Congratulations to all our 2024 school and employees award winners! These awards acknowledge excellent school and employees members who’ve demonstrated their excellence and perseverance in instructing and repair. They’ve devoted themselves to guiding the way forward for our college students and the College neighborhood.
Workers Award Winners
On Might 9, the College held its second annual #BEGREAT awards reception on the Gaylord Nationwide Harbor and Conference Middle in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Throughout this occasion, varied College instructors and employees members obtained their awards from the College.
Excellence in Service Award: Esra Mills
The Excellence in Service Award is given to an impressive employees member in recognition of that particular person’s dedication, dedication, and high quality of labor. It additionally commemorates the winner’s dedication to offering glorious service to college students, alumni, school and different employees.
This 12 months’s award winner, Esra Mills, the Senior Supervisor of Army Outreach, went above and past the requirements set by the College. She supplied excellent service and was respectful and supportive of the folks she helped.
Esra at all times goals to be a servant chief. As a navy partner who understands the navy life-style, she is captivated with serving to others within the navy neighborhood additional their training.
Esra has been with the College since 2020 and has over 10 years of expertise in larger training, primarily specializing in navy larger training. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in English research with a minor in German research from the College of Tübingen, Germany. Esra additionally earned a grasp’s diploma in human relations and a graduate certificates in human assets range and growth from the College of Oklahoma.
Esra has been an assistant director with Central Michigan College and a website director with the College of Oklahoma. She has additionally been an administrative help coordinator with the Military Schooling Middle.
For the College, Esra manages the Fort Cavazos and Fort Bliss, El Paso pupil inhabitants. She additionally volunteers with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Basis’s “Hiring Our Heroes – Army Partner Skilled Community.”
Chapter Advisor of the Yr Award: Dr. James Barney and Dr. Mily Kao
The Chapter Advisor of the Yr Award is introduced to 2 school advisors who took an energetic position of their pupil group. This 12 months’s winners, Dr. James Barney and Dr. Mily Kao, fostered thriving relationships with group members, leaders, and the Workplace of Scholar and Alumni Affairs. These advisors supplied their group, the Mannequin UN Membership, with exemplary steering.
Dr. James Barney
Dr. James Barney is a Professor of Authorized Research on the College of Safety and World Research and a co-advisor to the Mannequin UN Membership. Dr. Barney has been the recipient of a number of awards. He believes that short-in-person experiences like competing in Mannequin United Nations conferences and different experiential studying alternatives present digital college students worthwhile alternatives to boost their training. He teaches undergraduate and graduate regulation and historical past programs.
Along with having earned a Ph.D. in historical past from the College of Memphis, Dr. Barney has a number of grasp’s levels, together with one in U.S. overseas coverage and a J.D. from New York Legislation College. Dr. Barney serves as one of many school advisors of the Phi Alpha Delta regulation fraternity and the Mannequin United Nations Membership, and he’s the pre-law advisor on the College. He’s writing a e-book on the politics of New York Metropolis throughout the administration of David Dinkins, New York Metropolis’s first African American mayor, 1989-1993.
Dr. Mily Kao
Dr. Mily Kao is an adjunct school teacher within the College of Safety and World Research and has taught on the College for 12 years. Dr. Kao holds a grasp’s diploma from Columbia College and accomplished her Ph.D. at Arizona State College. Her analysis and instructing pursuits embody worldwide relations, Asian affairs, and U.S.-China relations.
Dr. Kao can also be the co-advisor of the Mannequin UN Membership. She is captivated with experiential studying and an enormous believer that this method will be additionally achieved in a web-based setting.
Collectively along with her co-advisors, Dr. Kao has led the Mannequin UN Membership to take part in lots of in-person and on-line Mannequin UN conferences. It’s her hope and objective to make the membership extra inclusive, extra accessible and extra enjoyable for all college students.
College Awards
A number of excellent school members have been acknowledged throughout the second #BEGREAT occasion and the Might 10 school awards brunch.
Excellent College Awards
Two excellent school members obtained these awards:
- Excellent College Member of the Yr – Dr. John DiBenedetto
- Excellent College Scholarship and Analysis – Dr. Kristen Miller
Dr. John DiBenedetto
Dr. DiBenedetto has held management and C-suite senior government positions for 34 years at six Fortune 500 firms within the retail/wholesale/distribution, monetary providers and telecommunications industries. He has labored at Wal-Mart Shops, Restricted Manufacturers, Prudential Securities, Wachovia Financial institution and AT&T. His final place was Government Vice President, Chief Human Assets Officer at Advance Auto Components.
Dr. DiBenedetto at present serves because the Senior Fellow and Program Director for The Convention Board’s Human Capital Observe, the place he makes use of his practitioner expertise to facilitate quarterly council conferences consisting of 200+ Fortune 500 Chief Human Assets Officers.
Dr. DiBenedetto holds 4 levels and has taught 1000’s of school college students for the previous 36 years at 12 larger training establishments. He now serves as an adjunct school member within the College’s Dr. Wallace E. Boston College of Enterprise, the place he teaches graduate and undergraduate programs in human useful resource administration.
Dr. DiBenedetto has revealed articles in Workforce, Expertise Administration, Coaching and Growth, Chief Studying Officer, and Range Government magazines. He earned the Affiliation for Expertise Growth BEST Award in 2006 and the Masie Studying Innovation/Management Award for his expertise transformation work at Wal-Mart Shops.
Dr. DiBenedetto’s lifetime accomplishments have been acknowledged in 2007 when he earned the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award at Nova Southeastern College’s Wayne Huizenga Faculty of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Alumni of the Yr Award.
Dr. Kristen Miller
Dr. Kristen Miller is a professor of area research on the College. She holds three levels, together with a doctoral diploma in theoretical astrophysics from the College of Maryland Faculty Park.
Dr. Miller has taught on-line since 2005 and for the College for over 5 years, and she or he conducts analysis investigating the efficacy of digital laboratory workout routines in pupil achievement of studying outcomes. Dr. Miller’s scientific analysis focuses on supporting crewed area exploration and lengthening astronomical data of planets and stars.
Dr. Miller leads the APUS Analog Analysis Group (AARG), which promotes pupil management and hands-on analysis alternatives. Below her management, AARG efficiently accomplished seven analog missions at three completely different area analog services, with three extra missions deliberate for 2024.
Her analysis with AARG focuses on the makes use of of cyanobacteria in area exploration and the consequences of time delay on communications between the crew and Mission Assist. Dr. Miller is the recipient of a 2024 NASA EPSCoR R3 grant in help of her analysis involving using cyanobacteria as a biofertilizer. She additionally obtained school analysis grants in 2022, 2023 and 2024 in help of her work with AARG.
Dr. Miller’s analysis pursuits in astronomy at present embody research of supernovae occasions and exoplanet transits. She leads the Supernova Search Program on the College, a pupil analysis program devoted to detecting transient objects in close by galaxies and obtained a school analysis grant in 2021 in help of this analysis.
Dr. Miller is a co-advisor to the Exoplanet Transit Group, analyzing telescope photographs of exoplanet transits. Dr. Miller can also be the school advisor for the coed chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
As well as, Dr. Miller is the co-Editor in Chief of the House Schooling and Strategic Purposes (SESA) Journal. She serves on a wide range of college committees, together with the Graduate Council and the STEM Tutorial High quality Committee.
Graduate Excellence in Instructing Awards
The Graduate Excellence in Instructing Award acknowledges excellent school members on the graduate degree. To qualify for this award, these instructors should exhibit instructing excellence, management and scholarship of their disciplines.
Dr. Janet Athanasiou – College of Arts, Humanities and Schooling
Dr. Janet Athanasiou is a loyal pupil affairs practitioner and researcher deeply dedicated to enhancing the collegiate expertise, understanding college students’ id growth, fostering belonging, and advocating for college kids in larger training.
Dr. Athanasiou holds a number of levels and at present serves because the Assistant Director of Scholar Life on the Johns Hopkins College College of Superior Worldwide Research. She performs a key position in shaping pupil affairs insurance policies, fostering collaborations, and offering help to college students in want.
Along with her administrative roles, Dr. Athanasiou serves as an adjunct school member for the College of Arts, Humanities and Schooling. She teaches programs for the Grasp’s of Schooling: Scholar Affairs program.
Her earlier roles on the College, together with Program Supervisor in Scholar and Alumni Affairs, have supplied her with worthwhile expertise in supporting college students and advancing inclusive practices inside larger training. Notably, Dr. Athanasiou has contributed to the college’s Range, Fairness, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Council, working alongside colleagues to advertise systemic change and foster a way of belonging on campus.
Her contributions prolong past her establishments by means of her publications and displays on vital points equivalent to range, fairness, inclusion, management, and pupil advocacy in larger training. Dr. Athanasiou stays devoted to empowering college students and advancing the sector of pupil affairs by means of her analysis {and professional} engagements.
Dr. Monica Galante – Dr. Wallace E. Boston College of Enterprise
Dr. Monica Galante joined the College as a part-time school member and have become a full-time teacher in April 2019.
Dr. Galante holds a number of levels, together with a bachelor’s diploma in human useful resource administration from Park College; a grasp of enterprise administration diploma from the College of Phoenix, New Mexico; a grasp’s diploma in human useful resource administration from Tarleton State College, and a Doctorate of Administration in organizational management from the College of Phoenix’s College of Superior Research. Her analysis pursuits are within the areas of range and inclusion and worker engagement, with the objective of bettering the relationships between managers and workers.
Dr. Galante is concerned in each her neighborhood {and professional} organizations, taking part in main fundraising occasions, the certification means of human useful resource professionals, and serving as a volunteer for the Mandela Washington Fellowship Mission. She has obtained each skilled and neighborhood accolades for her contributions and efforts, together with the College’s College Member of the Yr Award in 2020.
Dr. Galante teaches programs in human assets and administration. By serving to college students discover ways to discover, use, create, and apply data, she helps them to enhance their self-confidence of their data and skills.
Dr. Thomas Pucci – College of Well being Sciences
Dr. Thomas Pucci is a part-time teacher for the College of Well being Sciences. He has earned a bachelor’s diploma in bodily training from California State College Sacramento, a grasp’s diploma in bodily training from the College of the Pacific, and a Ph.D. in training curriculum and instruction from the College of New Mexico.
Dr. Pucci has held varied positions all through the course of his 28-year profession. He has been as a head tennis coach, an affiliate professor of well being and bodily training, an athletic director at three completely different universities, and an teacher in well being sciences and sport research.
Dr. Pucci has taught athletic administration, sport administration, and well being and diet lessons for the final 25 years. Along with instructing College programs, he’s at present the Affiliate Dean of College students within the College of Schooling at Northcentral College. He has directed dissertation college students and revealed over 100 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Eduardo Martinez – College of Safety and World Research
Dr. Eduardo Martinez is a part-time teacher with the College of Safety and World Research. He holds a bachelor’s diploma in worldwide college students from the College of Texas at Austin, a grasp’s diploma in authorized research from Antioch College, a J.D. in regulation from Mississippi faculty and a grasp’s diploma in strategic research from the U.S. Military Battle Faculty. He’s additionally a graduate of the Joint Forces Workers Faculty and the Canadian Forces Faculty.
He started his authorities profession with the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth, assigned to the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau in Washington, D.C. Dr. Martinez served as a disaster supervisor for varied occasions together with the Hurricane Allen Job Power and the Cuban-Haitian Refugee Program.
He later joined the U.S. Navy and served within the Pacific and Atlantic theaters, taking part in amphibious operations and mine searching. Dr. Martinez carried out two deployments in help of the World Battle on Terrorism, excelled in joint operations, and was concerned with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Gustav restoration missions.
He additionally served because the Fleet Forces Command’s Liaison Officer throughout the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Dr. Martinez retired from the Navy as a Captain after 30 years of honorable service with quite a few awards.
Dr. Martinez has served as a Particular Assistant Legal professional Basic and the Mississippi Auditor’s Workplace. He was additionally a Company Counsel and Director of Web site Leasing concurrently for 2 companies and has attended the Middle for Homeland Protection and Safety on the Naval Postgraduate College in Monterey, California.
Dr. Martinez is an legal professional licensed to observe earlier than the U.S. Supreme Court docket, the U.S. Court docket of Worldwide Commerce, the U.S. Court docket of Army Appeals, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court docket of Appeals, the U.S. Federal District Courts of Mississippi, in addition to all Mississippi courts and the Tribal Court docket of Mississippi Choctaw Indians. He’s additionally a Licensed Mediator.
Dr. Kelly Reiss – College of Science, Know-how, Engineering and Math
Dr. Kelly Reiss is a professor of environmental science within the College of Science, Know-how, Engineering and Math (STEM). From the College of Florida, she holds an affiliate diploma in environmental engineering, a bachelor’s diploma in forest assets and conservation, a grasp’s diploma in environmental engineering sciences, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering sciences. Her thesis analysis explored the position of vines in wetland major succession following panorama creation after phosphate mining.
Dr. Reiss is a wetland neighborhood ecologist with an curiosity in panorama connectivity. She is a Licensed Senior Ecologist by means of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and took part within the Collaborative Institutional Coaching Initiative (CITI) Social & Behavioral Analysis Stage 2.
Her more moderen analysis pursuits contain indicators of wetland situation by means of managing the HT Odum Middle for Wetlands Involvement within the Nationwide Wetland Situation Evaluation (NWCA). She has served because the co-principal investigator of the College-sponsored Water Testing and Consciousness Mission (WaterTAP), a participatory science undertaking bringing hands-on consuming water high quality testing to undergraduate environmental science majors.
Her previous initiatives have addressed hydrology, dissolved oxygen, and vitamins in remoted wetlands and is derived and ecological and allow success in wetland mitigation banking. Different initiatives have included wetland organic indicators and wetland creation and growth in a post-mining panorama.
Dr. Reiss is a lifetime member of the ESA and the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), in addition to a present member of the New England Estuarine Analysis Society (NEERS) and The Wildlife Society (TWS). She is a school co-advisor to the College’s chapter of The Wildlife Society and the College’s chapter of the Nationwide Affiliation of Environmental Professionals (NAEP).
Dr. Reiss can also be concerned in her local people, serving because the Chair of the City of Barrington Open House Committee and on the Stewardship Committee of the Barrington Land Conservation Belief. She volunteers as a mother or father chaperone for her youngsters’s land stewardship undertaking on the Narragansett Bay Nationwide Estuarine Analysis Reserve. As well as, Dr. Reiss has been volunteering bimonthly along with her household on the Barrington Farm College on their neighborhood composting undertaking for the previous 12 months.
Undergraduate Excellence in Instructing Awards
The Undergraduate Excellence in Instructing Award acknowledges excellent school members on the undergraduate degree. Much like the Graduate Excellence in Instructing Award, these instructors have proven instructing excellence, management and scholarship of their disciplines.
Dr. Susan Lowman-Thomas – College of Arts, Humanities and Schooling
Dr. Susan Lowman-Thomas is a school member for the College of Arts, Humanities and Schooling and has taught writing, analysis, and literature programs for the English Division for over 13 years. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in English training, a grasp’s in English and a doctoral diploma, all from Idaho State College.
Dr. Lowman-Thomas has taught on the college degree for many years. Her college students’ success is paramount to her and she or he goals to assist her college students enhance their self-confidence, enthusiasm, and competence associated to studying and writing.
Dr. Lowman-Thomas presents repeatedly on the annual conferences of the Faculty English Affiliation and has introduced twice at Trendy Language Affiliation conferences. In April 2024, she and her colleagues gave a presentation on using AI within the classroom on the On-line Studying Consortium convention. As a founding father of the English Division’s F.R.O.M. Convention, she has introduced on marginalized writers, together with Romani and indigenous ladies.
She takes writing programs repeatedly to shine her writing expertise in poetry and inventive non-fiction. Dr. Lowman-Thomas notably favors American nature writers and works on environmental points.
Dr. Sheri Hernandez – Dr. Wallace E. Boston College of Enterprise
Dr. Sheri Hernandez is a full-time assistant professor within the College’s Dr. Wallace E. Boston College of Enterprise, instructing hospitality administration and enterprise programs. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration and administration from Kutztown College of Pennsylvania, a grasp of enterprise administration from Lehigh College, and a health care provider of training in curriculum and instruction from Capella College.
For the College, Dr. Hernandez has held varied positions, serving as an adjunct teacher of hospitality administration and a program director. She is a robust supporter of the navy, and her relations have over 80 years of consecutive navy service.
Service earlier than self is a part of who she is, which is why she values the chance to work together with the scholars serving our nation and neighborhood to assist them obtain their educational targets.
Dr. Hernandez combines her expertise from administration within the hospitality business along with her profession expertise in monetary commodity worth threat administration, provider negotiations, and strategic sourcing to supply college students with a customer-centric, but financially sound method to enterprise operations and meals security.
Dr. Adrienne Herrenbruck – College of Well being Sciences
Dr. Adrienne Herrenbruck is a full-time professor within the College of Well being Sciences. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in train science/wellness from Murray State College, a grasp’s diploma in train science from Georgia State College and a Ph.D. in train science from the College of Kentucky. Her dissertation centered on skeletal muscle autophagy.
Dr. Herrenbruck can also be a Licensed Train Physiologist by means of the American Faculty of Sports activities Medication. Her analysis pursuits embody skeletal muscle physiology, the impression of assorted diets on general muscle well being, and the position of hypoxic coaching on physique composition.
Dr. Laura Culbertson – College of Safety and World Research
Dr. Laura Culbertson is a full-time professor within the College of Safety and World Research, instructing Center East Research programs within the worldwide relations diploma program. Dr. Culbertson holds a bachelor’s diploma in Close to Japanese Languages and Civilizations from the College of Chicago and obtained her grasp’s and doctoral levels in Close to Japanese Research from the College of Michigan.
She has over 20 years of instructing expertise and has taught programs on the College of Michigan, Xavier College and the College. In 2022, she was awarded the Undergraduate Excellence in Instructing Award.
On the College, Dr. Culbertson has served on the Synthetic Intelligence Job Power and explored how digital literacy expertise can enhance her college students’ entry to data and profit their profession targets. She shares her school rooms with assets together with specialised databases, synthetic intelligence assets, and different digital instruments that equip college students to seek out, handle, and assess data. Dr. Culbertson seeks to educate college students in use these assets to help their future lessons and ambitions past the College, whether or not in life or work, and to help lifelong studying.
Professor Kristen Kostelnik – College of STEM
Professor Kristen Kostelnik is a full-time assistant professor within the College of Science, Know-how, Engineering and Math, instructing environmental science programs. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in political science and communications from Appalachian State College and a grasp’s diploma in botany from North Carolina State College.
Professor Kostelnik joined the College 14 years in the past as an adjunct school member in environmental science, with the objective of designing two new botany programs and instructing core programs equivalent to soil science. She has been a full-time assistant professor of environmental science for the final 12 years.
Professor Kostelnik is an ecologist and conservation biologist, along with her analysis specializing in uncommon, threatened, and endangered plant species and their related plant communities. Her focus is on instructing ecology at varied scales, conservation biology, soil science and environmental administration.
Professor Kostelnik is the lead teacher and first professor for most of the required upper-level environmental science programs. She is motivated by her want to deliver her genuine self and private ardour to her instructing. She measures her success by forging actual connections with college students, guaranteeing that they go away the College figuring out and caring about nature.
Dr. Wallace E. Boston Management Award: Dr. Jarrod Sadulski
The Dr. Wallace E. Boston Management Award is introduced yearly by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. This 12 months, the winner is Dr. Jarrod Sadulski, who has displayed excellent management and had a major impression on his neighborhood, business, and the world.
Dr. Sadulski is a full-time affiliate professor within the College of Safety and World Research. He holds a bachelor’s diploma in felony justice from Thomas Edison State Faculty, a grasp’s diploma in felony justice from American Army College and a doctoral diploma in felony justice from Northcentral College.
Dr. Sadulski has over 10 years of regulation enforcement expertise together with counter human trafficking, counter terrorism, homeland safety, and native regulation enforcement. He has been a featured speaker and presenter on the subjects of human trafficking, international safety, worldwide drug trafficking, stress administration in policing at conferences in the USA, Europe, and Central America.
Dr. Sadulski has additionally introduced on the subject of home terrorism at an intelligence convention to specialists from over 10 completely different nations in Europe.
Dr. Sadulski incessantly conducts in-country analysis on human trafficking and worldwide narcotics trafficking in Central and South America and performs humanitarian work in Central America. Throughout this analysis and humanitarian work, Dr. Sadulski interviewed former human traffickers who supplied detailed perception into present tendencies in human trafficking.
In 2023, Dr. Sadulski testified earlier than Congress to the Committee on Homeland Safety concerning human trafficking on the southwest border of the U.S. Dr Sadulski serves as a guide on counter human trafficking in places around the globe, together with North Cyprus and Latin America.
Dr. Sadulski served within the U.S. Coast Guard for over 20 years. Throughout his service, he was awarded the Inspirational Management Award, the Nationwide Protection Service Medal and the World Battle on Terror Service Medal.
James P. Etter Creativity and Innovation Award: Dr. Brian Freeland
The James P. Etter Creativity and Innovation Award is introduced to a member of the College neighborhood in recognition of an modern or inventive contribution that has made a major impression on their neighborhood, business, and world.
Dr. Brian Freeland is the Dean of the College of Well being Sciences and has held that position since 2014. He holds a bachelor’s diploma in instructing in bodily training from Radford College, a grasp’s diploma in sports activities administration from the USA Sports activities Academy and a doctoral diploma in sports activities administration and management from Northcentral College.
With over 16 years of expertise in larger training, Dr. Freeland has made vital contributions to academia. He spearheaded the event of modern packages in well being sciences, healthcare administration, sports activities administration, and esports. Below his management, these packages have expanded and achieved outstanding pupil satisfaction and educational success outcomes.
Dr. Freeland’s dedication to excellence extends past program growth. He has carried out graduate school advising initiatives and created an optimized scheduling mannequin to supply customized help to college students, foster their educational development, and enhanced programs.
Dr. Freeland has championed academic help initiatives, together with school coaching in modern instructing methodologies by means of instructing excellence webinars. Moreover, his collaborative method to training, exemplified by the team-teaching mannequin with business specialists, enhances the training expertise and gives college students with worthwhile insights into real-world practices.
Dr. Freeland is a coach within the Beginner Athletic Union (AAU), the place he mentors younger basketball gamers and instills in them the values of teamwork and perseverance.
Excellence in Range Award: The Out F.R.O.M. the Shadows Convention Committee
This 12 months, the Excellence in Range Award is given to a committee that has made an impressive dedication to fostering range, fairness, inclusion, and belonging. The Out F.R.O.M. the Shadows Convention Committee created a welcoming and supportive neighborhood by means of its visibility, communication, and academic efforts.
The Out F.R.O.M. the Shadows Convention started when a small group of English Division school brainstormed alternatives so as to add extra inclusivity and variety to the College’s curriculum. The convention is a chance for all voices to speak their creations, concepts, and views.
The primary Out F.R.O.M. the Shadows Convention passed off in October 2022, and the second annual convention was held in October 2023. The committee has deliberate a 3rd convention for October 2024.
