Six Women Honored for Their Achievements in the Academic World

Esther Brown, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, received the 2011 Distinguished New Faculty Award from the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Brown is a graduate of Immaculata University in Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from West Chester University and an educational doctorate from Immaculata.

Sonia Nieto, professor emerita in the department of teacher education and curriculum studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, was selected as a laureate of Kappa Delta Pi, the international education honor society established in 1911. Membership in the laureate division of KDP is limited to 60 living individuals whose work exemplifies the highest ideals of education.

Dr. Nieto is a graduate of St. John’s University. She earned a master’s degree in Spanish and Hispanic literature at New York University and a doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts.

Kathy Beauregard, director of athletics at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, was named AD of the Year by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics. She originally was hired by the university in 1979 as a gymnastics coach.

Beauregard earned a bachelor’s degree from Hope College in 1979 and a master’s degree from WMU in 1981.

Katherine L. Heilpern, chair of the department of emergency medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine, received the 2011 Advancement of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine Award from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Heilpern is a graduate of the Emory School of Medicine and completed her training in internal medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Carolin Crawford, fellow of Emmanuel College and professor at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University in England, was named to deliver a series of six public lectures in London from November 2011 to June 2012 as the Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College. Some 354 years ago Sir Christopher Wren was appointed to the same position.

Naadu Mills, first lady of Ghana, received an honorary doctorate at Goodwin College in East Hartford, Connecticut. Mills was honored for devoting her life to the education of young girls in Ghana.