Joseph "Ike" Dent, Chief Broadcast Engineer at UA South

Over 18 years, his leadership and technical expertise have kept the UA South campus connected so it can offer classes in three counties at the same time. He exemplifies "servant leadership" the practice of achieving results by giving priority to the needs of others' according to his nominators. He also sponsors the Associated Students of the University of Arizona South student government, serving as a thoughtful advocate for students. One professor said his influence is obvious by the fact that so many of her students wanted to interview Dent for their leadership paper in her class, and another noted he is kind even to rattlesnakes and relocates wildlife when necessary. His work in the community surrounding UA South has garnered him fans from Village Meadows Elementary School, the Cochise Cowboy and Music Gathering and the Sierra Vista Unified School District's technology committee, as well as Sierra Vista Mayor Frederick W. Mueller and the people who attended the first African Film Festival at UA South. His nominators call him "a valuable community resource" and "a true reflection of American values and leadership.

Christy Ball, Senior Academic Adviser and Leader of the Undergraduate Advising Team in the Psychology Department

Christy has primary responsibility for the internship program and teaches a course that shows psychology majors how to get into graduate school and how to be successful once they are there. One of her nominators said, "Christy is a calming and sympathetic presence. She's cheerful and helpful. She never seems to get rattled. She really cares about the students."

Sheila Blackburn, Administrative Associate in the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture School of Architecture

Sheila has been on staff there for more than 30 years, and she freely offers her knowledge, experience and wise counsel to all, according to her nominator. She upholds standards of discretion, respect and devotion to everyone in the college, and she never gossips, denigrates or complains. Blackburn is the very definition of "grace under pressure" who always stops what she's doing to work with the students, answer questions, run errands or anything else necessary to keep the school running like a well-oiled machine, according to her nominator.

Monica De Soto Vega, Program Coordinator for the English Department Writing Program

Monica maintains the attention to detail necessary to organize more than 500 writing sections for more than 12,000 students and meet most of their needs despite recent budget cuts, according to her nominator. Department leadership has called on her expertise to help the undergraduate office better predict and track enrollment patterns. "In rhetoric we talk about the classical notion of kairos' the perfect response at the opportune time. Monica is the embodiment of kairos," her nominator said.

Paul Lee, Associate Staff Scientist in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Paul has trained himself over the years in the design and construction of specialized systems that are used by research groups throughout the department. His nominator said he has an incredible patience with new learners, combined with an ability to convey complicated concepts in a calm and simple way. Lee gives local chemistry department tours and remote outreach demonstrations to K-12 students from southern Arizona schools. One of his colleagues said, "Paul is probably the most selfless person in CBC. He will always help when asked, and go over and above his duties."

Sonya Martyna-Seaman, Administrative Assistant in the Office of Medical Student Education in the College of Medicine

Sonya guides the daily activities of an active department with spirit and dedication, according to her nominator. Martyna-Seaman has taken charge of employee safety training and set up a training session with the UA Police Department after analyzing department needs. One supervisor said, "Sonya has one of the most can-do attitudes that I have ever encountered in addition to her bubbly personality, skill for organization and efficiency and her consistent ability to go above and beyond what is expected of her.

Mary Portillo, Senior Business Manager in the Spanish and Portuguese Department

Mary is responsible for managing a large and complex budget, supervising staff and students and handling the needs of a large faculty. She has developed a mentoring program that attends to staff and student needs and helps advance their professional development. Her nominator said peers regularly call on her "experiential knowledge base" for problem resolution, and she is recognized by her department as a great motivator who shows an exceptional display of initiative and dedication.

Robin Staples, Secretary for the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, and Department of French and Italian

As a new employee creating a new position, she organized the space, resources and equipment of both offices. She took charge of the student employees, streamlined the workflow and created a professional presence for both programs. Her nominator praised her for truly representing both programs and helping them to maximize increasingly limited resources.