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Campus Life

Members of University community honored at Gwennie Awards

The ceremony is sponsored by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections.

logo illustration with The Gwennies banner draped over Rush Rhees Library.Nine awards were handed out Wednesday, May 26 at the Gwennie Awards, presented by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections. The event was first held in 2017 and honors partners who exemplify the center’s values and support career education efforts for students and alumni. The Gwennies were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last 15 months have been tumultuous and upside down for many of us,” Joe Testani, assistant dean and executive director of the Greene Center, said during the virtual ceremony. “We’ve found new ways to connect and do our work, new ways to support each other and our students. And it’s important to celebrate the things that mean something to us.”

Here are this year’s winners:

Alumni relations and advancement
Karen Chance Mercurius, associate vice president of alumni and constituent relations

Alumnus/a partner
Joshua Richards ’12, ’14S, head of business planning and analysis at Sandoz; Brad Orego ’11, head of research at Auth0; and Jessica Bernstein ’17, engagement manager at McKinsey & Company

Campus partner (department)
Orientation and first-year programs; Innovation Challenge planning team

Campus partner (individual)
Eric Roule, senior project manager, University IT; Jen Condit, undergraduate program administrator, Department of Chemical Engineering

Faculty member
Stephanie Ashenfelder, interim director, Digital Media Studies

Faculty member (nominated by AS&E students)
Rob LaVaque, senior lecturer, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Student leader
Dominick Harasimiuk ’21 (computer science and financial economics double major)

Student organization
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Forté Campus.

Technology partner
Handshake, the Greene Center’s platform for jobs, internships, and events


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