Outstanding Staff Awards

2025 OutSTanding Staff Awards Highlight Reel

Each year, the 911±¬ÁÏÍø proudly recognizes employees who go above and beyond in advancing the university’s mission. The hard work and dedication of these staff and administrative employees greatly contribute to USF's success and upward trajectory.


2025 Winners

Employee of the Year
Sponsored by Gabor Financial Solutions

Janelle Hanson
USF Health - College of Public Health

Jorge Armando Rodriguez
Office of Compliance & Ethics

2025 Individual Winners

A.J. Topp
  Information Technology
Ashley Lora
  Muma College of Business
Audrianna Goss
  Recreation and 911±¬ÁÏÍøllness
Brandon Roberts
  Athletics
Brent Forget
  Morsani College of Medicine
Catherine Macaulay Cardinal
  College of Marine Science
Charmaine Beall
  Cyber Florida
Dalton Hoffer
  New Student & Family Engagement
Daniel Crawford
  Parking & Transportation Services
Deb Howard
  College of Arts and Sciences
Eddie Richardson
  Housing and Residential Services
Giovanni Luciano
  College of Arts and Sciences
Grant Gundle
  Emergency Management
Heather  Ward
  Global and National Security Institute (GNSI)
Ivan Viamontes
  Internal Audit
Janelle Hanson
  USF Health College of Public Health
Jena Rossman
  College of Behavioral & Community Sciences
Jennifer Valko
  College of Engineering
Jerome Thomas
  Office of Admissions
Jessica Wilson
  College of Arts and Sciences
Jill Srofe
  College of Engineering

Jorge Armando Rodriguez
  Office of Compliance & Ethics
Katrina Leffers
  Research & Innovation
Kelly Pearson
  College of Arts and Sciences
Kristi Laribee
  Advancement
Lauren Baumgartner
  Muma College of Business
Lauren Siegal
  Morsani College of Medicine
Leigh 911±¬ÁÏÍøst
  USF CONNECT (USFRI)
Lesley Brooks
  Libraries
Lisa Farrell
  College of Engineering
Melissa Villegas
  Morsani College of Medicine
Michael Mathon
  Campus Computing
Michelle Campbell
  Morsani College of Medicine
Michelle Jahn
  Muma College of Business
Omar Shaheen
  Office of Research
Renea Forde
  Residential Education
Shane Combs
  Undergraduate Studies
Tammy Moscato
  Student Outreach and Support / SOCAT
Torie Doll
  University Communications & Marketing
Trang Ly
  USF World
Wanda Wood
  Student Accounting Services, UCO

2025 Team Winners

Team 1

Allison Madden 
  Research and Innovation
Ann Comer-Woods 
  Research and Innovation
Anna Litinskaya 
  Research and Innovation
Cassidy Delamarter 
  University Communications and Marketing
Colleen Parker 
  Research and Innovation
D.J. Pollock 
  University Police
David Scanga 
  College of Education
Dawn Coultas 
  Advancement
Drew Farmer 
  Advancement

Eddie Aikins 
  Research and Innovation
Elizabeth Nelson 
  Research and Innovation
Jamie Spurrier 
  Research and Innovation
Jamila Cowans 
  Research and Innovation
Karen Garcia-McGowan 
  Research and Innovation
Kate Evans 
  Advancement
Katrina Leffers 
  Human Resources
Kelsey Deck 
  Research and Innovation
Lauren Parker 
  Research and Innovation

Laurie O'Brien 
  Advancement
Leelavathy Somasundaram 
  Information Technology
Madeline Stoddard 
  Research and Innovation
Mark McLaughlin 
  Research and Innovation
Megan Cott 
  Research and Innovation
Michele Tyrpak 
  Research and Innovation
Nazek Jawad 
  Research and Innovation
Noemi Merced 
  Student Accounting Services
Omar Shaheen 
  Research and Innovation

Paul Cardoso 
  Research and Innovation
Sarah Smith 
  Advancement
Saundra Johnson Austin 
  Research and Innovation
Sue Orr 
  Advancement
Sujie Chen 
  Research and Innovation
Tracey Marlowe 
  Advancement
Victoria Stuart 
  Research and Innovation
Xavier Carr 
  University Police

Team 2

Allen Amani 
  Advancement
Ally Rost 
  Advancement
Allyson Norton 
  College of Engineering
Althea Johnson 
  University Communications and Marketing
Andrea Ortiz  
  Human Resources
Andres Faza  
  University Communications and Marketing
Anne Scott  
  University Communications and Marketing
Ashley Rodrigues 
  University Communications and Marketing
Beth Pierce 
  Advancement
Britt Self  
  University Communications and Marketing
Bryan Dos Reis
  Innovative Education
Caitlyn Roberts-Lambert 
  Advancement
Carly Plate 
  Advancement
Cassidy Delamarter  
  University Communications and Marketing
Cynthia Brown Hernandez  
  Office of Decision Support
Daisy Matos  
  College of Engineering
David Panton  
  Innovative Education
David Rosa  
  Libraries

Diana Trueman  
  Innovative Education
Dominika McLean 
  Advancement
Ellyn Couillard  
  College of Engineering
Emily Limbach 
  Advancement
Ethan Peebles 
  Advancement
Gary Granger  
  Innovative Education
Ghassan Abdallah  
  Innovative Education
Grace Beck  
  University Communications and Marketing
Ilana Thomsett 
  Office of the Provost
Jamillia Anderson 
  Office of the Registrar
Jared Brown 
  Innovative Education
Jason Su  
  Innovative Education
Jeremy Willis   
  Innovative Education
Jessica Samaniego  
  Office of the President
Jill Hernandez  
  College of Engineering
John Cundy   
  Innovative Education
John Dudley  
  University Communications and Marketing
John Morgan 
  College of Engineering
Laura Hemphill 
  Human Resources
Laura Rivera 
  Advancement

Leah Reiney 
  Advancement
Maile Sinclair-Baxter  
  College of Engineering
Mark Maiellaro  
  College of Engineering
Martin Espinoza 
  Innovative Education
Mary Goodwin  
  College of Engineering
John Tipton 
  Advancemen
Karen Sousa 
  Student Success
Katherine Bourcier 
  Student Success
Katie Wagner 
  Student Success
Kelly Busch 
  Advancement
Kendrick Scales 
  Student Success
Kiley Mallard 
  Advancement
Krista Lee  
  University Communications and Marketing
Kyrstin DiMercurio  
  University Communications and Marketing
Lanie Funaro 
  Advancement
Laura Owczarek  
  College of Engineering
Matthew McDonough
  Libraries
Mayra Morfin  
  College of Engineering
Michelle King  
  College of Engineering

Neona Bailey 
  College of Engineering
Noah Noonan 
  University Communications and Marketing
Penny Carnathan 
  Advancement
Ryan Hughes 
  University Communications and Marketing
Sophia Ramesar  
  College of Engineering
Stacey Sepulveda 
  College of Engineering
Tara Centeno  
  Office of the Provost
Tim Sodhi 
  Advancement  
Tina Meketa  
  University Communications and Marketing
Tom Woolf  
  University Communications and Marketing
Torie Doll  
  University Communications and Marketing
Tré Smith 
  University Communications and Marketing
Vanessa Milford  
  Innovative Education
911±¬ÁÏÍøndy Stoneman-Shelby 
  Human Resources
Will Tillis  
  Innovative Education

ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATION PROCESS

Eligibility

All staff and administrative employees in regular, established positions who are continuously employed from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, are eligible for nomination. To maintain eligibility, an employee must hold an established position for at least thirty days prior to the awards ceremony in order to receive the award. Time spent in temporary (OPS) assignments will not count toward eligibility.

Faculty and temporary employees (both student and non-student) are not eligible for nomination for the Outstanding Staff Awards. However, they are encouraged to participate in nominating staff and administrative employees for recognition. 

Nomination Process for the Nominator

Complete the individual or team nomination online using the appropriate 2025 Outstanding Staff Awards Nomination forms during the open nomination period. 911±¬ÁÏÍø will only accept nominations submitted through the online form. Prepare the text of your nomination in advance; we highly recommend writing the body of your nomination ahead of time, . You can then copy and paste the text into the fields of the online form.

Process for the Selection Committee

Central Human Resources (CHR) will validate eligibility and then provide the nominations of all eligible candidates to each VP Area Outstanding Staff Award (OSA) Selection Committee for review. CHR will keep copies of all nomination forms.

frequently asked questions

Nomination Questions
Question Answer
How many employees can be included in a team nomination? There is no limit to the number of employees who can be nominated for a team award, but each member should have made a significant contribution to the team.
Who can submit a nomination for the Outstanding Staff Award? Any member of the USF community may submit a nomination for the Outstanding Staff Award. As a OneUSF program, we encourage nominations from team members across all campuses to highlight the wide range of contributions of our staff and administrative employees. 911±¬ÁÏÍø also invite nominations for staff and administrative employees who are essential workers, veterans, and members of historically marginalized groups.
Can someone nominate an employee from a different department or VP area? Absolutely. An employee can nominate a colleague, supervisor, or someone they work with from another department.
Can someone nominate themselves for an award? Yes! If an eligible employee would like to nominate themselves for an individual or team award, they are encouraged to do so.
Can someone be nominated for more than one award? Absolutely. An employee can win an individual and/or a team award.
I would like to nominate a team, but one of its members has only been here for six months. Is the team still eligible? Yes, though only team members who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered for an award. Team members who are not eligible can still attend the ceremony and cheer for their fellow team members from the audience, but they will not be recognized on stage or receive a monetary award.
Eligibility Questions
Question Answer
Who is eligible to receive an Outstanding Staff Award? All regular staff and administration employees (with a position number) continuously employed on a position from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, are eligible for nomination. Faculty and temporary employees (student and non-student) are not eligible to be nominated but are welcome to participate in nominating staff and administrative employees.
Are past winners able to win again? Yes, there are no limits on the number of times an employee can receive an Outstanding Staff Award.
Ceremony Questions
Question Answer
When is the ceremony?  The selected winners, their direct supervisors, and Senior Leadership will receive notification of the ceremony date, as well as details regarding parking, guests, and other information to follow. The selected winners will be informed once the selection committee has completed its review and selection.
If I am not a selected winner, can I attend?  Due to space limitations, we regret that not everyone will be able to attend in person. However, we are excited to share that the ceremony will be recorded, and photos will be made available for everyone to enjoy.
How are recipients honored and rewarded? Each recipient of the Outstanding Staff Award is honored by their area leadership during the annual Outstanding Staff Awards ceremony. They receive a trophy and a $500 monetary award.

PAST WINNERS

Award Winners 2024

Award Winners 2021 |

Award Winners 2019 |

Award Winners 2018

Award Winners 2017

For more information, please contact OfficeOfThePresident@usf.edu.