Awards 2019-20

The Outstanding Teacher Award honors an excellent teacher who exhibits superior and sustained performance in teaching that impacts student learning.

Wendy DeYoung, Health and Exercise Science

Wendy DeYoung has been a model of academic excellence as a teacher, adviser, and internship coordinator for the past 30 years. She is a master at stimulating student curiosity and creating a classroom atmosphere that welcomes diversity. Her inspirational teaching style, with an emphasis on engaging students in the learning process, has touched the lives of thousands of HES majors throughout the years.

In addition to excelling in her teaching, Wendy works relentlessly to find the best internship opportunities for students and equip them with tools and self-confidence to transform the future of healthcare, fitness, and wellness.

Two students wrote collectively, “Through the lessons that Wendy has taught us, and the other students that have come through her class, we are comfortable speaking for everyone that her teachings go past the classroom. Not only did we learn class material, but we have learned valuable life skills that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

The Outstanding Adviser Award recognizes a faculty member or administrative professional staff member, who excels in undergraduate or graduate student advising and mentoring.

Arlene Schmid, Occupational Therapy

During her past six years at CSU, Arlene Schmid has encouraged and inspired two Ph.D. students and 11 master’s students towards completion of their research projects and degrees. Upon graduation, each of her Ph.D. students had 2-3 papers in press. Her master’s students altogether have published ten articles and have given ten peer-reviewed presentations at national and international venues.

While the number of advisees and their scholarly productivity is impressive, what truly sets Arlene apart is her inclusive approach to advising students from all walks of life. She creates connections and builds communities, drawing on each individual’s unique strengths and experiences. Her inclusive approach has expanded her advisees’ perspectives on not only research but the whole of the occupational therapy profession.

One student wrote:” Being advised by Arlene left me with the most profound love of the program, curiosity for research, and a thirst to always continue educating myself.”

The Scholarly Excellence Award recognizes a tenured faculty member for outstanding contributions in original and theoretical research, creative works, or other forms of scholarly endeavor.

Jennifer Ogle, Design and Merchandising

Jennifer Ogle has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the social psychological and cultural aspects of fashion, appearance, and the body. She dedicates her research effort to the areas of body satisfaction, the role of dress and appearance as it relates to identity, and fostering self-esteem and STEM learning among adolescent girls.

Jennifer’s scholarship frequently addresses social inequities, and her research findings have contributed to the development of innovative curriculum and programming that fosters tolerance and inclusion. Outcomes from her work directly address the College’s mission of improving physical, mental, and social well-being. The quality of her scholarship is exhibited through peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals and invited presentations at international conferences.

One nominator wrote:” Dr. Ogle’s research ideas are fresh, her methodology innovative and impeccable, and her scholarly work sharply focused and sustained.”

The Superior Staff Service Award, is given to a staff member who demonstrates outstanding achievement in performing his or her responsibilities.

Zara Hopkins, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Zara Hopkins demonstrates efficiency, innovation, and adaptability each day she comes to work. In her role as assistant to the department head and communication specialist, she endeavors to accomplish all the many tasks required for the department to run smoothly.

She has initiated several programs to support faculty, staff, and students, particularly related to diversity and inclusion. She leads a new seminar series in the department called “Chew On This,” which is dedicated to open discussion of issues related to diversity, social justice, and inclusion. She has developed physical and online bulletin boards devoted to diversity topics that are changed on a monthly basis.

Zara also provides invaluable assistance to the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center and the FSHN extension team. KRNC staff members wrote collectively: “Zara is dependable, efficient, and unfailingly thoughtful. She is vital to the success of our business operations and makes outstanding contributions to the department, college, and CSU community.”

The Outstanding Engagement Award is given to a faculty member, administrative professional, or a program team who exemplifies the land-grant mission of developing and promoting partnerships and collaborations between campus and external partners for the benefit of the community.

Brian Butki, Health and Exercise Science

Brian Butki plays a significant role in many of the outreach and service programs in the Department of Health and Exercise Science. In his 16 years serving as the director of the Youth Sports Camps and After-School Program, he has helped spread a body-positive, healthy lifestyle message to over 31,000 campers who reside not only in Colorado but throughout the U.S.

In 2016, Brian found the right partner to expand the YSC program to Castle Rock, Colorado, as part of CSU’s move toward a regional hub there. He spent countless hours driving to Castle Rock and building relationships with local partners and students running the camps. The success of the Castle Rock program demonstrates Brian’s commitment to diversity and community, his willingness to explore, and his leadership and vision for creating new opportunities for children and youth.

One nominator wrote:” Brian fully exemplifies the relationship between CSU and the surrounding community. He uses his CSU programs to create platforms for collaborating with local businesses and organizations. He truly believes in working and supporting those around him.”

The Tenure-Track Faculty Teaching Excellence Award recognizes a faculty member, who is on the tenure track, for outstanding contributions in teaching that impacts students learning.

Brett W. Fling, Health and Exercise Science

Brett Fling is deeply committed to providing a challenging, engaging, and inclusive learning environment for his undergraduate and graduate students. He is known for the ability to make complex topics more accessible to students by utilizing all kinds of pedagogical techniques, from video to paired discussions to low-stakes quizzes. He finds innovative ways to illuminate how to ask and answer scientific questions by incorporating his own on-going research into the classroom. His classes have been received extremely well by students, who appreciate the focus on real-world health issues and potential solutions.

Brett brings a variety of skills to his work, but nothing tops his boundless passion and enthusiasm for teaching. He brings excitement and joy to the classroom that is evident to anyone who spends more than 30 seconds in the room.

One student wrote:” Brett Fling is a professor who is authentically invested in the success of the people around him. He is the type of person who fills a room with knowledge and enthusiasm and helps you find the intrinsic motivation for achievement.”

The Tenure-Track Faculty Scholarly Excellence Award recognizes a faculty member, who is not yet tenured, for outstanding contributions in original and theoretical research, creative works, or other forms of scholarly endeavor.

Heather Leach, Health and Exercise Science

Heather Leach serves as an assistant professor and director for the Physical Activity for Treatment and Prevention Lab. Her research focuses on the field of physical activity and cancer survivorship or “exercise oncology.” Her scholarly productivity is reflected in high-impact, published manuscripts, grant proposals submitted and funded, and local, regional, and national presentations. To date, she has published 29 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, with 13 of these after her arrival at CSU in 2015. More impressively, 10 of these publications at CSU have been as first or senior author.

In addition to a thriving, extramurally funded research agenda, Heather has also translated this work into a sustainable, community-based HES outreach program called Fit Cancer. Her commitment to research and community outreach aligns closely with the mission of the College of Health and Human Sciences; “to provide transformative academic, research, and outreach programs that promote the health and wellbeing of people, their environments, and communities in which they live.”

One nominator wrote: “Heather has the character, motivation, maturity, vision, and perseverance necessary to continue on the steep upward trajectory she began establishing in her very first year in the department.“

The Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Early Career Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member, who is not on the tenure track, for outstanding contributions in teaching that impacts students learning.

Molly Gutilla, Health and Exercise Science

Molly Gutilla has embraced her teaching and advising roles with limitless energy. Currently, she teaches several public health courses and also serves as a faculty adviser for the MPH practicum and capstone class. Molly’s teaching philosophy focuses on three key tenets: inclusion, application, and engagement. These values have guided her effort in creating a sense of belonging for all her students and bringing in examples from the field of public health practice to broaden the students’ experience beyond the textbook and academic-created literature.

In addition to her academic excellence in the classroom, Molly is relentlessly committed to searching out resources to help develop her teaching style and effectiveness. In her two years on campus, she has participated in many instructional-related, professional development workshops and training. Her expertise in teaching is becoming well known across campus as she has already received over 30 invitations to be a guest lecturer.

One student wrote: “Dr. Gutilla is extremely good at making the classroom an inclusive environment for all students. Not only does she ask questions throughout the course to make sure you understand the material, but she also makes the classroom interactive, whether it be short polls or talking to one another about our ideas for a short time.”

The Non-Tenure-Track Faculty or Administrative Professional Scholarly Excellence Award recognizes a faculty or staff member, who is not on the tenure track, for outstanding scholarly work that has positively impacted his or her discipline during that person’s career.

Jennifer C. Richards, Health and Exercise Science

In her role as a non-tenure-track assistant professor, Jennifer Richards has demonstrated extraordinary commitments to scholarly excellence. She has been recognized as a scholar at both national and international levels via presenting at significant conferences and publications in high-quality scholarly journals. To date, she has published 24 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, nine of them as the first author. Her recognized standing in the field is one reason why she has had the opportunity to speak and present her original work at over 20 national and international scientific conferences.

Additionally, Jennifer has been very actively and successfully engaged in extramurally funded research. In the past two years only, she has brought in or significantly contributed to about $2 million of extramural funds, which speaks to her uncommon abilities as a scientist.

One nominator wrote:” Jennifer frequently publishes in the best academic journals in our discipline, and she is establishing herself as an independent investigator worthy of significant extramural funding.”

The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes a college graduating senior for outstanding performance including academic achievement, leadership, research, service, or creative endeavors.

Savanah M. Elliott, Food Science and Human Nutrition

During her time at CSU, Savanah Elliott demonstrated exceptional talents in multiple areas related to her academic aspirations and leadership responsibilities.

When working as a research assistant in the FSHN Health Behaviors Lab, she shouldered significant research responsibilities, such as curricular development for interventions to improve nutrition-related behaviors of children. Her research efforts garnered several awards, including “Best in Show” at the Celebrating Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC) 2019 Symposium. She also earned first authorship on a forthcoming manuscript about her research, an impressive achievement for an undergraduate student.

Additionally, Savanah proved herself as an excellent student leader, notably through her role as the president of the College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, where she guided a 30-person board to bridge communication between students and administrators. Her leadership roles also took her off-campus and outside the U.S. Her work with the lnvictus Initiative, where she helped develop and implement health education curriculum for women in rural villages and tent camps in India and Nepal, is particularly impactful.

One nominator wrote: “Savanah Elliot is truly an outstanding person, an exceptional student and leader, and a warm and caring individual who is destined to have a significant positive and lasting impact as she seeks to serve under-resourced populations, whether here in the U.S. or abroad.”

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes a CHHS graduate student for outstanding performance in research, outreach/engagement, and/or creative endeavors.

Mackenzie J. Ferrante, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Mackenzie Ferrante, a doctoral candidate, is a thoughtful and creative young scientist, who possesses exceptional potential as a future leader in the field. She is an author on four peer-reviewed publications, with three more papers under review or in preparation. She has received a national research award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Mackenzie’s innovative doctoral research focuses on children’s restaurant menus. She is utilizing behavioral economic strategies in a restaurant setting as well as using crowdsourcing via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to collect data for a conjoint analysis to ascertain parents’ values and intended purchasing decisions from menus. She successfully led the grant writing efforts to obtain $15,000 from the department’s Innovation and Research Award to fund her doctoral research. During this project, her outstanding organization, project management, and time management skills are on full display.

Further, her ability to mentor other graduate students, as well as her maturity and presentation skills within the classroom, are exceptional. She is the go-to person for graduate students in her department.

One nominator wrote:” An infectious personality, unwavering enthusiasm, unsurpassed work ethic, and a hunger to learn are all phrases that I use to describe Mackenzie. These are all the attributes that make her an excellent student and worthy of CHHS Outstanding Graduate Student Award.”

This award was created to recognize those individuals who have supported the college in extraordinary ways.

Clay Benson

Clay Benson (’83) holds a Bachelor of Science in construction management from CSU. He has been a continuous supporter of both the Department of Construction Management and the College of Health and Human Sciences. He currently serves as corporate market director at Mortenson Construction in Denver and is a DBIA Designated Design Build Professional and USGBC LEED Accredited Professional.

As a longtime member and the current chair of CM’s Professional Advisory Development Board, Clay has been involved with the department to help with numerous initiatives such as curriculum development and diversity-related recruitment and retention efforts. He has supported both undergraduate and graduate students by providing valuable internship opportunities. He has been instrumental in communicating the importance of the University’s research mission to various external stakeholders.  He has always lent a helping hand in times of critical needs. As such, he has provided invaluable service to both the department and the college.

This award was created to recognize those individuals who have supported the college in extraordinary ways.

John M. Kefalas, Larimer County Commissioner

John Kefalas with students on senate floor

John Kefalas, Larimer County Commissioner, has been a strong supporter of the School of Social Work at Colorado State University for more than a decade. He initially taught the advanced policy class for the MSW program, in which he brought the full force of his former role as a state legislator and his real-time policy work in action. He also generously collaborated with other policy instructors in the BSW and MSW programs to benefit all social work students. Over the years, John assisted the School in revising policy course content and served as a very important mentor to new policy instructors. His insight and patience with both students and other faculty was significant in advancing our policy curriculum overall.

John Kefalas was one of the key people who helped develop the CSU School of Social Work Advocacy Day event. Advocacy Day allows social work students at all levels to travel to the Colorado state capitol, observe legislative sessions, and meet with legislators. Students listen to hearings and dig into legislation on issues such as mental health and social justice. During the last Advocacy Day, more than 100 students attended, and multiple legislators also scheduled time to meet with students in small groups to discuss policy advocacy.

John Kefalas has also volunteered countless hours training and teaching undergraduate and graduate level social work students as a site supervisor for social work field education, or internships. John has been a consistent, collaborative, strengths-based, and thoughtful partner for students to learn how policies and policy-making can impact and support people’s lives. Students have had the opportunity to learn from John through his association with local non-profits, with the Colorado House of Representatives, and with the Colorado State Senate. John continues to make a difference for students in CSU’s School of Social Work today, as a field education supervisor while in his current role as a Larimer County Commissioner.

This award was created to recognize those individuals who have supported the college in extraordinary ways.

Rick Miranda

Rick Miranda, who served as the Colorado State University provost and executive vice president, is a long-time friend of the College, always going above and beyond to support our work. Rick is a thoughtful and creative leader, and over the years has provided guidance and resources for a vast array of initiatives. Rick collaboratively strategizes about ways to make things happen, find resources to support them, and approaches challenges with an innovative and supportive camaraderie. He is a patient mentor to many, and a tireless advocate for excellence at CSU and in the College. Rick has supported several large initiatives including, to name a few:

• the Nancy Richardson Design Center,
• Health and Exercise Science Human Performance Clinical Research Lab expansion,
• the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging,
• numerous faculty hires, promotions, and retentions,
• cluster hires in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in healthy aging, and
• several new undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Our thanks go out to Rick Miranda for his outstanding dedication to supporting our College’s needs, and most importantly, dreams.