HONORS - Key Persons
Brian Hoover joined the Honors College Team in July 2018. In his role as development officer, he focuses on fundraising, alumni relations, and scholarship development. He has had a working relationship with the Honors College for many years through the Bucklew and Foundation scholarship programs.
Brian has a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's in sport management, both from West Virginia University. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, traveling (mainly to the beach) with his wife, Vicki, and trying new foods.
Job Titles:
- President of the National Model United Nations Board of Directors
- Professor
Clarissa Estep, teaching professor of political science and director of the International Studies Program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, has more than 15 years of involvement in the areas of service learning, professional field experience and education abroad.
One of Estep's most significant contributions to experiential learning at WVU is through Model United Nations. As part of Model UN, students participate in National Model United Nations and assume the role of ambassadors from UN member states to debate current issues on the organization's agenda. With Estep as their mentor, WVU delegations have been routinely recognized as outstanding or distinguished delegations - awards presented to the top 10% of delegations participating in National Model United Nations conferences.
In addition to her work with WVU students, Estep currently serves as president of the National Model United Nations Board of Directors. She previously served as vice president from 2017-2019 and a member from 2016- 2017. As a faculty member at WVU, Estep also spent 10 years teaching a service-learning capstone that placed students majoring in multidisciplinary studies with organizations that could benefit from their academic knowledge and individual skills.
Colin Gooding is a West Virginia native that wandered away for a while before he found his way home to WVU for his undergraduate education. Colin graduated from the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources with a dual degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Colin is responsible for much of the admissions processing and records keeping for the Honors College, but he spends much of his free time talking and playing games with friends across the country.
Job Titles:
- Program Director - Honors College First - Year Experience
Dr. Ashley Watts joined the Honors College in January 2016. She coordinates the mentoring and tutoring programs in the Honors College and is the faculty sponsor for the Mountaineer Tutoring Network. She also serves as the academic adviser for exploratory students in the Honors College. Dr. Watts is a West Virginia native and completed her undergraduate and graduate work at WVU. She earned her PhD in Human and Community Development from the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design.
Dr. Watts was awarded the Outstanding Adviser award from the Honors College in 2020 and is a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate Dean
- Certified Athletic Trainer
- Professor
- Professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences at West
Dr. Damien Clement is a professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences at West Virginia University and is associate dean of the Honors College.
Dr. Damien Clement is a professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences at West Virginia University, and is associate dean at the Honors College.
He obtained his undergraduate degree in sports medicine/ athletic training from the University of Charleston in 2003. While at the University of Charleston, Dr. Clement captained the track and field team his junior and senior years.
Upon his graduation Dr. Clement enrolled in West Virginia University, concurrently pursuing a doctoral degree in sport and exercise psychology and a masters degree in community counseling. He completed his masters degree in community counseling in December 2007 and his doctoral degree in sport and exercise psychology in May 2008. In August of 2008 Dr. Clement was hired as an assistant professor at West Virginia University to teach undergraduate sport and exercise psychology courses and graduate athletic training courses.
Dr. Clement is currently a Certified Athletic Trainer, a National Certified Counselor as well as an Association for Applied Sport Psychology Certified Consultant. He is an active member in the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, National Athletic Trainers' Association, West Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association, and American Psychological Association.
Dr. Clement's research interests span both sport and exercise psychology and athletic training. More specifically he is interested in professional issues in sport psychology and athletic training as well as psychology of sport injury. Dr. Clement has conducted psychological skills training programs with injured athletes within the athletic training room setting in addition to performance enhancement sessions both in an individual and team setting.
Dr. Clement was named assistant dean of the Honors College in 2017 where he helped launch the new Honors Foundations Program, which had its first cohort of students complete in spring 2019. He also worked extensively with department chairs and faculty members to increase Honors course options available to students.
Dr. Clement served as acting dean of the Honors College from July 2019 to June 2020. As acting dean, Dr. Clement worked with key constituents both within the Honors College and University administration to develop a summer bridge program for incoming Honors freshmen which was scheduled for summer 2020 prior to the COVD-19 pandemic; worked with the Honors College alumni coordinator and communication specialist to publish the Honors College's second edition of its alumni newsletter; developed a committee and evaluation protocol to award the J and C Nath Outstanding Honors graduate award, outstanding Honors Teaching award and the outstanding Honors Advising award; worked with the Chamber College of Business and Economics to develop a memorandum of understanding regarding the Honors College Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (EXCEL) program; implemented a variety of diversity-related initiatives in the Honors College (for e.g., development and implementation of affinity groups for Honors students of color and LGBTQ+ students, organized multicultural trainings for resident assistants in Honors and Lincoln Hall, hosted various outreach activities for underrepresented students, and expanded the diversity related course offerings for students in the Honors College); and was the primary investigator on a small grant received from the National Collegiate Honors Council to the WVU Honors College.
Dr. Clement moved back into his assistant dean role in July 2020. In summer 2021, Dr. Clement was promoted to associate dean of the Honors College. He looks forward to continuing to work with Dr. Blemings and the Honors community to see where the future takes the WVU Honors College.
Job Titles:
- Dean of the Honors College
- Professor
Dr. Kenneth Blemings, a professor in the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences and inaugural director of the University's intercollegiate undergraduate program in biochemistry was named dean of the WVU Honors College in 2015.
Dean Blemings came to WVU in 1999 and after his promotion to full professor in 2010, assumed more administrative responsibilities serving as the Assistant Director of Academic Affairs for the Division. He was a 2012 WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher and a recipient of an APLU/USDA regional teaching award the same year.
Dr. Blemings has been providing leadership in Honors education for many years. He has instructed a variety of Honors courses, served as an Honors advisor, and been a valuable member of the Honors College Advisory Council.
In 2014, Dr. Blemings was appointed the Interim Dean of the Honors College and then, after a national search, the permanent dean in 2015. Dean Blemings served as the Interim Dean of the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design for a season (11/18 - 06/20) and is happy to be back at the WVU Honors College.
Job Titles:
- Dean of the Honors College
Job Titles:
- Learning Community Coordinator
- Living - Learning Community Coordinator
A nearly-native West Virginian, Dr. Kevin Gooding joined the Honors College as a full-time Clinical Assistant Professor in June 2016, after serving as an instructor since 2010. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Gooding is working to strengthen and expand the Honors College's Living-Learning Community.
In 2014 Dr. Gooding received the John R. Williams Outstanding Teaching Award at the Honors College Medallion Ceremony.
Dr. Gooding completed his PhD in American History at Purdue University where he studied the religious education of children in 19th century Indiana and used that as a tool for understanding attitudes toward the rapid cultural, social and economic changes occurring nationwide at that time. In his current research he is examining the transnational effects on the families of the miners killed in the Monongah, West Virginia mine explosion on December 6, 1907.
Jordan Niedoba joined the Honors College in July 2021. She schedules meetings for the dean and associate dean as well as orders supplies for Honors faculty and staff. A New Jersey native, Jordan graduated from WVU alongside her father in 2020. She earned her degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with minors in English, Event Planning, Creative Writing, and Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources. Jordan enjoys exploring national parks, writing, watching football, cooking and visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth."
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
Lindsay Willey is a seasoned higher education communications and marketing professional. She oversees the integrated marketing and communications efforts for the Honors College and its affiliate offices (ASPIRE, Pre-Health Professional Development and Undergraduate Research). Prior to joining the Honors College in 2022, Lindsay spent 16 years coordinating communications for the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. A two-time WVU graduate, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Associate
- Office Administrator
Lisa Verlinden is the Administrative Associate who helps keep the Honors Office operating efficiently. Prior to being employed by the Honors College, Lisa and her husband, Sven Verlinden (Associate Professor of Horticulture in the Division of Plant and Soil Sciences in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry & Consumer Sciences), along with their two children, were the resident faculty leaders in Lincoln Hall for three years. Lisa loves working with students because she believes "they keep you young," and she is excited to be a part of the Honors College.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant - Honors Foundations Program
Savannah Mead started as the Honors Foundations Program graduate assistant in August 2022. Savannah is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and she graduated in May 2022 from WVU with a B.S. in Horticulture and a minor in Cello Performance after four years in the Honors College, having completed the Honors Foundations Program and the Honors EXCEL Program. Savannah is currently pursuing her M.S. in Horticulture, specializing in sustainable floricultural research. In her free time she enjoys hiking, painting, reading, and talking about flowers to anyone who will listen.
Trista Bunner joined the Honors College team in March 2024 as a recruitment specialist. She previously worked for WVU Office of Admissions from the time she was a student to finishing her master's. She is a two-time WVU graduate with a B.S. in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a M.A. in Higher Education Administration.
She is a West Virginia native from Parkersburg, but has officially declared Morgantown home. Trista is passionate about higher education and the opportunities WVU has to offer for each of its students. Specifically, she loves working with First Generation college students as she is a proud one herself.
Outside of work, Trista enjoys spending time with her two cats and family. She also is a frequent Trivia player in the area.
Vickie Sigley is your first stop for help with identifying your advisor, filling out paperwork, figuring out how many Honors credit hours you have earned, and any other questions that arise.