Awardees Announced for 2023 Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration

UCF’s annual marquee event for faculty on April 5 highlights outstanding teaching, advising, mentoring, research, professional service and librarianship.

By Joe Adams | March 31, 2023

UCF will showcase more than 200 faculty members for academic excellence and service Wednesday at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Student Union’s Pegasus Ballroom.

The celebration runs 3-5 p.m. and includes a reception after the formal program. Highlighted are recipients of the Pegasus Professor Award, UCF’s highest faculty honor; recipients of the Reach for the Stars Award; excellence award winners; faculty granted emeritus or emerita status; those who recently reached 20, 30 and 40 years of service; educators marking at least 10 years with the Faculty Senate; and retired and retiring faculty members.

“Faculty are the foundation of our university and the key to distinguishing UCF as a model University for the Future in academic excellence, student success and societal impact,” says Michael D. Johnson, UCF provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “We are grateful to them and look forward to celebrating their remarkable teaching, research and service with the campus community.”

The faculty event in the Student Union can also be watched online. For the first time, it is part of a Founders’ Day celebration with separate recognitions for staff, faculty and students on the same day. The campus community is invited to all of the events.

Here are the faculty honorees.

Pegasus Professor Award

Stephen Fiore, College of Arts and Humanities
Jane Gibson, College of Medicine
Jennifer Kent-Walsh, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Marianna Pensky, College of Sciences

Reach for the Stars Award

Bethany Backes, College of Community Innovation and Education
Kerri Donaldson-Hanna, College of Sciences
Yanjie Fu, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Haidar Khezri, College of Arts and Humanities
Lindsay Taliaferro, College of Medicine

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

College Awardees

Rodrigo Amezcua Correa, College of Optics and Photonics
Carissa Baker, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Keith Brazendale, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Devon Cadwell Bazata, College of Undergraduate Studies
Julie Donnelly, College of Sciences
Michelle Dusseau, College of Sciences
Stephen Hopkins, College of Arts and Humanities
Nicole Lapeyrouse, College of Sciences
Chiara Mazzucchelli, College of Arts and Humanities
Carlos Valdez, College of Business Administration
Karen Mottarella , College of Sciences
Marino Nader, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kourtney Nieves, College of Community Innovation and Education
Carlton Patrick, College of Community Innovation and Education
Melissa Pompos, College of Arts and Humanities
Emily Proulx, College of Arts and Humanities
Kyle Riding, College of Medicine
Jacqueline Woerner, College of Sciences
Asli Yalim, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Ricardo Zaurin, College of Engineering and Computer Science

University Winner

Carlos Valdez, College of Business Administration

Excellence in Graduate Teaching

College Awardees

Mary Jean Amon, College of Graduate Studies
Shana Harris, College of Sciences
Ryan McMahan, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Gulnora Hundley, College of Community Innovation and Education
Susan Quelly, College of Nursing
Jennifer Tucker, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Dana Wallace, College of Business Administration
Konstantin Vodopyanov, College of Optics and Photonics
Wei Wei, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

University Winner

Gulnora Hundley, College of Community Innovation and Education

Excellence in Research

College Awardees

Mary Jean Amon, College of Graduate Studies
Xiaoxiao Fu, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
David Fukuda, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics
Kerri Donaldson Hanna, College of Sciences
Dana Joseph, College of Business Administration
Elizabeth Kinchen, College of Nursing
Anastasia Salter, College of Arts and Humanities
Dinender Singla, College of Medicine
Dalena Dillman Taylor, College of Community Innovation and Education
Thomas Wahl, College of Engineering and Computer Science

University Winner

Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics

Excellence in Faculty Academic Advising

Adele Richardson, College of Arts and Humanities

Excellence in Professional Service

Danielle Eadens, College of Undergraduate Studies

Excellence in Librarianship

Lee Dotson, University Libraries

Excellence in Instructional Design

Aimee Denoyelles, Division of Digital Learning

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students

Engineering, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences

Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Social Science, Humanities, Education, Business, Art and Health

Farshid Safi, College of Community Innovation and Education

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars

Early Career Faculty

Bethany Backes, College of Community Innovation and Education

Tenured Faculty

Nazanin Rahnavard, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty Senate 10-years of Service Awards

Joseph Harrington, College of Sciences
William “Bill” Self, College of Medicine

Service Awards

20 Years of Service

Michele Adams, College of Arts and Humanities
Kenneth Adams, College of Community Innovation and Education
Alma Alacon, College of Arts and Humanities
Timothy Bottorff, UCF Libraries
Richard Brunson, College of Sciences
Andres Campiglia, College of Sciences
Michael Caputo, College of Business Administration
Mason Cash, College of Arts and Humanities
Robert Cassanello, College of Arts and Humanities
Fikret Catbas, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Honghui Chen, College of Business Administration
Alexander Cole, College of Medicine
Steven Collins, College of Sciences
Larry Cooper, College of Arts and Humanities
Lisa Dieker, College of Community Innovation and Education
Barbara Durham, College of Business Administration
Roberta Ergle, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jiyu Fang, College of Engineering and Computer Science
John Fauth, College of Sciences
Elena Flitsiyan, College of Sciences
Denise Gammonley, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Michele Gill, College of Community Innovation and Education
Paul Gregg, College of Business Administration
Regina Gresham, College of Community Innovation and Education
Vance Geiger, College of Sciences
Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, College of Community Innovation and Education
Kenneth Hanson, College of Arts and Humanities
Atsusi Hirumi, College of Community Innovation and Education
Olusegun Ilegbusi, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Alvaro Islas, College of Sciences
Peter Jacques, College of Sciences
Bruce Janz, College of Arts and Humanities
David Jenkins, College of Sciences
Kelly Jennings-Towle, College of Community Innovation and Education
Naim Kapucu, College of Community Innovation and Education
Tammie Kaufman, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Jennifer Kent-Walsh, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Mark Kerlin, UCF Global
Pieter Kik, College of Optics and Photonics
Vyacheslav Kokoulin, College of Sciences
Stephen Kuebler, College of Sciences
Sandra Leon-Barth, Student Success and Well-Being
Frank Logiudice, College of Sciences
Theo Lotz, College of Arts and Humanities
Abby Milon, College of Community Innovation and Education
Renee Montgomery, UCF Libraries
Eduardo Mucciolo, College of Sciences
Kevin Murphy, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Liqiang Ni, College of Sciences
Deirdre O’Shea, College of Arts and Humanities
Lisa Peterson, College of Sciences
Julie Pomerleau, College of Arts and Humanities
Leandra Preston, College of Arts and Humanities
Kerry Purmensky, College of Arts and Humanities
Yuanwei Qi, College of Sciences
Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, College of Sciences
Michael Reid, College of Sciences
Lee Ross, College of Community Innovation and Education
Patrick Schelling, College of Engineering and Computer Science
John Schultz, College of Sciences
William “Bill” Self, College of Medicine
Denver Severt, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Kristine Shrauger, UCF Libraries
Bert Scott, College of Arts and Humanities
Eileen Smith, College of Graduate Studies
Vladimir Solonari, College of Arts and Humanities
Axel Stock, College of Business Administration
Ula Stoeckl, College of Sciences
Qiyu Sun, College of Sciences
Nora Underwood-Caputo, College of Business Administration
Gergana Vitanova, College of Arts and Humanities
Youcheng Wang, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Deborah Weaver, College of Arts and Humanities
Earl Weaver, College of Arts and Humanities
Lei Wei, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Shannon Whitten, College of Sciences
Mary Wood, College of Arts and Humanities
Jiongmin Yong, College of Sciences

30 Years of Service

Anthony Byrd, College of Business Administration
Manoj Chopra, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Peter Delfyett, College of Optics and Photonics
Lixing Gu, Florida Solar Energy Center
Robert Reedy, College of Arts and Humanities
Susan Schleith, Office of Research
Ayako Yonetani, College of Arts and Humanities

40 Years of Service

Abraham Pizam, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Robin Vieira, Office of Research

Faculty Emeritus and Emerita

Louis Chow, Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Victor Davidson, Professor Emeritus, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Madelyn Flammia, Professor Emerita, Department of English
Keith Folse, Professor Emeritus, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Marcy Galbreath, Associate Lecturer Emerita, Department of Writing and Rhetoric
Darlene Hadrika, Research Associate Emerita, School of Visual Arts and Design
Scott Hall, Professor Emeritus, School of Visual Arts and Design
Charles Kelliher, Associate Professor Emeritus, Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting
Richard Lapchick, Professor and Director Emeritus, Devos Sports Business Management
Dan Marinescu, Professor Emeritus, Department of Computer Science
Lawrence Martin, Professor Emeritus, School of Public Administration
Arthur Weeks, Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering