2020 Faculty and Staff Award Winners

The UW–Madison School of Education would like to congratulate the recipients of our 2020 Distinguished Achievement Awards. The School’s highly regarded national reputation is due, in large part, to the dedication and talent of our faculty, staff, and students. Thank you to our award winners for your outstanding efforts.

Ann Wallace Distinguished Academic Staff Award
The Ann Wallace Academic Staff Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize a staff member’s impact on the mission of the unit and their outstanding performance in that unit.

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Mariana Castro

Wisconsin Center for Education Research

Mariana Castro, Ph.D., has worked at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) for 14 years, and is currently its interim director.

“As with all her endeavors, she has not been merely maintaining the status quo,” writes Timothy Boals, the director of WIDA, which is housed within WCER. “Rather, she is actively addressing critical issues by working with School of Education leaders in order to position WCER for a successful transition to the new center director in July.”

“Mariana infuses teamwork with warmth and gratitude toward others, shows great respect for people’s time and other responsibilities, so that participating in WCER committees and special projects is rewarding and stimulating, rather than a duty or a burden. Her leadership and personal style bring a freshness as well as a sense of joyful importance to everything she does,” writes Madeline Hafner, executive director of the Minority Student Achievement Network, quoting another colleague.

Mariana is an educator at heart and has a fierce commitment to social justice. She joined WIDA, a project inside WCER, when it had less than 10 employees and supported educational agencies in 11 states. She helped it grow to 150 employees, serving thousands of teachers and multilingual learners in 40 states and more than 400 international schools.

“In sum, Mariana’s depth of knowledge about multilingual learners and professional learning, her caring approach to leadership, and her mission-driven work ethic truly represents outstanding performance by anyone’s rubric,” Hafner continues.

It is with great pleasure that we honor Dr. Mariana Castro with the Ann Wallace Distinguished Academic Staff Award.

University Staff Distinguished Achievement Award
The University Staff Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize a staff member’s outstanding performance on the job; initiation or recommendation of innovative ideas that are implemented and result in better service or efficiency; and exhibition of grace under pressure.

Greg Dierks

Department of Kinesiology

Greg Dierks is the administrator of the Department of Kinesiology, a position he has held since 2013. In that time, the department has grown in enrollment, faculty, and staff, as well as in the number of degrees and minors offered.

Because of his process improvements across all aspects of the unit, the Department of Kinesiology was able to undertake moving all anatomy and physiology classes into the department, as well as creating a new major, health promotion and health equity, from scratch.

In addition, Greg helped integrate the occupational therapy program more fully with the Department of Kinesiology, a process that required openness and willingness to hear concerns and suggestions.

“Being flexible and encouraging has paved the way for a number of large and meaningful program advancements, wonderful new staff hires, and an energetic representation of our department across campus,” writes Morgan Shields, undergraduate program coordinator.

Finally, Greg works to create an environment that supports health and well-being to improve productivity and quality of life — the mission of the department. “He models and conveys that it is OK to be a complex human, with a life outside of work,” says Sharon Gartland, director of the occupational therapy program in the Department of Kinesiology.

For this, and many other reasons, we celebrate Greg Dierks with the University Staff Distinguished Achievement Award.

Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship
The Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship honors an individual who advances the Wisconsin Idea to a new level of partnership and reciprocity.

Annalee Good

Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative

Annalee Good, Ph.D., is co-director of the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) and an innovator who founded and directed the WCER evaluation clinic, which fills a void for practical graduate student evaluation experiences. Some of those experiences include working with community partners, such as PBS Wisconsin and the Goodman Community Center.

Working with Goodman’s leadership team, Good has improved evaluation and demonstrated the value high-quality evaluation can have on the end user. In fact, Becky Steinhoff, Goodman’s executive director and a nominator, credits the data from Good’s evaluation and involvement with securing a $1 million grant to increase graduation rates among underperforming youth of color.

“Dr. Good has what I have found to be a rare intersection of analytical and social strengths,” writes Alyssa Tsagong of PBS Wisconsin. “She makes her expertise accessible and impactful by leading you through a process that engages your own strengths. The word ‘evaluation’ can cause an instinctively defensive reaction, yet through Dr. Good’s intentional and friendly dialogue and facilitation, my staff have been able to develop a sense of ownership and pride in the process.”

“In addition, I have observed the respectful and dynamic approach she employs to mentoring her graduate students who shine under her leadership and bring enthusiastic and diverse expertise to our work,” she continues.

We are delighted to honor Dr. Annalee Good with the Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship.

Dick & Julie Daly Award for Education Student Staff Achievement
The Dick & Julie Daly Award for Education Student Staff Achievement recognizes a recipient who presents a positive image of the School through exceptional work and demonstrates creativity, problem-solving, excellent customer service, or other activities that go beyond the ordinary expectations of their role as a student hourly worker.

Lauren Hoffarth

Morgridge Center for Public Service

Lauren Hoffarth has been working at the Morgridge Center for Public Service since January 2018 as an operations intern.

Lauren has taken on extra projects, including serving on hiring committees for staff and student openings. This is a large time commitment and she brings organization and an analytical mind to the process. She has helped create interview questions and develop rubrics for evaluating candidates and their applications.

Lauren has taken the lead on training new staff. This typically happens in a multi-day orientation in the fall, with a refresher in January. Recently, so many new staff joined that it was decided to expand the refresher to include some, but not all, of the fall training. Lauren led half the orientation and the feedback was outstanding, writes Dean Ladwig, department administrator for the Morgridge Center for Public Service. In addition, Lauren is putting the orientation into Canvas so that any new staff will be able to work through it on their own.

Lauren joined the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee when she started at the Morgridge Center. She has taken the initiative to identify ways in which the Center can be a more equitable and inclusive organization moving forward.

We honor Lauren Hoffarth with the Dick & Julie Daly Award for Education Student Staff Achievement.

Jacob Leonard

Department of Educational Policy Studies

Jacob Leonard is the department administrator for Educational Policy Studies, as well as the chair’s assistant.

Jacob handles a wide range of projects in the department, including budget, events, payroll, expense reports, meetings, and minutes. In addition to learning new systems — and then newer systems — Jacob works to improve processes. For example, in the past, graduate student hiring was time consuming for both students and administrators. By streamlining the process, and testing it with students, Jacob saved time and frustration on both sides of the operation.

This is just one example of his process improvements. “He constantly strives to improve himself and the institution, and he unstintingly reminds us to assume the best about one another and try to support each other,” writes Professor Nancy Kendall, who also is chair of the department. Professor Adam Nelson agrees, noting Mr. Leonard works with “truly amazing grace and good humor.” Jacob has a steadfast commitment to serving departmental faculty and students. He seeks out solutions when needed, and does so with a warm and friendly demeanor.

It is for these reasons, and many more, that we are proud to honor Jacob Leonard with the University Staff Distinguished Achievement Award.

Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award
The Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize faculty members who have made contributions and demonstrated continued excellence in each of the three areas of teaching, research, and service.

Fredrick Stonehouse

Art Department

Fredrick Stonehouse is a professor in the Art Department. He is an outstanding instructor and a sought-after mentor. Rather than teaching everyone the same, Professor Stonehouse carefully considers what each student needs and works to help them. This is unique, wrote Professor Aris Georgiades, one of his nominators. “(We) often discuss our classroom experiences and ways in which certain students might be better served.”

Former students agree, and laud Professor Stonehouse not only for his teaching but for his continued mentoring through many stages of an art career. “As a teacher, Fred’s words give encouragement and insight,” wrote former student Melissa Cooke Benson. “He believes in his students. He works to amplify their voices. His confidence in you makes you feel not only supported, but more confident in yourself. He weaves criticism with positivity and humor in a way that gives his feedback punch and perseverance.”

Professor Stonehouse also is an internationally renowned artist, with regular gallery exhibitions in the United States and internationally. He is a past recipient of both the NEA Arts Midwest Grant and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Individual Artists Grant, and has been awarded important solo exhibitions by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Cultural Center, and the Museum of Wisconsin Art, wrote gallery owner Tory Folliard. His work is in private collections as well as major museums.

“I would not be as successful as I am without Fred Stonehouse,” wrote Mariah Tate Klemens, a working artist who earned her MFA in 2019. “He is more than just an educator, and he does not take his role in student lives lightly, but always patiently takes care to uplift, challenge, and truly see the students he works with. Fred really is the best there is.”

We are thrilled to honor Fredrick Stonehouse with the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award.

Ann Wallace Academic Staff Distinguished Achievement Award
The Ann Wallace Academic Staff Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize a staff member’s impact on the mission of the unit and their outstanding performance in that unit.

Beth Tryon

Morgridge Center for Public Service

Beth Tryon is assistant director of community-engaged scholarship at the Morgridge Center for Public Service. Ms. Tryon supports more than 100 community-based learning courses at UW–Madison. More than 4,300 students enrolled in these courses that provide 57,000 hours of community service annually. She connects community partners and instructors, and supports faculty as they develop syllabi, community partnerships, and student learning goals.

She has also developed and is piloting the Morgridge Fellows program, a learning community fellowship program designed to deepen the understanding and practice of community-engaged scholarship for faculty and instructional staff on campus.

She was instrumental in the development of the UW South Madison Partnership, which exists to support collaboration between UW–Madison and South Madison. She founded the engaged scholar community of practice, which provides space and support for faculty, staff, and graduate students working on community engagement.

“She takes the time to listen to the people she’s working with, collaborates wherever she can to best utilize the assets and strengths available, and then nurtures a project into fruition,” writes Earlise Ward, faculty director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service and one of Beth’s nominators. “She is continually working to help UW–Madison fulfill its public service mission in a way that is sustainable, creative, and collaborative.”

We are thrilled to award Beth Tryon the Ann Wallace Academic Staff Distinguished Achievement Award.

Xueli Wang

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis

Xueli Wang is a professor in the higher education strand of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. In her teaching, she is the perennial winner of the student-led teaching award. Although she carries a heavy advisee load — 12 to 15 doctoral students — she embraces advising as a rewarding, complex, and reflective process, wrote Jerlando Jackson, the department chair and one of her nominators.

“As a student and protege of Dr. Wang, I unendingly aim to follow in her footsteps … as being the archetype of a fantastic college professor, researcher, and model of service to the field,” wrote Brett Nachman.

In her research, Professor Wang has a record of funded research as a principal investigator and a collaborator. Her work focuses on two main areas: access, progress, and development of students beginning at community colleges; and students’ participation and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study. She recently wrote “On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways,” which connected her two areas of focus.

“Dr. Wang is … one of the most grounded, approachable, joyous, and humorous people I know. Along with her undeniable care for her students and her research, the combination of these characteristics makes her an inspirational teacher and leader. She has created one of the most supportive and productive learning environments I have ever been a part of,” wrote Brit Wagner, one of her nominators. Jackson added: “Our department … could not agree more.”

We are pleased to award the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award to Professor Xueli Wang.

Excellence in Diversity Award
The Excellence in Diversity Award was established by the School of Education’s Equity and Diversity Committee in 2012. The award recognizes faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to campus climate toward building a diverse and equitable School of Education.

Rachelle Winkle-Wagner

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis

Rachelle Winkle-Wagner is a professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She is deeply committed to understanding and addressing racial and gender inequality in higher education, both in her academic research and in practice.

As chair of the admissions committee, Professor Winkle-Wagner has dedicated herself to recruiting and welcoming scholars of diverse backgrounds. In summer, she holds a boot camp to give incoming students a strong base on which to delve into their graduate-level coursework. In the last five years, more than 20 percent of students in the department are students of color, one of the highest percentages in the university.

Once students are here, the support continues. She holds a weekly seminar, supports a peer mentorship program, and holds monthly workshops in which students present their work for critical feedback. This prepares them for future scholarship and helps create a more just academy.

“Rachelle’s collaborative efforts have led each of us as faculty and staff members to reconsider our own approaches to teaching, mentoring, advising, and supporting students,” wrote Professor Xueli Wang, one of her nominators.

We are proud to present Professor Rachelle Winkle-Wagner with the School of Education Excellence in Diversity Award.

Special thanks

The Ann Wallace Academic Staff Distinguished Achievement awards are sponsored by Ann Wallace. The Faculty Achievement awards and one University Staff Distinguished Achievement award are supported by the Charles Read Recognition Fund. The Dick & Julie Daly Award for Education Student Staff Achievement is made possible by a gift from Jo Ann Carr. The Excellence in Diversity Award and Community-Engaged Scholarship Award are supported by gifts from the Luvern and Marguerite Kopp Fund.