Murray State College selected their Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges (OACC) faculty, staff and support staff of the year awards.

Murray State had three faculty members tied for Faculty of the Year: Bria Conner, Malaika Horton and Staci Bettes. Cali Grimmett was selected as Staff of the Year, and Aaron Boggs as Support Staff of the Year.

Horton is the Murray State College Dean of the School of Nursing. She joined Murray State in the fall of 2020 as an instructor and was promoted to dean in the fall of 2023. Horton currently teaches Nurse Role Transition, Math for Meds and Dosage Calculations. She has two associate degrees from Murray State, a BSN from Northeastern Oklahoma State University and a MSN in education from WGU.

Conner is a Murray State College Nursing Instructor. She joined the Murray family in January 2022. Conner teaches freshman Intro to Nursing and Cardiac. She also teaches clinicals to the traditional and career mobility students. Conner earned her associates degree in nursing from Murray State College, a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Panhandle State University and a master’s in nursing from WGU.

Bettes is the Murray State College Language Arts Program Chair and an English faculty member. She started working at Murray in the fall of 2020. Bettes teaches Composition I and II, Foundations of Reading and Writing, Applied Technical Writing and Technical Report Writing. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from East Central University and Oklahoma State University.

Grimmett is Murray State College Registrar and selected as Staff of the Year. She joined Murray State in January 2024. Grimmett received her two bachelor’s degrees in marketing and sports management from Oklahoma State University. She also received two master’s degrees, one in business administration and the other in human resource management from Keller Graduate School.

Boggs is the Murray State College Media Center Coordinator and was selected as Murray State’s Support Staff of the Year. He came to Murray State as a part-time employee in April 2021 and moved to full-time in July 2021.

“Each person offers distinct strengths, contributing significantly to the achievements of our students.,” said Dr. Tim Faltyn, Murray State College President. “We are grateful to have them as a valued part of the Murray family.”