Dr. Maria Teresa Velez was Associate Dean of the Graduate College and had a long career focused on improving diversity among the graduate student body and expanding international relationships.
2024 Nominees and Awardees were recognized October 17, 2024 at our awards ceremony. You can view all the participants and quotes from their nomination letters below!
2024 Mentoring & Visionary Awards presentation
The Outstanding Mentoring Award recognizes individuals with an outstanding commitment to mentoring within The University of Arizona. This prestigious award honors and celebrates people who are making a difference through mentoring and who have significantly demonstrated a commitment above and beyond, through their individual mentoring accomplishments, their creation of high quality mentoring experiences for others, and their efforts contributing to building a mentoring culture at the University of Arizona.
Two awards are presented annually at the Awards Ceremony and Reception to honor one outstanding mentor in the category of university staff/classified staff, and one in the category of faculty.
University staff (and classified staff), faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and administrators are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals. To be eligible, nominees should demonstrate excellent mentoring through their individual mentoring accomplishments, creation of high-quality mentoring experiences for others (that facilitate growth and development), and efforts that contribute to building a mentoring culture at the University of Arizona.
Evidence of Mentoring Excellence
- Mentoring Excellence: Indicate how the person has made individual contributions to mentoring relationships. Please be specific and provide outcomes of mentoring where possible. You may describe your own mentor, an exemplary mentor who has mentored others, or a person who manages an outstanding mentoring program.
- High-quality Mentoring: Please address how the individual provides opportunities for learning and development for others. How does this person foster high quality mentoring experiences?
- Contributions Toward a Mentoring Culture: Please specifically address how the person has promoted a mentoring culture in the department, university, or larger community.
Outstanding Staff Mentoring Award: Rachel Leih, Research Scientist, Community Research, Evaluation and Development (CRED) Team
Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award: Brandy A. B. Perkl, Associate Professor of Practice, Organizational Leadership + Regional Commerce
2023
- Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award: Dr. Mette Brogden, Assistant Professor of Practice, Human Rights Practice Program
- Outstanding Staff Mentoring Award: Vanessa Buzzard, Research Specialist senior
2022
- Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award: Dr. Vasiliki "Vicky" Karanikola, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Environmental
- Outstanding Staff Mentoring Award: Ms. Josephine Gin Morgan, Associate Director, The A Center
2021
- Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award: Dr. Purnima Madhivanan, M.B.B.S., M.P.H, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Health Promotion Sciences at the Mel & Enid College of Public Health
2020
- Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award: Lucinda Rankin, Associate Professor, Educator Scholar Track, Department of Physiology
- Outstanding Staff Mentoring Award: Karla Cruze-Silva, Senior Manager, Student Success, Thrive Center
2019
- Outstanding Mentor: Guadalupe Federico, Assistant Dean, College of Medicine Phoenix
- Faculty Award: Stephanie Troutman, Assistant Professor, English
- Appointed Professional Award: Marti Lindsey, Associate Director, Center for Toxicology
2018
- Classified Staff: Pamela Denney, Administrative Associate, Yavapai County Office
- Appointed Professional: Amanda Gluski, Director of Student Engagement, College of Nursing
- Faculty: Judith Gordon, Professor, College of Nursing
2017
- Appointed Professional: Catherine Merrill, Project Manager, Technical and Deputy Project Manager, Steward Observatory
- Classified Staff: Lesa Langan-DuBerry, Program Coordinator, Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry
- Faculty: Lalitha Madhaven, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Evelyn F. Mcknight Brain Institute, Molecular and Cellular Biology, BIO5 Institute, Medicine, Neuroscience GIDP, Physiological Sciences GIDP