eastern Arkansas since 2000. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in interior design from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State. She is an American Physical Therapy Association certified clinical instructor.
Crowley’s Ridge Therapies, Inc., currently serves several school districts in the area—a birth to five-year-old DHS Developmental Day Center, Steudlein Learning Center, in West Memphis and pediatric home health.
Killough is active within the community, giving her time, talents and support to organizations including Cross County Arts Council, Friends of the Library, Cross County Community Foundation, East Arkansas Community College Fine Arts Center, Arkansas State University physical therapy department, Kids Mid-South Triathlon and Kids Mid-South Marathon. Crowley’s Ridge Therapies also supports various fund raising efforts in the school districts in which it serves.
Physical Therapy: Stephania Darlene Terry
Stephania Terry was born in Williford. Her interest in the medical field led her to A-State in the fall of 1981 to pursue a nursing degree. But, after two moves and children, she finally returned to Arkansas State to finish her nursing degree.
In 1995, Terry decided to change her major to physical therapy and was accepted into the A-State PT program and graduated from the first physical therapy class at A-State in 1998. She was hired by White River Medical Center of Batesville to open the first physical therapy clinic in Highland.
She continued to work there for five years. In 2002, she opened her own clinic—Physical Therapy Works, Inc., in Highland. Terry has worked with the Highland Rebel football team and other groups, including the local bowling team and the Rebel cheerleaders. She also offers job shadowing for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students interested in the physical therapy field.
