CYtation Awards Ceremony

Rachael Gross, Director of Finance Service Delivery

Rachael has demonstrated exemplary service to Professional & Scientific staff through thoughtful leadership, innovation, and a strong commitment to employee development. As Director of Finance Service Delivery, she introduced the “Continuous Improvement Hours” (CIH) program, which provides 42 hours of structured annual training and professional development for FSD specialists. When drafting the plan for the CIH program, Rachael made sure to incorporate staff feedback to ensure the program reflected team needs and priorities. She has also established the FSD Communications Strategy Council, which brings together representatives from each team to improve information flow and strengthen  communication and collaboration. Through her “Rounding with Rachael” initiative, she personally connected with all 98 of her team members, ensuring employees felt heard, valued, and supported. Rachael also led the implementation of AI-supported invoice processing, reducing processing time by 50% while maintaining excellent customer satisfaction. Her initiative, compassion, and dedication to colleagues and campus partners exemplify leadership that consistently goes above and beyond expectations while advancing effective, people-centered service across the university. 

Rachel Faircloth, Communications Specialist at the Ivy College of Business Graduate Programs

Rachel Faircloth has demonstrated outstanding reliability, leadership, and collaboration in her service on the Professional and Scientific Council. As chair of the Community Relations and Advocacy Committee, she stepped forward during a period of organizational change to ensure essential initiatives and subcommittees continued without disruption. Rachel has strengthened council engagement through projects such as a redesigned P&S Council website, expanded employee programs, campus tours, and the New Employee Welcome Event. Her approachable leadership style fosters strong partnerships and open collaboration among council members. Through her initiative, attention to detail, and commitment to supporting P&S employees, Rachel continues to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to Iowa State University.  

Anne Shelley, Digital Repository Services Librarian

Anne has demonstrated exceptional leadership in her supervisory role within the Digital Repository in Parks Library following a difficult platform migration and period of low morale. By rebuilding relationships with faculty and library partners, guiding a successful DSpace upgrade, and actively seeking staff input, she has created a collaborative and effective unit. Anne prioritizes staff development through regular one-on-one meetings, encouragement to pursue training and conferences, and thoughtful mentorship. Her approachable leadership style fosters a welcoming, supportive workplace where staff feel valued. Through clear communication, transparent expectations, and constructive feedback, Anne ensures her team remains informed, confident, and empowered to grow professionally while advancing the Library’s mission.

Karen Bougher, Grant Specialist II

Karen is a phenomenal professional whose dedication has been instrumental in securing millions of dollars in research funding for Iowa State University. Karen has consistently exceeded her job responsibilities by going above-and-beyond to meet tight grant submission deadlines, successfully enabling faculty to submit proposals that would have otherwise been missed. She excels at her duties, providing proactive, high-level support that includes navigating convoluted rules and coordinating large, multi-institutional teams. Her commitment, positive attitude, and willingness to step in to help resolve crises demonstrate a profound and measurable impact on the university's research mission. 

Brenda Carr, Registrar Specialist II

Brenda is an exceptional professional and scientific staff member whose leadership has transformed Iowa State’s course fee assessment process. Over two years, she has demonstrated outstanding dedication. Brenda has continuously trained staff across campus during the Workday transition, strengthened compliance, and built trusted relationships across departments. Her advocacy led to a major continuous-improvement project, in which she collaborated with ITS to design a streamlined Workday Extend Request Form and enhance reporting tools. Launched in January 2025, these enhancements to the course fee request form reduced errors, saved time, and significantly improved the student experience. All made possible by Brenda’s expertise, persistence, and positivity. 

Danielle Christofferson, Production Supervisor for the ISU Creamery

In addition to her normal responsibilities as Production Supervisor for the ISU Creamery, Danielle took on the interim business manager position during the Creamery’s busiest months. She successfully oversaw operations, coordinated events and tours, trained new student employees, mentored an interim production manager, and expanded the Iowa State Fair dairy products competition. Danielle’s collaborative leadership fosters strong relationships with students, staff, and campus partners, creating a supportive and productive work environment. Through her dedication and cooperative spirit, Danielle has made a meaningful impact on both Iowa State University and the broader community. 

Danielle Day, Health and Human Sciences Educator  

Danielle exemplifies innovation, leadership, and measurable impact through her work in disaster recovery education and mental health programming. She coordinated the FEMA Project Recovery Iowa grant, delivering 88 programs statewide and creating practical tools like waterproof document pouches for disaster-impacted families. Danielle streamlined processes for educators, built strong partnerships across Iowa, and expanded outreach through media engagement. Recognized as Top MHFA Instructor 2024, she mentored instructors and developed resources that improved program fidelity and outcomes, including significant gains in suicide intervention confidence and supportive conversation skills. Danielle’s creativity and dedication strengthen ISU Extension and transform lives statewide. 

Sarah Eastlund, Student Program Coordinator

Sarah positively impacts the CCEE Department through her outstanding mentorship, leadership, and dedication to student success. She played a pivotal role in guiding the student co-hosts of the 2025 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals—an event that brought nearly 600 participants to campus and earned significant positive recognition for ISU. Sarah balanced support with empowerment, offering structure, expertise, and calm guidance throughout the year-long planning process and the competition weekend. Her leadership in the [KEY-wit] Kiewit Scholars Program and CCEE Student Ambassadors further demonstrates her commitment to students and to the mission of Iowa State. 

Jesse Elbert, Instructional Designer II

Jesse has transformed the visual design process for course design in the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, elevating the quality and consistency of online courses across multiple programs. He routinely exceeds expectations by producing multiple design options, sourcing additional imagery, and adapting faculty content to ensure clarity and accessibility. Jesse built the design and proofing workflow from the ground up and collaborates seamlessly across units to create a unified, Iowa State-branded learning experience. His work has had a direct, positive impact on students and faculty alike, making Iowa State’s strategic online courses more cohesive, professional, and learner-centered. 

Jenna Levendusky, Student Services Specialist II

Jenna has made an exceptional impact on the CCEE Department through her initiative, creativity, and commitment to student success. She proactively led digital accessibility preparedness efforts, completing extensive research and updating CCEE Advising Center resources to meet the 2026 DOJ mandate. Jenna consistently excels in her core duties, strengthens collaboration across campus, and creates a welcoming environment through innovative student engagement initiatives. She also contributes to the College of Engineering through her service on the “Improve You” Staff Mentoring Program Steering Committee. 

Michelle Roling, Assistant Director of Outreach

Michelle demonstrates exceptional leadership, creativity, and dedication to student mental health. As Assistant Director of Outreach, she excels in her core duties, creating initiatives like “Rocks that Rock” and improving outreach operations. Beyond this, Michelle steps into vital roles such as Eating Disorder Coordinator and supports clinical services and staff needs. Her passion for suicide prevention shines through her coordination of campus-wide events like the Out of the Darkness Walk and Field of Memories, now powerful annual traditions fostering awareness and community engagement. Michelle’s innovative work inspires other institutions and continues to make a lasting impact at ISU. 

Paul Hengestag, Scholarship, Assessment, & Programs Coordinator at CELT

Dr. Hengestag strengthens faculty development through collaboration, creativity, and a deep commitment to teaching excellence. He reimagined the SoTL Scholars program into a two-year model that supports faculty at every stage of inquiry and leads the Miller Faculty Fellowship program, helping applicants shape successful, interdisciplinary projects. He also launched new faculty-centered programming, including a themed workshop series and a book circle, and contributed valuable leadership to Iowa State’s accreditation efforts. Through these initiatives, Paul expands scholarly opportunities, enriches student learning, and elevates Iowa State’s culture of innovative, student-centered teaching. 

Mitch Harting, Education Extension Specialist 

Since joining ISU in June 2023, Mitch has consistently exceeded his job duties, demonstrating exceptional dedication, a collaborative spirit, and a profound impact on Iowans of all ages through the Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! programs. He expanded from an educator role to a leadership role by taking on the coordination of 421 Water Rocks! school visits reaching over 30,000 students and managing 4 Conservation Station trailers to ensure road readiness. Mitch also led the development of the “Giving Clean Water the Edge” seven-part infographic series. His problem-solving skills and commitment to conservation education have made a deep impact on ISU and communities across Iowa. 

Mindy Stensland, Associate Controller

Mindy has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance and her commitment to excellence has made a profound impact on Iowa State University. Her completion of the F&A proposal in support of the indirect cost allocations for grants resulted in a 2% increase in our rate, which had not changed in eight years. This effort required collaboration across campus and building the proposal from scratch since the movement to Workday. She was also an integral part of the implementation of Streamlyne for research award tracking and approval. This system change impacted all areas of campus and her participation contributed to a very successful implementation. 

Andrew Gogerty, Manager of Marketing and Communications

Since joining Reiman Gardens in June 2023, Andrew has significantly expanded the Gardens’ visibility and community impact. His tenacity and creativity during the 2025 corpse flower bloom of Stink Floyd propelled Reiman Gardens into the national spotlight, generating over 5 million views, thousands of new followers, and widespread media attention. This momentum helped drive more than 6,100 visitors to the Gardens in a single weekend. Andrew’s collaborative spirit, dedication, and professionalism have strengthened interdepartmental relationships, deepened community engagement, and elevated the university’s public presence. His contributions have meaningfully advanced the mission of Reiman Gardens and Iowa State University. 

Amanda Runyan, Student Services Specialist

Amanda Runyan has made an exceptional impact in her first year as Student Services Specialist in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. She has transformed graduate student support by creating a clear degree-completion flowchart, developing tools that streamline assistantship processing, reorganizing storage and supply systems, and launching a weekly graduate student update. Amanda excels in every aspect of her role, supervising student employees, improving office operations, and strengthening communication. She is collaborative, professional, and deeply student-centered, building strong partnerships across campus. 

Stephanie Schoeller, Finance Shared Services Analyst

Stephanie is a trusted expert and a key contributor to Finance Service Delivery. Her deep knowledge of Workday, ServiceNow, and Auditoria has made her the go-to resource for reporting, metrics, and complex analysis. She strengthens campus partnerships through clear communication and effective collaboration, resolving long-standing issues and guiding large projects such as the ARANet Corrections effort. Stephanie’s leadership is evident in her work on the FSD Strategic Roadmap, new intranet, and performance metrics that now support workforce planning. She brings clarity, structure, and dependability to every project and makes a lasting, positive impact on Iowa State University. 

Accounts Payable Leadership Team. The Accounts Payable leadership team delivered exceptional leadership during the transition to the new Auditoria invoice platform. They went beyond expectations by immersing themselves in the work, guiding specialists through new workflows, and processing transactions to keep operations moving. Their ability to adapt quickly and lead decisively drove invoice resolution times from 7.4 days to 2.4 days, strengthening supplier relationships and reducing delays for campus customers. Their clear communication and strong campus partnerships elevated trust in Finance Service Delivery. 

Members include: Sarah Merrifield and Amber Hoversten

CELT Learning Technologies Support Team. The CELT Learning Technologies Support team advances high-quality, student-centered teaching at Iowa State University through expert stewardship of more than a dozen enterprise instructional technologies. Their impact includes resolving 6,500 Canvas tickets, supporting over 3,100 courses, managing 50-plus major updates, and guiding broad adoption of Top Hat and GradeScope. They collaborate across campus to ensure a seamless, secure, and reliable learning ecosystem. Far more than technical experts, they are strategic partners whose leadership strengthens teaching excellence and enriches the student experience across the university. 

Members include: Lindsay Dew, Karla Embelton, Sonya Nichols, and Mattie McGovern

Extension Grants Administration Team. The past year has been especially complicated for grant administrators. Chris and Beth have dealt with the changing landscape with [aplum]. As the Assistant Director for Contracts and Grants, Chris oversees the administration of proposal development, while Beth, a grant specialist, focuses on providing Extension personnel effective assistance for pre- and post-award management. The team has helped multiple researchers submit grant applications with very short time frames. When applications are due, they go above and beyond to make it happen. 

Members include: Beth Miller and Chris Knight-Gipe