University of Missouri College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) alumna Kim Nentwig (BSEd ’89) is helping shape the future of education through a generous gift to support faculty research. The newly established Nentwig Faculty Excellence Awards recognize outstanding early-career faculty members for their contributions to research and scholarship.

Nentwig, a strong advocate for advancing education through faculty research, created the fund to provide recognition and resources to professors who are building impactful research agendas. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to support their ongoing research.

“Faculty research has a direct impact on students, the university, and the broader field of education,” said Kui Xie, Dean and Joanne H. Hook’s Dean Chair in Educational Renewal. “By supporting early-career faculty, this award helps foster innovation and discovery at a critical point in their development. We are deeply grateful to Kim Nentwig for her vision and generosity.”

Department chairs across CEHD were invited to nominate tenure-track assistant professors from their department who have demonstrated excellence in research. The 2025 awardees represent a wide range of research areas and show great promise for shaping the future of their disciplines.

2025 Nentwig Faculty Excellence Award Recipients

Minseok Yang
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis
Research Focus: PK-12 leadership and education policy

“Dr. Yang has excelled as an assistant professor since joining the department in 2023. His national recognition as an Emerging Education Policy Scholar by the American Enterprise Institute highlights his potential as a leader in the field.” – Dr. Brad Curs

Sonja Winter
Assistant Professor, Educational, School & Counseling Psychology
Research Focus: Statistics, Measurement & Evaluation in Education / Bayesian Statistics

“Dr. Winter is an exemplary candidate for this appointment, demonstrating a robust academic background, significant research contributions, and a strong record of grant activity and publications.” – Dr. Cheryl Offutt

Aileen Garcia
Assistant Professor, Human Development & Family Science
Research Focus: Early childhood education, care and development; parenting and caregiving

“Dr. Garcia exemplifies the spirit of this award through her exceptional scholarly productivity, translational research, and dedication to advancing the field of developmental science and early childhood education.” – Dr. Brenda Lohman

Ayça Fackler
Assistant Professor, Learning, Teaching & Curriculum
Research Focus: Science education

“Dr. Fackler’s has already done outstanding work in her first two years at Mizzou. Her research, focusing on children’s learning of science with a focus on multimodality and language dynamics, is timely and important for schools and for society. – Dr. Tony Castro

Hyerim Cho
Assistant Professor, School of Information Science & Learning Technologies
Research Focus: Media information behaviors

“Dr. Cho’s innovative work explores how people engage with non-print media to meet emotional and informational needs, investigating multimedia components like music, illustration, and tactile stimulation. Her research has the potential to influence how libraries can better help users find meaningful and relevant media.”  – Dr. Denice Adkins

Angus Kittelman
Assistant Professor, Special Education
Research Focus: Emotional and behavioral disorders; Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

“Dr. Kittelman has distinguished himself as a true rising star in the area of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and the larger field of special education. As a reflection of the esteem the field has for his research skills, knowledge, and peer reviewed publications, Dr. Kittelman was recently appointed as an Associate Editor of a leading journal in his field of study.” – Dr. Lisa Goran

These faculty members are contributing valuable research to their fields and embody the spirit of the Nentwig Faculty Excellence Awards: innovation, impact, and the pursuit of knowledge in service of education.

To learn more about giving opportunities and how to support faculty research at CEHD, visit https://mizzou.us/cehd-giving.