Cynthia Jobe, Ahmaad Wallace and Eric Hucker receive UMSL Hero Awards

Cynthia Jobe, Ahmaad Wallace and Eric Hucker receive UMSL Hero Awards

by Steve Walentik | Aug 31, 2026

The award is presented to up to three staff or faculty members each month in recognition of their efforts to transform the lives of UMSL students and the wider community.

University of Missouri-St. Louis Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling and his cabinet continue to recognize the exemplary efforts of staff and faculty members from across campus by bestowing the UMSL Hero Award on up to three individuals each month.

This month's honorees are Cynthia Jobe, director of research development in the Office of Research, Economic and Community Development; Ahmaad Wallace, the coordinator of Student Organizations and Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Office of Student Involvement; and Eric Hucker, the program support coordinator for the College of Education's Teach in Residency Program.

Cynthia Jobe

UMSL has seen significant growth in awards for research and sponsored activity over the past decade, including a record $88 million in funding in FY25. Jobe takes a lot of pride in UMSL's research success as director of research development, a position she's held since January 2019.

"I love the energy and passion that UMSL faculty bring to their work," Jobe said. "And the wonderful variety of research that goes on here. It is exciting to help faculty parlay their work into competitive proposals and to watch them get funded and then be able to see the impact of that work."

Jobe has taken steps, with support from Spilling in his role as the vice chancellor of research, economic and community development, to help faculty members have success securing funding for their projects, both from federal and private sources.

"It's a huge credit to Chris Spilling for this," she said. "What I think Chris and I were able to do together is to create impactful programs that really support faculty at that early career stage and create a space where faculty can freely ask questions, get the information they need, and get connected to mentors, collaborators and campus and external resources jumpstarting success in their new academic roles."

She's particularly proud of the Early Career Research Network program she created along with a similar program for mid-career faculty members, and she said UMSL faculty also benefit from an array of research development services that often aren't available at similarly sized institutions. The office provides proposal development, review, editing, illustration, and internal and external peer review services to help faculty members develop competitive proposals.

Jobe enjoys getting to work with faculty members and share her expertise as she helps them pursue projects that they're passionate about. She was once in their shoes, beginning her professional life as a faculty member in community development at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She had to rely on winning grants to fund her work, so she understands the pressure associated with that.

She found early success, including a large award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to develop a county economic development corporation and another from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to plan and implement a "Clean Sweep" program to help safely remove hazardous chemicals from Wisconsin farms.

Throughout her career, Jobe has been involved with grant writing, either writing proposals or helping others develop the craft. Jobe had two stints as a grant writer at the University of Missouri-Columbia - one with the School of Medicine and one with the College of Education - and also spent time as a program director with the Boone County Council on Aging and as a senior grant professional with JEVS Human Services in Philadelphia before coming to UMSL in 2015.

She spent nearly four years as the university's lead grant writer before being promoted to director of research development. In addition to helping faculty with proposals and leading early career and mid-career programs, Jobe manages UMSL's internal funding competitions, supports the federal white paper process, and works to promote and recognize faculty research wherever she can, most recently planning UMSL's annual Research and Innovation Celebration to recognize and celebrate the impactful research, innovation and creative works of UMSL's faculty.

"Simply put, Cynthia is outstanding," Spilling said in nominating Jobe. "She consistently produces high quality work. This is exemplified by ECRN, the mid-career program, the recent research and innovation reception and the hundreds of proposals she reviews."

Ahmaad Wallace

Wallace had a lot on his plate last week coordinating the Fall Involvement Jamboree on Wednesday afternoon at the Millennium Student Center. It takes a lot of effort to bring together dozens of student groups, including academic clubs, cultural organizations and service groups along with the Student Government Association and club sports, under one roof, helping new and returning students discover all the ways they can get involved.

"It definitely gets crazy," Wallace said.

But he also loves seeing the vitality of the UMSL campus at the start of a new academic year with so many new faces eager to find their place and make connections.

"I know my role thrives the most when we have a full campus and there's students," Wallace said. "It's the most fulfilling at that time - connecting with students and having those one-on-one conversations about how you start your organization or how do you join this club. I've also been having a lot of conversations about life after undergrad, and I'm telling them how I did it and what my journey was like, so that's been really fulfilling as well."

Wallace grew up in Springfield, Illinois, but came to St. Louis to attend college at Harris-Stowe State University. He was determined to make the most of the experience and got involved in nearly every manner possible while pursuing his bachelor's degree in urban sociology. That included cheerleading for four years, working two years as a resident advisor, spending time working in TRIO Student Support Services and as a student ambassador. He also served in student government and was eventually chosen the 17th Mr. Harris-Stowe State University.

After graduating from Harris-Stowe, Wallace made his way to Saint Louis University to pursue his MEd in higher education and student affairs administration. He simultaneously worked as the graduate hall coordinator for fraternity and sorority life while earning his degree. Those experiences solidified his desire to work in student involvement.

"I live by the rule: college is like a fully charged battery at 100%," Wallace said. "You spend 20% in the classroom, the other 80% is outside of the classroom in the res halls, getting involved, going to games, doing those things that students do when you're not focused on academics. I really care about the 80% experience. When you're out of class, how do you feel connected to campus? What's the impact that you're going to leave? How can I help build you up to be the best leader and scholar that you can be within these four years, or whatever your educational journey is?"

He landed his position as the coordinator of student organizations and fraternity and sorority life at UMSL while still finishing his master's degree. He was excited by the learning opportunities he thought he could have working within the University of Missouri System.

Former enrollment coordinator Corlia Spears said Wallace has played an important role increasing the vibrancy of campus and engagement among its students.

"He has revitalized student life by ensuring that students are aware of the funding and resources available to them for events, and by actively supporting them in turning their ideas into reality," she wrote in nominating Wallace for the Hero Award. "From large-scale events such as Jamboree to countless student-led programs, Ahmaad's efforts have made campus feel alive again. His leadership trainings and development opportunities for student leaders have not only built stronger organizations but also prepared students with lifelong skills."

Eric Hucker

Before Hucker arrived at UMSL to assist adults seeking certification to transition into new careers in education through the Teach in Residency Program, he spent nearly a decade working in a classroom of his own.

"I was a middle school and high school social studies teacher for about 10 years," Hucker said. "I had a long passion for history as a subject. I also really had a passion for engaging people in in good conversations about history, and I always saw myself as a teacher helping to prepare a new generation of citizens, right? There's a direct connection between the critical importance of an educated citizenry and the safeguarding of our democracy, and I always kept that forefront in my classroom."

Hucker most recently spent three years teaching 10th grade World History and Latin American History at Ritenour High School after earlier stints at the Normandy Schools Collaborative and Jefferson City Public Schools. He enjoyed the opportunity he had to impact students, but he also found himself wondering if he might be destined for a different role.

"I always felt that that the classroom was not necessarily my end all be all, but I wasn't really sure what the next step was," he said.

He had thought about the possibility of becoming an administrator, such as a middle school or high school principal, but ultimately decided role didn't appeal to him.

He recalls being torn about leaving the classroom but was intrigued by the opportunity the Teach in Residency Program offered him to help others answer their calling to education. He understood the value of an alternative certification program that could help alleviate the teacher shortage that exists throughout the state.

"When this opportunity at UMSL came up, I really thought that this was an excellent way for me to use the experience that I had gained as a classroom teacher and the knowledge that I have of different school environments to be able to assist other people into transitioning into that classroom role," he said. "I thought that by transitioning to this role, I might be able to have a really positive impact on education in the St. Louis area and even across the state."

Since coming to UMSL in 2024, Hucker has helped inform prospective students about the Teach in Residency Program and the eligibility requirements for individuals seeking certification through it. He has assisted participants in filling out necessary forms and applications, oversaw the certification process, provided personalized counseling and support during their time in the program, created tracking systems to monitor their program and ensured compliance university, school district and state requirements.

The program has been serving about 150 students each year, and Cassi Sweeney, a former program support coordinator and graduate academic advisor, said Hucker has played an important role in its success.

"He has picked up all the complex data tracking, student support, university processes and policies, and cross institutional partnerships with ease," Sweeney wrote in nominating Hucker for the Hero Award. "It is truly remarkable the deep connections that he develops with students based on trust and support. Eric has a unique ability to take complex and challenging situations and handle them with impeccable professionalism and rephrase the student's framework to understand that the only goal our team has is to support and help the student.

"Additionally, Eric is exceptional at growing professional partnerships with external school districts across the state of Missouri. His transparency, in-depth knowledge, professionalism and person-first mindset allows partners to easily establish trust and build a positive perception of the UMSL brand."

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