Cabrina Campbell
’85, Daniel Ellis ’96, Alan Tackett ’98, Lorraine Berry Woodward ’84, Amanda Brooks
’08 to receive medals September 26
CONWAY, Ark. (August 27, 2024) — Hendrix College 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 Hendrix Odyssey Program. Medalists are
selected by the Hendrix 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. ’85 – Professional and Leadership Development
Cabrina
Campbell, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Vice-Chair of Education, and
Director of the Residency Program at the nation’s first medical school, the
prestigious Perelman School of Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania.
Campbell
graduated from Hendrix 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—among 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.
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.
Campbell was
selected for her Odyssey Medal in 2023 but was unable to attend the ceremonies.
Daniel Ellis
’96 – 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
Hendrix College in 1996. While at Hendrix, he participated in the Hendrix-in-London
study abroad program, and was a member of the Hendrix Choir and the Hendrix
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’s Studio (now New School) in 2002. He is a
recipient of the 2021 OPERA America’s Robert L. B. Tobin Director-Designer
Prize for his production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, which was produced as
a part of Minnesota Opera’s 2023-2024 season.
Ellis made his
European debut in 2016, directing the third revival of Barrie Kosky and Suzanne
Andrade’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Komische Oper in
Berlin. He also directed the European debut of Sir David McVicar’s production
of Wozzeck at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland (2017) and the Finnish
National Opera (2019). He has directed more than 10 world premieres, including
the off-Broadway production of Frank Gagliano’s 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
’98 – Research
Alan Tackett,
Ph.D., earned a degree in chemistry with distinction from Hendrix College 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 ’84 – 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 Hendrix
College in Conway, Arkansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology
and pre-law. During her time at Hendrix, 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
Hendrix 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—the inaugural fully accessible short-term rental in the U.S., which
sits just a block from the Hendrix 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 Hendrix student with an urgent need and supervising
another Hendrix student as an intern. She has become a prominent figure in
promoting inclusivity and innovation in disability advocacy. Woodward’s 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
’08 – 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
Hendrix College, majoring in religion and minoring in English, and continued
while earning her master’s 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’s entire college sports portfolio, including college football and the
College Football Playoff, 40 NCAA Championships, ESPN’s industry-leading
women’s sports coverage, College Networks, and more.
Brooks was
recently named to the Motivators category for PRNEWS’ 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’s Media Relations Professional of the Year in 2022, receiving honorable
mention honors, and Cablefax awarded 2021 PR Team of the Year to ESPN’s PR
department for its work navigating the business through the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kent, Ohio
native is based at ESPN’s Charlotte, N.C. offices, where she is responsible for
the internal and corporate communications for more than 350 employees.
About Hendrix College
Founded in
1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the
country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning
opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The
Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through
engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to
diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community
inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and
joy.”
—Hendrix College Statement of Purpose