Health and Human Services News

Staff spotlight: Ann Heidendal

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Ann Heidendal is an executive assistant in the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS).

Let’s learn more about her.

Where are you originally from?

I grew up in Audubon, Iowa. I attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, and then stayed in Maryville for the next 15 years until moving to Springfield.

What brought you to Missouri State University and how long have you been here?

Ann Heidendal
Ann Heidendal

My husband is Egon Heidendal, associate provost of institutional effectiveness. We moved to Springfield when he started at Missouri State in April 2024, and I started at the university in October.

What’s your educational background?

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a music minor and a Master of Business Administration, both from Northwest Missouri State.

What do you do in your role at the university?

I’m the MCHHS dean’s executive assistant. I wear lots of hats – everything from coordinating meetings and events to some finance duties.

Why did you choose your area of work?

I enjoy the challenge of no day being the same as the previous. There’s always something new going on here in the McQueary College.

Where did you work prior to Missouri State?

I’ve worked in higher education for the past seven years for Northwest Missouri State doing graduate admissions work and I also worked in financial aid. Before that, I worked as an administrative assistant doing human resources and payroll for a nonprofit.

What do you enjoy most about working at Missouri State?

I’m enjoying getting to know new people and a new university. I enjoy working in the dean’s office and feel like we have a good team that is always working to make the college and the university as a whole a better place for our students.

What do you do for fun or leisure?

I have lots of hobbies! When the weather is nice, my husband and I enjoy hiking and are really looking forward to exploring the Springfield area more. I also enjoy baking, especially homemade bread, and gardening.

What’s your favorite spring activity/activities?

We moved into a new house last fall, so this spring I’m really looking forward to working outside on my landscaping and planting a garden. I have ordered a couple raised bed planters and will plant raspberries and strawberries this year.

Explore MCHHS

Faculty spotlight: Crystal Powell and Stacy Johnson

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Our featured McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) faculty members are Crystal Powell, assistant professor in the School of Health Care Professions, and Stacy Johnson, clinical instructor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Let’s find out more about them.

Where are you originally from?

Powell: Savannah, Missouri.

Johnson: I’m originally from Mountain Home, Arkansas, a charming town about a two-hour drive from Springfield.

What brought you to Missouri State University and how long have you been here?

Crystal Powell
Crystal Powell

Powell: I graduated from Missouri State’s physician assistant (PA) program in 2005 and practiced clinically in the Springfield area for many years. During that time, I served as a clinical preceptor for PA students, which sparked my interest in teaching. That spark eventually led me back to Missouri State, where I now have the privilege of teaching in the same program that shaped my career. Since joining the physician assistant studies (PAS) faculty in 2023, I’ve truly enjoyed my time here — it feels like coming home!

Johnson: This is my second year as a faculty member at Missouri State. Joining Missouri State has been a dream of mine because I love mentoring students and helping them understand the transformative impact social workers can have in the field.

What’s your favorite part about working at Missouri State so far?

Powell: My favorite part has been the students. Their energy and passion for learning is truly inspiring — and contagious! They make every day unique and fulfilling and I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such a remarkable group of individuals.

Johnson: What I enjoy most about working at Missouri State is the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from diverse disciplines. The university fosters a supportive culture that emphasizes a healthy work-life balance, which I truly value.

What’s your educational background?

Powell: I received my Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Missouri State in 2005 and my Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University in 2002. in 2002.

Johnson: I’m proud to be an alum of Missouri State, where I earned both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work.

Why did you choose your career path?

Stacy Johnson
Stacy Johnson

Powell: I became a PA because of my love of science, my love of people and my desire to help others. A PA career allowed me to combine all these interests, and I truly enjoyed my time in clinical practice. Now that I’m here at Missouri State, I have the privilege of guiding PA students as they grow into compassionate and skilled professionals — an experience that’s just as rewarding.

Johnson: I chose social work because I saw first-hand the gaps individuals faced in receiving health services and support. My grandmother’s experiences particularly shaped my perspective, as I witnessed the challenges she faced in accessing the care she needed. Seeing her struggle, and the impact it had on our family, reinforced my belief in the need for better advocacy, support systems and access to services. I’ve always been intrinsically motivated to help people, but I also recognize that by helping others, I find a sense of purpose in myself. Social work allows me to bridge those gaps while fulfilling my own drive to make a meaningful difference.

Where did you work prior to Missouri State?

Powell: Before joining Missouri State, I spent about one and a half years working with Drury University’s PA program. Prior to Drury, I practiced clinically in pediatrics and family medicine for about 17 years.

Johnson: I bring an eclectic professional background to my role, having worked in the medical field, as a therapist specializing in school-aged children and most recently, as a school social worker.

What do you do in your role at the university?

Powell: I’m an instructor in a variety of PAS courses including clinical assessment, clinical medicine, clinical problem solving and procedures. I also serve as the director of assessment for our program.

Johnson: I serve as an instructor for both the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work programs. I also work as an advisor and am the faculty advisor for the BSW Social Work Club.

What’s your favorite thing about the winter season?

Powell: I’m not a huge fan of winter, so to me, the best part of this season is knowing that spring is just around the corner.

Johnson: While I typically prefer spring and summer, I treasure the magic of the winter season, especially with my young children. Watching their excitement makes the season truly special. I also enjoy baking, and winter always feels like the perfect time to whip up something delicious.

Explore MCHHS

Staff spotlight: Andrew Cole

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Our featured staff member, Andrew Cole, is an academic technology support administrator in the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS).

Andrew Cole
Andrew Cole

Let’s find out more about him.

Where are you originally from?

I’m originally from Moberly, Missouri, but I’ve lived in the Springfield area since 2005.

What brought you to Missouri State and how long have you been here?

I’ve been at Missouri State since early 2018. I always wanted to work in education, and working at a university is a great fit.

What’s your favorite part about working at Missouri State so far?

My favorite part is the wide range of people I’ve met during my time at the university.

What’s your educational background?

I have an Associate of Applied Science degree from Ozarks Technical Community College, with additional coursework in programming and accounting.

Where did you work prior to Missouri State?

I worked in the IT department at the corporate office of Meek Lumber here in Springfield.

What do you do in your role as academic technology support administrator for MCHHS?

I handle the IT support needs of the MU School of Medicine Springfield campus and the Alliance for Healthcare Education at Cox College. When I’m not working at either location, I assist the MCHHS team on the main campus.

How do you spend your leisure time?

I enjoy reading books, watching movies and playing video games.

What holiday tradition is special to you?

I love taking a week off from work to have a movie marathon. I usually watch “The Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” series.

Find out more about MCHHS

A new effort to ensure student success

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In the last decade, some universities created online programs that offered course curricula but no student life or student affairs opportunities.

Online program students might benefit from lower fees but miss out on important aspects of college living and learning.

An interdisciplinary team of McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) faculty members and student leaders saw the need to educate the whole learner, understood the fee/funding concern and took up the challenge.

What’s the MSSIP grant?

Thanks to a MCHHS Student Success Innovation Projects (MSSIP) grant worth about $8,000, team members launched a full-year pilot project in 2023. Called “More Than the Sum of Their Credits,” the project focused on integrating high-impact learning and social connection opportunities into two of Missouri State’s online academic programs – social work and psychology.

This project originated from the belief that the quality of education for students in online programs at Missouri State is enhanced by the traditional melding of academic affairs and student affairs.

MSSIP offers funds to implement real impact projects that improve undergraduate student success. Multi-year funding is available for up to four years and a maximum of $100,000.

“It allows teams to launch projects fast. We were able to pivot quickly from ‘someday we should’ to ‘let’s get started,’” said project leader Dr. Tim Daugherty. He is a psychology professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at Missouri State.

The other faculty members involved include:

  • Natalie Curry, clinical associate professor and coordinator of the Bachelor of Social Work program in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Paul Deal, associate professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Leslie Echols, associate professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Dana Paliliunas, former faculty member
  • Dr. Tanya Whipple, senior instructor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. David Zimmerman, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator of the forensic child psychology certificate program in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences

More about the project

Through the university’s Learning Management System, the team experimented with delivering weekly club meetings, monthly events and plenty of accessible content. The content included links to career-related sites, news articles, videos to facilitate students’ understanding of their major curriculum and interviews with faculty members via Zimmerman’s “ZimTube.”

A year after the project began, Daugherty notes the team has been able to leverage lessons learned to continue offering the most effective project elements without additional funding.

Successful outcomes

“The team succeeded in reimagining high-impact practices to make them accessible and meaningful for online-program students,” Daugherty said.

The data the team collected and reflected on from this project resulted in a peer-reviewed scholarly paper that will soon be published in the Journal of College Orientation, Transition and Retention. This paper features a student co-author who worked closely with the team.

In addition, two online-program students seized the opportunity to collaborate with faculty members on clinical research during the pilot period. That opportunity was a first for the online program, and the successful students co-authored a paper presented at the APS (Association for Psychological Science) Global Psychological Science Summit in October.

“Working together, we can do great things,” Curry said. “We’re grateful that MSSIP funds helped launch these efforts.”

The team is available to consult with and support the efforts of teams in other programs wanting to take the next step.

Find out more about the MSSIP grant