Outstanding Teacher
The Outstanding Teacher Award is given annually to a faculty member with a distinguished record of teaching.
Kelley, a large mammal biologist who addresses wildlife-related topics for a world increasingly dominated by human activity, has been a highly valued member of our College and its Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science since 2007. She has maintained an outstanding research record for over a decade and particularly during the last several years. During the last three years, Kelley has significantly ramped up her research activity as evidenced by her publication and grant record. Currently, she has four papers in review and she has published 16 papers since 2018, 10 of which originated directly from her lab. Most of her papers have been published in leading journals in the area of wildlife research. In addition, she has five publications in preparation, indicating that she will continue to sustain her strong publication record. Since 2018, Kelley has obtained significant grant funding in excess of $1.82 million. Of that amount, she was the lead principal investigator on grants totaling $1.59 million. In addition, she currently has an award pending in excess of $520 thousand. Some of Kelley’s funding sources have supported her work for many years, highlighting the quality of her research and the respect she has earned from the agencies that she works with. Her grants have allowed her to currently fund five master’s and three Ph.D. students, further illustrating a high level of research activity. This level of research funding, combined with an accelerating rate of publication and the large size of her current lab, indicate a faculty member whose research program is moving forward with a full head of steam. In 2019, she was elected by her peers to become a Fellow of the Wildlife Society, a prestigious honor in her field. This past year, Kelley was promoted at the University to full professor, reflecting her outstanding research contributions.