MSU announces 2025 Distinguished Service Awards recipients
Morehead State University has announced the recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Service Awards. These awards recognize faculty and staff for their service to the campus community and their fields of study. The awards were presented at MSU's Fall Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCHER AWARD - DR. BERNADETTE BARTON
Dr. Bernadette Barton is a professor of sociology and director of gender studies at Morehead State University. The author of The Pornification of America: How Raunch Culture is Ruining Our Society in 2021, Barton has published extensively and presented her work at conferences across the country. She writes and teaches on contemporary issues of gender, sexuality, religion, culture, happiness, and the sex industry. Barton was recently named to GO Magazine's "100 Women We Love, Class of 2025" thanks to her professional achievements, ongoing contributions, and role as a mentor and role model.
DISTINGUISHED STAFF SERVICE AWARD - APRIL HOBBS NUTTER
April Hobbs Nutter (Class of 1997, 2005) is the director of strategic communications for the Office of Communications & Marketing. A two-time MSU graduate, she has spent more than 25 years in marketing and communications at the University and 20 years as a sociology instructor. Her teaching experience enhances her understanding of people and communities, shaping her strategic approach to communication. Hobbs Nutter played a key role in developing MSU’s first dynamic website in the early 2000s and now oversees the University’s web presence, including the award-winning redesign and launch of its current site. She also leads digital marketing efforts and directs news and communications operations.
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY SERVICE AWARD - DR. DARRIN DEMOSS
Dr. Darrin DeMoss (Class of 1989, 1991) is a professor of biology who takes pride in advising students throughout his more than 28 years at MSU. He has mentored more than 75 students in academic/laboratory-related research projects, mentored thousands of students interested in pursuing careers in the health sciences, mentored more than 500 students as the advisor of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, and is a readily available resource to more than 320 student-athletes annually as MSU's faculty athletic representative. He was instrumental in developing and redesigning five academic programs and 14 course proposals, most notably the development of the biomedical sciences program and the improvement of the University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Program at MSU and the Rural Dental Health Initiative by the University of Kentucky.
DISTINGUISHED CREATIVE PRODUCTION - ELIZABETH MESA-GAIDO
Elizabeth "Lisa" Mesa-Gaido began working at MSU in 1992 and taught foundational and visual arts. She mentored Undergraduate Research Fellows and interns, led student field trips, and coordinated campus presenters. She was the co-advisor for Inscape: Literary & Visual Arts Journal, allowing students to publish their work, serve on the editorial board, and build their portfolios and resumes. Mesa-Gaido has earned some of MSU's and Kentucky's highest honors for her artistic contributions, including the University's Distinguished Creative Productions Award and Distinguished Teacher Award, and two Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowships. Mesa-Gaido retired from MSU in 2025 after over three decades of service to the University.
DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD - DR. MICHELE PAYNTER PAISE
Dr. Michele Paynter Paise is an associate professor of music. She is also the coordinator for the music education program and director of the nationally endorsed MSU's Kodály Institute of Kentucky. Paise is in demand as a clinician. She has presented hundreds of elementary and vocal music education workshops throughout the United States. She is a three-time nominee for the Grammy Music Educator Award and was named District 8's University Teacher of the Year twice by the Kentucky Music Educators Association. Paise is a past Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium participant and was recently selected to participate in the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's Faculty Leadership Academy.
For more information, contact Academic Affairs at 606-783-2002.
