Winners of the 2023 Celebration of Excellence Awards pictured in a group shot at the luncheon held on Nov. 15 at the Cook Student Center. Photo: John O’Boyle.
Announcement by Laura Lawson, Executive Dean, SEBS
Dear Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to share the results of the 2023 Excellence Awards. Each award recognizes outstanding work conducted by our colleagues within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. These awards spotlight individuals and teams whose creativity, innovation, engagement, and impact stand out as exemplars for how we achieve our mission as a land-grant university.
Teaching Excellence Award – Cara Cuite
Department of Human Ecology
Sustained Career Teaching Excellence Award – Marci Meixler
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources
Early Career Research Excellence Award – Mary Whelan
Department of Environmental Sciences
Sustained Research Excellence Award – Oscar Schofield
Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Faculty DEI Excellence Award – Suzanne Sukhdeo
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources
Outreach and Community Engagement Excellence Award – Anita Bakshi
Department of Landscape Architecture
International Excellence Award – Early Career – Nrupali Patel
Department of Plant Biology
International Excellence Award – Sustained Career – Lena Struwe
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources
Team Excellence Award – Earth Day Every Day Team
Michele Bakacs, Middlesex & Union counties, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sal Mangiafico, Cumberland County, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amy Rowe, Essex & Passaic counties, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Steve Yergeau, Ocean & Atlantic counties, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Doug Zemeckis, Ocean & Atlantic counties, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Staff Excellence Award – Michael Pierce
Department of Plant Biology
Staff DEI Excellence Award – Brianna Ortega
Office of Human Resources
The 2023 Excellence Awardees were nominated by colleagues who sought to recognize the vital work these individuals and teams do.
I want to thank the nominators who took this opportunity to acknowledge their peers. Every nomination is a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of our faculty and staff in their daily work to keep programs and units running, support innovative teaching, conduct inclusive outreach, work in teams, reach out internationally, and support diversity.
I also want to thank the committee of peers who reviewed nominations – no easy task when there are so many wonderful programs nominated! I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in this process for dedicated their time to recognize the hard work of others.
