University of Detroit Mercy honored two faculty members at the 2019 Faculty Recognition Awards held earlier this month.
Professor of Counseling and Director of Addiction Counseling Nancy Calleja received the Faculty Excellence Award and Terry Howard, lecturer in Decision and Information Sciences, earned the Faculty Achievement Award.
Faculty Excellence Award — Nancy Calleja
Calleja joined University of Detroit Mercy in 2003 and currently teaches in the graduate Counseling program. She is the director of the Addiction Counseling program and chairs the Department of Counseling and Addiction Studies.
“I am deeply humbled and gratified by the recognition of my work by my peers,” Calleja said.
Under Calleja’s leadership, the Addiction Counseling program achieved national recognition for program excellence. Calleja helped the program receive its first full accreditation in 2006 and in 2016 the program earned reaccreditation through 2024.
Calleja has published 30 articles, three books and eight book chapters. The primary focus of her research includes evidence-based clinical interventions, assessment and treatment of trauma, program development and evaluation and ethical and legal issues related to system-involved individuals.
Her work focuses on those involved in public child welfare, juvenile justice and mental health systems. She is also an expert in juvenile sex offender treatment.
She designed the state of California’s treatment model for sex offender treatment, the Forward-Focused Model, which is now used across the United States in residential and community-based treatment programs. The evidence-based model, based on adolescent brain research, has been transformative in juvenile justice.
Calleja’s research has also been widely recognized through external funding, receiving more than $6 million in grant funding. Her external funding efforts have also resulted in more than $1 million in scholarships to Detroit Mercy Counseling students over the past five years.
She maintains a robust research lab and is currently serving as the principal investigator on three grants and the co-PI on a fourth.
She has served on statewide committees in child welfare, in leadership roles in the state counseling professional associations and continues to serve as an expert for the state of Michigan on cases of alleged ethics violations and clinical malpractice.
Additionally, Calleja has served on multiple committees at the University, including Strategic Planning and Advisory Boards for Mission and Leadership and the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Administration. She also led the University’s successful reaccreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and currently leads the University’s mid-cycle accreditation review.
Faculty Achievement Award — Terry Howard
The Faculty Achievement Award recognizes Howard’s exceptional performance for the University, community and his students.
“No person stands alone. I was honored to stand before the audience, many of whom contributed to my success,” Howard said.
Howard joined the College of Business Administration (CBA) faculty on a full-time basis in August 2013. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, including Management Information Systems, Operations Management, Business Intelligence, Database Management and E-commerce.
Blending both theory and application, Howard embraces a student-centered approach to teaching and learning. He demonstrates a passion for excellence in teaching and continually assesses and improves his classes. He is also actively engaged in curriculum development.
Howard has co-authored articles that have appeared in the International Journal of Management and Decision Making, and the International Journal of Strategic Decision Sciences. His 2017 dissertation titled “Strategies for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities to Sustain a Successful Small Business” is considered a significant contribution to the entrepreneurship field because there is a lack of information within the existing body of research on entrepreneurs with disabilities.
Howard’s most recent co-authored piece on leadership styles of small business owners appeared in the Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics. He has a large number of refereed and invited presentations. Most noteworthy is his travel and tourism industry presentations that have moved the industry to advocate for disability globally.
He serves as the faculty sponsor to the Global Jesuit Business Students Association. In addition, he is the executive director of Alpha Iota Delta (AID), the international honor society for the decision, information and operation sciences. Under his leadership, AID received an award as the best of 2017 Non-Profit Organizations.
He is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute, the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools and the Financial Executives International.
Howard’s community service extends into the workforce development system with a particular interest in the minority communities and people with challenges. He is making a difference through the business leadership network and the economic independence training programs for people with disabilities. He is a motivational speaker for community organizations, churches and parent groups. As a veteran with a disability, he uniquely serves as a coach to veterans overcoming challenges.