MARCH 19, 2024 — UTSA has announced this year’s University Excellence Awards (UEA) ceremony details and nominees. The annual program celebrates the achievements of Roadrunner faculty and staff, ranging from exceptional teaching and innovative research to exemplary team spirit and impactful advocacy.
This year’s UEA ceremony will be an in-person event that will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, in the H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106) on the UTSA Main Campus.
The ceremony will feature UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Heather Shipley, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; Veronica Salazar, executive vice president for business affairs and chief enterprise development officer, and representatives from the Faculty Senate and the Staff Senate.
UTSA’s University Excellence Awards encompass two categories:
- Faculty Achievement Awards, which recognize the achievements of faculty who have excelled in teaching, research or service.
- Staff Awards, which honor outstanding UTSA employees who demonstrate excellent work performance.
Recognizes tenured, tenure-track and fixed-term-track professors who are developing signature learning experiences for undergraduates.
- Abraham P. DeLeon
- Diane Abdo
- Eva Wikberg
- Gary Jacobs
- Joanne Ford-Robertson
- John Zarco
- Laura Gaviria
- Lilian L. Cano
- Mel Webb
Richard S. Howe Faculty Service Award
Recognizes full-time faculty (fixed-term track, tenure-track or tenured) who have shown exemplary commitment to UTSA undergraduates.
- Arturo Ponce Pedraza
- Jennifer Holt Dilley
- Paul Ardoin
Teaching Excellence Award
Recognizes faculty whose command of their respective disciplines, teaching methodologies, communication skills and commitment to learning translate into a superior learning experience for students.
- Ali Atabey
- Favor Campbell
- Gary Jacobs
- James McDonald
- Jimi Francis
- Johnelle Sparks
- Jose Francisco Herbert Acero
- Karen Engates
- Keying Ye
- Marguerite Newcomb
- Mimi Yu
- Nehal Abu-Lail
- Nicolas Large
- Reza Aghayan
- Rita Mitra
- Yeonjoo Park
Core Curriculum Award
Recognizes distinguished performance in teaching one or a set of core curriculum courses during the academic year of the award; innovation and involvement in core development projects; and excellence in teaching as demonstrated by standard measures of performance.
- Alyssa Vikesland
- Andrea Aleman
- Cynthia Roberts
- John Frederick
University Service Award
Recognizes tenured and tenure-track faculty who are exemplary in their commitment to service within the university and whose service has had a major impact on UTSA students and/or faculty.
- Eddie Hernandez
- Henry Griffith
- Jason Yaeger
- Jodi Peterson
- John McCarrey
- Mahmut Sonmez
- Mehdi Shadaram
- Minghe Sun
- Rebecca Weston
- Sakiko Oyama
- Susan Thomas
Advancing Globalization Award
Recognizes an individual or a team of faculty who have significantly expanded UTSA’s involvement in the global arena.
- Catherine Nolan-Ferrell
- Derek Plantenga
- Devon Donohue-Bergeler
- Elizabeth S. Sooby
- Jessica Eise
- Maria Veronica Elias
Innovation & Impact Award (I2)
Recognizes creative and innovative team projects of high impact which involve partnerships across boundaries (within UTSA and/or elsewhere) and have potential for future expansion.
- Cansin Ilayda Cetin
- Guillermina Zabala Suarez
- John Herrera
- Juan B. Gutierrez
- Marta Solis
- Paul Ardoin
Community Engagement Award
Recognizes faculty who are exemplary in their service and civic scholarship outside of the university, providing leadership and making significant contributions to the public good.
- Jessica Nowlin
- Johnathan Votion
- Kellie Lynch
- Stephanie Westney
- Su Liang
- Tracy Cowden
- Victor Villarreal
- Yufang Jin
Research Achievement Award
Recognizes tenure and tenure-track faculty who have conducted high-quality, high-impact research that has or has potential to be translated into national and international recognition and has made a substantial contribution to the faculty member’s field.
- Brian Hermann
- Cindy Ermus
- David Restrepo
- Dina V. Krasikova
- Ian Thacker
- Jeffrey T. Howard
- Jihye Jung
- Katelyn Sileo
- Marie Kirkpatrick
- Minghe Sun
- Neel Baumgardner
- Richard Anantua
- Seok Kang
- Ying Huang
- Yongcan Cao
Mentoring Award
Recognizes faculty who are exemplary in their commitment to mentoring within the university and whose service has had an impact on the opportunities and development of UTSA faculty by providing mentoring in critical areas such as teaching and research.
- Dixie Shaw-Tillmon
- Emily J. Nicklett
- Gilberta H. Turner
- Hector Aguilar
- James D. Calder
- Jeremy Sullivan
- Rena Bizios
Performance, Creative, Production Award
Recognizes individuals whose performance, creative production or other related scholarly achievement in arts or design has manifested exceptional excellence and merit.
- Christie Blizard
- Joe Harjo
- Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba
- Maryam Singery
- Valeria Meiller
Richard S. Howe Service to Undergraduate Students Award
Recognizes staff who have shown exemplary commitment to UTSA undergraduates.
- Agustin Llano
- Ana Alvarez
- Daniel Ramirez-Escobedo
- Debra Leal
- Haley Craig
- Juan Cantu
- Julian Chavez
- Kristi Meyer
- Lauri Garcia-Jones
- Oren Upton
- Stephanie Gdovin
Leadership Award
Recognizes an individual who has promoted departmental and the university’s mission and goals through actions and job performance, demonstrated exceptional leadership ability, and fostered a positive and motivating work environment.
- Alegra Lozano
- Barbara Hill
- Blanca Pokorney
- Bob Miller
- Brad Christianson
- Brandi Scott
- Cerise Edmonds
- Chris Kibbe
- Christi Fish
- Doug Baker
- Eduardo (Eddie) Alvarez
- Elizabeth Sooby
- Erin Moring
- Heather Green
- Iliana Salazar
- Jennifer Martinez
- Julian Chavez
- Justin Streton
- Kristina Garza
- Laura Everett
- Lauren Apgar
- Leonard Kemp
- Lisa Alonzo
- Marisol Johnson
- Marivel Guerrero
- Michelle Schenk
- Morgan Beard
- Nicole Poole
- Renee Canete
- Steven Quesada
- Traci Woolston
- Victor Guerrero
- William Lansdon
- Ynes Alderson
Rising Star Award
Recognizes a new employee with less than three years of continuous service with UTSA who has made significant contributions throughout the year to his or her area, or to the University community.
- Alejandra Vicencio
- Alicia Torres-Alanis
- Andrew Acosta
- Andrew Stansbury
- Angela Camarillo
- Anne Rozelle
- Annise Richard
- Aracelia Alamo-Guzman
- Bailey Gosline
- Brooke Williams
- Chantea` Swinson-Rhoe
- Chephren Branconier
- Chianna Knox
- Courtney Pletcher
- David Dominguez
- David Manis
- Haley Craig
- Jessica Gebhart
- Josue Olivas
- Kaitlin Meyers
- Katia Diamante
- Katie McBride
- Laura Harris
- Laura Harris Rodriguez
- Linda Irshid
- Linda Moreno
- Luca De Angelis
- Madhumita Joshi
- Mark Hernandez
- Nicholas Clanton
- Nick Ramos
- Norma Morales
- Patrick Page-Sutter
- Reyna Tostado
- Roberto Benavidez
- Rolando Salinas
- Sabina Cardenas
- Samuel Romens
- Scott Glavac
- Stephanie Edgett
- Stephanie Sacriste
- Susana Padilla
- Tara Croom-Sanchez
- Yessica Montes
Extra Mile Award
Recognizes an individual with three years or more of continuous service with UTSA and who has taken the initiative to contribute to the success of UTSA through his or her outstanding contributions at work.
- Agustin Llano
- Alex Perez
- Andrew Chadick
- Annie Herrera
- Antonio (Tony) Alverez
- Ashley Wallace
- Bailey Gosline
- Belinda Tucker
- Bryan Heard
- Bryana Nunez
- Cayla Jimenez
- Cheri Wiese
- Christine Moeller
- DeeAnn Ivie
- Denise Moore
- Denise Villarreal
- Destiny Velasquez
- Diana Pirhala
- Elizabeth Bay
- Elizabeth Rodriguez-Santo
- Emily Shrimpton
- Erick Flores
- Ernest Hernandez
- Genesis Valdez
- Geneva Fitzsimmons
- Ginger Hernandez
- Ilse Rosales
- Janet Perez
- Jatin Bhavsar
- Jaylon Wilson
- Jenna Gonzales
- Jerod Jerry
- Joe Mallen
- Jolyn Dominguez
- Juan Carlos Coronado
- Julian Chavez
- Khanh Nguyen
- Kimberly Perez
- Larry Samaniego
- Laura Sheehy
- Lauren Hoffmann
- Leslie Sanchez
- Lindi Ragsdale
- Luis Plascencia
- Margarita Gomez
- Mario Maldonado
- Marisol Johnson
- Matthew Fey
- Michael Cole
- Mildred Herrera-Rosales
- Monica Bowden
- Naomy Ybarra
- Patrick Page-Sutter
- Priscilla Ybarra
- Rochelle Jefferson
- Roxanne Cuevas
- Sapna Naik
- Sara Gothelf
- Sarah Webb
- Sean Cartell
- Shae Large
- Shantae Wright
- Shelby Dale
- Shelly Dotson
- Stacie Garza
- Steven Hill
- Steven Quezada
- Teresa Pena
- Tia Palsole
- Traci Guinn
- Valerie De Luna
- Victor Guerrero
Team Spirit Award
Recognizes a group of employees who have demonstrated exceptional ability to foster collaboration, communication and cooperation among colleagues internal and/or external to their department.
- Making UTSA Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Accessible
- Emily Johnson, Elliot Williams, Bruce Orcutt, Tim Palese, John Shaffer
- 1882 Dual Language Community Lab Schools Partnership
- Juanita Santos, Claudia Cabrera
- 2425 FAFSA Simplification Changes
- Braulio Contreras, Mathew Gonzalez, Carlos Salinas
- Battle of the Birds Fundraising Challenge
- Heather Green, Genesis Cordia, Karina Hillanbrand
- College Web Project
- John David Garza, Pamela Dyer, Lallo Vigil, Uriel Echavarria, Amanda Cerreto, Rosalinda Montero, Katrina Kehoe, Wendy Frost, Melissa Lackey, Nicholas Ward, Ryan Schoensee, Patty Ramirez
- LMS Migration to Canvas
- Jatin Bhavsar, Eric Silva, Zachary Cooke, Edgar Madrigal, Rosa Muzquiz, Corey Peschke, Jeremy Mann, Amparo Hubbard, Moises Hernandez, Sandy Gonzales, Eva Montecinos, Joey Chapa, Brett Copeland, Jake Erney
- New UTSA Custodial & Grounds Contract Transition
- Fredrick Wiedner, Della Reyes, Sharon Pawlik, Henrietta Mercado, Juan Reyes, Eunice Delacruz, Raymond Rosalez, Yvette Ramirez
- NRUF Team
- Greg Yturralde, Jennifer Silver, Laura Buchhorn, Jessica Gebhart, Anson Adams, Salma Ferdous, Steve Wilkerson, Eric Cooper, Diana Calloway, Jaime Fernandez, Aaron Sanders
- Preceptors for the Kinesiology Athletic Training Apprenticeship Program
- Wesley (Rhodie) Moss, Shelby Dale, Justine Humphrey, Jiana Hook, Eric Menard, Hannah Kenney, Tam-anh Nguyen, Andrew Shibata
- The People Excellence Website Redesign
- Elyse Brown, Martha Hinojosa, Ruben Ortiz, Raina Perez
- Strategic Enrollment Business Service Center
- Dani Rodriguez, Colleen Snodgrass, April Munoz, Bryan Hilburn, Madelyn Gibson, Irene Coad, Renee Juchnik, Elizabeth Delagarza, Rhonda Wansley
- EMS Advising
- Erika Olvera, Karl Fisher, Megan Neal, Ricardo Guzman, Cherie Frost, Kathleen Modicaforste, Mackenzie Harris, Harry Cortez, Abraham Mendoza, Bianca Zuniga, Andrew Awalt, Alyssa Martinez, Sonya SanMiguel, Vania Perez
- University Career Center
- Michelle Schenk, Regina Gomez, Cristina Sanchez, Chianna Knox, Melissa Ramirez, Victoria Tesillo
- Professional and Continuing Education
- Melissa Mahan, Edwin Blanton, Martha Gutierrez-Saul, Jeff Berry, Hilda Moran, Daniel Ramirez-Escobedo, Veronica Salazar, Tracy Lopez, Christopher Lockard, Lauren Hoffmann
- Strategic Communications
- Jennilee Garza, Jordan Allen, Christian Jensen, Mario Maldonado, Michael Gudowski
- Integrative Biology
- Julian Chavez, Steve Quezada, Michelle Phillips, Shantae Wright, Tony Alvarez
- Multicultural Student Center and Dreamers Resource Center
- Ann Margaret Trujillo, Damaris Ibarra, Morgan Gimblet, Brandi Scott
- College of Science Student Success Center
- Daniel Ramirez-Escobedo, Veronica Salazar, Tracy Lopez, Christopher Lockard
- Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center
- Austin Bonecutter-Knight, Renee Tondre-Garza, Christina King, Sylvia Geddings
- Honors College
- Lydia Bueno, Debra Nelson, Lyric Pryor, Victoria Stephens
- Purchasing
- Karen Krueger Guerrero, Elizabeth Raymond
- Disbursements and Travel
- Rochele Stribling, Alyssa Favila, Kelly Rock
- School of Art
- Lacey Mills, Andrew Malczewski
- HCAP Student Success
- Lisa Johns, Heather Frazer
- Grants & Contracts Financial Services
- Ramiro Cantu, Robert Hayward
- Athletic Equipment
- Matt Schmidt, Ruben Martinez
Order of the Roadrunner
Recognizes an individual who demonstrates exemplary service and commitment to UTSA and the achievement of its goals through his or her actions throughout the year.
- Agustin Llano
- Ben Campos
- Brian Buggs
- Christi Fish
- Genevieve Tobias
- Hilda Monse Pena
- Janet Perez
- Kimberly Perez
- Kyle Stephens
- Leslie Sanchez
- Lisa Alonzo
- Mario Vela
- Mary Kalicki
- Michael Logan
- Michelle Phillips
- Nikki Lee
- Reuben Aleman
- Steven Quezada
