The College of Education at Delta State University will honor Outstanding Alumni for 2011 during Homecoming festivities Saturday, November 5. The following individuals will be recognized during a luncheon to be held at noon in the Jacob Conference Center in Ewing Hall:
Representing the Division of Counselor Education and Psychology: Dr. Hunter McIntyre
Dr. Hunter McIntyre received the B.S. degree in Psychology from Delta State in 2002, the Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance from Louisiana Tech University and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis. While a student at Delta State, he was a member of Psi Chi, Psychology Honor Society.
McIntyre is employed by the Department of Justice in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he is the chief psychologist of a federal correctional complex providing mental health treatment to 4,000 inmates. He directly supervises a combined staff of 20 clinical psychologists and drug abuse treatment specialists. He has received the Bureau of Prisons highest accolades, and is the youngest chief psychologist at one of the largest federal prisons in the nation.
Representing the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences: Laura Parker Giaccaglia
Laura Parker Giaccaglia earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Delta State University in 2006. While at Delta State, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and was active in the Student Association for Family and Consumer Sciences.
Giaccaglia presently serves as the Bolivar County Extension director through Mississippi State University. Previously, she served as Bolivar County Extension 4-H agent and worked in program development for the Region One Mental Health Center. She serves on the Family and Consumer Science Division’s Advisory Council, and works closely with Division faculty to provide professional training in nutrition, child care, and fashion design.
Giaccaglia has partnered with Delta State faculty to obtain a Toyota grant and numerous Community Pride Grants to promote a range of education and community service projects. In 2010, she received the Excellence in Promoting Rice Award from the USA Rice Federation and in 2009 received the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Association of Extension 4-H Agents.
Representing the Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Margaret Ferriss White
Margaret Ferriss White received the following degrees from Delta State University: the B.S. degree with a concentration in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation in 1975; the Master of Education degree in Physical Education in 1976; and the Ed. Specialist degree in Secondary/Physical Education in 1980. She served as vice-president of Kappa Delta Sorority while a student at Delta State.
For the past 16 years, White has served as administrator of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. Prior to holding this post, she enjoyed a 13-year career with the Jackson Metropolitan YMCA as branch, then district director. She has also coached junior high and high school basketball during her career.
During her tenure with the YMCA, White was credited with changing the performance of three deficit-operating branches into profitable ventures boasting new programming, building additions, and a new fitness center. She served on the board of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum for a year prior to its opening, shaping this Mississippi attraction. Additionally, she has directed the state’s largest 5K race, the July 4th Watermelon Classic. She is a past president of the Jackson Delta State University Alumni Association and has served as treasurer and president of Whisper Lake Golf and Country Club Ladies’ Association, claiming five club championships.
Representing the Division of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Research: Dr. Timothy Bruce Watkins
Dr. Timothy Bruce Watkins earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Delta State University in 1982, followed by the Ed.S. in School Administration and Supervision in 1996 and the Ed.D. in Professional Studies in May 2008. While at Delta State, he was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society for Educators. Since 1994, Watkins has served as an elementary principal in the Lakeside School District in Lake Village, Arkansas. Previously, he served for four years as principal at Lucy Webb Elementary School in Greenville and as an elementary school teacher for eight years.
Watkins’ professional accomplishments include the following highlights: recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award presented by the Arkansas Leadership Academy in 1996, Administrator of the Year distinction noted by JP Associates, Inc. in 2000, and selection as the School Site of the Year Award from the same group in 2002. He was recognized as Principal of the Year by the Southeast Arkansas Reading Council in 2009, and received the Clearance Lovell Award for Actions That Have Improved the Lives of Children by JP Associates, Inc., in 2009.
