By Joan C. McKinney, director, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Dr. Heather Hood Wise, owner of Wise Dentistry for Kids in Campbellsville, Ky., received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award at Campbellsville University’s commencement May 7.
Dr. Joseph Hopkins, president of Campbellsville University, and Dr. Donna Hedgepath, provost and vice president for academic affairs, presented the adult award to Wise. Madison Sheppard, a senior from London, Ky., received the student award.
Campbellsville University was selected in 2002 to participate in this prestigious awards program that honors the memory and legacy of the late Algernon Sydney Sullivan. There are only 70 colleges and universities that are approved by the Sullivan Foundation to annually present these awards to one graduating senior and to one community member.
Sullivan was a lawyer, devout Christian, mediator, powerful and appealing orator, a courageous citizen during perilous times, a noted philanthropist and a devoted family man.
In the words of a friend, Sullivan “reached out both hands in constant helpfulness to others.”
“Wise is heavily invested in her community, church and family,” Hopkins said.
Wise has served as a Eucharistic Minister and Religious Education teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, a seven-year school board member at the Kentucky Christian Academy, an eight-year Taylor County Middle and High School Site-Based Decision Making Council member, a previous Campbellsville Chamber of Commerce Board Member, as well as an Advisory Board Member with Lake Cumberland Head Start.
She has also served on Kentucky Medicaid’s Dental Technically Advisory Council as well as being a member of the Medicaid Avesis Advisory Council. Wise also holds a volunteer faculty appointment with the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She opened her dentistry practice as a solo practitioner in 2007.
Wise attended Georgetown College from 1996 to 1999 where she played women’s basketball. In 1999, she transferred to Campbellsville University to finish her academic and athletic career by playing basketball for her future mother-in-law, Coach Donna Wise.
Upon graduating with magna cum laude honors from Campbellsville University in 2001, Wise was accepted to the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry where she graduated in 2005, followed by a residency in pediatric dentistry at UK’s Chandler Medical Center where she completed her program in May 2007.
Wise is the daughter of Walter and Cheryl Hensel and Mark Hood. She is a native of Glasgow, Ky. and is a 1996 Glasgow High School alumnus where she was inducted into the Glasgow High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Glasgow High Court of Honor in 2021.
Wise is married to Kentucky State Sen. Max Wise, a 1997 Campbellsville University alumnus and former CU political science professor.
They have four children, Grayson, a freshman at Ole Miss; Jackson, a sophomore at Taylor County High School; Carter, an 8th grader at Taylor County Middle School, and McLean, a 5th grader at the Kentucky Christian Academy.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,000 students offering over 100 programs of studying including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.