Two recipients each for the President’s Staff Excellence Award and for the Teamwork Award? Attendees at this year’s masquerade-themed Staff Awards weren’t seeing double—there were indeed two recipients in each of those categories.
UHD Information Technology Enterprise System’s Duong Tran, Website Administrator, and Rose Martinez, Network Application Specialist II, were both honored with the Teamwork Award for leading cohesive teams to achieve important shared goals.
The highest honor that UHD bestows on a staff member, the President’s Staff Excellence Award, was awarded to both Shiya Rawls and Courtney Lundgren. Rawls is instrumental to the Division of Advancement and University Relations as Manager of Division Operations while Lundgren supports the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of prospective and current students as Executive Director, Student Communications and Transition Programs within the Office of Enrollment Management. With their high energy, strong work ethic, and sheer passion, Lundgren and Rawls are both UHD mainstays and may be seen daily almost anywhere and everywhere on campus taking care of university business.
As the director of the Center for Career and Professional Development, Lisa Gonzales-Hatfield is completely dedicated to student success, with her eye on retention, graduation, and beyond. She received the 2025 Student Success Award.
Demonstrating a commitment to the university’s values and serving as a positive role model, W.I. Dykes Library Access Services Coordinator Adrian Mallard received the 2025 Leadership Award.
The Rookie of the Year Award went to UHD alum Aalaina Newman, Marilyn Davies College of Business (MDCOB) Administrative Assistant, II, ACCI & International Business. A true Gator, Newman brought her dedication and enthusiasm to MDCOB every single day.
Renowned for consistently going above and beyond, Hitesh Patel, User Support Services Assistant Director, Labs and IT Services, of Information Technology, was recognized with the Goes the Extra Mile Award.
Congratulations to UHD’s exceptional Staff Award recipients and thank you for your dedication to our students.