October 29, 2025

Columbus State University’s College of Education & Health Professions inducted five new honorees into its Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Oct. 21. The 2025 inductees—educators and health professionals, each with decades of career experience—are all graduates of the college.

The Class of 2025 honorees included:

Dara Alizabeth Crouch ’10 
Health Professions, Pine Mountain, Georgia

A career labor and delivery nurse for more than 15 years, 2010 graduate Dara Crouch has cared for thousands of newborns and their mothers in the greater Columbus area. She has also guided the next generation of healthcare professionals by precepting and training hundreds of nursing students and newly hired nurses. Having helped establish St. Francis-Emory Healthcare’s labor and delivery unit, she remains a cornerstone of the unit’s team and was instrumental in obtaining National Silver Certified Safe Sleep facility status for the hospital from the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program. She frequently takes her expertise into the community by working through organizations, health fairs and events that help improve infant safe sleep awareness and education among parents and caregivers.

Wanda S. Jones, FNP-BC, ’86, ’94  
Health Professions, Atlanta, Georgia

A dedicated clinician, leader and health advocate, 1994 BSN graduate Wanda Jones has committed her career to nursing. For a decade, she practiced in Labor & Delivery at The Medical Center in Columbus, providing compassionate maternal-newborn care, precepting students and mentoring new nursing staff. She then served as a family nurse practitioner in acute care at U.S. Army Fort Benning, delivering care to soldiers and military families with clinical skill and empathy. Outside of her professional practice, she has applied her experience on multiple international medical mission trips, as a church camp nurse, and as a long-term volunteer Girl Scout leader. She has served in leadership roles in professional associations, including the Georgia Nurses Association and Georgia Nurses Foundation (currently as president of the latter’s Board of Trustees). She has received the GNA Distinguished Service Award, the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia’s Distinguished Service Award and Distinguished Member Award, and induction into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nurses. She holds an associate degree in business administration from Columbus State (1986) and an MSN degree from Troy University.

Jennifer N. Robinson ‘03
Education, Midland, Georgia

With more than two decades of teaching and coaching students at the high school level, Jennifer Robinson has used her bachelor’s degree in French from Columbus State to teach French from introductory to Advanced Placement. Since 2019, she has taught the Career Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) program’s Teaching as a Profession Pathway at Harris County High School. She is personally credited with attracting more than 25 of her high school’s graduates in just the past three years to teaching careers and pursuing degrees in education. During her tenure at Harris County Schools, she has advised numerous student organizations and established charter chapters of the Future Georgia Educators and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. Beyond her classroom duties, she has contributed to developing and revising statewide curriculum, pathways and standards. She is a frequent presenter at state- and national-level conferences, where she shares her expertise with new and experienced teachers alike. In addition to her Columbus State degree, she also holds a master’s degree in second-language instruction from Troy University.

Michael Seckinger Jr. ’01, ’06, ’08 
Education, Midland, Georgia

Three-time Columbus State alumnus Dr. Michael Seckinger Jr. has served as an educator and administrator in the Muscogee County School District for more than 23 years. After a decade in the classroom teaching science and mathematics, he transitioned to roles as a regional academic coach, district teacher quality specialist and district science content specialist. After serving as an assistant principal for three years, he is now in his third year as principal of Double Churches Middle School. Throughout his career, he has continued to support Columbus State outreach programs like the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center by connecting his students with their programs, volunteering his time, and grant-writing to support their efforts. He has mentored several of his students to earn Scouting America’s Eagle Scout rank and Columbus State doctoral students toward earning their degrees. His three degrees from Columbus State include a bachelor of science, master of education and specialist in education degree. He also holds a doctorate of education from Liberty University

Margie Yates ’88
Education, Columbus, Georgia

Dr. Margie Yates’ influence on education at Columbus State and the region goes well beyond her service as dean of Columbus State’s College of Education & Health Professions, which began in an interim capacity in 2022 before her full appointment in 2024. She has served on the university’s faculty since 2012—first as an associate professor and director of Graduate Studies in the College of Education & Health Professions. A K-8 teacher for 14 years, her transition to college academia allowed her to support and elevate educational communities on a broader scale. Before her service at Columbus State, she served on the LaGrange College faculty for seven years, which included chairing the college’s Education Department. After joining the Columbus State faculty, she held more progressive senior academic and administrative roles in the college and throughout the university. She had advanced to the rank of professor by 2018 and was appointed as dean of Research and Graduate Studies in 2021. Along the way, she has mentored students while fostering community partnerships that have undergirded the college’s curriculum and the community’s educational infrastructure. She holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Georgia and a master’s of education from Columbus State, both in early childhood education and teaching. She earned a doctorate in curriculum and teaching from Auburn University.

About the Hall of Fame

To date, the college has inducted more than 70 education, nursing and health professions graduates into its Hall of Fame. It was established originally in 2005 to honor Columbus State’s education graduates. It expanded in 2018 to include health professions graduates with the merger of education, nursing, kinesiology and related disciplines into the College of Education & Health Professions.

Honorees must have earned a CSU degree or certification endorsement; have been active in their career field for a minimum of 15 years; and have made extraordinary contributions to their profession as demonstrated by their nomination packet. Awards can be bestowed posthumously on honorees.

The nomination process is open throughout the year. Nominations can be submitted online. A committee of current and former college faculty and community leaders reviews them.

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Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, executive director of strategic communication + marketing, Columbus State University, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu