Past Award Recipients

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At Yale Hospitality: Xuewei Chen

Through her commitment to inclusion and cultural enrichment, Xuewei transformed a simple dish – the humble Egg and Tomato – into a symbol of community and belonging on campus. Evoking an immediate and extraordinary response from students and patrons, her work to bring a taste of home to campus has resonated far beyond the dining table.

At the Yale Schwarzman Center: Kito Covington

A committed steward of Woolsey Hall, Kito ensures that this historic facility provides a welcoming, positive experience for members of our campus and local community. He manages every event, from small concerts to high-profile sold-out programs, with the same level of outstanding dedication and “can do” spirit.

At the School of Medicine: Patricia Genero

Patricia created resources that have transformed critical departmental processes at Yale Neurology, improving access to vital information, facilitating swift decision-making during emergencies, and contributing greatly to the department’s mission of delivering outstanding patient care. Her innovation, attention to detail, collaboration, and selflessness have left an indelible mark on the department.

At the School of Medicine: Natalie Kil

Natalie has worked tirelessly to improve the health of the New Haven community, partnering with local health services to curb the opioid epidemic and launching groundbreaking harm-reduction programs to prevent the spread of HIV, among other health initiatives. The impact of this innovative work is a testament to her visionary leadership and collaborative spirit.

At the School of Medicine: Nicholas Licht

Through collaborations within and beyond campus, Nicholas implemented a range of critical career development programs and resources and led a new approach to faculty mentoring for his department. These initiatives have significantly enhanced career opportunities and retention by cultivating a culture of mentorship and inclusivity, especially among early career faculty.

At the Office of Facilities: Sheri Miller

Under her inspiring leadership, Sheri’s team completed several major capital projects on Science Hill that will have a lasting impact on research and education at Yale for generations to come. Successfully navigating the complexities of managing multiple projects simultaneously, Sheri created spaces that promote learning, research, reflection, and a sense of community.

At the School of Medicine: Kyle Pedersen

Through his work at the Connecticut Mental Health Center and in the Department of Psychiatry, Kyle has had a sustained and exceptional influence on the front lines of mental health care in New Haven. His outstanding commitment to service, leadership development, and belonging in the workplace has benefited countless lives and left a profound and lasting impression on the organizations he supports.

At the School of Medicine: Lena Smith Parker

As a highly collaborative, experienced, and trusted partner, Lena worked with teams across the university to implement critical enhancements to the Yale School of Medicine’s website. Thanks to her leadership, the website is a valuable and accessible resource for the medical school community and has played a significant role in recent reaccreditation efforts.

At Yale College: Risa Sodi

Risa has helped shape and grow the Eli Whitney Students Program, striving to ensure that they and other non-traditional students feel a sense of belonging and have the guidance and support they need to thrive here at Yale. A tireless advocate, she has been described as “the best of Yale — quietly working to help others.”

At Yale College: Patricia Wei

Patricia championed programs to make Yale more attractive and accessible to veterans seeking higher education. “The face of Yale student veteran recruitment,” she has significantly grown Yale College’s veteran population thanks to the care and commitment she provides to each applicant.

At the School of Medicine: Laura Abriola, Nalini Dhingra, Yulia Surovtseva, and Sheila Umlauf

This small but mighty team at the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery has made exceptional contributions to diverse research initiatives across the university. The highly customized services they provide give investigators the insights they need to support their innovative approaches. This team’s expertise, commitment to customer satisfaction, and ability to stay at the forefront of technology have been instrumental in advancing the work of Yale’s research community.

At Human Resources and Yale Divinity School: Rondi Frey, Stephanie Gosteli, Shaun King, Terry Reese, Jane Savage, Deirdre Stowe, Deborah Stanley-McAulay, Lynn Sullivan, Ben Walter, and Benjamin Wretlind

This team created and launched Emerge at Yale, a rigorous learning experience that fosters diverse leadership, collaboration, and excellence on campus. This bespoke program has helped staff members from diverse backgrounds hone their leadership skills, develop mentorships with seasoned leaders, and connect with peers from across campus in a way no other program has before.

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In the Office of Facilities: Sydney Colon

With ingenuity and consensus-building, Sidney created best practices to ensure a safe work environment on campus construction sites. Her work helped protect over 1,000 individuals each day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Office of the General Counsel: Nancy Loucks

Combining professional expertise with impressive communication and negotiation skills, Nancy guided the university during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing health and safety strategies to advance academic goals.

In Information Technology Services: Matt Coshal, Joshua Goss, Kathleen Omollo, Netal Patel, Rebecca Schneider, and Harry Shyket

To meet the urgent need to track COVID-19 tests across the Yale community, this team developed “COVIDSwiper,” a unique software application. This application has become the bedrock of Yale’s health and safety response to the public health emergency brought about by COVID-19.

In the Department of Psychiatry: Susan Brown, Edith Luysterborghs, Maureen McCarthy, and Antoinette Weinstein

To lessen the burden on community hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, this small but mighty team quickly transitioned mental health care to a telehealth care model. Their efforts provided uninterrupted support for 265 clients with severe and persistent mental illness. Moreover, they did so while demonstrating exemplary compassion, positivity, and an unwavering commitment to clinical care.

At the University Press, University Library, and Office of the General Counsel: Donna Anstey, Katherine Brown, John Carlson, Pamela Chambers, Wendy DeNardis, John Donatich, Patricia Fidler, Rowena Griem, Adria Patterson, and Sara Sapire

To significantly increase access to arts and architectural history resources, this team developed a unique e-book platform, the “A&AePortal” that has quickly become a key study site for scholarship. Further, it enhances diversity and inclusivity by providing a path to represent a wide range of gender, global, and cultural perspectives.

In the School of Public Health: Monica Brackney, Paula Clogher, AmberJean Hansen, Kyle Higgins, James Meek, Sara Niesobecki, Danyel Olson, Tamara Rissman, and Kimberly Yousey-Hindes

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program, this team’s initiative strengthened academic-community partnerships. They helped to keep Yale’s campus open, and as safe as possible, to carry out the university’s mission. Additionally, they informed programs and policies to reduce COVID-19 transmission, at Yale and beyond.

At the Yale Alumni Association, Information Technology Services, and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale: Stephen Blum, Maria Canales, Ronald Colonna, E. J. Crawford, Jeannie Daniel, Chelsea Gladue, Kate Gustavson, and Victor Padilla-Taylor.

Unifying and engaging the Yale student and alumni communities, this team created the Cross Campus portal, a virtual hub for online networking, community building, and mentoring support.

At Yale Hospitality: Mattie Dixon, Marlene Esposito, Elizabeth Ferguson, Emily Hopkins, Chevelle Irvin, Clenone Irvin, and Jean Michel Mange

This team went above and beyond to swiftly create safe food preparation and delivery processes. They also directly delivered meals to as many as 100 students daily who were quarantined due to COVID-19 throughout the academic year.

At Yale Health, the School of Public Health, Yale College, Yale Hospitality, Information Technology Services, Facilities, and the Office of Public Safety: Margaret Anderson, Hema Bakthavatchalam, Christian Berrios, Christine Chen, Sarah Christie, Samuel Feliciano, J. P. Fernandes, Ted Hanss, Lauren Horner, Lisa Kimmel, Alexa Martindale, Adam Millman, Kathleen Omollo, Karen Otterson, Dorothy van Rhijn, Madeline Wilson, and Stephen Woods

With creativity, innovation, and collaboration, this team developed the COVID-19 testing and contact tracing program. Their work enabled students and staff to return to campus as safely as possible.

View photos from the 2019 awards ceremony

At Yale School of Nursing: Tracy Chidsey

Going above and beyond her primary responsibilities, Tracy helped orchestrate inter-professional curricula for what has become Yale’s largest healthcare professional course.

At Yale Hospitality: Crystal Coleman

Demonstrating exceptional service and dedication to her culinary craft, Crystal went above and beyond to ensure the health and wellbeing of a Yale student.

At the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library: Meredith Miller

Meredith proposed and created a program that brought beautiful and intellectually stimulating works to the public space at Yale Health to add vibrancy and promote inclusiveness.

At the Yale University Library: Judith Ann Schiff

Judy’s extraordinary commitment to discovering and sharing Yale’s history has engendered a deeper sense of community, advanced diversity, and disseminated knowledge of the university.

At the Comprehensive Cancer Center: Kathleen Uscinski

Kathleen expanded and accelerated access and availability to Yale’s clinical trials to every person diagnosed with cancer in the state of Connecticut.

At the Office of the Secretary and Yale Hospitality: Heather Calabrese, Ryan Croteau, and Daniel Flynn

In support of the university’s sustainability goals, this team designed and built “hydration stations” for Commencement that drastically reduced waste and costs associated with plastic water bottle usage.

At Information Technology: Sarah Lynch, Kim Miller, Christine Mongillo, Michelle Morgan, and Michael Vaughn

This team led the effort to ensure accessibility to Yale’s websites and web applications for the broadest range of users. They broke down barriers for those with disabilities and promoted better understanding and communication for all.

At Sociology and Internal Medicine: Samy Galvez, Wyatt Israel, Mark McKnight, Petergaye Murray, Rennie Negron, and Liza Nicoll

In the face of enormous challenges, this team conducted a large-scale randomized control trial in Honduras to deliver health education aimed at reducing infant and maternal mortality. Their efforts established a model trial that now serves as a best-practice template for researchers around the world.

At the Office of the Provost: Lani Danilowitz, Aley Menon, and Anita Sharif-Hyder

With an optimistic spirit, extraordinary dedication to fair process, and the utmost discretion, this team helped foster a climate of safety and respect for Yale’s students, faculty, and staff.

At Yale College: Samuel Cohen, Jane Edwards, Burgie Howard, Camille Lizarribar, Kelly McLaughlin, Daniel Smith, Scott Wallace-Juedes, and Rebekah Westphal

This team launched Yale Safety Net, a financial literacy website, to help undergraduate students manage their money and allow Yale College to nimbly respond when students ask for help meeting unexpected financial needs.

View photos from the 2017 awards ceremony

At Silliman College: Sergio Gonzalez

From introducing wellness weeks to converting a college lounge into a student-run coffee shop, Sergio has implemented innovative programs that enhance the culture of Silliman College and bolster student engagement, while achieving significant savings.

At the Yale Center for British Art: Linda Friedlaender

Using an innovative art observation program of her own creation, Linda has taught countless professionals and students how to ‘read’ artworks to improve their observational, critical thinking, and communications skills to advance medical diagnostics and other professional disciplines.

At the Yale School of Nursing: Sandy Esposito

Filling a critical role during a challenging organizational transition, Sandy expertly managed the 2017 admissions process at the Yale School of Nursing to achieve the school’s strongest applicant pool and most diverse class to date. 

At the Yale School of Medicine: Eric Georgelos

Eric skillfully engaged his team in adopting techniques and tools to significantly improve the management of supplies and their ability to serve principal investigators at the Yale’s Animal Resource Center. 

At the Office of Human Resources and Administration: Jane Savage

Working together with Locals 34 and 35 to craft new labor contracts, Jane changed union-management relations, improved how we work together, and unified us as a community.

At the Office of the Secretary, Information Technology Services, and Office of General Counsel: Maria Trumpler, Jane Livingston, Caroline Hendel

Coordinating with the Office of the Registrar to successfully implement the “student names project,” they have enhanced diversity and inclusion for Yale students and helped realize Yale’s commitment to inclusivity, which honors the dignity of all persons studying at Yale. 

At the Yale School of Medicine: Joyce Dupree, Teresa Carty

By centralizing the School of Medicine’s coding and billing function and introducing best practices, they improved the collection process for approximately $700 million of clinical revenue and enhanced morale within their unit.

At the Office of Yale-NUS New Haven: ​Kel Ginsberg, Angela Kuhne, Nakia Black-Geter, Jacqueline Su

They contributed significantly to the launch and development of Yale-NUS College, a signature undertaking for the university. They made possible the rapid development of one of the leading colleges in the world and ensured that the Yale ethos is central to this new institution.

At Information Technology Services: Michael Felberbaum, Hadar Call

They skillfully achieved the ambitious goal of building a donor and alumni database to track Yale’s upcoming capital campaign progress and priority targets.

At Yale Security and Information Technology Services: George Hines, David Landino, David Nevins, David Boyd

Through exceptional teamwork and the application of best practices, they introduced a state-of-the-art security access system across the university, with minimum disruption and significant savings.

At the Division of Finance, Office of Human Resources and Administration, Business Operations, Yale School of Medicine, and Information Technology Services: Nancy Creel, Kathy Byington, Carrie Capezzone, Kathy Broderick, Darrell Cook, Linda Faust, Anna Maria Hummerstone, Ron Lipkins, Karen Polhemus, Ryan Schlagheck, Jackie Tucker, Marc Ulan

With mighty leadership and profound expertise, they successfully implemented Workday financials and other improvements to Workday human resources and academic tools, providing a strong foundation for continuous improvements to administrative processes for years to come.

View YaleNews coverage of 2015 awards ceremony

At the Yale Police Department: Daniel Cavanaugh and Martin Parker, Jr.

Breaking down the door of a smoke-filled apartment and carrying a Yale student down two flights of stairs to safety, they illustrated courage, teamwork, and initiative that saved both a life and the apartment building.

At Yale Medical Group: Sally Thibodeau, Eileen Pepe, Michelle Colaccio, Lisa Burwell, Rasheda Danzy, John Johnston, Mary Mulqueen, and Michelle Pagan

Leading a successful effort to develop a clinical “pre-authorization” process at the Yale Medical Group, this team earned the trust and collaboration of all clinical departments, ultimately yielding more than $1 million in annual savings while increasing patient satisfaction.

In Information Technology Services: Elvin Torres

After noticing suspicious activity on Yale’s Outlook servers, he invested his own time to investigate the problem, thereby detecting a major cyber security risk to our systems and identifying the means to address it.

At the Yale University Art Gallery: Jill Westgard, Linda Jerolmon, Elizabeth Landau, Valerie Richardson, Laurie Laliberte, and Brian McGovern

Thinking creatively, this team investigated whether the gallery’s 1,200 paid memberships could be made free without financial loss. The resulting switch led to an eight-fold increase in members and simultaneous gain in revenues from dues and annual gifts.

At the Office of Undergraduate Admissions: M. Bowen Posner

Seeing the opportunity to transform the system by which alumni interviews are collected, he researched and led the creation of a new technology platform, improving dramatically both the ease of gathering interviewers’ input and the overall quality of rater evaluations.

In the Office of Emergency Management: Maria Bouffard

With an organization of two, she has inspired and built a team of more than 50 passionate, skilled staff members who voluntarily participate in campus-wide efforts to provide safety, coordinate responses to disasters, and protect the essential functions of the university.

At the Music in Schools Program: Michael Yaffe, Ruben Rodriguez, and Kathryn Gonzales

This small team from the School of Music developed an innovative program serving students in grades 4 to 12 that reinforces Yale’s connections with the New Haven community and has been recognized nationally as a model for cultural leadership.

The Workday implementation team: Nancy Creel-Gross, Ronald Lipkins, Marc Ulan, Jacqueline Tucker, Julie Grant, and Anna Maria Hummerstone

Coordinating a team effort involving more than 200 staff members from across the Yale campus, this cross-functional group from Human Resources, IT, and Finance & Business Operations ensured a successfully completed first phase of the Workday conversion project.

In the Yale Dining Services Bakery: Keri Logan, Edna Betzner, Gary Gulino, Joseph (Rusty) Hamilton, Pedro Rivera, Ronda Myers, and Bonnie Hill

With the opening of a new culinary services center, this team of bakers saw the opportunity to respond to a long-standing student interest in more vegan food options, developing desserts that are not only healthy but also delicious.