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黑料不打烊 to Award Odyssey Medals to Five Alumni

Cabrina Campbell 鈥85, Daniel Ellis 鈥96, Alan Tackett 鈥98, Lorraine Berry Woodward 鈥84, Amanda Brooks 鈥08 to receive medals September 26


CONWAY, Ark. (August 27, 2024) 鈥 黑料不打烊 will present five alumni with the Odyssey Medal at a private ceremony and luncheon on Thursday, September 26. The recipients will be honored with a reception that evening in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center.

The Odyssey Medal is presented to alumni whose life achievements exemplify the ideals of the 黑料不打烊 Odyssey Program. Medalists are selected by the 黑料不打烊 Board of Trustees for their accomplishments in one of the six Odyssey categories: Artistic Creativity, Global Awareness, Professional and Leadership Development, Research, Service to the World, or Special Projects.

Those receiving Odyssey Medals and their Odyssey Categories are:

Cabrina Campbell, M.D. 鈥85 鈥 Professional and Leadership Development聽聽

Cabrina Campbell, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Vice-Chair of Education, and Director of the Residency Program at the nation鈥檚 first medical school, the prestigious Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.聽

Campbell graduated from 黑料不打烊 with distinction and received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. After a residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, she joined the faculty at Perelman; she is an attending physician at the Veterans Affairs Hospital, where she also has served as Director of Acute Psychiatry.

An author and researcher, Campbell has earned a reputation for her compassion with students and patients alike. She has won many awards, honoring her excellence as a teacher and as a physician鈥攁mong them, two Humanism and Medicine awards, one given by the Association of American Medical Colleges and another by Penn Medicine; the American Psychiatric Association Roeske Award; the coveted University-wide Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Teaching Award; Blockley-Osler for Excellence in Teaching Clinical Medicine at the Bedside; and the Robert Dunning Memorial Award, also an award for excellence in teaching. 聽

Campbell is an inductee to Alpha Omega Alpha, Penn Med Minority Hall of Fame, and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. She has been awarded four Penn Pearl Awards for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.聽

Campbell was selected for her Odyssey Medal in 2023 but was unable to attend the ceremonies.

Daniel Ellis 鈥96 鈥 Artistic Creativity

International opera and theatre director Daniel Ellis is an Arkansas native who has been directing opera, theatre, and film professionally since his graduation from 黑料不打烊 in 1996. While at 黑料不打烊, he participated in the 黑料不打烊-in-London study abroad program, and was a member of the 黑料不打烊 Choir and the 黑料不打烊 Players, graduating with a degree in psychology and earning the first declared minor in theatre from the College.

After working professionally in Arkansas theatres, Ellis moved to New York City and earned his MFA in Directing at The Actor鈥檚 Studio (now New School) in 2002. He is a recipient of the 2021 OPERA America鈥檚 Robert L. B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize for his production of Donizetti鈥檚 L鈥檈lisir d鈥檃more, which was produced as a part of Minnesota Opera鈥檚 2023-2024 season.

Ellis made his European debut in 2016, directing the third revival of Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade鈥檚 production of Mozart鈥檚 Die Zauberfl枚te at the Komische Oper in Berlin. He also directed the European debut of Sir David McVicar鈥檚 production of Wozzeck at the Grand Th茅芒tre de Gen猫ve, Switzerland (2017) and the Finnish National Opera (2019). He has directed more than 10 world premieres, including the off-Broadway production of Frank Gagliano鈥檚 comedy, Dancing with Joy. Daniel conceived and directed the premiere of Stay Tuned, featuring the vocal ensemble Five by Design; it was performed with more than 40 symphony orchestras and performing arts centers through the United States and Canada during its five-year tour.

He has worked for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Portland Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Mill City Opera, San Diego Opera, and Minnesota Opera alongside world-renowned directors including Sir David McVicar, Sir Graham Vick, Michael Cavanagh, Fenlon Lamb, Thaddeus Strassberger, Kevin Newbury, Renaud Doucet, Joel Ivany, Sam Helfrich and David Lefkowich. Ellis is an associate member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Society, and a member of American Guild of Musical Artists. He is the Academic Professional of Opera/Musical Theatre between the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at University of Georgia at Athens.

Alan Tackett 鈥98 鈥 Research

Alan Tackett, Ph.D., earned a degree in chemistry with distinction from 黑料不打烊 in 1998, and received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 2002. He performed postdoctoral training in cancer epigenetics and proteomics at The Rockefeller University in New York City from 2002-2005. He joined the faculty at UAMS in 2005 and has risen in the ranks to a tenured distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Tackett received the Sharlau Family Endowed Chair for Cancer Research in 2016 and was nominated into the Arkansas Research Alliance in 2021. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS.

As a UAMS faculty member, Tackett has built an internationally recognized research team focused on uncovering new therapeutic strategies to treat metastatic melanoma and developing the next generation of molecular profiling technologies to identify cancer biomarkers. He has published more than 150 scientific articles and holds multiple patents in these areas; and has received more than $40 million in government funding to support his research endeavors.

Tackett serves as director of two National Institutes of Health (NIH) research centers in Arkansas: a NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in systems biology that has enabled critical infrastructure development for large data generating technologies and has provided tailored mentoring to numerous early career faculty resulting in their acquisition of over $25 million in government research funding; and a NIH National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics that has supported biomedical research in over 1,500 laboratories across every state in the U.S. and has provided training and workforce development to over 500 faculty and students, including many who are underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce.

Lorraine Berry Woodward 鈥84 鈥 Service to the World

Lorraine Woodward is an entrepreneur, advocate for people with disabilities, and the driving force behind Becoming rentABLE, a groundbreaking platform revolutionizing accessible short-term rentals. Her journey began at 黑料不打烊 College in Conway, Arkansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology and pre-law. During her time at 黑料不打烊, Lorraine participated in Student Senate, the Sociology Club, and the Galloway Hall Council. She was also a recipient of the Outstanding Young Women of America Award in 1980, the Jessie Embry Award in 1983, and initiated the first Barrier Awareness Day event at 黑料不打烊 in 1986.

Prior to founding Becoming rentABLE, Woodward excelled in roles focused on advancing disability rights and accessibility through advocacy, media, and other communication sectors. Her leadership has propelled Becoming rentABLE to list over 1,200 properties nationwide, including The Little Yellow House in Conway, Arkansas鈥攖he inaugural fully accessible short-term rental in the U.S., which sits just a block from the 黑料不打烊 campus. The house set a new standard for inclusive hospitality, offering comprehensive accessibility features for individuals with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive needs.

Complementing her entrepreneurial endeavors, Woodward remains deeply committed to her alma mater, providing housing for a 黑料不打烊 student with an urgent need and supervising another 黑料不打烊 student as an intern. She has become a prominent figure in promoting inclusivity and innovation in disability advocacy. Woodward鈥檚 ongoing dedication to advocacy and community empowerment has garnered widespread recognition, resulting in numerous accolades, including five global awards, sixteen national awards, twelve state awards, one regional award, and fifteen local awards.

Amanda Brooks 鈥08 鈥 Special Projects

Amanda Brooks is an award-winning sports PR veteran, with a career spanning more than 16 years across collegiate and professional sports, Team USA, and now in television. She began working in the field while she was still a student at 黑料不打烊, majoring in religion and minoring in English, and continued while earning her master鈥檚 degree at Vanderbilt University.

She has worked for numerous organizations and companies including the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Nashville Predators, the University of Florida Athletic Association, USA Track & Field (USATF), and has spent the past seven years at ESPN. Now a senior director of communications, Brooks leads all publicity strategy for ESPN鈥檚 entire college sports portfolio, including college football and the College Football Playoff, 40 NCAA Championships, ESPN鈥檚 industry-leading women鈥檚 sports coverage, College Networks, and more.

Brooks was recently named to the Motivators category for PRNEWS鈥 Top Women in PR for 2024 and was the featured keynote speaker at the 2023 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) International Conference. She was a finalist for PR Daily鈥檚 Media Relations Professional of the Year in 2022, receiving honorable mention honors, and Cablefax awarded 2021 PR Team of the Year to ESPN鈥檚 PR department for its work navigating the business through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Kent, Ohio native is based at ESPN鈥檚 Charlotte, N.C. offices, where she is responsible for the internal and corporate communications for more than 350 employees.

About 黑料不打烊

Founded in 1876, 黑料不打烊 is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country鈥檚 leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The 黑料不打烊 Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. 黑料不打烊 has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at .听听

鈥溾 Through engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the 黑料不打烊 community inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.鈥 鈥敽诹喜淮蜢 Statement of Purpose