Congratulations to Our 2022 Awards of Excellence Recipients

The UVU Board of Trustees and Presidential Awards of Excellence program recognizes full-time faculty and staff who dedicate their time and talents to students, scholarship, and the advancement of higher education. Annually, the UVU Board of Trustees elects to recognize several employees for their contributions to strengthening UVU's mission. Additionally, the Presidential Awards of Excellence highlight faculty and staff for their efforts in key areas related to UVU's mission, values, and action commitments.

Meet our 2022 Board of Trustees Awards of Excellence recipients:

	Professor Amie Houghton Amie is an expert in the forensic investigation field. She has an extensive background in crime scene investigation, analysis, and reconstruction, which she obtained from over a decade of working in federal law enforcement. Amie serves as the director of the Forensic Investigation emphasis and Crime Scene House at UVU. She teaches Introduction to Forensic Science, Crime Scene Investigation Techniques, Forensic Photography, Forensic Pathology, and Medicolegal Death Investigations.
	Professor Alan Parry Alan joined the UVU faculty in 2016 and currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Mathematics. Alan loves teaching and helping students see the wonder of mathematics around them. His teaching philosophy is centered on three key ideas: (1) genuine care for his students and a desire for their success, (2) fostering an enjoyable and comfortable classroom atmosphere to engender student investment and engagement in the course, and (3) using several different approaches to course material in order to help students learn their way.
	DaSheek Akwenye DaSheek was born and raised in Windhoek, Namibia and came to the United States on a Track & Field scholarship. He is a former UVU student-athlete and a previous UVU 400m record holder. Enrolling into college as a first-generation international student, DaSheek overcame challenges that have shaped him both professionally and personally. DaSheek currently serves as the Sr. Director for the Department of Campus Recreation & Wellness within the division of Student Affairs and has served on various committees on campus.
	Gloria Alfaro Gloria has worked for UVU Custodial Services for just over 20 years. She has worked in multiple areas and has built long-lasting relationships. Gloria has always gone above and beyond to ensure UVU's campus is clean, safe, and provides a welcoming atmosphere. During her years of service, she has trained well over 100 employees, most of whom were also UVU students.
	Coach Scott Houle Coach Scott Houle recently completed his 17th season as the head cross country and track & field coach at UVU. As head coach, Scott has led his teams to 35 conference championships. He has been recognized for his efforts by his peers by being named the men's and women's Western Athletic Conference and Great West Conference Cross Country Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year an impressive 35 times. Scott has also produced 46 Track & Field NCAA qualifiers during his time at UVU, as well as led his cross country teams to the NCAA Mountain Regional every season since 2009. He has also coached six NCAA Cross Country National Championship qualifiers, 44 Individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees, 19 All-Academic Cross Country teams, and 18 All-Academic Track and Field teams.

Meet our 2022 Presidential Awards of Excellence recipients:

	Professor Jessi Hill Dr. Hill is a broadly prepared cognitive developmentalist who studies cognitive psychology in the context of lifespan changes. She’s an internationally recognized scholar on teaching and learning in higher education and an award-winning educator who incorporates culturally relevant and learner-centered teaching across delivery modalities. A prolific grant writer and published author, Dr. Hill teaches general psychology, cognitive psychology, research methods, and graduate and undergraduate seminars in the teaching of psychology. As a strong advocate for women leaders, she co-created the Utah Women's Leadership Exchange.
	Professor Greg Jackson Professor Greg Jackson is the Chair of Integrated Studies and Deputy Director of National Security Studies. He is best known nationally as the creator, host, and head writer of the popular US history podcast, "History That Doesn't Suck" (HTDS). His other appearances and publications include television, radio, podcasts, newspaper op-eds, peer-reviewed articles, and academic book reviews. He also served as a historical consultant for Wondery's podcast, "American Elections: Wicked Game."
	Gabriel Mayberry Gabriel is a first-generation college student and the only person in his family to graduate from college. While he studied public relations and business management at Brigham Young University, he worked part-time in UVU's University Marketing and Communications department as a photographer. His experience provided opportunities to photograph for Sports Illustrated and USA Today and to be featured in ESPN and The Salt Lake Tribune. As a junior in college, Gabriel secured a full-time position at UVU as a photography manager. After graduation from BYU, his written and visual communications skill set allowed him to shift within the department to his current role as social media manager.
	Nathan Gerber Nathan Gerber, director of web development services at UVU, is a web solutions advocate specializing in helping UVU divisions and departments build effective and productive web solutions. Since 1993, Nathan has assisted many businesses and educational institutions in creating their web systems. As technologies evolve, Nathan works with the UVU community to be a driving force in helping move their web systems in the right direction. As a speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur, he has gained the expertise to head in the right direction with the flexibility of turning when necessary.
	Jeannette Vargas German Jeannette Vargas German is from the Dominican Republic and brings the passion of her culture to her role, allowing her to take the Emergency Services (EMS) program at UVU to new heights. She first started out as a caregiver in the Wee Care Center at UVU back in 2007. Since then, she has taken on multiple roles at the university, including as an administrative assistant for English Language Learning, the College of Health and Public Service, and EMS, until assuming her current position as lab manager within EMS. While working full time, raising a family, and being very involved with students, Jeannette received a bachelor's degree in emergency services from UVU in 2020, despite already having a degree in psychology.