UM School of Education Honors Hall of Fame Inductees, Practitioners of Distinction

The event, held April 17 at the Johnson Commons Ballroom, is celebrated each year to honor individuals whose service, innovation and leadership have made a lasting impact on students and the profession.

This year’s celebration recognized four recipients of the Practitioner of Distinction Award and five Hall of Fame inductees, including one recipient of the Outstanding Educational Service Award. The latter is an honor reserved for those whose work is bold, transformative and far-reaching.

"We believe there is no greater service to a community than educating its children," said David Rock, dean of the School of Education. "Every honoree today has lived that belief, and their careers are proof of what that kind of commitment can accomplish."

2026 School of Education Hall of Fame Inductees

Nancy Stasiak Carden, a 1970 School of Education graduate, was honored for a teaching career that has stretched across five decades, four states and three countries. Over a career that has taken her from Italy to California, Carden has never stopped finding classrooms that need her, teaching migrant children in Monterey, turning around a struggling class in Virginia Beach and spending the past 35 years at the same San Diego school where former students send their own children.

Matt Dillon, superintendent of Petal School District, was inducted for more than a decade of sustained excellence in district leadership. A two-time UM graduate, Dillon has led Petal to an “A” rating from the Mississippi Department of Education for 11 consecutive years and was named Mississippi Superintendent of the Year by the Mississippi Association of School Administrators in 2021. Under his leadership, Petal High School has been ranked among the nation’s top schools by U.S. News and World Report.

Charles Harrison, a 1981 doctoral graduate of the School of Education, was recognized for more than four decades of service as a teacher, administrator, superintendent, consultant and advocate for educational accountability. As superintendent, Harrison led Mississippi’s highest-performing school district by state accountability measures for 15 years and later served on the Mississippi State Board of Education. In retirement, he founded the Pontotoc Endowment for Excellence in Education to direct resources into local classrooms.

Betty Sullivan, a two-time Ole Miss graduate, was honored for a career at the intersection of journalism, education and advocacy. Sullivan has consulted for major national newspapers, served as director of education for the Newspaper Association of America and authored curriculum resources for organizations ranging from the American Bar Association to the U.S. Olympics Committee. She serves as co-publisher and education program director of the San Francisco Bay Times, an award-winning LGBTQ community newspaper.

Dr. Dan Jones, former chancellor of the University of Mississippi, was named the 2026 recipient of the Outstanding Educational Service Award. A native of Morton, Jones served as chancellor from 2009 to 2015, a tenure that included securing the inaugural funding from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation to establish the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program at UM, attracting high-achieving students to the university and to stay and teach in Mississippi. He also served as national president of the American Heart Association from 2007 to 2008, championing health equity and access for underserved communities, and continues that work today as the AHA's National Volunteer Lead for Healthcare Access.

2026 Practitioners of Distinction

Toni Avant, director of the university's Career Center, was recognized for nearly three decades of advancing career development and student opportunity. A proud triple alumna of Ole Miss, earning degrees in 1986, 1997 and 2024, Avant has built one of the most comprehensive career programs in the region, serving more than 20,000 students and alumni annually. She was named the university’s EEO-1 Staff Member of the Year in 2025.

Emily Hollett, gifted educator and instructional coach in Williamson County, Tennessee, was honored for her work designing individualized learning plans and advocating for advanced learners across her district. A 2007 School of Education graduate, Hollett is co-president of the Tennessee Association for the Gifted, a sought-after presenter at state and national conferences, and co-author of a five-book curriculum series, "Integrated Lessons for Higher-Order Thinking Skills."

Lenora Morris, chief of student services for the South Panola School District, was recognized for more than 23 years of advocacy on behalf of students with disabilities. A 2002 graduate of the School of Education, Morris has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, director and contract special educator mediator for the Mississippi Department of Education.

Nichelle Robinson, director of the Office of Teacher Education and Clinical Practice, was honored for a career defined by equity, scholarship and institution-building. A three-time Ole Miss graduate, Robinson served 15 years as a UM faculty member, including a pioneering tenure as the School of Education’s inaugural diversity officer and as the first faculty member at a UM outreach campus to earn tenure and promotion. She holds the McRae Endowed Professorship at the University of Memphis.

Top: From left, David Rock, dean of the School of Education, Dr. Dan Jones, Carol Sullivan, Nancy Stasiak Carden, Matt Dillon, Charles Harrison pose with their Hall of Fame awards. The selection of the School of Education Alumni Awards is made each year by the School of Education Board of Advisors. Photo by Bill Dabney