2024 P&S Council CYtation Awards

2024 Outstanding Counselor Award Recipient

Sara Everson, Customer Relations Coordinator III at Parking

Sara Everson has been awarded the Outstanding Councilor CYtation Award because of her dedication, positive attitude, and willingness to help others. She consistently tackles tasks both within and outside her responsibilities with a "can-do" attitude. She is proactive in seeking opportunities for improvement and offering practical solutions. She fosters an environment of cooperation by asking thoughtful questions and providing valuable insight and feedback. Her authentic, approachable demeanor has created meaningful connections with her peers on the Council and across campus, making her a vital and respected member of the team. Sara’s contributions consistently enhance the success of the Council, and there is no doubt she will continue contributing to the success of the P&S Council and the university.

24 Woodin CYtation Award Recipient

Krista Klocke, Program Specialist III in the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Dr. Klocke has significantly enriched CELT’s offerings and advanced its mission to support student-centered learning. She has launched two Communities of Practice that provide valuable support and resources to instructors of large enrollment classes and provide support and mentoring for new instructors. She has developed a new series of “Sparkshops,” which are short-form workshops aimed at providing practical teaching tools to instructors during online lunchtime sessions. And, she has coordinated the 2024 CELT Teaching Symposium, which included working with the marketing manager and event coordinator to plan communications, outreach, and marketing for the event, and identifying an external keynote speaker.

In addition to developing and organizing exceptional programming, Dr. Klocke often presents programming herself as well. She presented a session on Practical Persuasion to CELT and the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, a program about “Moving Beyond the Lecture” to the History department, and she co-facilitated a workshop on Digital Projects in the Active Learning Classroom. She even found time to co-facilitate a reading circle for SVPP on the book, Relationship-Rich Education.

Dr. Klocke’s leadership, initiative, and innovation clearly show through all these accomplishments, as do her dedication to teaching excellence through instructor development. Dr. Klocke’s spirit of collaboration shows through her continual requests for and consideration of input—whether it be from instructors or CELT staff. Dr. Klocke understands that seeking input and feedback from diverse voices at all stages of a project ensures the events and programming provided include valuable content and serve the needs of attendees.

2024 CYtation Award Recipients

Wendy Borja-Diaz, Budget and Finance Specialist III in Ag and Life Science Administration

During a critical period, Wendy Borja-Diaz has provided exceptional support to the Iowa State University Seed Science Center (SSC). After the retirement of SSC’s long-time director and years of financial management challenges, Wendy stepped in as Cost Center Manager in March 2024 while continuing her CALS Finance duties. She meticulously corrected financial discrepancies, restoring compliance and operational efficiency. Wendy’s commitment and patience in guiding program leaders through financial best practices have transformed operations, ensuring smooth, compliant workflows. Her dedication and impact exemplify the CYtation Award's purpose, making her an invaluable asset to SSC and Iowa State University.

Travis Brace, Senior Psychologist for Student Health and Wellness

Travis has been an outstanding team member, stepping into multiple roles to support Student Counseling Services trainees after the previous training director left. He took on responsibilities such as helping complete a doctoral internship accreditation self-study, providing weekly supervision and seminars for interns, and coordinating practicum and graduate assistants training. He has received positive feedback from trainees and is seen as a dependable team member. Travis's efforts have ensured the continuity of the training program, and his advocacy for trainees has led to important program adjustments. Additionally, his work on the self-study was crucial for maintaining the doctoral internship program.

Heather JoAnn Bruno, Program Specialist III for the ISU Child Development Laboratory School

For over 18 years, Heather has been dedicated to the ISU Lab School and the University’s mission of providing exceptional educational experiences for college students and young children. Shortly after transitioning into the assistant director role, she rose to the unexpected challenge of bridging gaps and ensuring stability during eight months with an interim program director. The overwhelming support from her team, which includes P&S and merit employees, undergraduates, and faculty, for this award nomination highlights her devotion to lifting P&S voices and her steadfast commitment to uniting these stakeholders to achieve our mission.

Lesya Hassall, Director of Course Design and Quality at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Dr. Hassall contributes meaningfully to the land-grant mission of ISU, particularly related to effective teaching and thus, student learning. Dr. Hassall designed the CELT Course Design Institute (CDI) and the ISU Course Template, significantly enhancing the quality of hybrid and online courses at ISU. The template provides a uniform ISU presence and high-quality format of great importance during Covid-19. Within the CELT team, Hassall leads the Course Design and Quality unit of 18 staff members. This unit is responsible for teaching with technology faculty support, the celt-help@iastate.edu support line, Course Design Institute, Media Production, Quality Matters certification, and university-wide teaching communities. Dr. Hassall provides in-depth and individualized consultations to faculty, as well as contributes to peer-reviewed scholarship. Dr. Hassall is a trusted, reliable, and respected university-citizen who embodies the Cytation Award.

Mitchell Hein, Hall Director at the Department of Residence  

Mitchell's keenness to improve on system inefficiencies and passion for connecting with residents have left a lasting impact on ISU, the Department of Residence, and past and current residents of Geoffroy Hall. Mitchell's proactiveness and tangible info-sharing have significantly improved the wait times and convenience for both staffs and residents, especially when it comes to package issuance and checking in residents. In addition, since his first point of contact with students from summer orientation/Open Houses, Mitchell has exhibited a quality of care to make sure all students feel welcome and that they belong at ISU and Geoffroy Hall.  

Tess Howard, Manager of Customer Relations in the Seed Science Center Experiment Station

Tess Howard was nominated for the CYtation Award for her exceptional leadership and transformative impact at the Seed Science Center (SSC). As Seed Lab Office Manager, Tess modernized SSC's operations by digitizing a formerly paper-based system, greatly improving efficiency and customer access. When SSC's Seed Lab Manager retired and leadership gaps arose, Tess stepped up, assuming additional responsibilities and becoming a vital support for staff and customers. Her proactive approach and guiding SSC through operational transitions have unified the team and enhanced service quality. Tess's dedication, innovation, and adaptability make her a deserving recipient of this award.

Jessica Ji, Software Developer III and Team Supervisor for ITS  

Jessica's leadership and ability to analyze complex data software and transform them into user-friendly extracts, across the Workday and Data Mart implementations, has empowered our team to build complex reports. Her unparalleled ability to understand and remember complex rules across multiple domains have made her an invaluable resource for numerous units across campus. She consistently mentors her colleagues, fostering a culture of continuous improvement while her willingness to assist others underscores her commitment to our collective success. Her exceptional service, knowledge, and commitment represents the values of Iowa State University and have made a lasting positive impact on our overall mission.

Shalika Khindurangala, Career Services Data and Technology Specialist in the College of Engineering

Shalika Khindurangla's leadership and dedication have been instrumental in successfully launching and transitioning to Iowa State University's new career management system, CyHire. Hired during a period of significant change, Shalika went above and beyond her responsibilities to ensure a smooth rollout of the system while managing the needs of students, employers, and staff. Her efforts in developing training programs, creating standard operating procedures, and fostering cross-campus collaboration have greatly impacted the university. Her exceptional organizational skills, empathetic leadership, and commitment to service have made Shalika an invaluable asset to Iowa State and its Career Services and Student Employment teams.

Jeff Nelson, Clinical Therapist with Student Health & Wellness

Jeff is an exemplary team player who consistently steps in to help wherever needed, ensuring there is never a gap in the mental health services students receive. Jeff takes on some of the most complex and intensive roles at Student Counseling Services, including team leader, Care Management Team member, and Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Jeff's dedication and passion for suicide prevention have significantly impacted the campus community by raising mental health awareness, reducing stigma, and fostering open conversations, among others.

Susheel Nethi, Research Scientist in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at the Nonvaccine Institute

Dr. Susheel Nethi has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the institution’s research objectives by consistently going beyond his normal responsibilities, particularly in grant applications. His proactive approach, innovative thinking, and leadership in pursuing competitive funding opportunities have significantly strengthened the institution’s position. Dr. Nethi took the lead in conceptualizing important grant proposals and identifying innovative research objectives that align with the priorities of the funding agencies. What sets Dr. Nethi apart is his ability to bring together diverse perspectives. He engages with collaborators across disciplines, integrating their expertise to enhance the research plans' scientific rigor and practical relevance.

Heather Sauer, Director of Strategic Communications at the College of Design

As the Director of Strategic Communications in the College of Design, Heather works tirelessly to ensure that the communication efforts within the college are timely and effective. She engages with the entire college to stay connected, finding unique ways to learn all sorts of creative stories. She is a fantastic leader, guiding her team to provide elaborate and important events while maintaining extraordinary poise under pressure. In a constantly changing environment, Heather goes above and beyond to support the college with necessary information. She fosters a supportive environment for her team and colleagues, always taking the time to listen and care for those around her.

Samantha Smith, Administrative Assistant II in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology

In only 10 months, on the heels of a move to Iowa with her husband and one-year-old, Sam has learned the tasks of her new position, coordinated a building re-key project, managed the renovation of at least a dozen different spaces, organized the removal of post-renovation surplus, and coordinated searches for two new faculty members, a new Department Chair, and a new Herbarium Curator from start to finish. Not only has she facilitated all of these changes, but she has done it with grace, thoughtfulness, humility, and kindness, and we at EEOB are lucky to work with her. Her willingness and enthusiasm to learn new techniques and protocols outside her defined job requirements make her a fantastic boon to ISU and the Office of Biotechnology.

Tracey Stewart, Research Scientist II in the Office of Biotechnology

Tracey is passionate about microscopy and loves sharing her knowledge. Her patient and thorough training has empowered countless students to use advanced microscopy equipment effectively. She genuinely cares about those she interacts with and excels in optimizing sample preparation processes. This year, Tracy's exceptional commitment included efforts to bring microscopy concepts to the visually impaired and work on an NSF MRI proposal for an advanced Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope to enhance research capabilities on campus. Iowa State is fortunate to have Tracey guiding numerous labs as they seek to gain deeper insights through high resolution imaging.

Allen Tierney, Information Technology Support at the IT Solution Center

During an emergency, Allen's swift actions were crucial in locating an individual in distress using only an IP address provided by a suicide hotline. His precise work enabled public safety resources to reach the individual promptly, ensuring they received the necessary support. Allen's professionalism and dedication under pressure exemplify the highest standards of service. His actions reflect positively on ISU IT resources and highlight the importance of collaboration in emergency situations. Allen is truly deserving of this recognition.

2024 CYtation Team Award Recipients

Iowa 4-H Computer Science Team. The Iowa 4-H Computer Science team has national leaders in youth technology education by creating innovative, high-impact educational programs that inspire young people to engage with technology. Selected by Google to lead not one, but two major grants totaling over $300,000, the team has developed innovative computer science and AI curricula that have ignited a passion for STEM among countless 4-H youth. Their unwavering commitment to excellence, deep understanding of their audience, and tireless efforts have strengthened Iowa State University's reputation and furthered its land-grant mission. Through meticulous planning, strategic partnerships, and tireless outreach, they have been able to scale their initiatives well beyond the borders of Iowa to empower the next generation of technical leaders.

Members include: Alexa Groff, Beth Bunkers, Katie Peterson, Katie Lubbert, Mary Taggs, Brenda Welch

Testing Center Staff. The Testing Center’s partners with educators to enhance student learning, development, and success by creating a student-centric testing environment that promotes and upholds academic integrity. Its influence spans the entire community, with four testing locations, four Professional and Scientific (P&S) staff members, and over one hundred student workers. Last year, over half of the undergraduate student body utilized the centers services, impacting nearly every student during their academic journey. The Testing Centers reach is vast, encompassing all colleges within the university. By transforming the testing experience through innovative systems and updated spaces, the staff have significantly contributed to the university’s mission.

Members include: Joel Hochstein, Kenya Arrants, Carly Nekvinda, Marla Wilfawn

Team IRB.  Team IRB developed an automated exemption certification tool called the Exempt Review Wizard that can be used for certain projects. Researchers provide information about their study, and the Wizard confirms exemption, thereby eliminating the need to submit a detailed protocol for IRB review. The Wizard simplifies and speeds the IRB approval process for eligible studies and reduces IRB staff workload so time can be given to the review of riskier or more complex protocols. Team IRB is dedicated to innovative process improvement, and the creation of the Wizard furthers ORE’s mission to facilitate Iowa State research.

Members include: Kerry Agnitsch, Roxanne Bappe, Deirdre Rosenfeld, Kristie Romsdahl, Raeann Ritland 

LAS Career Services.  As of the 23-24 Catalog, the LAS course 2030: Professional Career Preparation went from being optional to being a requirement for all undergraduate LAS students. The LAS Career Services team has jumped headfirst into this challenge, and in Fall 2024, a dedicated team of six staff instructors taught 528 students across 12 sections, leveraging innovative formats like flipped classrooms and social learning platforms to engage students. Despite staff turnover and a nearly fivefold course enrollment increase, the team has risen to the challenge with creativity, resilience, and teamwork. Their exceptional efforts empower students from diverse backgrounds to identify meaningful career paths, fostering secure and rewarding futures.

Members include: Tessa Brow, Anne Nelson, Rosalie Vos Tulp, Heidi Seegers, Hannah Hoffman, Callie Craig

Ivy College of Business Marketing and Communications Services.This team works cohesively with each other as well as with over 300 individuals across various departments to promote Ivy’s programs and successes. Their focus on achieving the highest standards in branding, awareness, and innovation at the Ivy College of Business is apparent, and their work has led to historical levels of award recognition. In 2024 alone, the team garnered 14 national and international awards, showcasing excellence across various domains such as website design, video production, publication design, writing, digital advertising, and more. This team continues to find new and exciting ways to showcase the high-quality programs being offered at Ivy College of Business, and their achievements add value to ISU’s institutional reputation.

Members include: Michele Appelgate, Emily Bowman, Suzanne Lyndon, Cindy Robertson, Spencer Feinberg

Click here to learn more about the Professional & Scientific Council CYtation Awards.