MTSU College of Education director presented with state lifetime achievement award for child advocacy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Connie Casha, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s early learning programs, was recently named recipient of the 2026 Linda O’Neal Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth at the Children’s Advocacy Day.

Connie Casha, director of early learning programs, MTSU College of Education — Connie Casha

The award is named for Linda O’Neal, the now retired longtime executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, whose tireless work transformed the lives of Tennessee’s children, from expanding vital services to reforming Tennessee’s juvenile justice system.

The award “recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary commitment, excellence, leadership, accomplishment, generosity, and service to improve the lives of Tennessee children and families,” according to the commission.

“As a friend and colleague of Linda, receiving an award bearing her name is humbling. She inspired me and many others to continue the work today and into the future,” Casha stated in a social media post.

Connie Casha, right, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s Early Learning Programs, holds the 2026 Linda O'Neal Lifetime Achievement Award presented to her by Richard Kennedy, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, on March 10 at the Children's Advocacy Days 2026 at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. (Submitted photo) — Connie Casha, right, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s Early Learning Programs, holds the 2026 Linda O’Neal Lifetime Achievement Award presented to her by Richard Kennedy, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, on March 10 at the Children’s Advocacy Days 2026 at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. (Submitted photo)

“For more than 40 years, Tennessee has been my home, and the children and families here have been my purpose. I’ve learned along the way that the earliest years of a child’s life shape everything that comes after. When we get that right, we change lives. When we fall short, children pay the price, and that has never been something I can accept.”

Connie Casha, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s Early Learning Programs, gives remarks after being named the recipient of the 2026 Linda O'Neal Lifetime Achievement Award by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth on March 10 at the Children's Advocacy Days at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. (Submitted photo) — Connie Casha, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s Early Learning Programs, gives remarks after being named the recipient of the 2026 Linda O’Neal Lifetime Achievement Award by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth on March 10 at the Children’s Advocacy Days at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. (Submitted photo)

Casha noted that after more than a decade at MTSU, she will retire at the end of May.

“But I’m not slowing down. I’m continuing my journey of advocacy, because the work is far from finished,” she stated.

In presenting her with the award, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth noted that Casha “has spent her career doing the steady, determined work that changes children’s lives,” and through her MTSU work, “she has coordinated vital early childhood services and has worked tirelessly to raise public awareness about the critical importance of a child’s earliest years.”

The commission noted that Casha began her career in public service at the Tennessee Department of Education in 2001, where she spent 15 years developing and expanding the Voluntary Pre-K program across all 136 school districts, providing 18,000 children a year with access to a high-quality preschool program.

In 2008, she was instrumental in bringing the Pyramid Model, a research-based social-emotional framework, to Tennessee, giving teachers across the state the tools to support young children’s social and emotional development.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)