Employee Recognition Awards and Honorees

 

From: Nariman Farvardin, President

 

To: Stevens Faculty and Staff

 

Date: February 26, 2026

 

Yesterday, we celebrated the accomplishments of our colleagues and friends at the annual Stevens Employee Recognition Ceremony. This ceremony honors colleagues receiving awards in one of several categories aligned with Stevens’ strategic values. A thorough selection process, including peer nominations and review by a committee of faculty and staff, was used to select honorees in each category.

Congratulations to the 2025-26 Stevens Employee Recognition Award recipients, listed below:

Creating a Connected Community

  • Woo Lee - Professor and Department Chair, School of Engineering and Science
  • Tim Griffin - Chief of Police, Division of Facilities and Campus Operations

Excellence in All We Do

  • Aron Lindberg - Associate Professor, School of Business
  • Josa Balisi - Senior Manager of Academic Operations, School of Business

Innovation Powered by Technology

  • Arion Cheong - Assistant Professor, School of Business
  • Valerie Dumova - Manager, Instructional Design and Immersive Learning, Division of Information Technology

Leading By Example

  • Jennifer McBryan - Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Teaching Associate Professor, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
  • Matt Kubacki - Assistant Dean of Advising, Office of Undergraduate Academics

Lifetime Achievement Award

  • George Korfiatis, Emeritus – Faculty, School of Engineering and Science

Stevens Brand Ambassador

  • Lindsey Cormack - Associate Professor of Political Science, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
  • Alida McKee - Director, Special Programs and Administration, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Faculty Affairs, Office of the Provost

Student Success Champion

  • Kevin Lu - Teaching Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, School of Engineering and Science
  • Chris Shemanski - Director of the First-Year Experience, Division of Student Affairs

Through Collaboration, Impact

  • Elaine Henry - Professor and Area Coordinator for Finance, Economics, Financial Engineering and Accounting, School of Business
  • Trudy Riley - Executive Director of Sponsored Research Administration, Research

Transformative Teamwork

Graduation Communications Working Group:

  • Ashley Chillar - Associate Director for Student Affairs Operations, Division of Student Affairs
  • Kelsey Dennehy - Senior Assistant Registrar, Office of Academic Affairs
  • Lisa Romeo - Assistant Registrar, Academic Records, Office of Academic Affairs
  • Trate Underwood - Business Analyst, Office of Academic Affairs

This was an extremely competitive cycle for Stevens' Employee Recognition Awards, with many deserving colleagues and teams. I would also like to recognize all who were nominated this year, and I thank each of you for your efforts and contributions to Stevens' progress across the university.

Lastly, I am deeply appreciative of the members of the Employee Recognition Committee who worked collaboratively to select this year's honorees:

  • Kathryn Abel - Teaching Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Science, Employee Recognition Chair
  • Edlyn Thompson-Mettle - Director of Undergraduate Outreach Programs, Division of Enrollment Management
  • Jessica de Veyga - Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs, School of Engineering and Science
  • Justine Herve - Assistant Professor, School of Business
  • Linda Beninghove - Library Director, Williams Library, Office of Academic Affairs
  • Matthew Libera - Professor, Chemical Engineering and Material Science, School of Engineering and Science
  • Rafat Azad - Cybersecurity Engineer, Division of Information Technology
  • Rainer Martini - Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, School of Engineering and Science

Once again, congratulations to all who were recognized yesterday!

View this email online.