Hundreds of 91探花colleagues, family and friends celebrated the recipients of this year鈥檚 Awards of Excellence on Thursday, June 13, in Meany Hall.
The following is based on remarks made by President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Richards at the 49th听annual event.
2019 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Distinguished Staff Award:听Sam Al-Khoury, Director of Student Engagement & Activities, Student Engagement & Activities, 91探花Bothell
鈥淐ollaborative and strategic鈥� are how Sam鈥檚 colleagues describe his work supporting the needs of the diverse and dynamic environment for students at 91探花Bothell. Sam鈥檚 gifts for finding compromises and opening the lines of communication have helped students and staff find solutions to issues that seemed, at times, intractable. His commitment to equity, inclusivity and social justice are matched by his talent for maintaining an environment of civility and respect, while always keeping students at the center of his work.
Distinguished Staff Award: Laura L. Harrington, Air Force ROTC Program Coordinator, Department of Aerospace Studies, Air Force ROTC
Considered 鈥渢he rock鈥� of her department, Laura has been an invaluable resource for cadets and their families. She has worked tirelessly to improve the cadet experience, revamping processes, finding new efficiencies and developing tools that put cadets鈥� needs first. She has also forged a vital link with the department鈥檚 alumni community and has helped grow support for scholarships. She is appreciated as much for her kindness, warmth and empathy as she is for her effectiveness and impact on the program.
Distinguished Staff Award:听Darrell Owens, Clinical Assistant Professor and Section Head for Supportive and Palliative Care, 91探花Medicine Northwest Hospital Campus
Darrell is among the most decorated advance practice nurses in Washington, and for good reason: He has dedicated countless hours to caring for patients and their families at the end-of-life. When faced with the prospect of closing an outpatient consulting program in order to preserve an inpatient service, Darrell created a plan to continue caring for both groups. In doing so, he became the first and only advanced practice nurse to have started two medical consult services within the 91探花Health System.
Distinguished Staff Award: Douglas Stevens, Program Support Supervisor II, Mailing Services, Creative Communications
Campus mail service is one aspect of our jobs that we often take for granted, and that is in large part thanks to Douglas, whose innovative work leading the e-bike program has transformed the way the 91探花Mailing Service delivers mail and packages to the entire Seattle campus. Through his leadership and vision, Douglas has reduced our campus鈥檚 environmental impact, cut down on traffic noise and congestion, and cut waste throughout the system.
Distinguished Staff Award: Digital Strategies Team,听Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
- Molly Jay, Chief Digital Officer
- John Compton, Director of Digital Strategies
- Ian Gonzales,听Assistant Director of Digital Strategies
In launching the Evans School鈥檚 new online case repository and interactive teaching resource, 鈥淭he Hallway,” Molly, Ian and John set a new standard for excellence. Thanks to Molly鈥檚 leadership, Ian鈥檚 technical expertise, and John鈥檚 outstanding project management skills, this small-but-mighty team drove the transformation of a cumbersome and outdated system into a platform that is cutting-edge, nimble and already attracting national attention. Thanks to their ingenuity and dedication, faculty and students are benefitting from this game-changing resource.
David B. Thorud Leadership Award (faculty): Margaret L. Spearmon, Senior Lecturer and Chief Officer of Community Engagement and Diversity, School of Social Work
Margaret has held numerous leadership positions over her 25 years with the 91探花School of Social Work, and she has excelled at all of them. Whether serving as the director of the Baccalaureate Social Work Program or the associate dean for Academic Affairs, Margaret has provided transformational leadership in the initiatives she undertakes, in her commitment to social justice and as a friend and mentor to her colleagues. She embodies the best of public scholarship and community engagement.
David B. Thorud Leadership Award (staff): Patricia Dougherty, Director, Retiree Relations; Executive Director, 91探花Retirement Association
When the Great Recession hit, the 91探花Retirement Center lost its funding. With creativity and determination, Patricia helped to reimagine the 91探花Retirement Association鈥檚 relationship to the UW. She found ways to raise funds, save people鈥檚 jobs and continue the vital work of helping our retirees stay connected to our University. Today, the UWRA is stronger than ever, thanks largely to her tireless efforts, which not only benefit our thriving community of retirees, but do so much to benefit our entire University.
Distinguished Librarian Award: Hyokyoung Yi, Korean Studies Librarian and Head of Public Services, East Asia Library, University Libraries
Thanks to Hyokyoung, the 91探花is home to one of the world鈥檚 greatest academic Korea collections, but her excellence goes far beyond even this important contribution. Described by her nominators as possessing 鈥渙ut-of-the-box creativity and administrative acumen,鈥� her commitment to curating and maintaining this impressive and distinctive global collection is accelerating discovery and scholarship as well as fostering student success. Her international leadership in this field has made some critical research materials open and freely available worldwide for the first time.
Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award: Connie Kravas, Senior Vice President, University Advancement
Connie鈥檚 impact on University Advancement and the whole University can hardly be overstated. She has transformed our relationships with our alumni, donors, friends and supporters, helping them to connect deeply with our mission to serve students and the public. She has built an Advancement organization that is the envy of every one of our peers. We could ask for no better champion of our great public mission, and as she prepares to retire, she leaves incredibly large shoes to fill.
Distinguished Retiree Excellence in Community Service Award: James P. LoGerfo Sr., Professor Emeritus, Medicine and Global Health, 91探花Medicine, Harborview Medical Center
Over a long and decorated career, James has done an enormous amount to create access to primary care for vulnerable communities. His impact has been felt here in Washington and through his extensive work in Cambodia. He inspires others to follow his lead, both in and out of the clinic, as he has become a powerful and effective advocate for public health initiatives. Today, he continues his vital work to benefit the health of our global community.
Distinguished Teaching Award:听Jennifer H. Doherty,听Senior Lecturer, Biology,听College of Arts & Sciences
Jennifer鈥檚 evidence-based teaching practices are so well known that faculty from other institutions visit her classes to learn from her. She uses the scholarship of teaching and learning to inform her work. Then she aligns her objectives, assessments and strategies to advance student learning. A coordinator for her Biology 200 course noted that 鈥淛ennifer is making constant micro-revisions in her teaching style based on student feedback and literature in the field of Biology education to improve the learning experience of the students.鈥�
Distinguished Teaching Award: Jos茅 M. Guzm谩n, Acting Instructor, Aquatic and Fishery Sciences,听College of the Environment
Jos茅 doesn鈥檛 just introduce students to a subject, he inspires them to dig deeper as they help each other learn. In marine biology classes with more than 150 students, Jos茅 engages each of them by constantly asking relevant case-study questions to gauge their understanding. As one student said, 鈥淚 was so nervous before starting classes, but he has an incredible way of making every student feel welcomed. Our classes were upbeat, well-paced, engaging and overall an incredible learning environment.鈥�
Distinguished Teaching Award:听Maureen A. Howard, Professor, School of Law
Maureen makes a point to tailor her teaching to each student as she promotes their personal, professional and intellectual development. She consistently checks in with 
students to measure their understanding of the complexities of the law. She asks their opinions and encourages critiques. Weekly review sessions and practice tests promote student success. And she fosters excellence by challenging students鈥� critical thinking and facilitating conversations on the practical effects and impact of the law.
Distinguished Teaching Award: Kira Schabram, Assistant Professor, Management and Organization,听Foster School of Business
Not only does Kira excel as a teacher, she is an outstanding mentor and advocate for students. With her inviting and energizing style, Kira has an immediate and positive rapport with her students. When one student performed poorly on a midterm, Kira assisted him with time management and study strategies prior to the final.
鈥淜ira鈥檚 inspiration and mentorship were exactly what I needed at exactly the right time to turn a bad situation into a great quarter,鈥� he said.
Distinguished Teaching Award: Julie Shayne, Senior Lecturer and Faculty Coordinator for Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, 91探花Bothell
In Julie鈥檚 classes, students readily take on intellectual risks and engage in discussions about complicated and even sensitive topics. Students say it鈥檚 because of the supportive atmosphere Julie creates. This support is one reason that one of her students chose to continue her undergraduate program after nearly dropping out. Now that student is pursuing her master鈥檚 degree.
鈥淎t every turn of my academic and activist career, Julie has rallied behind my work, opening the door to opportunities and elevating my projects among her colleagues.鈥�
Distinguished Teaching Award: Amanda Swarr, Associate Professor, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies,听College of Arts & Sciences
Amanda鈥檚 feminist pedagogy of mutual learning is the foundation of her teaching. This means that she presents new and challenging material without belittling or dismissing what students already know. She leads students to question and analyze traditional views on gender and sexuality. For instance, she once invited students to avoid looking in the mirror for one week. One student said: 鈥淪tudents came to understand on an embodied level how gendered, sexualized and classed norms exist in something as mundane as examining our reflections in the mirror.鈥�
Distinguished Teaching Award:听Anaid Yerena, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies, 91探花Tacoma
Anaid not only brings excellent teaching and scholarship to her classes, she brings her deep interest in affordable housing. She poses challenges to her students and then guides them as they develop and then propose solutions. Her fieldwork projects in Pierce County provide her graduate students with real-world experience. Through studio-style teaching, critical reading of public documents, and community-informed urban design and planning approaches, Anaid engages diverse learners and empowers them to make a difference.
Distinguished Teaching Award for Innovation and Technology: Sarah Culpepper Stroup, Associate Professor, Classics,听College of Arts & Sciences
Sarah deftly blends science, technology, the arts and the humanities into a single class听鈥�听one such as Greek Athletes, Roman Gladiators, the Modern Olympics and College Football. Sarah knows how to write a course title that draws attention 鈥� and students. Her signature class, STEM in the Ancient World, centers on the contributions that Greeks and Romans made to science, technology, engineering and math. In the words of a colleague, 鈥�21st-century students engage in ancient theories and apply them in a lab.鈥�
Distinguished Teaching Legacy Award: Aurora Valentinetti, Professor Emerita, School of Drama
The impact of Aurora’s teaching and work has lasted long after the curtain call. A 1965 91探花graduate with a degree in drama and a long career as a 91探花professor, Aurora鈥檚 imagination, humor, rigor and high standards helped her students explore the art of puppetry in college 鈥� and they continue to use her techniques today as teachers, artists and performers themselves. Her legacy lives on during story times in classrooms, on stages in children鈥檚 theaters and in exhibits and programs at the Valentinetti Puppet Museum in Bremerton.
Excellence in Teaching Award: Jeffrey Paz Buenaflor, Graduate Student, Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
In a field of more than 100 chemistry teaching assistants, Jeffrey stands out 鈥� for his passion for organic chemistry and his commitment to explaining the subject to students at every level. A fellow Ph.D. candidate said: 鈥淗e takes immense care of students whether it is helping them out with a particular problem or developing a new concept from scratch.鈥� His student evaluations underscore his ability to precisely coordinate content between the lectures and his quiz sections, noted his department chair.
Excellence in Teaching Award: Margarita Zeitlin,听Graduate Student, Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences
Communication skills are essential in teaching, and Margarita leverages hers to ensure that her students are learning. Margarita also is a model for students who are interested in pursuing research-focused graduate degrees, one academic adviser said. Margarita uses stories, humor and insights to help students understand her own path to graduate school. She is honest in her appraisal of the hard work and difficult odds, and at the same time, she shares hope and excitement about future possibilities for students.
Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award: Anna Ratzliff, Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine
Anna has devoted more than a decade to improving the lives of people with mental illness and addiction, their families and their communities through lifelong learning for health-care professionals. She has presented hundreds of workshops around the world to train psychiatrists, psychologists, primary-care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and social workers听鈥�听anyone willing to help those struggling with mental-health issues. As one psychiatrist noted: Anna makes complex concepts approachable so that health-care providers can solve real-life problems.
University Faculty Lecture Award: Jacqueline McMurtrie, Professor, School of Law
As founder of Innocence Project Northwest, which works to free innocent people who are currently incarcerated, Jackie has spent the last 30 years inspiring many law students and colleagues to dedicate their careers to public service. She is a scholar-activist who challenges her colleagues intellectually and encourages them to serve their own communities. One colleague said that Jackie 鈥渒indles in us compassion for the people we serve in our profession.鈥�
Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award: Tatiana Toro, Craig McKibben and Sarah Merner Professor, Mathematics, College of Arts & Sciences
Tatiana is known throughout the mathematics community as an advocate for underrepresented minorities in her field. Her students praise her mentoring skills, her generosity of time and spirit, and her support in all aspects of their lives. In the words of one student: 鈥淪he is the first mathematician I have seen speak against racist and sexist comments, making her a role model so deeply important to me, as a Latina mathematician.鈥�
Outstanding Public Service: Theresa Cheng, Clinical Assistant Professor, Periodontics, School of Dentistry
Theresa has devoted her leadership and innovative efforts to improving the lives and health of low-income veterans who have returned from combat areas. Most veterans do not receive dental benefits; as a periodontist, Theresa has provided free dental care to about 30 veterans a year. To serve even more veterans across 13 states, Theresa convinced听over 350 dentists, specialists and dental labs to collaborate and provide pro bono comprehensive dental care in their private clinics. These collective efforts have treated more than 300 veterans, providing close to $1 million in dental care.
Distinguished Alumni Veteran Award: Priscilla Taylor, 鈥�93, 鈥�96, School of Nursing, Retired Lt. Colonel, U.S. Army
This award is intended to recognize a 91探花alumna or alumnus who has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and that certainly describes Lt. Colonel Taylor in her profound dedication to the care and support of veterans. From serving as a medic and in the Army Nurse Corps from the Vietnam War era through operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, she has done a great deal to advance the standard of care for all wounded veterans, and she has continued to heal wounded veterans and their families even after she retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel, helping to coordinate care for veterans during surgery and recovery.
President鈥檚 Medal: Marisa De Luccia, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Marisa began her college journey at Seattle Central College, and when she first arrived at the UW, she worried that she had missed out on the full college experience. But her r茅sum茅 of accomplishments and activities is proof that she didn鈥檛. While making the College of the Environment Dean鈥檚 list every quarter, she has received funding to do independent research in Costa Rica, become president of the Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Honors Society and given back through 91探花TRIO, an organization that once provided critical support to her.
President鈥檚 Medal: Emma Spickard, Public Health鈥�Global Health, School of Public Health
Emma鈥檚 passion for public health has manifested in many ways throughout her Husky Experience听鈥� from volunteering at a local women鈥檚 day shelter, to advocating for affordable housing, to working with GlobeMed to improve global health. She has seized every opportunity to not only learn about her field, but to make an impact here and now. As a recipient of the prestigious Bonderman Fellowship, she will continue to expand her horizons and seek out ways to have impact on her travels.
Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus:听James G. Anderson, 鈥�66, Physics
At a time when our whole planet is grappling with the seriousness of humans鈥� impact on the climate, James Anderson鈥檚 monumental discoveries that connected climate change and ozone loss are of global importance. His research led to the banning of chlorofluorocarbons as refrigerants because of their adverse effect on the ozone layer.
James joined the faculty of Harvard University in 1978 and since 1982 has been the Phillip S. Weld Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry in the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences there. He also served as chair of Harvard’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. His enormous scientific contributions have earned him numerous recognitions, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also awarded the United Nations Vienna Convention Award for Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award.
The impact of James鈥� research and scholarship would be more than enough to secure his legacy, but he has also been a devoted teacher of undergraduates; long before it was fashionable, James saw the classroom as an opportunity to cultivate young minds rather than weed them out. His impact on generations of students ensures that we will continue to benefit from his brilliance and ingenuity long into the future, for which we can all be grateful.
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