Impact Awards
The Impact Award recognizes members of the campus community who help any student succeed. Nominees and recipients are motivating, inspiring, and supportive. Their individual contributions impact students’ overall success, retention, and ultimately graduation.
Eligibility
Anyone at Illinois State is eligible to receive an impact award, including:
- Professors
- Instructors
- Advisors
- Student leaders
- Staff members
Requirements
Nominees should meet one of the following requirements:
- Demonstrated care and support
- Provided encouragement/challenged the student to grow
- Exuded or helped to increase motivation
- Provided assistance or help above and beyond
- Helped with the student’s transition
- Served as an inspiration or role model
- Provided future advice or direction
- Shared a passion for a subject or for a discipline
Nominate
Undergraduate students can nominate someone for an Impact Award. The nomination process starts in late February.
2025 Recipients
Students nominated the following Illinois State faculty, staff and students for a 2025 Impact Award. Please join us in congratulating the following individuals for their significant contributions to our students and to retention.
* = received more than one nomination
Academic Advisors
- Shatoya Black*, Sponsored Project Program Associate, University College
- LaToya Carter*, Sponsored Project Program Coordinator, University College
- Jody Decremer, Assistant Director Creative Technologies, School of Creative Technologies
- Christine Hansen, Academic Advisor, School of Music
- Jeffrey Helms, Academic Advisor, School of Biological Sciences
- Rebecca Laible*, Academic Advisor, University College
- Amanda Martin*, Academic Advisor, School of Biological Sciences
- Carina Morales*, Sponsored Project Research Coordinator, University College
- Derek O'Connell, Academic Advisor, Philosophy
- Abbie Paul, Academic Advisor, School of Communication
- Sarah Roth, Academic Advisor, Honors Program
- Natalie Schaad, Assistant to the Department Chairperson, Sociology & Anthropology
- Jill Thomas, Academic Advisor, Geography, Geology & the Environment
Students
- Taylor Daker, Junior, Psychology
- Ian Leetch*, Junior, Mathematics
- Kyle Molitor*, Senior, Mathematics
- Tony Pacheco Gonzales*, Sophomore, Mathematics
- Anna Ruffin*, Alum, Social Work
- Carson Steele, Junior, Mathematics
- Emilia Toporkiewicz*, Senior, Mathematics
Faculty/Instructors
- Agbenyega Adedze, Associate Professor, History
- Joy Alende, Graduate Assistant Teaching, Chemistry
- Jordan Arellanes*, Assistant Professor, Psychology
- Mark Asirifi, Graduate Assistant Teaching, School of Communication
- Mark Babbitt*, Professor, School of Music
- Angela Bailey*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- John Baldwin*, Professor, School of Communication
- Jennifer Banning, Professor, Family & Consumer Sciences
- Christy Bazan, Instructional Assistant Professor, Health Sciences
- Dawn Beichner-Thomas, Professor, Criminal Justice Sciences
- Mangolika Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, School of Information Technology
- Shelby Boehm, Assistant Professor, English
- Maria Boerngen*, Associate Professor, Agriculture
- Heidi Bowman*, Instructional Assistant Professor, English
- Amelia Buragas, Assistant Professor, Politics & Government
- Kristin Carlson, Associate Professor, School of Theatre, Dance, and Film
- Austin Carter, Graduate Assistant Teaching, Chemistry
- Gregory Carter, Instructional Assistant Professor, History
- Brandy Caulfield*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Office of International Engagement
- Stephen Caulfield, Instructional Assistant Professor, Office of International Engagement
- Sunil Chebolu, Professor, Mathematics
- Robert Compton, Instructional Assistant Professor, Chemistry
- Ryan Davis, Professor, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Karla Critchfield Doepke, Professor, Psychology
- Lisa Dooley, Instructional Assistant Professor, English
- Le'Mil Eiland, Assistant Professor, School of Theatre, Dance, and Film
- Emily Erickson*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Kimberly Wolowiec-Fisher, Associate Professor, Special Education
- Timothy Fredstrom*, Professor, School of Music
- Michelle Gremp*, Associate Professor, Special Education
- Mark Grizzard*, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Music
- Aditya Gupta, Assistant Professor, Marketing
- Iftikhar Haider, Instructional Assistant Professor, Office of International Engagement
- Jodi Hallsten Lyczak, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Communication
- Thomas Hammond, Professor, Biological Sciences
- Lisa Harrod, Instructional Assistant Professor, Special Education
- Kazumi Hartry, Lecturer, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Aaron Harwick, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology & Recreation
- Michael Hendricks, Assistant Professor, Politics & Government
- Shawn Hitchcock*, Professor, Chemistry
- Jennifer Howell, Professor, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Jeremy Hurley, Instructional Assistant Professor, English
- Jillian Joyce, Lecturer, School of Communication
- Allison Jungk, Instructional Assistant Professor, Family & Consumer Sciences
- Nathan Kapoor, Assistant Professor, History
- Larissa Kennedy, Instructional Assistant Professor, History
- Sabine Khalil, Associate Professor, Accounting
- David Kopsell, Professor, Agriculture
- William Lally*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Sciences
- Stephanie Lipe*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Special Education
- Robin Lizzo, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology & Recreation
- Marcela Lopez*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Drew Lugar*, Associate Professor, Agriculture
- Tracy Mainieri, Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology & Recreation
- Thomas Marko, Professor, School of Music
- Thomas McClure, Professor, Politics & Government
- Anne McGee*, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology & Recreation
- Emily McKenna, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Matt Merkling, Graduate Assistant Teaching, School of Communication
- Kate Mester*, Instructional Assistant Professor, University College
- Liesel Mitchell, Instructional Assistant Professor, Accounting
- Matthew Nalefski, Instructional Assistant Professor, History
- Allison Nguyen, Assistant Professor, Psychology
- Ashley Norton, Clinical Assistant Professor, Special Education
- Patricia Pence, Associate Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Aaron Pitluck, Professor, Sociology & Anthropology
- Michael Plantholt*, Emeriti Faculty, Mathematics
- Paula Porter, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Cynthia Pulley*, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mathematics
- Erik Rankin, Instructional Assistant Professor, Politics & Government
- Md Tahmid Rashid, Assistant Professor, School of Information Technology
- Manonita Ratwatte, Lecturer, Technology
- Barbara Ribbens, Associate Professor, Department of Management
- Amy Robillard, Professor, English
- Rachel Rotramel, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Luke Russell, Associate Professor, Family & Consumer Sciences
- David Sanson, Associate Professor, Philosophy
- Gillian Schenk, Summer Faculty, Special Education
- Brandy Jolliff Scott, Assistant Professor, Politics & Government
- Kaitlyn Selman*, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Sciences
- Taylor Soja, Assistant Professor, History
- Michelle Stalter, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Teaching & Learning
- Cora Swenson Lee, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Music
- Robin Trost, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Abaigeal Uphoff, Graduate Assistant Teaching, English
- Wade Nichols, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences
- Jennifer Walston, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Heather Wiegand, Instructional Assistant Professor, Mennonite College of Nursing
- Donna Wiencek, Instructional Assistant Professor, Marketing
- Benjamin Wodika*, Instructional Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences
- Li Zeng, Professor, School of Theatre, Dance & Film
- Qi Zhang, Associate Professor, School of Information Technology
- Joseph Zompetti, Professor, School of Communication
Staff
- Natalie Alexander, Program Director, Career Services
- Marcus Alouan, Director, Gamma Phi Circus, College of Applied Science and Technology
- Eric Ballard, Events Administrator Associate, Event Management, Dining and Hospitality
- Jill Benson, Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students
- Hillary Campos, Assistant Director, University Housing Services
- Angela Davis, Office Manager, Psychology
- Amke De Boes, Coordinator International Partnership, Office of International Engagement
- Jacilyn Gunderson, Business Administrative Associate, Comptroller’s Office
- Taylor Hochecker*, Program Coordinator, Special Education
- Alycia Hund, Department Chairperson, Psychology
- Cesilio Martinez, Military Science
- Paul Meister*, Coordinator, Academic Services, Geography, Geology, & the Environment
- Lauren Palmer, Administrative Aide, Honors Program
- Veronique Parmenter, Coordinator, Student Services, School of Information Technology
- Maria Sanchez*, Office Manager, University College
- Steven Suess, Director, Radio, School of Communication
- Rainie Themer Bosquet, Program Director, College of Applied Science & Technology
- Charles Tinlin, Assistant Director, Individual Events, School of Communication
- Theresa Wiese, Program Assistant, Office of Admissions