NPC Celebrates Outstanding Alumnus, Faculty, And Staff
National Park College (NPC) celebrated a successful year of achievements in student
success, growth and expansion during Thursday’s annual employee recognition luncheon.
Awards were presented to the outstanding faculty, staff and alumnus for 2018 and employees
were recognized for their years of service, community service, and retirement.
The Outstanding Faculty award was presented to Dean of Nursing, Janice Ivers. Ivers
is passionate about recruiting applicants for her programs and producing quality graduates
for the healthcare community. In addition to her administrative duties, she also prioritizes
time to stay connected to the classroom and the profession of nursing. Ivers was appointed
by the Governor to serve as a member of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. She serves
as chair of the nursing scholarship committee and is instrumental in connecting donors
to student needs and communicating the value of high quality nursing education. “A
quality nurse is compassionate, ethical, and adaptable. We teach nursing students
how to interact with people at their most vulnerable times, times of pain, birth,
death, sadness, grief and suffering. Nursing is not a series of tasks. It is a process
of inquiry, critical decision making and evaluation of patient outcomes. We strive
to instill the importance of these qualities in each of our graduates so that when
it’s time for them to care for our loved ones, we are confident they are the best
in their field,” said Ivers.
The Outstanding Staff award was presented to Director of Career Services, Mary Kay
Wurm. Wurm is passionate about preparing students for the workplace and helping connect
them to 
employment opportunities. She administered the Great Lakes Career Ready Internship
Program, which placed 92 student interns into the community this year. She organizes
the annual NPC job fair, bringing 45 employers to campus. She partners with Arkansas
Workforce Centers and the Governor’s Dislocated Workers Task Force to assist dislocated
workers in finding their new path to employment. She serves as a member of Hot Springs
National Park Rotary, Past President of Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers
and is an alumnus of Leadership Hot Springs. She was also a 2018 nominee for Hot Springs
Woman of the Year. “I truly love working with our students and sharing opportunities
to assist with their journey to a rewarding career,” said Wurm.
The Outstanding Alumnus award was presented to 2012 graduate Ashley Kincannon. Kincannon
is a teacher at Lake Hamilton Junior High. She is a graduate of Jessieville High School
and holds an Associate of Arts in Teaching from NPC, a Bachelor of Arts in English
and a Master of Education in English as a Second Language from Henderson State. She
will graduate with an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum Leadership this
week.
Kincannon credits NPC for helping her fight for her successes. She described the struggles
she faced growing up in a single-parent home with five children and little support
saying, “My journey to success began with National Park. My background, statistically,
I shouldn’t be here today.” She was determined to create a better life for herself.
She started with high school concurrent enrollment classes through NPC and participated
in NPC’s Talent Search program. “Talent Search is a part of me and I’m fighting every
day to inspire my kids to take part in that program because that’s where I learned
about college,” she said. She explained that Talent Search staff took her to 
visit her first college campus and provided support as she transitioned from high
school. “They are the people who held my hand when I moved out at 17, married my husband
and conceived my daughter in 12th grade. They didn’t look down on me. They said, ‘You’re
going to college. Let’s get you there.’ They set me on a path to success,” she said.
Kincannon explained how TRIO Student Support Services and Career Pathways programs
helped her as she started her college journey. “I graduated high school, delivered
my daughter and two months later I was here on your campus, scared, afraid, unsure,
insecure, worried,” she added. She wondered about her ability to take care of her
family and succeed in college. She expressed her appreciation for all of the faculty
and staff who helped her along the way. “They helped me develop a resume, they taught
me how to be a professional, they taught me about job skills, because I wanted something
more,” she added.
Kincannon confidently addressed the room full of faculty and staff as she said, “Every
success I have had, I can trace back to National Park. My love for learning, my ambition,
my determination, my confidence, all of that grew and sprouted from here.”
Years of service pins were presented to the following employees:
Five years: Chuck Argo, Chuck Burke, Lisa Couch, Holly Dean, Terry Espino-Bright,
Terri Helms, Paula Henderson, Robyn Hendrix, Janna Lock, Gina Marts, Angela McJunkins,
Susan Millerd, Marilyn Ridge, Janet Smith, Burt Woodall
Ten years: Joy Cantrell, Devron Dever, Amy Fincham, Don Foshee, Lataschya Harris,
Brad Hopper, Jim Johnson, Jeff Kinney, Miles Morton, Exonda Ross, Buddy Van Dusen
Fifteen years: Ulonda Frazier, Toni Knupps
Twenty years: Susan Gaither, Claudia Lightner, Sharon Sinclair, Martin White
Twenty-five years: Carol Spargo
The following retirees were recognized for their service: Phyllis Brooks, Bob Kissire, Linda Ferrell, Richard Browne, Mark Chapel, Anzolette
Cheatham, Dana Murphy, Jim Johnson, Suzan Davis, Carol Spargo, John Ragland
The following employees were recognized for volunteer service:
Over 500 Hours: David Hughes
Over 250 Hours: Anne Benoit, Paula Ford, Chris Thasher, Steve Trusty
Over 100 Hours: Sara Brown, Pam Castleberry, Chris Coble, Tina Ennis, Linda Franklin,
Ulonda Frazier, Janice Ivers, Donna Kay, Carla Kelly, Nathan Looper, John Tucker,
Debra Wilson, Ashley Lewis, Melissa Cheresnik
Groups Over 750 Hours: Radiologic Technology Students, Debra Wilson; Hospitality Students,
Eve Victory
Groups Over 250 Hours: Intro to Social Work Students, Susan Millard
