2025-2026 Staff Recognition Awards Program

WELCOME

Rosario Ceballo, Ph.D.
Dean
Professor of Psychology & Women's and Gender Studies

Karla Renee Williams
Chief People Officer

Patrick Smitowski
Director, Human Resources

Presented by Patrick Smitowski

HONORING OUR RETIREES

2025

Shelley F. Anzalone, Department of Philosophy

Mary M. Carr, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Melissa Eljamal, Department of Organizational Studies

Mary L. Freiman, Department of American Culture

Marilynne Giguere, International Institute

Lynne Marie Gould, LSA Advancement

Sara Grosky, Department of Biophysics

Paula Trail Hathaway, LSA Strategic Initiative

Guenther Johannes Kellner, Department of Chemistry

Denise A. Looker, Department of English Language and Literature

Martha P. Luckham, LSA Advancement

Scott A. Meier, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Laurie Ann Sanders, LSA Facilities

Cindy Stauch, Museum of Paleontology

Suzanne Tainter, Departments of Chemistry and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

James R. Tice, Department of Physics

Curtis  Weaverdyck, Department of Physics

Nora Webber, Museum of Natural History

Sherry L. Webster, Biological Station

Zhengjiu Xu, Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Presented by Karla Renee Williams

DIVISIONAL AWARDS

Humanities

Rising Star
Lucy Koukoudian
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Department of Film, Television, and Media

Kay Beattie Outstanding Individual Employee
Alexander Zwinak
Graduate Coordinator
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Social Sciences

Rising Star
Luca Borntrager
Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Psychology

Kay Beattie Outstanding Individual Employee
Katie Grambeau (Gass)
Communications and Outreach Specialist
Residential College

Natural Sciences

Rising Star
Rebecca Dieker
Events & Communications Coordinator
Departments of Biophysics and Chemistry

Kay Beattie Outstanding Individual Employee
Jillian Myers
Research Lab Specialist
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Undergraduate Education

Rising Star
Eric Wahr
Records and Enrollment Specialist
Student Academic Affairs

Kay Beattie Outstanding Individual Employee
Jocelyn Kwolek
Business Administrator
Center for Global and Intercultural Study

Dean’s Office

Rising Star
Steven Snead
Desktop Support Specialist
LSA Technology Services

Kay Beattie Outstanding Individual Employee
Robert Pelcher
Data Security Analyst
LSA Technology Services

Presented by Patrick Smitowski

OUTSTANDING STAFF TEAM AWARD

LSA Technology Library Self-Service Portal Project Team

LSA Technology Services

Sanam Aldag
Assistant Director, Customer Experience

Margarita Barvinok
Application Architect

Sabrina Kettler
Technology Library Assistant

Ashley Koebel
Technology Library Supervisor

Katie Klosterman
Asset Manager

Maria Laitan
User Experience Designer

Logan Long
Technology Library Assistant

Caroline Martin
Technology Library Assistant

Jenni Patterson
IT Project Manager

Josh Simon
Senior Systems Administrator

INDIVIDUAL STAFF AWARD FOR POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO LSA COMMUNITY AND CULTURE

Randall Scott Haley
Facilities Manager
Biological Station

STAFF TEAM AWARD FOR POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO LSA COMMUNITY AND CULTURE

Lecture Rewind Solutions Team

LSA Technology Services

Jean Arnold
Assistant Director, Sight and Sound Operations

David Auwers
Audio-Visual Technician

Jesse Miller
Video Services Supervisor

John (Jan) Stewart
Manager, Emerging Technologies and BlueCorps

Chris Taylor
Coordinator in Videoconference Services 

ROBIN SARRIS OUTSTANDING SUPERVISOR AWARD

Jean Arnold
Assistant Director, Sight and Sound Operations
LSA Technology Services

CANDACE J. JOHNSON AWARD FOR STAFF EXCELLENCE

Adam Rountrey
Museum of Paleontology

Presented by Karla Renee Williams

LSA CA PEER DIVISIONAL AWARDS

Humanities Division

Tricia Chiado
Department of Middle East Studies and Department of Asian Languages and Cultures

Social Science Division

Carl Abrego
Residential College

Natural Science Division

Doreen Fussman
Department of Mathematics

Additional Nominees for Staff Awards

Carrie Berger, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures

Brandon Bond, Undergraduate Education

William Bryan, International Institute

Elizabeth Cain-Toth, Barger Leadership Institute

Gina Cornacchia, Department of Statistics

Caroline Coy, LSA Technology Services

Jessica Hill Riggs, Digital Studies Institute

Dawn Johnson, Museum of Natural History

Eric Macini, Digital Studies Institute            

Cierra Murphy, Center for Global and Intercultural Study

Angela Natalie Martin, LSA Technology Services

Barb Oliver, Science Learning Center

Christine O'Neil, Student Academic Affairs

Jen Oza Grysko, Student Academic Affairs

Kayla Papp, Department of Mathematics

Pamela Shehan, LSA Finance         

Hannah Smith, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures

Sarah Torsch, Digital Studies Institute

Rebecca Usoff, Department of Statistics

Brandon Veal, Health Sciences Scholars Program

Rory Walsh, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Rachel Watson, Department of Psychology 

Julie Winningham, Department of Anthropology

Newnan Academic Advising Pre-Professional Team      

FAREWELL

Karla Renee Williams

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2025–26 Staff Achievement Awards Selection Committee

Kelly Alber-Drake, Undergraduate Education

Jerri Atkins, LSA Human Resources

Kelly Campbell, Department of Statistics

Jennifer Gougeon, LSA Human Resources

Candice Middlebrook, Residential College

Jessica Randolph Blank, Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures

Jennifer Wolff, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Monika Wood, Department of Physics

Staff Achievement Awards Planning and Support

Jerri Atkins, LSA Human Resources

Jennifer Gougeon, LSA Human Resources

Kim Lewandowski, LSA Human Resources

Patrick Smitowski, LSA Human Resources

Karla Renee Williams, LSA Dean’s Office

Audiovisual

LSA Technology Services

Photography

Michigan Photography

Facilities

University Productions Staff, School of Music, Theatre & Dance