Individual Excellence Awards Team and Collaboration Awards Service and Community Impact Awards Research and Creativity Awards Recognition Milestones
Individual Excellence Awards
Recognizing outstanding contributions by individual staff members.
Mover and Shaker
Criteria:
This award recognizes an employee who exemplifies a proactive, “can-do” attitude and consistently drives positive change. The recipient initiates and encourages improvements to services and/or programs, demonstrating leadership and adaptability that inspires progress within the Division.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Heather Costa-Barrow
Title IX
A catalyst for innovation and progress, Heather consistently transforms ideas into action that improves access, efficiency, and impact for students.
Dr. Caitlyn Brown
Counseling & Psychological Services
A trusted advocate and innovator for student well being, Caitlyn responds to emerging needs with insight, compassion, and forward thinking care
Silent Superlative
Criteria:
This award honors an employee who consistently exemplifies a positive attitude toward staff and students while going above and beyond the expectations of their role. The recipient provides exceptional service even when no one is watching, demonstrating superior dedication and humility that strengthens the Division.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Keke Bowden
University Health Services
Keke leads with quiet excellence and unwavering care, showing up every day with kindness, professionalism, and deep commitment to students and colleagues.
Jarred Pernier
Fraternity & Sorority Life
J.P. models humility, positivity, and service, empowering others to succeed while never seeking the spotlight.
Star Award
Criteria:
This award recognizes an employee who consistently delivers exceptional service and demonstrates a positive attitude toward students, staff and their work. The recipient demonstrates the ability and willingness to go beyond the expectations of their role, making a meaningful impact within the Division.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Katie Redd
Student Union
Katie Redd consistently delivers exceptional service that elevates both the operational success of Campus Event Services and the student experience at Florida State University. As Assistant Director of Reservations, Katie leads the complex reservations process for the Student Union and outdoor green spaces with precision, professionalism, and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset. She has successfully attracted high-profile corporate activations including Uber, Google Gemini, and Xfinity, generating significant revenue for the University while providing engaging and memorable experiences for students.
Xiomara Romero
Center for Academic Retention & Enhancement
Xiomara’s willingness to collaborate, uplift her colleagues, and contribute to a positive workplace culture makes a meaningful impact across CARE. Her dedication, attitude, and exceptional service make her a truly deserving nominee for the STAR Award.
Abby Cloud Langdon
New Student & Family Programs
She consistently delivers outstanding service through her remarkable work ethic, approaching every responsibility with reliability, diligence, and a strong sense of ownership. Abby’s positive attitude is equally impactful, she brings warmth, optimism, and empathy to every interaction, lifting team morale and remaining calm and solution-oriented even in high-pressure moments.
Chelsea Knight
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
Chelsea makes the impossible look effortless. She seamlessly coordinates campus partners and vendors, manages complex timelines, and produces beautiful events on lean budgets—all with a composure that masks the immense pressure of the work. Tasks that would overwhelm most are handled with such ease and grace that she makes the finished product appear flawless.
Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award (New)
Criteria:
This award recognizes a Graduate Assistant who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism in supporting the Division. The recipient consistently delivers high-quality work, shows initiative, and contributes meaningfully to programs and services that enhance the student experience.
Eligibility:
Must be employed as a Graduate Assistant within the Division and at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Esa Henderson
University Housing
Esa Henderson’s achievements as an advisor, colleague, and student make her the ideal receipt for this award. Esa has advised the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) executive board into what have been two of their most successful years. Esa has supported an increase in events, writing of regional award bids, and hosting a robust membership recruitment process.
Margaret McVearry
Fraternity & Sorority Life
Beyond her assigned tasks, Margaret seeks out cross-campus collaborations to better understand how her department can support the broader division. Her commitment to the mental health and wellness of college students is a professional standard that she integrates into every initiative she touches.
Emma Heuermann
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
Emma’s dedication is best seen in her work with the Torchbearer 100 program. She has been instrumental in building out the program’s reach, ensuring we connect with more students than ever before. Emma hosted countless interviews with remarkable poise and professionalism, representing the Division with a level of maturity that elevates the student experience.
Jake Bucher
Career Center
Jake stands out for his ability to represent his peers—communicating their needs, concerns, and ideas to leadership with professionalism and respect. His fellow CAs trust his guidance because of his experience, judgment, and genuine care. While managing PhD coursework, practicum, and research, he remains fully committed to his leadership role and even presents at professional conferences on behalf of the career center.
Venus Skowronski
University Housing
Venus is never afraid to advocate for what students need, to strengthen the graduate experience, and to ensure all voices are heard and valued. She consistently goes above and beyond—leading our academic trainers with passion, filling departmental vacancies to implement programs and advise a hall council, serving as the primary conduct lead for months in her third year, co‑coordinating head staff summer training, and then stepping into an in‑hall role for the first time, where she thrived as a servant‑leader for her student staff and her RA's always knew they had the most devoted, passionate, and involved graduate student supporting them until a full‑time coordinator arrived.
(SALT) Outstanding Leadership Award (New)
Criteria:
This award honors a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) who exemplifies visionary leadership and commitment to the Division’s mission. The recipient demonstrates strategic thinking, fosters collaboration, and inspires others through integrity, innovation, and impactful decision-making that advances student success.
Eligibility:
Must be a verified current SALT member.
2026 Winners:
Tim Kessler-Cleary
Panama City Campus
Tim leads with vision, dedication, and integrity, advocating tirelessly for the unique needs of the FSU Panama City campus and ensuring students receive meaningful, tailored support. He drives innovation that elevates student success, strengthening partnerships and launching forward thinking initiatives that enhance the student experience across the Division.
Dr. Joi Phillips
Center for Leadership & Service
Dr. Joi leads change with intention and collaboration, transforming challenge into opportunity by fostering innovation, efficiency, and student centered growth. She models people first leadership, creating a culture where authenticity, creativity, and professional development thrive for both staff and students.
Vires Strength Award
Criteria:
This award honors up to two individual employees who demonstrate perseverance and determination in their role to enhance the student experience. Recipients are trailblazers who consistently put forth extraordinary effort to create a better environment for all, embodying strength and resilience in pursuit of positive change.
Eligibility:
Nominee(s) must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Stefany Moncada
Center for Academic Retention & Enhancement
Stefany built and sustained a thriving student support community through resilience and heart, expanding the QUEST Scholars Program while remaining a constant, trusted presence for students and staff. She leads with strength in moments that matter most, consistently showing up with compassion, resolve, and follow through to strengthen CARE and the people within it.
Gen Ramirez
Center for Leadership & Service
Gen leads boldly through change with creativity and energy, driving innovation in leadership education while carrying expanded responsibilities with grace and excitement, and builds powerful partnerships and student centered experiences, connecting theory to practice and reimagining programs to meet students where they are and where they are going.
Stormy McGivern
Student Engagement
Stormy demonstrates perseverance through sustained impact, strengthening student leadership development and organizational effectiveness through intentional, long term initiatives. She turns determination into momentum for campus engagement, elevating major programs and traditions through strategic focus and unwavering commitment.
Artes Skill Award
Criteria:
This award honors up to two individual employees who demonstrate exceptional knowledge and expertise in their functional area. Recipients are regarded by peers and colleagues as trusted experts, recognized for their wisdom and deep institutional knowledge that strengthen the Division’s mission.
Eligibility:
Nominee(s) must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Suzan Kurdak
Office of Marketing and Communications
Suzan demonstrates exceptional professional mastery and strategic insight, elevating Division-wide storytelling, executive communications, and high visibility initiatives through trusted expertise. She serves as a go to leader in institutional messaging, strengthening alignment, compliance, and brand voice across complex, cross functional projects.
Leigh Ann Bauer
Center for Global Engagement
Leigh Ann anchors global engagement through deep expertise and steady leadership, providing the knowledge and continuity that sustain impactful international experiences for students. She quietly powers student success behind the scenes, guiding complex processes with humility, precision, and an unwavering commitment to student growth
Mores Character Award
Criteria:
This award honors up to two individual employees whose character is consistently notable and admirable. Recipients lead with integrity, demonstrate unwavering ethical standards, and do the right thing in every situation, serving as role models within the Division.
Eligibility:
Nominee(s) must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Matt Presley
Campus Recreation
Matt embodies integrity and ethical leadership through decades of service, leading with fairness, honesty, and professionalism that set the standard for others. He will leave a lasting legacy of mentorship and trust, creating a culture of respect, accountability, and teamwork that continues well beyond his tenure.
Dr. V. Casey Dozier
Career Center
Casey leads with unwavering integrity and principled judgment, consistently doing what is right for students, colleagues, and the profession. She models ethical excellence and compassion in practice, advancing student well being through thoughtful, equitable, and evidence based leadership.
Team and Collaboration Awards
Celebrating collective efforts and cross-departmental synergy.
Torch Team Award
Criteria:
This award celebrates a DSA team, unit, or department who has demonstrated exceptional service and teamwork over the past year. The recipient exemplifies collaboration and commitment to the Division’s mission, delivering impactful results that strengthen the student experience.
2026 Winner:
Career Center
The Career Center turned the Professional Clothing Closet into a campus-wide movement, ensuring students feel confident and prepared for every opportunity. They have built powerful partnerships across FSU, expanding access through collaboration with academic units and student organizations. The Career Center has removed barriers to professional success, so no student walks into an interview feeling unprepared.
Better Together Award
Criteria:
This award honors outstanding collaboration between two or more DSA departments. It recognizes a program or initiative that exemplifies resource sharing and demonstrates sustained, intensive cooperation across the Division. The program should showcase how teamwork and partnership create meaningful impact and strengthen the Division’s collective mission.
2026 Winner:
Department of Student Support and Transitions Victim Advocate Program, Counseling & Psychological Services and the Employee Assistance Program
These three departments responded immediately and collectively in a moment of crisis, providing compassionate care, advocacy, and support to students, faculty, and staff affected by the April 17th. They delivered visible, trauma informed support where it was needed most, from the Civic Center to local hospitals, offering crisis intervention, presence, and reassurance during deeply difficult moments. The departments continued working together beyond the immediate response, ensuring ongoing care and resources as our community began the long process of healing, exemplifying the true meaning of Better Together.
Partner with a Purpose Award
Criteria:
This award honors a business or individual outside the Division of Student Affairs who has made a significant contribution to advancing DSA’s mission. The recipient plays a vital role in supporting our work with students and exemplifies purposeful partnership that strengthens the Division’s impact.
Eligibility:
Must not have received this award within the past five years.
2026 Winners:
Josh Duncan, Governmental Relations
Not only does Josh engage with an expansive set of professionals in Washington DC where he directs FSU's federal lobbying efforts, he offered splendid insight as the Division was conceptualizing the DC Study Away program. An important aspect of the project was to surface internship opportunities for cohort members to further enrich their experiences and add depth to their career readiness progression. Further still, Josh advocated for and was given an opportunity to host one member of our inaugural cohort as an intern. His advocacy for FSU is constant as his belief that students and graduates of Florida State make a lasting impact on the agencies, causes, constituents, organizations, and staffs they join.
Dustin Lynch and Daniel De Santiago, International Programs First Year Program team
This team exemplifies purposeful partnership in advancing the mission of the Division of Student Affairs. Over the past year, DSA and IP worked together to design a customized New Nole Orientation experience tailored to the unique needs of these students as they prepare to attend one of FSU’s study centers, while still ensuring they receive critical information about the broader FSU experience. Their collaborative spirit, openness to innovation, and unwavering commitment to doing what is best for students and families make them outstanding partners.
Florida Outdoor Recreation Association (FLORA)
FLORA is a volunteer-led collective of higher-education outdoor departments that exemplifies the power of collaborative partnerships in advancing the Division’s mission. This year, despite uncharacteristic chill and snow flurries, FLORA successfully partnered with FSU Outdoor Rec to host a record-breaking conference at the FSU Lakefront Park. Welcoming over 125 attendees from nine collegiate departments and bringing together 11 sponsors and four vendors, FLORA bolstered our ability to showcase FSU’s facilities, including our challenge course, to a statewide audience. This synergy between FLORA and the Division strengthens our impact, creating a high-impact, student-focused environment that would be impossible to achieve in isolation.
Barbara O'Connor, Public Safety
Chief of Police Jason Trumbower accepted the award on behalf of Barabara O'Connor who was unable to attend. Barbara has turned partnerships into action, collaborating across units, locations, and organizations to expand opportunities and remove barriers for students both on and beyond campus. She has demonstrated that purpose driven collaboration elevates student success, showing what is possible when people, resources, and vision come together in service of students.
Program/Project of the Year
Criteria:
This award recognizes an outstanding program or project sponsored by one or more DSA departments that have made a significant, positive impact on students and/or staff. The initiative should demonstrate excellence in planning, execution, and outcomes that advance the mission of the Division.
Eligibility:
The program or project nominated must be active during the year of the award.
2026 Winner:
Campus Recreation, Outdoor Pursuits
Campus Rec reimagined outdoor engagement by breaking down barriers, bringing Outdoor Pursuits directly to students through a simple, welcoming experience on Landis Green. They combined creativity and thoughtful execution to build belonging, engaging more than 500 students and creating meaningful connections with trip leaders, often through a first time shared experience, and delivered intentional, measurable impact, increasing awareness of Outdoor Pursuits and driving trip registrations to capacity while advancing an inclusive campus culture
Stone Soup Award
Criteria:
This award celebrates a program or team that demonstrates exceptional creativity and resourcefulness by delivering significant services or programs with little or no financial resources. The recipient exemplifies innovation and collaboration, turning limited means into meaningful impact.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status and have not received award in past two years.
2026 Winner:
Department of Student Support and Transitions, Basic Needs Hub
DSST demonstrated exceptional stewardship and resourcefulness, delivering meaningful impact even while operating with limited resources. They consistently prioritized student well being, ensuring access to healthy, appealing food options for students in need, and led with care and intention, showing that commitment to students, not funding levels, is what defines excellence.
Service and Community Impact Awards
Recognizing individuals who go beyond their regular duties to support others and create meaningful community impact.
Community Service Award
Criteria:
This award recognizes an employee who has provided significant volunteer service to the community within the past year. The nominee’s contributions should reflect a commitment to making a positive impact beyond the workplace.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winner:
Kindrea Hill
Student Engagement
Kindrea demonstrates extraordinary commitment to community and service, uplifting children, families, and local organizations through sustained volunteer leadership and personal generosity. She leads with humility and heart, inspiring connection and compassion both on campus and beyond by meeting community needs wherever help is needed.
Outstanding Mentor Award (New)
Criteria:
This award honors an A&P, USPS, or Graduate Assistant employee who consistently dedicates significant time and effort to counseling, advising, and supporting students and/or staff. The recipient demonstrates a strong commitment to fostering growth, guidance, and success within the Division.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winners:
Tyrone "TJ" Johnson
Fraternity & Sorority Life
TJ leads through authentic mentorship and connection, consistently supporting the growth of both students and colleagues with kindness, patience, and actionable guidance. He creates a culture of encouragement and possibility, using his positivity, approachability, and campus wide relationships to help others envision and pursue their next steps.
Sarah Lull
Department of Student Support & Transitions
Sarah models exceptional mentorship through presence and expertise, investing deeply in staff, interns, and students with compassion, knowledge, and unwavering support. She builds the next generation of practitioners through example, fostering a positive, learning centered environment while showing what it means to truly be there in moments that matter most.
Research and Creativity Awards
Highlighting intellectual and creative contributions
Albert Einstein Award
Criteria:
This award recognizes an employee who demonstrates exceptional innovation by introducing an idea that significantly improves departmental or divisional operations. The idea should result in measurable benefits such as reducing or eliminating expenditures, generating revenue or creating positive organizational change.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winner:
Marrese Whitsett
University Housing
Marrese applied innovative thinking and intentional design to transform student staffing, creating energized, student led recruitment strategies that strengthened engagement and outcomes across Housing. He led complex, high impact hiring processes with precision and vision, managing multiple recruitment pipelines while fostering a collaborative, empowered culture among students and staff.
Hardee Research Award
Criteria:
This award recognizes an employee who has demonstrated scholarly or creative excellence by supervising the administration of an assessment instrument, conducting relevant research, or engaging in a creative project aligned with the professional mission of the Division or department. The research or project must have resulted in positive change within the Division or department.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winner:
Dr. Amy Haggard
Student Conduct & Community Standards
Dr. Haggard advanced the field through impactful, original scholarship, illuminating the leadership identity development of high achieving students and shaping how we better support them across campus. She exemplifies the scholar practitioner model, translating research into practice through publications that inform and elevate student affairs work.
Excellence in Assessment and Impact Award (New)
Criteria:
This award recognizes an individual or team that demonstrates outstanding commitment to advancing student affairs practices through data-driven decision-making. This award celebrates efforts, new or ongoing, that use data to achieve meaningful objectives, improve departmental or divisional practices, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the work.
Eligibility:
Nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winner:
Dr. Yang Li
Career Center
Dr. Li transformed data into strategic action, re-engineering the Career Center’s assessment infrastructure and making data accessible, meaningful, and actionable across the Division. She has set a new standard for data informed practice, building internal capacity and positioning the Career Center as a recognized leader in assessment and reporting across the State University System.
Recognition Milestones
These celebrate significant achievements and milestones, serving as acknowledgments of dedication.
Years of Service Milestones: 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35+ years
Graduation Recognition: For staff completing degree programs.
New Employee of the Year
Criteria:
This award recognizes a new employee who has demonstrated exceptional performance and commitment since joining the Division of Student Affairs. The recipient consistently sustains superior work performance, exhibits a positive attitude, shows initiative and fosters a cooperative spirit.
Eligibility:
Employment with the Division must have begun in August of the previous year or later, and the nominee must be employed at least half-time status.
2026 Winner:
Michael "Tanner" McKinley
Student Governance and Advocacy
Tanner has demonstrated exceptional leadership and poise during a complex governance year, providing stability, clarity, and trusted guidance to student leaders across SGA, COGS, and the Student Senate. He has elevated student engagement through innovation and reliability, strengthening governance operations and helping launch impactful initiatives that will shape campus life for years to come.
Lifetime Achievement Award (New, VP discretion)
Criteria:
This prestigious award, granted at the discretion of the Vice President, honors an individual whose career reflects extraordinary contributions to the Division of Student Affairs. The recipient has demonstrated sustained excellence, leadership, and commitment to enhancing the student experience, leaving a lasting legacy of impact and service.
Eligibility:
Determined by VP discretion.
2026 Winners:
Dr. Cynthia "Cindy" Green
