UT Tyler Faculty Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Human Resource Development Field

June 5, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

The University of Texas at Tyler human resource department faculty were recognized at this year’s Academy of Human Resource Department conference.

The academy annually recognizes excellence in scholarly research, leadership and service among its members in academia and industry.

“We congratulate these faculty members who are quality experts in the HRD field. They represent UT Tyler and the Soules College of Business extremely well,” said Dr. Krist Swimberghe, dean of the Soules College of Business.

UT Tyler 2025 awardees are:

• Professor of HRD and program coordinator Dr. Kim Nimon, assistant professor of HRD Dr. Sangok Yoo and research analyst Bisola Adepoju, received the Elwood F. Holton III Research Excellence Award for an outstanding refereed article published in the Human Resource Development Review, “Weaving Layers of Learning: Multiplex Learning Networks in the Workplace.”
• Adjunct lecturer and 2024 UT Tyler doctoral degree graduate Dr. Nandini McClurg received first runner-up for the Richard A. Swanson Research Excellence Award for her 2024 dissertation, “Exploring individuals’ workplace spirituality in the context of their work teams: A qualitative multi-case, multi-team study.” UT Tyler associate professor of HRD Dr. Rochell McWhorter and UT Tyler professor emeritus Dr. Andrea Ellinger served as contributors.
• Associate professor of HRD Dr. Shinhee Jeong received two TEAM-UP Grant awards for her contributions in the 2025 research presentations, “Navigating Effective Prompts Using Generative Artificial Intelligence” and “Outplacement Needs Analysis: Focus on Conglomerate in South Korea.”
• Yoo also received the Cutting Edge Award for her 2025 article, “Technology-Enhanced Creativity: A Systematic Review of Workplace Digital Creativity.”

Dr. Yonjoo Cho, professor of HRD, was also recognized by the AHRD for enhancing the quality of HRD research through dedicated leadership and service as a past editor of the HRDR, 2020–2023.

AHRD is a global organization made up of, governed by and created for the HRD scholarly community of academics and reflective practitioners. To learn more, visit: ahrd.org/.

The UT Tyler Department of Human Resource Development provides solid preparation for careers in business, industry, nonprofit, education, government and the military through outstanding undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Its mission is to lead the HRD field through innovative scholarship, academic excellence and professional service. For more information, contact Dr. Paul Roberts, UT Tyler professor and department chair, at proberts@uttyler.edu.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.