Announcement of 2020 and 2021 Advising and Student Services Award Recipients

December 3, 2021

Dear UC Berkeley Community,

On behalf of Berkeley’s Council of Advising and Student Support and our awards planning committee, we are delighted to announce the recipients of our 2020 and 2021 Excellence in Advising and Student Services Awards, and express our sincere gratitude to all our nominees for their outstanding contributions. These awards recognize the positive and innovative impact our recipients have on student learning, engagement, and belonging on the Berkeley campus. Congratulations to each of the award recipients listed below on this important achievement. The selection committee had a pool of very talented individuals from which to choose, and we wish to acknowledge our many nominators and contributors to this challenging selection process.

You are warmly invited to join us in recognizing our award recipients and Celebrating Our Collective Efforts on Wednesday, December 15, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. PT via Zoom. We look forward to celebrating the entire student services community for their ongoing hard work and dedication to supporting students. We also look forward to spending well-deserved time together for some much needed joy, laughter, music, games, and some amazing giveaways/prizes!  There will be opportunities to share kudos and gratitude with each other. RSVP now for this event.

You are also encouraged to add your words of gratitude and thanks to individuals and teams within our student services community on this 2021 Kudoboard.

Thank you for making Berkeley a better place for students and for all of us.

Sincerely,

Lisa García Bedolla, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division

Oliver M. O’Reilly, Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Dania Matos, Vice Chancellor, Equity & Inclusion

Stephen C. Sutton, Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs


2020 and 2021 Excellence in Advising and Student Services Awards Recipients
Please see the Advising and Student Services Awards webpage for more detail, including names of team members.

Equity Champion

  • Brenaia Blue, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters and Science
  • Christopher Hunn, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, College of Engineering
  • Fatima Alleyne, College of Engineering
  • Ricky Vides, College of Engineering
  • Shamaya Pellum, College of Chemistry
  • Tomie Lenear, Student Parent Center, Centers for Educational Equity & Excellence

Virtual Advising Innovation

  • Eden Nasher, Summer Sessions & Study Abroad
  • Lyn Rivera, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Rausser College of Natural Resources
  • Virtual Advising Front Desk Team, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters and Science

Success with Less 

  • Amanda Minafo, Departments of Italian Studies, Scandinavian, and Slavic; Celtic Studies Program, College of Letters and Science
  • Cal Student Central Peak Time Staff Team
  • Christine Mullarkey and Jennifer Ochoa, Department of Psychology, College of Letters and Science
  • Data Science Advising Team
  • Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs Team, College of Letters and Science

Outstanding Peer Advisor, Mentor, Counselor, or Ambassador

  • Aileen Lavelle, Rausser College of Natural Resources Peer Advisor Leaders
  • Alex Jo, Berkeley Study Abroad
  • Andrew Estrada Phuong, Graduate School of Education & Division of Equity and Inclusion
  • Daniel Legrand, Department of Music, College of Letters and Science
  • Jed Lee, Student Environmental Resource Center
  • Tatiana Nikolaeva, Career Center Peer Advising

Excellence in Data and/or Research-Driven Student Services 

  • Jacqueline Chang and Elizabeth Olin, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters and Science
  • Mikaela Auerbach, Berkeley International Office

Service to the Advising and Student Services Community 

  • Classroom Technology & Support Services Team, UC Berkeley Extension (UNEX)
  • Diana Lizarraga, Cal NERDS, Division of Equity and Inclusion
  • Ken Mahru, Department of History, College of Letters and Science
  • Laura Vogt, College of Engineering
  • Transfer Student Success Group, cross-department/division team

Advising Champion (Faculty/Administrator)

  • Professor Lynn Huntsinger, Rausser College of Natural Resources Dean's Office
  • Professor Martha Olney, Department of Economics, College of Letters and Science

Outstanding New Advisor or Student Services Staff

  • Claire-Marie Kooi, Engineering Student Services, College of Engineering
  • Grayson Johnston, Departments of Rhetoric and Film & New Media, College of Letters and Science
  • Heather Yaden, Disabled Students Program
  • Jessie Rosales, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters and Science
  • Kyle Kaley Dudley, UC Berkeley School of Law
  • Monica Albe, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Letters and Science

Outstanding Advisor or Student Services Staff 

  • Amy Louise Azuma, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters and Science
  • Bobby Thompson, Cal Athletics
  • Hannah Bloom, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, College of Letters and Science
  • Heidi Yu, Career Center
  • Mario Eusebio, Biology Scholars Program, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Letters and Science
  • Nithya Raghunathan, Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, College of Letters and Science
  • Sarah Rhoades , Office of Instruction and Student Affairs, Rausser College of Natural Resources
  • Shelley Okimoto, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Zachary Chestnut, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Letters and Science

Outstanding Advising or Student Services Team

  • Berkeley International Office
  • College of Chemistry Undergraduate Student Services
  • College of Letters and Science Office of Undergraduate Advising
  • Disabled Students TRIO SSS Program
  • Social Welfare Office of Student Services

Outstanding Advising or Student Services Administrator, Director, or Manager

  • Antoine Davis, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, College of Engineering
  • Becca Lopez, Center for Student Conduct
  • Joshua Dullaghan, Office Of Instruction & Student Affairs, Rausser College of Natural Resources
  • Laura Imai, Data Science Undergraduate Studies
  • Mariana Matthews, PATH to Care Center
  • Rebecca Andersen, School of Information
  • Vanina Granell, Summer Sessions, Study Abroad, Lifelong Learning, and Extension (SSALLEX)

The Mary Slakey Howell Excellence in Advising and Student Services Award

  • Kasra Sotudeh, Athletic Study Center
  • Leah Carroll, Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships, College of Letters and Science