“It’s been too long.”

Kimberly Miloch, vice provost for faculty success, spoke those words at the 2022 Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony in the Student Union at Hubbard Hall – the first in-person ceremony to take place in three years.

In addition to the 2022 awards, presenters also gave awards to recipients from 2020 and 2021. Some additional staff awards were presented, and a new award was announced as well.

In addition to the traditional staff awards, recognition was given to some of the nominees who demonstrated excellent contributions to TWU:

Rising Star Award

• Charles Dyer (Write Site, Denton)
• Kayla Holloway (Alumni Engagement, Denton)

Consider it Done Award

• Shanda Newton (Business, Denton)
• Mehgann Mallory (Biology, Denton)
• Courtney Hawkins (Chemistry & Biochemistry, Denton)

Unsung Hero Award

• Amy Layton (Research & Sponsored Programs, Denton)

Hidden Gem

• Josh Walton (Center for Student Development, Denton)
• I-Ching Chen (Music, Denton) 

Michelle Kelly, director of the Health & Wellbeing Initiative, unveiled a new award endowed by Chancellor Carine Feyten and Ambassador Chad Wick.

The Feyten-Wick Health and Wellbeing Champion Award will award its first recipients in 2023. The endowment will fund two annual awards in the amount of $500 each, with one for exempt staff and one for nonexempt staff. The awards will be presented to staff members who have demonstrated leadership of health and wellbeing in ways that impact the university and its mission.

“At Texas Woman’s,” Kelly said, “we define health and wellbeing through multiple dimensions, including Build Well, Eat Well, Mind Well, Move Well, and Spend Well.”

Following the awards ceremony, Chancellor Feyten led the Denton celebration of TWU’s designation as a university system. She led the audience through a brief history of the university as well as a toast to the future of the university system.

The 2022 recipients of faculty awards are:

Cornaro Award — Karen Dunlap, EdD, professor
(Teacher Education, Denton)

Mary Mason Lyon Award — Catalina Iulia Pislariu, PhD,
assistant professor (Biology, Denton)

Mary Mason Lyon Award — Randa Keeley, PhD,
assistant professor (Teacher Education, Denton)

Humphries Award — Cindy Gill-Sams, EdD, professor
(Communication Sciences and Oral Health, Denton)

Distinction in Scholarship Award — Xiaofen Du, PhD,
assistant professor (Nutrition & Food Sciences, Denton)

Distinction in Scholarship Award — Paul Thomas, PhD,
assistant professor (Music, Denton)

Distinction in Teaching Award — Catherine Dutton, PhD,
assistant professor (Family Studies, Denton)

Not pictured:

• Innovation in Academia Award — Suzanne Scheller, MS, RN, associate clinical professor (Nursing, Houston)
• Distinction in Service Award — Aimée Myers, PhD, assistant professor (Teacher Education, Denton)

Staff awards were presented to:

Award of Excellence — Tonya Gilbeaux, assistant
director (University Housing & Dining, Denton)

Outstanding Achievement Award — Judy Pentecost,
business manager (Conference Services, Denton)

Outstanding Achievement Award — Gail Orlando,
assistant to the dean (College of Arts & Sciences, Denton)

Other awards presented were:

Award for Outstanding Contribution to the TWU Libraries

Chance Maggard, manager, Access Services
(Library, Denton)

Distinguished Service to Student Life Award

Paul Ingram, tutoring coordinator
(Math & Technology Success Center, Denton)

Joni Jensen, DMA, associate professor (Music, Denton)

Not pictured: 

• Carolyn Moore, PhD, RDN, associate professor (Nutrition & Food Sciences, Houston)

Distinguished Service to Enrollment Management Award

Mark Hamner, PhD, vice provost
(Institutional Research & Improvement, Denton)

Michael Stankey, PhD, director of analytics
(Institutional Research & Improvement, Denton)