Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Rising Star Women of Education for 2024. These influential leaders in educational leadership are dedicated to guiding and shaping the experiences of students, faculty, and staff. Through their commitment to creating innovative, inclusive environments, they ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive. This year’s honorees are not only focused on the continuous improvement of their departments and programs, but also share a common goal of fostering academic excellence and creating equitable opportunities for all.
First we congratulate Marta Korytkowska, Director of Educational Technology and Strategy at Mount Sinai Health System. With a deep commitment to translating complex scientific research into accessible content for inter-professional and patient education, Korytkowska brings over eight years of specialized experience in clinical practice, research, and education.
We also honor Gina Antoniello, Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor in Sports Management at NYU. With over a decade of experience as a sports communications executive, Antoniello joined NYU as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Sports Management and last served as Head of Communications for the XFL's New York Guardians.
Finally, we recognize the impressive career trajectory of Jennifer Chan. Starting as an elementary school teacher, Chan went on to become a Training Systems and Operations Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She now serves as the Associate Director and Career Strategist at the Marshall School of Business in Graduate Career Services at USC.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Rising Star Women of Education for 2024.
Karen Chapple
Director, School of Cities, Professor of Geography & Planning, University of Toronto
Karen Chapple is the Director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, where she also serves as a Professor of Geography and Planning. She is also a professor emerita of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where she served as department chair and held the Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Urban Studies, and she leads the downtown recovery research project, which is a collaboration between the School of Cities and the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley.
In 2023 Chapple received the Sir Peter Hall Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Field from the Regional Studies Association. She has written multiple books and has published recently on subjects like the use of big data to predict gentrification, the fiscalization of land use, and urban displacement. In 2015, she co-founded the Urban Displacement Project, a research portal examining patterns of residential, commercial, and industrial displacement. In 2015, her work on climate change and tax policy won the UC-wide competition for the Bacon Public Lectureship, which promotes evidence-based public policy and creative thinking for the public good. Chapple received the 2017 UC-Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for Research in the Public Interest, and she received a Fulbright Global Scholar Award for 2017-2018 to explore expanding the Urban Displacement Project to cities in Europe and Latin America. In 2020, Chapple launched the Department of City and Regional Planning's new urban data science training program focused on housing and transportation.
Chapple holds a BA in Urban Studies, Phi Beta Kappa, from Columbia University, a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the Pratt Institute, and a PhD from UC, Berkeley. She has served on the faculties of the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania, in addition to UC Berkeley. She is a founding member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Building Resilient Regions. Before academia, Chapple spent 10 years as a practicing planner in economic development, land use, and transportation in New York and San Francisco.
Chelsea Miller
Director, Education & Opportunity & Senior Project Manager, Live Better U, Walmart
Chelsea Miller is the Director of Education and Opportunity at Walmart, as well as the Senior Project Manager for Live Better U, Walmart's education benefit offering. Miller leads the program, which provides Walmart-paid education offerings to field associates on their first day of employment, and she navigates the day-to-day operations and strategy for Live Better U.
With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit and political sectors in North Carolina and Arkansas, Miller has a proven record as a collaborative leader and facilitator in nonprofit work, political initiatives, employer education, corporate social responsibility, and community development. In 2017, Miller founded Magnolia Roots Consulting (now Arkansas People First Consulting) to meet the need for campaign talent for candidates wanting to run for office in Northwest Arkansas. She continued in this role until 2022. Previously, Miller worked for the National Skills Coalition, where she implemented an advocacy strategy developed in collaboration with peers to meet the needs of small and medium business leaders who champion skills policies at the federal and state levels.
Miller graduated from Clinton School of Public Service with a Master's in Public Service Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an undergraduate degree in peace war and defense and religious studies.
Nicole Wong
Learning Strategy Director: Products & Tech, Generative AI & Digital Upskilling, Business Development, PwC
Nicole Wong is the Learning Strategy Director of Products and Tech for Generative AI and Digital Upskilling and Business Development at PwC. She leads learning and development (L&D) teams and builds strategic partnerships with business leaders, human capital, and communications and change teams. Her mission is to co-create, execute, and measure the effectiveness of learning and talent strategies that drive adoption and empower the organization to achieve its goals more efficiently.
Before joining PwC, Wong was a senior manager of leadership development in the human resources talent and organizational development group at Yahoo. Before that, she was an airline, hotel, tourism, and workplace issues reporter at The Boston Globe. Earlier in her career, she worked with San Jose Mercury News as an education and city hall reporter.
Wong graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science in Journalism. She received her undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and she served as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Economics and Business at Columbia Business School.
Genie Kim
Director of Student Mental Health & Well-being, University of California
Genie Kim is the Director of Student Mental Health & Well-being at the University of California (UC). UC offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in biotechnology, computer science, and architecture.
Kim started her career in 2007 as an in-home behavioral specialist at Family Care Network, Inc. From there, she went on to Puma Aquatic Team Inc., before eventually rising to director of well-being and health education at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, her most recent position before joining University of California. Throughout her career, Kim’s goal has been to foster a culture of health and well-being through creative and innovative programs that empower individuals and create positive, lasting change, whether significant or small. She believes that everyone has a role to play, and her focus is on helping others fulfill theirs.
Kim graduated from the University of Southern California with a doctorate in social work and graduated from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo with a Master's in Public Policy and from Penn State University with an undergraduate degree in human development and family studies and family services.
Marie Eve Poirier-Harris
Director of Education & Volunteer Programs at the CR Smith Museum, American Airlines
Marie Eve Poirier-Harris is the Director of Education and Volunteer Programs at the CR Smith Museum of American Airlines. She first joined the company in 2018. The CR Smith Museum preserves the history of American Airlines and explains what it takes to run the airline.
Poirier-Harris has over 15 years of experience in developing and implementing result-oriented strategic plans. With more than 20 years of team management experience, she has worked in both high-profile not-for-profit and corporate organizations. She has also spent over 20 years creating, delivering, and evaluating impactful educational programs and innovative learning experiences, including virtual learning and professional development. Additionally, she brings over 12 years of experience in cultivating partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders and community partners, including fundraising, sponsorships, and grants. She is known as an inspirational servant leader with exceptional people skills and an infinite mindset.
Previously, Poirier-Harris was a curator of children's zoos at the Dallas Zoo. Before that, she was a manager of conservation and education at the Philadelphia Zoo. Earlier in her career, she worked with Biodôme de Montréal as an education programs coordinator. Poirier-Harris earned a Master's degree in Curriculum Design and Instruction from The University of Texas at Arlington and an undergraduate degree in science education from Université du Québec à Montréal.
Jennifer Adams
Director of International Teaching & Global Leadership/Associate Professor, The Johns Hopkins University
Jennifer Adams is an accomplished global educational researcher with over 15 years of experience as a professor. She has expertise in large-scale international survey design, data collection, and analysis; an extensive knowledge of quantitative methods; a successful track record in research project design and management, peer-reviewed publications, collaborative research, research funding, and conference presentations. She teaches graduate courses in education and national development, global education policymaking, the sociology of education, survey research, and quantitative research methods.
Adams is currently an Associate Professor and Director of International Teaching and Global Leadership at Johns Hopkins University. Her research, building on long-standing interests in education, social inequality, and Asian societies, investigates the effects of economic, demographic, and social change, as well as educational policy, on the educational experiences and general well-being of children and adolescents. She has drawn on her research findings to consult for non-governmental and development organizations, such as Teach for China. It has been funded by several foundations, including the Spencer Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Adams serves on the editorial board of several journals and is a panel member for the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. She was also a Fulbright Specialist in Indonesia during the fall of 2022. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Previously, she was an assistant professor at Stanford University and an associate professor at Drexel University School. She spent more than a decade in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong as a university student, primary school teacher, and school director.
Gina Antoniello
Clinical Assistant Professor & Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs
NYU School of Professional Studies
Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport
Gina Antoniello, is a sports culture expert, social justice activist, Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs, and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Tisch Institute for Global Sport. Before joining New York University in August 2020, she spent over a decade working in professional sports, leading marketing-communications strategy, social corporate responsibility, and player development programs for globally recognized teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets.
For her work in community service and programming, Gina has been recognized with a Citation of Honor, was a Congressional Capitol Flag recipient, and was also commended by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the development and launch of league-wide social responsibility programs that have impacted thousands of school age youth. Immediately before coming to NYU, Gina became one of the first women in the history of professional football to lead both football and corporate communications, when she was appointed as “Head of Communications” for the XFL's New York Guardians in 2019.
She continues to actively consult in the sports industry focusing on athlete advocacy and strategic communications. She currently teaches in the Tisch Institute’s executive education program with the National Football League (NFL), focusing on transformational change initiatives, and also serves as a strategic advisor for The United Football Players Association (UFPA). In her athlete-advisor role, she works to support the mission of ensuring the health and well-being of professional football players by agenda-setting issues such as fairness, transparency, and overall positive treatment of players on all levels, taking lessons learned from the recent stoppages of the AAF and XFL, as well as the groundswell of interest of organizing on the college football level, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her research interests focus on athlete activism and social justice in sports and society. In her doctoral coursework, her cognate was law and policy in sport and her Dissertation examines using sport as a protest platform and its impact on fan attitudes and behaviors. At NYU, she has taught a special topics course on “Athlete Activism and Social Justice,” which examines the economic, political, and social impacts of this activism on the business of sport, both domestically and internationally. Her socialization of sports courses has been taught across four continents in the last year alone, as she brought her NYU students on global field intensives to Australia, China, and Italy. Gina was recognized by the School of Professional Studies in 2023 with the distinguished school-wide “Teaching Excellence Award” for her commitment to designing activities where students learn through action and reflection while embedding the values of inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and accessibility into her teaching.
View the complete list of awardees.
Heather McCullough
Director, Learning & Technology, University of North Carolina System
Heather McCullough is the Director of Learning and Technology for the University of North Carolina System, a multi-campus university dedicated to serving the state of North Carolina and its people through world-class teaching, research, scholarship, and outreach and service. McCullough facilitates communication and collaborative efforts around these topics for faculty and staff across the UNC System and the NC Community College System. She oversees the UNC System Language Exchange and is a member of the UNC System Open Educational Resources and Textbook Affordability Working Group.
McCullough has previously served as associate director in the Center for Teaching and Learning at UNC Charlotte, where she led faculty development programming and research in pedagogy, instructional effectiveness, and new tools for teaching. She has experience leading online course design and development and support for online and blended learning. She has also previously served as professor and head of research and instructional services, and she was the founding head of digital scholarship at UNC Charlotte’s J. Murrey Atkins Library. McCullough is an alumna of the Leading Change Institute and has served on the faculty of EDUCAUSE programs. She is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide range of topics related to higher education, leadership, and learning innovation.
McCullough earned a PhD in French Literature from Indiana University and an MS in Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has taught French and English at the university level in the US and France, and she has taught communication studies and international studies in the US.
Danell Stengem
Director of Education & Practice, Magnet Program Director, Providence
Danell Stengem is the Director of Education and Practice and the Magnet Program Director at Providence, a not-for-profit network of hospitals, physicians, clinics, home health services, and affiliated health services.
With 33 years of nursing experience spanning large and small acute care settings, Stengem has served as a staff nurse, nurse educator, and nursing leader. Her focus is on leading teams to deliver quality patient care, achieve nursing excellence, improve clinical outcomes, and drive innovations in professional nursing practice. She is dedicated to maintaining her organization's ANCC Magnet designation and the Intensive Care Units' AACN Beacon Award for Excellence designation.
She first joined Providence in 2017 as the quality and nurse excellence specialist, and she has served the team as the manager of clinical education. Previously, she was a manager and clinical nurse leader program at Texas Health Resources. Earlier in her career, she worked with Swedish as a registered nurse. Stengem earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Christian University and an undergraduate degree in nursing from Seattle Pacific University.
Laura Schram
Senior Academic Director, Dean's Office, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan
Laura Schram is the Senior Academic Director for the Dean's Office at Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the oldest institution of higher education in the state.
Schram is a higher education leader committed to implementing inclusive, high-impact programs and academic initiatives. She is passionate about coaching individuals to be their best selves and achieve their professional and personal goals. Previously, Schram was a program associate at the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE). Earlier in her career, she worked with The Japan Foundation New York and the Center for Global Partnership (CGP) as a program associate.
Schram earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an undergraduate degree in international studies from Middlebury College. She is also a certified executive coach, Gallup Strengths coach, and an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) qualified administrator.
Dr. Giti Javidi
Professor & Academic Director, Information Assurance & Cybersecurity Management, University of South Florida
Giti Javidi is a distinguished leader in the field of cybersecurity, currently serving as a Professor and Academic Director for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Management at the University of South Florida, shaping the next generation of cybersecurity and AI professionals. Javidi’s remarkable leadership in AI and cybersecurity continues to make a profound impact on both academia and the broader community.
Before joining USF, she held a position as a professor of computer science at the College of Engineering at Virginia State University (VSU). Javidi is a sought-after speaker at various conferences and events, sharing her expertise on national and international stages. Javidi’s research integrates AI-driven solutions with cybersecurity protocols to enhance digital safety in smart cities. Her work has been widely published in leading journals, and she has secured numerous prestigious grants from agencies, such as the NSF, NASA, Google, and Microsoft.
Javidi is also a renowned advocate for women in STEM, dedicated to bridging the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With a distinguished career marked by academic excellence and passionate leadership, she has inspired countless women to pursue careers in these traditionally male-dominated fields. As a professor and mentor, Javidi champions the importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM, spearheading initiatives to encourage young women to explore STEM disciplines. She actively engages in community outreach programs, workshops, and conferences, sharing her insights to motivate and empower the next generation of female STEM professionals. Her impactful contributions have been acknowledged with several prestigious awards, including the 2015 VSU Fearless Leaders, the 2017 and 2020 Sarasota Women of Influence Awards, and the 2018 USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Award.
Jennifer Chan
Associate Director-Career Strategist, Marshall School of Business, Graduate Career Services, University of Southern California
Jennifer Chan is the Associate Director-Career Strategist at the Marshall School of Business in Graduate Career Services at the University of Southern California (USC). Chan is also the liaison to the MS Finance program. She has a strong commitment to developing and maintaining positive relationships with students, faculty, and staff. She encourages people to embrace the journey of career exploration and keep an open mind about various opportunities.
Chan’s first role at the university was as assistant to the director of the Center for Investment Studies from 2006 to 2008. From there, she became the administrative services coordinator for USC Libraries for four years and then the program coordinator for the Office of the Associate Dean for another four years. From 2015 to 2022, she served as the student services advisor at the Leventhal School of Accounting before starting her current position.
Previously, Chan was a training systems and operations lead for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA. Earlier in her career, she was an elementary school teacher. Chan graduated from USC Rossier School of Education with an MAEd in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs and from the University of California, Riverside, with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
Noell Bernard-Kingsley
Director of Academic Services - Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington
Noell Bernard-Kingsley is the Director of Academic Services in Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Washington (UW). She directs graduate and undergraduate advising, as well as academic and student services, for the Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
Bernard-Kingsley is a dedicated student advocate, passionate about fostering community, supporting diversity, and working with teams to create excellent structures for all university constituencies. She seeks leadership opportunities in student, academic, and advising services, aiming to collaborate with faculty, students, and colleagues to enhance access to higher education regionally and to craft accessible, high-quality educational experiences for students. She started at UW in 2006 as an academic counselor intern and rose through the ranks, serving as an academic adviser and then counseling services coordinator before starting her present role in 2014.
Bernard-Kingsley graduated from the University of Washington with a Master of Education, Curriculum, and Instruction, focusing on Language, Literacy, and Culture. She has a BA in History and a BA in English Language and Literature, both from the University of Washington.
Lorena Duran
Director of Student Wellness, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Lorena Duran is the Director of Student Wellness at USC Viterbi School of Engineering. The school, located in Los Angeles, is a global center for arts, technology, and international business and a hub for entrepreneurship that connects students from 64 countries.
Duran is a data-driven mental health practitioner passionate about building organizational capacity to ensure student well-being in academic settings. She draws upon her experience as a licensed clinical therapist to build robust and coordinated systems of social, emotional, and behavioral health support for students to pave a solid pathway toward academic success. She has expertise in community and civic engagement and strategic professional development and is committed to creating diverse, inclusive, and supportive educational environments.
Previously, Duran was a director of student services at East Whittier City School District. Before that, she was a project specialist at the University of Southern California. Earlier in her career, she worked with the "I Have A Dream" Foundation as a project coordinator. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has a doctorate in educational leadership. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Southern California.
View the complete list of awardees.
Jodi Collova
Director of LL.M. Legal Research & Writing, Professor of Legal Writing, University of California, Berkeley - School of Law
Jodi L. Collova leads a faculty of experienced legal writing instructors who teach foreign-trained LL.M. students common law legal analysis and the U.S. style of legal writing. She hires, trains, and supervises a team of 23 adjunct professors and 21 teaching assistants. She develops the curriculum and coordinates Berkeley Law's LL.M. legal research and writing program, which serves 350 LL.M. students each year. She teaches both in-person and online courses, including Fundamentals of U.S. Law (the introductory course for foreign-trained LL.M. students), LL.M. Legal Research and Writing, LL.M. Advanced Legal Writing, and LL.M. Capstone Writing Workshop.
Berkeley Law is one of the nation’s premier law schools, located at one of the world’s great universities, in one of the most vibrant places on the planet. Berkeley Law is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. It is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the nation. The law school has produced leaders in law, government, and society, including Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren, Secretary of State of the United States Dean Rusk, American civil rights activist Pauli Murray, California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, president and founder of the Equal Justice Society Eva Paterson, United States Northern District of California Judge Thelton Henderson, and Attorney General of the United States Edwin Meese.
Prior to joining Berkeley Law in 2017, she taught as an adjunct professor and worked as a research librarian at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, the University of San Francisco School of Law, and Golden Gate University School of Law. She also taught legal writing as a visiting professor to LL.M. students at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai in 2017. Prior to transitioning to an academic career, she practiced plaintiff’s-side employment law with a private firm in San Francisco. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Legal Writing Institute, and the Association of Legal Writing Directors. She is also an Honored Listee in Marquis Who's Who.
Amander Clark, PhD
Director of the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health & Education, UCLA
Amander Clark is the inaugural Director of the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health, and Education of UCLA, which seeks to bridge students, staff, and faculty across multiple disciplines to improve human reproductive health. She began her tenure as president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research that same year. Clark is committed to training the next generation of scholars and life-long learners who appreciate the position of science in society and the power of scientific discovery to change lives.
Clark uses stem cells to study the cellular, molecular, and biochemical basis of germline and ovarian development. Through this work, she seeks to advance their understanding of human reproductive health and to develop stem cell-based approaches to restore or manage fertility. Clark’s research has yielded critical insights into the cell and molecular principles of human primordial germ cell development during prenatal life. Her lab uses human embryonic stem cells to model and understand the molecular and genetic events that regulate the production of germ cells, which create eggs or sperm. Through this work, she seeks to characterize the key stages of healthy germ cell development and to discover the genes, pathways, and environmental factors that can disrupt this process, ultimately causing infertility and reproductive aging.
Clark graduated from the University of Melbourne with a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology, and she has an undergraduate degree in cell and developmental biology.
Lerah Sutton
Director, Forensic Medicine Educational Program & Assistant Director, Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, University of Florida
Lerah Sutton is the Director of the Forensic Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Medicine, as well as the Assistant Director of the Maples Center for Forensic Medicine. University of Florida is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university.
Sutton is an educator, teaching academic and continuing education courses related to her areas of specialization. She teaches numerous academic courses on topics, including artifacts of decomposition and principles of crime scene investigation within the Forensic Medicine Master’s Degree Program, a program for which she was instrumental in the design and development, and she manages other program faculty, instructors, and staff. She also oversees the creation, implementation, and instruction of continuing education courses for law enforcement and forensic science professionals. Sutton graduated from the University of Florida with a PhD in forensic anthropology, an MS in Forensic Science, and an undergraduate degree in anthropology.
Sutton is a medicolegal death investigator within the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System (FEMORS) and serves as deputy commander during incidents, deployments, and training. She serves as the executive director of the International Forensic Medicine Association, a Fellow of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, and the chair of the Higher Education Committee of the Council of Forensic Science Educators, and she is an active member of numerous other forensic-related professional organizations. Sutton actively consults for over 100 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners’ offices on both active and cold cases related to forensic taphonomy, clandestine gravesite detection and excavation, comparative osteology, human decomposition, and estimation of the postmortem interval.
Catalina Cayetano
New College Director of Learning Enterprise (LE) & Community Engagement, Arizona State University
Catalina Cayetano is the New College Director of Learning Enterprise (LE) and Community Engagement at Arizona State University (ASU). ASU has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution committed to excellence, access, and impact. Cayetano is responsible for creating/seeking opportunities, where outreach, engagement, and collaboration become integral to underscoring the value of community partner knowledge. She emphasizes the development of community embeddedness as an intercultural communication journey, where intercultural competence guides the building of community relationships.
Cayetano is an innovative leader in the field of intercultural communication. Her experience as a Latina first-generation student guides her perspective of what it means to build communities of dialogue through social and cultural ecological observations and reflections of the self. Through her active involvement with the ASU campus community as honors faculty, director of research initiatives and intercultural engagement at CommLabASU, and with community organizations like Neighborhood Ministries, she aims to foster dialogic cultural relations that contribute to building communities based on advocacy, compassion, and unity.
Before joining Arizona State University, Cayetano was an assistant manager at multiple popular retail locations, including American Eagle Outfitters and Gap Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked with Target as an executive team leader in logistics. Cayetano attended Arizona State University for her PhD in Intercultural Communication, her MA in Communication Studies, and her undergraduate degree in communication.
Julie Johnson
Professor of Medicine & Pharmacy; Director, Center for Clinical & Translational Sciences, The Ohio State University
Julie Johnson is a Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Director of the Center for Clinical & Translational Sciences at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics and the implementation of precision medicine approaches into clinical practice. She is an internationally recognized leader in clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics, and genomic medicine, with over 330 peer-reviewed original publications and more than $55 million in research funding as a principal investigator.
Before joining Ohio State in 2023, Johnson spent over 25 years on the faculty at the University of Florida, where she was a distinguished professor of pharmacy and medicine (cardiovascular medicine). She was the first female dean of UF’s College of Pharmacy, serving from 2013 to 2022, and also held roles as a center and program director and department chair during her tenure at UF.
Johnson earned a PharmD in Clinical Pharmacy from The University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Ohio State. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Heart Association, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology.
Melissa Ellegood
Assistant Director of Learning Technology Initiatives, University of Virginia
Melissa Ellegood is the Assistant Director of Learning Technology Initiatives at the University of Virginia (UVA). UVA is Virginia’s flagship institution of higher learning, perennially ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation. Having the best public college financial aid package and the highest graduation rate in the nation, UVA offers a life-changing return on investment for students from all backgrounds.
Ellegood is interested in educational technology and instructional design positions. Previously, she was the director of educational technologies for the Yuma Union High School District. In this role, she assisted her district in navigating the onset of COVID-19, published an article, implemented Edgenuity, and oversaw the Canvas LMS in its entirety. She began her tenure with YUHSD in 2011 as a special education teacher. After three years of teaching special education, she started a marketing program at Kofa High School. She has also taught education professions and business leadership internship courses under the CTE umbrella.
Ellegood graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Master of Arts in Education in Leadership and Administration and from Arizona State University with a Master of Arts in Education and Instructional Technology. She attended Christopher Newport University to receive her undergraduate degree in marketing.
Alicia Holder
Business Development Director, Executive Education, Corporate Partnerships & Lifelong Learning, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University
Alicia Holder has been working in business and community relationship development in higher education since 1992 in a wide range of capacities. She is currently the Business Development Director of Executive Education, Corporate Partnerships, and Lifelong Learning at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU). She is responsible for engaging companies and individuals at a variety of levels in the school's non-degree professional development programs and serving as a conduit between the business community and the university.
Holder started at ASU as the office specialist in the Center for Services Leadership. From there, she was promoted to the director of student and corporate relations in the MBA Career Management Center and then to the associate director back in the Center for Services Leadership. She has also served the center as the director of business partnerships. Earlier in her career, she was the assistant director of university events at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Her responsibilities there included bringing notable speakers to the Norfolk area for the university's President's Lecture Series and other events to promote the school to the community, alumni, donors, and prospective students.
Holder graduated from the Evening MBA program at the W. P. Carey School in 2000, and she holds an MA in Teaching. She was the W. P. Carey School of Business winner of the Dean's Staff Recognition Award and was a recipient of the Arizona Governor's Team Award for Excellence. A marketing campaign run under Holder’s direction has won the Phoenix area American Marketing Association award for “Best Business to Business Marketing Campaign”. Holder is an avid cyclist and hiker and enjoys any moment she can share with others exploring the beauty of Arizona.
View the complete list of awardees.
Cindy Brantmeier
Professor, Applied Linguistics & Director, Language Research Lab, Washington University in St. Louis
Cindy Brantmeier is a Professor of Applied Linguistics and the Director of the Language Research Lab, which includes the interdisciplinary PhD and the undergraduate minor, at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also the co-director of the Graduate Certificate of Language Instruction. Brantmeier teaches courses on linguistics and also has extensive experience teaching in the USA, Nicaragua, Mexico, Spain, and Costa Rica. She was the recipient of Washington University's 2012 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award and has won several teaching awards from other universities and language programs. She is also a five-time recipient of the Graduate Student Mentoring Award at WashU.
For 25 years, Brantmeier has conducted research on language acquisition across the globe. Since 2019, she has served as the inaugural faculty fellow for international research in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the Medical School and Danforth Campus. Her primary goal in this position is to protect the rights and welfare of linguistically and culturally diverse human subjects in research while advancing scientific knowledge. She is a principal investigator in the Language Research Laboratory at Washington University, where she conducts experiments across languages that examine variables involved in second language reading, language research methodology, and language testing and assessment. She has published over 75 articles and chapters along with five edited books and volumes.
Brantmeier has held many leadership positions in the USA and abroad. She was the director of an English Language Center in Estelí, Nicaragua, which won an international award for outstanding program development between the USA and other nations. For 13 years, she held supervisory positions in romance languages. She has her Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Linguistics from Miami University and her PhD in Applied Linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington.
Janet Daniels
Assistant Director at the Student Center, Griffin GSAS, Harvard University
Janet Daniels is the Assistant Director at the Student Center, Griffin GSAS, at Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Daniels advises the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council (GSC) and the student government. She supports student groups and manages the Engage website. She started at Harvard in 2013 and was promoted through the ranks, accepting her current position in 2023.
Before joining Harvard University, Daniels taught at several universities as an adjunct instructor or visiting professor, including Quincy College, Tufts University, and Simmons University. Earlier in her career, she was a customer service and operations assistant at Barefoot Books and a bookseller at The Galaxy Bookstore. She was also an assistant to the children’s librarian at Gaylord Memorial Library.
Daniels graduated from Simmons University with an MFA in Writing Children's Literature and from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in medieval studies, English language and literature, art history, and French.
Lindsay Hayes
Director, Marketing & Enrollment Management, Digital Learning, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Today, Lindsay Hayes is the Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management for Digital Learning at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the nation's second-oldest private engineering school.
Hayes has worked with diverse learners across a range of settings, including middle schoolers in Baltimore City, student-athletes, future teachers at Penn State, and professionals at NYU. Before accepting her current position, she served NYU as the manager of professional education programs and as the assistant director of marketing.
As a marketer, learning scientist, and an advocate for technology-enabled learning, Hayes has been working at the intersection of higher education, marketing, learning design, technology, and innovation for over 12 years. Before joining NYU, Hayes earned her PhD in Learning, Design, and Technology at Penn State University, where her research focused on hybrid learning environments. She holds a Master's in Education from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors in Marketing from Penn State's Smeal School of Business.
Kim Koenigsberger
Administrative Director of Education, University of California San Francisco
Kim Koenigsberger is the Administrative Director of Education at the University of California San Francisco. In her role, she provides administrative, financial, and strategic leadership to the medical educational programs, including the GME programs with over 430 trainees and the UME program with more than 350 students, ensuring operational efficiency, educational quality, and compliance.
Koenigsberger is passionate about building cohesive teams and bringing out the strengths in team members. She has committed her career to serving a diverse group of learners from international students to underrepresented minority learners. Her passion for this mission stems from her belief that education empowers individuals, organizations, and nations to contribute to a better world. Her affinity for innovative thinking, continuous process improvement, and relationship building has been the cornerstone of her career.
Koenigsberger comes with over a decade of experience in higher education administration having held positions in program management, admissions, and outreach. She established and led the international admissions office at Cal State Fullerton, spearheaded international marketing efforts at UC Davis Extension, and most recently coordinated UCSF School of Pharmacy’s Post Baccalaureate Program and the PharmD outreach efforts. Koenigsberger holds a BA in Speech Communication from California Polytechnic State University and a Master’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies from San Diego State University.
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