Sandburg honors 2026 Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, Staff Member of the Year Award winners
—Sandburg recognized the 2026 winners for Faculty of the Year, Adjunct Faculty of the Year and Staff Member of the Year during its 58th annual commencement Thursday evening on the Galesburg campus.
James Sanders was selected as Faculty of the Year, Becky Echelberger was named Adjunct Faculty of the Year and Mike Kratz was chosen as Staff Member of the Year.
2026 Faculty of the Year
James Sanders
A psychology instructor at Sandburg since 2000, Sanders teaches Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, Human Sexuality, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Personality, Social Psychology of Aging. This marks Sanders’ final year of teaching at Sandburg.
Originally from North Carolina, Sanders earned his bachelor’s from the University of Colorado, and he has a Ph.D. in applied experimental psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso.
“The most beneficial aspect of the course was the application to real life,” one student wrote in their nomination of Sanders. “Many of the topics discussed had a direct correlation to my life and my work. Professor Sanders did an excellent job explaining key concepts and providing examples which were enlightening and applicable.”
Sanders serves on the Curriculum Committee at Sandburg and has been a member of the American Psychological Association, the Midwestern Psychological Association and Knox College’s institutional research board. He lives in Macomb with his wife, Kimberley McClure, a psychology professor at Western Illinois University whom he met while studying at UTEP. They plan to retire to northern Michigan.
“I feel very fortunate to have been able to talk about a topic that I enjoy, share it with people and maybe inspire a few that I know have gone on to get their Ph.D.s,” Sanders said. “It’s not often that people get a career where they’re doing stuff they really, really enjoy.”
2026 Adjunct Faculty of the Year
Becky Echelberger
A 2006 graduate of Sandburg’s dental hygiene program, Echelberger has been an adjunct clinic instructor in that field at the college since 2014. This marks the second year in a row Echelberger has been named Adjunct Faculty of the Year.
Echelberger’s passion for teaching oral hygiene goes beyond the classroom and clinic. She annually visits elementary schools in her hometown of Kewanee to present to children on the importance of dental health and safety. Echelberger has included students in the dental hygiene program on those visits in recent years. She’s also worked with local health departments to complete oral cancer screenings for area residents and is certified in mental health first aid.
“I'm incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to not only work here, but to get to connect with the students,” Echelberger said. “I love my job, and I love the impact we make on the students and the community.”
In addition to teaching at Sandburg, Echelberger works as a dental hygienist at The Dental Group of Galesburg. She lives in Kewanee with her two children, Jubilee and Will.
“I love building genuine connections with students and having dedication in every interaction with them,” Echelberger said. “I want to educate them, but I also want to inspire them to become competent, skilled and caring dental hygienists because I’m really passionate about the field.”
2026 Staff Member of the Year
Mike Kratz
Now the college’s coordinator of technology support services, Kratz started at Sandburg in 1996 as a data processing operator, where he ran and provided enrollment reports for employees in the days before everyone had a computer.
“I ran backup tapes and reports, and we delivered printouts to people every three days,” Kratz said. “So if you wanted up-to-date numbers, you had to talk to me. It was very ancient.”
Thirty years later, Kratz’s role has evolved to assisting students, faculty and staff with IT needs. Known for his jovial demeanor, Kratz first joined the tech help team as PCs became more commonplace at Sandburg.
“I think we still do the same jobs here, but the technology supporting it has changed,” Kratz said. “From my world, I try to be friends with whoever I'm with. I like to think I make it a little bit better place for people just by being myself around them. While I'm there fixing something for someone, I'm doing my job, but it doesn't feel like I'm doing my job if I'm talking to you about other things.”
Kratz has been a treasurer for the Sandburg Education Association, served on the grievance committee and is a longtime staple of the college’s noon basketball group. He lives in Galva with his wife, Missy. They have two adult children and a granddaughter.
“We really have a lot of good employees,” Kratz said. “The hard part’s probably making the decision year after year for somebody.”
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