The Staff Awards program is designed to recognize outstanding performance by staff at the university. Congratulations to all of the 2026 winners and nominees. Thank you for all you do for American University!

Selection Committee

Members of the 2026 cross-functional Awards Selection Committee include:

• Johni Amos, Assistant Vice President, Finance & Administration (Student Affairs)
• Jennifer Arnold, Manager, Faculty Affairs, Deputy Provost & Dean of Faculty Office (Provost)
• Jocelyn Hill, Associate Athletic Dir, Recreation and Aquatic Facilities (Athletics)
• Andrew MacDonald, Business Intelligence Solutions Architect (Office of Information Technology)
• Yeabsera Mengistu, Equity & Title IX Administrative Coordinator (Inclusive Excellence)
• Jill Mohel, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Brand Strategy (University Marketing)
• Jason Snyder, Senior Professional Lecturer, School of Education (Faculty Representative)

Collaboration Award

The Collaboration Award is awarded to those who cooperatively contribute to team effectiveness. Awardees are individuals or groups that have successfully overcome obstacles to accomplish collective goals.

Winner

CET–FAMU Prague Alumni Film Showcase

• Matthew Stifter, AUA | AU Abroad

• Larry Engel, SOC | Film & Media Arts
• Christina Sincere, DOF | Career Center

The CET–FAMU Prague Alumni Film Showcase on Thursday, February 28^th 2026 was more than an event; it was a replicable model for cross-campus collaboration that directly answers the university's new strategic vision. It successfully created a tangible "through line" for our students—connecting their academic major, their global experiential learning, and their post-graduate career readiness.

First Runner Up

New Hire Orientation Partnership

• Gretchen Nester, FIN | HR Talent Strategies
• Maggie Dunlap, FIN | HR Talent Strategies
• Adam Christensen, OIT | IT Customer Service
• Patrick Hung, OIT | IT Customer Service
• Christopher Slaughter, OIT | IT Customer Service
• Colleen Greig, FIN | Tax Reporting & Compliance
• Haleh Esfahanian, FIN | Payroll Office
• Ezra Alef, FIN | Payroll Office

The collaborative partnership between Talent Strategies, IT Assets, and Payroll has transformed the New Hire Orientation (NHO) experience for full-time staff into a model of cross-functional excellence. These three teams have led the redesign and delivery of a fully in-person, community-centered first day this collective effort has removed long-standing barriers, reduced departmental burden, and delivered a confident, structured, and mission aligned start for every new full-time staff member. 

Community Support Award

The Community Support Award is awarded to those who provide timely and exemplary service to those they support, both internal offices and individuals, students, and external partners. Awardees are individuals or groups that are inclusive of and responsive to the needs of their constituents.

Winner

Varsha Ramani, SOC | Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI)

Since she came to AU eight years ago, Varsha has meticulously managed the administrative and management processes involved in an average of about 15+ grants per year—more than 75 individual grants and contracts since her tenure here, which is a stunning amount of collaborative work to handle.

First Runner-Up

Julie Wugalter, KSB | Finance & Personnel Administration

On any given day, Julie coordinates with members of our Board of Trustees, senior AU leadership, Kogod advisory board members, CEOs, faculty, staff, and students. What stands out is not just the breadth of these relationships, but the depth. She has cultivated genuine personal connections across this entire spectrum.

Essential Support Award

The Essential Support Award recognizes vital frontline staff serving the AU community every day with their consistent, unwavering support. Often these individuals are praised for their performance yet receive little official recognition or visibility for their dedication, conscientiousness, and trustworthiness and whose contributions exceed their formal title and stated duties.

Winner

Justin Williams, SPA | Finance & Personnel Administration

Justin is a cornerstone of the American University community, serving as a vital bridge between students, faculty, and staff. Whether he is welcoming a new staff member or guiding a student through a complex process, Justin ensures that every interaction contributes to a welcoming and inclusive campus environment, while prioritizing professionalism and responsiveness.

First Runner-Up

Julia Rahimzadeh, SPA | Washington Semester Programs

Julia demonstrated excellence across all of the award’s characteristics: community building, reliability, problem-solving, contribution, and influence.

Inclusive Excellence Award

The Inclusive Excellence Award is awarded for outstanding contributions to inclusion, equity, diversity, belonging, and accessibility. Awardees are individuals or groups that have demonstrated strong cultural competence and embody the goals of the AU Inclusive Excellence plan.

Winner

Chris Hung, KSB | Student Development and Services

Through his programmatic work, his advocacy for students, his leadership in affinity spaces, and his everyday interactions, Chris demonstrates what inclusive excellence looks like in practice. He treats differences as strengths, prioritizes access and engagement, and helps remove barriers so that more people can participate fully in the life of our community. He is responsive, thoughtful, and deeply invested in helping Kogod and AU live up to their values.

First Runner-Up

Sola Adeleye, SIS | Global Inquiry

Sola has been a tireless advocate for great inclusivity in all of SIS department events and is a remarkable advocate for a more diverse and hospitable school and university community.

Innovation & Change Award

The Innovation & Change Award is awarded to those who use creativity and accessibility to develop new or improved processes, methods, systems, products, programs, or services for the AU community. Awardees are individuals or groups who make inclusive innovation a priority in their work and encourage others to do the same.

Winner

Two-year residency requirement

• Kailey MacDonald, SA | Housing
• Mason Henderson, SA | Housing

These two leaders built the infrastructure from the ground up. This included developing assignment strategies to support a shifted residential population, writing and refining policies, and creating an exemption process that balanced institutional priorities with individual student circumstances. Every piece required thoughtful planning, iteration, and a deep understanding of how students actually move through housing systems. Their work reflects what meaningful innovation actually looks like: not just new ideas, but the ability to carry those ideas through complexity and into sustainable practice.

First Runner-Up

Meriem Tikue, SOC | Finance & Personnel Administration

Meriem led a revenue digitization process at SOC by implementing an online payment system for experiential learning programs and conference room rentals to non‑AU organizations, alongside deploying an in‑office remote deposit capture solution for check processing.

Maria Bueno Lifetime Achievement Award

The Maria Bueno Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2015 in honor of its namesake for her 45 years of exemplary service and dedication to the advancement of the university. This award serves as both a legacy of Ms. Bueno’s achievements and an inspiration to others who work diligently behind the scenes to help the university thrive. This award is presented to long-serving staff members who dedicate the majority of their professional careers to providing exemplary support or service to the AU community and make it a better institution. Awardees are individuals who are not in senior staff positions but who provide, or have provided, direct support or service in an administrative, front-line, or service position.

Criteria

The individual is currently in an administrative support, front-line, or service position (non-senior staff) and has been in similar staff positions for 25 or more years at AU. A letter of nomination is required from a member of the university community. The nomination must attest to the quality of the awardee’s performance over many years and provide examples of how the awardee has exceeded the expectations of their specific job duties.

Winner

Lisa Arakaki, PRES | President's Office

Lisa, an AU employee for 30 years, has been at the forefront of most important university events and ceremonies. In roles in both University Events and the President’s Office, Lisa has been at the forefront of most important university events and ceremonies, guiding teams of employees and volunteers in the complicated logistical tasks of celebrating AU’s biggest moments. Her steadiness and calm make even the most complex of operations look smooth, but beyond her work behind the scenes, Lisa is regularly seen on the “front lines” of every event. She has greeted students and scholars, diplomats and dignitaries, athletes, artists, and alumni, and –let’s not forget those most honored of guests---Presidents and parents.

Outstanding Supervision Award

The Outstanding Supervision Award is awarded to leaders who show an exceptional ability to promote belonging and thriving on their team. Awardees are individuals that have demonstrated their ability to lead others through change resulting in successful teams and an improved working environment.

Winner

Elizabeth Romig, DOF | Career Center

Liz has served as the Interim Assistant Vice Provost, AU Career Center and AU Abroad. Liz has taken on the role with grace and enthusiasm. She has steered both offices toward a shared future with thoughtfulness showing respect for the each teams' expertise and deep knowledge while encouraging strategic reflection and forward momentum. Being in an interim role can be a significant challenge, especially when you are helming two merging entities, but she has made her staff feel heard and valued. She has been a thoughtful listener and engaged with dialogue that is both reassuring and challenges the team to be innovative and adaptive.

First Runner-Up

Gene Logan, PRO | AU Central

Gene is an exceptional supervisor whose leadership has created a workplace defined by trust, resilience, inclusion, and shared purpose. In an environment characterized by constant change, high student volume, and complex regulatory demands, Gene has built and sustained a team that thrives—not despite these pressures, but because of the way he leads through them.

Staff & Faculty Collaboration Award

The Staff & Faculty Collaboration Award is awarded to outstanding partnerships that leverage the talents and expertise of both staff and faculty to address challenges and create favorable outcomes. Awardees are groups that have successfully strengthened their relationships to advance or complete work that positively affects the AU community.

Winners

National student scholarships that fund graduate study in the United Kingdom

• Aaron Boesenecker, SIS | Global Inquiry
• Michelle Egan, SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics
• Garret Martin, SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security
• Elizabeth Romig, DOF | Career Center
• Bushra Asif, DOF | Career Center
• Regan Dolezal, DOF | Career Center

The committees’ collective efforts have yielded important successes for our applicants and national recognition for American University. Over the last two years AU has had two Gates Cambridge Scholars, a Fulbright U.S. student scholar, and two Rhodes Scholarship District finalists. Two of our recipients received full funding to pursue doctorates at leading British institutions, and one of our Rhodes finalists was also a Marshall Scholarship regional finalist. This strong showing attests to the talents of the students that AU attracts, and it also speaks to the combination of academic, career, and national scholarship advising our faculty-staff team provides.

First Runner-Up

Public Anthropology Core Team

• Elise Ferrer, CAS | Anthropology
• Thurka Sangaramoorthy, CAS | Anthropology
• Alanna Warner-Smith, CAS | Anthropology
• Jean Wogaman, CAS | Anthropology

This nomination is for recognition of their collaborative work implementing the Revitalizing Public Anthropology for Societal Impact Signature Research Initiative. This work has included convening a public anthropology conference; initiating and executing year-round programming; and implementing a student fellow program for undergraduate and graduate students to center experiential learning.