Congratulations to our outstanding 2024 award recipients

Andy Harris and I are delighted to announce the 2024 recipients of UW Tacoma’s annual awards recognizing distinguished teaching, research, community engagement and alumni. These individuals have been selected by their colleagues to recognize outstanding work that upholds the mission of UW Tacoma.

In addition, I am proud to note that several UW Tacoma faculty and staff have been honored at the tri-campus level for their work in teaching, global engagement and collaboration.

We will celebrate all of our honorees at our annual Spring Recognition on Monday, May 20, from 3:30 - 5 p.m. in William W. Philip Hall. I hope everyone can join us to celebrate these outstanding individuals and teams.

DISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARD
Emma Rose, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences

Dr. Emma Rose is a technical communication scholar whose research and teaching is motivated by a commitment to social justice and designing for inclusion. Dr. Rose’s scholarly focus on human-centered design and inclusivity informs her student-centered approach to teaching. She co-creates rubrics with students and structures her assignments to encourage students to bring their interests, literacies, and expertise into her classes. In addition to designing courses, assignments, and activities that foster deep reflection and critical inquiry, Dr. Rose is a strong advocate for the transformative learning experience of undergraduate research. She has worked with students on over 25 projects including NSF-funded grants and community-engaged projects. Dr. Rose also serves as a mentor and peer observer for faculty colleagues.

Award committee: Ellen Bayer (Chair), Nara Almeida, Nasir Haghighi, Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman, Eva Ma, and Barb Toews

DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH AWARD
Angela Kitali, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Engineering & Technology

Dr. Angela Kitali’s research focuses on using real-time data and applying data-driven, statistical, and machine learning approaches to improve highway safety and traffic operations. Her research reflects a profound understanding of the societal significance of transportation engineering. Dr. Kitali's collective work thus far includes an impressive 23 journal publications, 15 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and four abstract-reviewed presentations. She has actively sought to diversify her research portfolio, engaging in a wide range of activities including research, grant writing, and collaborative endeavors. Dr. Kitali’s proactive engagement with government agencies and community groups extends far beyond the Tacoma area, reflecting her commitment to effecting positive change on a broader scale.

Award committee: Xingyue (Luna) Zhang (Chair), Asia Bishop, Mohammed Jasim, and Peter Selkin

DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD
Chieh (Sunny) Cheng, R.N., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership

Students’ mental health challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic, yet Washington ranks 43rd in the nation for equitable access to mental health care for youth. Dr. Cheng has partnered with MultiCare and Tacoma Public Schools to develop mental health promotion programs for school youth. Her collaborative approach ensures that the programs are not only informed by academic insights but also deeply rooted in the experiences and needs of the community. Partners noted that she combines "deep research knowledge with innovative thinking to push the field of behavioral health forward. And she does all of this with kindness, compassion and humility."

DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD
Eric Madfis, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Social Work & Criminal Justice

As head of the Violence Prevention and Transformation Research Collaborative, Dr. Madfis conducts groundbreaking research on the causes and prevention of violence and shares this knowledge with scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and the public in order to reduce violence in our society. In particular, his collaborative research partnership with Salem-Keizer School District to evaluate the threat assessment model used throughout Washington and Oregon is leading to best practices that address concerns around both safety and equity. His community partners praised his approach to research and his work bring people across disciplines together on this important topic.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
Omari Amili
School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences '14 ,'16

As the new director of the Husky Post Prison Pathways program, Omari Amili knows there aren’t many places embracing formerly incarcerated individuals where they can feel safe. Amili worked hard to turn his life around and was grateful to find a welcoming home at UW Tacoma where he earned both his BA and MA from the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. Along the way, he learned that a prison record meant your life was over. “You may walk out with the best intentions to never go back,” he says. “But when you are met by a community that won’t give you a place to live or a job, prison becomes a revolving door. I chose not to accept that truth.” He is being honored for the exceptional impact he has on students, formerly incarcerated individuals, and the broader community in his work since his release.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Megan Kitagawa
Office of Advancement

Megan Kitagawa is the Creative Director in Advancement. From day one, she has brought a breadth of talent and community awareness to the UW Tacoma campus. Besides having a relationship with nearly every department on campus, she has been instrumental in helping to create collaboration with the Tacoma School of the Arts. She has created space for SOTA students and UW Tacoma students alike to be mentored in the graphic design field. She cares deeply about students and it shows clearly to anyone who works with her.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Kara Peters
UW Tacoma Library

Kara Peters is the Operations and Strategic Programs Assistant in the Library. Her activities both inside her position and out have been of great benefit to those on campus and those in the community. She has lead the library to be part of a great many initiatives around a wide range of topics, such as Earth Week, student food insecurity, the Husky Giving Campaign, and many more. She is a leader in cross-collaboration and relationship building on campus for students, staff, and faculty alike.

UW Tri-campus Awards

The honorees below will be recognized at our Spring Recognition event and also at UW's Awards of Excellence ceremony on June 6 in Meany Hall on the Seattle campus.

UW DISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARD FOR TEAMS

Digital Learning User Experience: Improving Digital Learning (DLUX) team — SIAS faculty members Emma Rose and Libi Sundermann, Office of Digital Learning Director Darcy Janzen and Learning Designer Chris Lott — are being honored for their work to establish a shared language around teaching excellence at UW, develop common criteria, and align processes to promote and achieve quality instruction across modalities.

UW DISTINGUISHED STAFF COLLABORATION AWARD

Carly Johnson, program coordinator in the Office of Community Partnerships, is being honored for outstanding achievement and excellence through effective collaboration. Since 2015, Carly has engaged in meaningful collaborations to support and sustain community engagement partnerships and initiatives. Her contributions have led to creating a culture that values and embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, making the University of Washington a better place for all.

EXCELLENCE IN GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AWARD

Courtney Kroll, associate director of Study Abroad, is being recognized for her work exemplify an unflagging commitment to cross-cultural communication and interaction, access and inclusive practices in international programming, and innovative thinking and initiative in developing and implementing global engagement activities on our campus.