Outstanding faculty, students and staff honored at ‘Honor the Best’

The University celebrated the accomplishments, achievements and careers of faculty, staff and students during the annual “Honor the Best” ceremony on May 14 in the Ballrooms of the Joe Crowley Student Union

An awardee shakes hands with President Sandoval onstage during Honor the Best.

Photo by Brin Reynolds.

Outstanding faculty, students and staff honored at ‘Honor the Best’

The University celebrated the accomplishments, achievements and careers of faculty, staff and students during the annual “Honor the Best” ceremony on May 14 in the Ballrooms of the Joe Crowley Student Union

Photo by Brin Reynolds.

An awardee shakes hands with President Sandoval onstage during Honor the Best.

Photo by Brin Reynolds.

President Brian Sandoval praised the effort of the University community throughout the year and pointed out that their work is part of a larger 150-year legacy of the University. In October, the University will mark its sesquicentennial.

“Our faculty, staff and students have always believed in the transformational promise of this incredible University,” Sandoval said. “We are a great University because we have great people. It’s that simple. We bring out the best in each other. And today, he we are – honoring our best.

“As I look out at all of you, I see what our University, 150 years later, is still all about – people that care.”

Honor the Best award winners included:

Emeriti faculty:

  • Donna Axton
  • Michael P. Branch
  • David Branby
  • Ian Buckle
  • Kenneth Coll
  • Shannon Ellis
  • Kevin C. Facemyer
  • Stephen S. Foster
  • Jennifer Hagen
  • Dean Hitchcock
  • Michelle Hritz
  • Raj Kallu
  • Jeffrey C. LaCombe
  • Katherine Schleef
  • Raj Siddharthan
  • Terri Smith
  • Bradley J. Taylor
  • Billy W. Thornton
  • Salli J. Vannucci
  • Robert J. Watters
  • Thomas L. Watterson
  • Daniel J. Weigel
  • Chris Westin
  • Jeffrey Wolff
  • Mike Wolterbeek
  • Ilia Zaliapin
  • Kirsten A. Lorenzen
  • William J. Macauley Jr.
  • Shelly Madalinski
  • Joel Mangoba
  • Stephanie McAfee
  • Sergey Morozunov
  • John L. Muntean
  • Stanley Omaye
  • Melissa Piasecki
  • Laurel Saito
  • Ali Sakallioglu
  • Stephanie Sant' Ambrogio
  • Michelle Saunders

Foundation Professors:

  • Sudeep Chandra
  • Normand Leblanc
  • Karla Wagner

Foundation Established Innovator Award:

Jennifer Carson

Foundation Innovative Impact Award:

Christopher Kratt

Foundation Outstanding Leadership & Supervisor Award:

Nancy Roget

Foundation Outstanding Letter of Appointment Instructional Faculty Award:

  • Jocelyn Mata
  • Robert “Bobby” del Carlo

Foundation Outstanding Committee Service Award:

Amy Pason

Foundation Early Career Innovator Award:

Alireza Tavakkoli

Foundation Classified Employee Award:

Rebecca Rumbaugh

Foundation Administrative Faculty of the Year Award:

Chai Glenn-Cook

Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award:

Dorothy Hudig

Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award:

  • Nate Hodges
  • Kelly Keselica

Distinguished Outreach & Engagement Faculty Award:

Peter Reed

Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Leadership Award:

Karla Hernández

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award:

Heather Burkin 

Postdoctoral Award for Exceptional Mentoring:

Angie Lenard

University Academic Advisor Award, Undergraduate:

Jamie Tu

University Academic Advisor Award, Graduate:

Keri Ryan

Cavanaugh Community Volunteer Award:

Lauren Frick

Henry Albert Senior Public Service Award:

  • Ariana Boorboor
  • Diana Landazuri
  • Sarah Peterson
  • Erick Regalado

Student Employee of the Year:

Madison Comella

Phi Kappa Phi Award:

  • Brandon Ramirez
  • Hailey Snook

Outstanding Senior Award:

  • Ariana Boorboor
  • Muhammad Shamim

ASUN Service-Learning Faculty Award:

Kathleen Leonard

Outstanding Graduating Graduate Student Researcher:

Claire Williams

Outstanding Graduate Student Award:

Rachel Knecht

R.O.T.C. Governor’s Award:

Sage Will

R.O.T.C. President’s Award:

Katie Felton

Thornton Peace Prize:

Jennifer Lanterman

Regents’ Academic Advisor Award:

Keri Ryan

Regents’ Award for Creative Activities:

Peter Goin

Regents’ Rising Researcher Award:

  • Hamed Ebrahimian
  • Li Li
  • Elizabeth Villalobos

Regents’ Teaching Award:

Ann-Marie Vollstedt

Sam Lieberman Regents’ Award for Student Scholarship, Graduate:

Alessandro Ralls

Sam Lieberman Regents’ Award for Student Scholarship, Undergraduate:

Micah Woodruff

Outstanding Researcher of the Year:

  • Eric Rasmussen, SACS
  • Krishna Pagilla, STEM

Regents’ Outstanding Classified Staff Award:

Sunny Remneff

Ozmen Global Engagement Award:

Philipp Ruprecht

Paul and Judy Bible University Teaching Excellence Award:

Pamela Sandstrom

Distinguished Classified Employee Award:

Joy Grate-Thomas

Distinguished Faculty Award:

Thomas Kozel

Distinguished Service Award:

Shannon Ellis

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