2026 Student Affairs Annual Awards Recipients
Student Employee/Leader of the Year
Joshua Aldinor
Student Referee
Campus Recreation
This award celebrates a student employee or student leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, responsibility, and commitment in their role. This award recognizes an individual who positively impacts programs and the campus community through their dedication and service.
Nomination Excerpt: "This student employee was an impressive student from the start of his time on my staff. During their first training, I remember them telling me they would be the best referee on staff, and they ended up being right. In their first semester, they quickly became a top referee and someone who I knew could handle any type of unexpected event on his shift. Our student earned the highest honor a student referee can receive, the “All-American” award. Even more importantly, they took everything they learned from these tournaments, and taught our other student referees, which significantly raised the abilities of our student staff."
Early Career Award
Daniel Hepfer
Assistant Director, Aquatic Operations
Campus Recreation
This award recognizes a Student Affairs professional with fewer than five years of full-time experience who has demonstrated exceptional promise, initiative, and impact. This award honors an individual who brings innovation, dedication, and a strong commitment to student success and community early in their career.
Nomination Excerpt: "This award recipient has transformed aquatics programming into a model of inclusive, student-centered practice. In their fifth year as a professional, they demonstrated visionary leadership through a multi-award-winning swim lesson partnership with the African American Museum of Southern Arizona. This collaboration provides non-university donated funding to eliminate financial barriers for Black-identifying youth, directly addressing longstanding disparities in swim access and water safety education. Further, they developed sensory swimming opportunities in collaboration with Autism Speaks and campus psychology labs, creating inclusive aquatic curriculum for neurodivergent participants."
Mid-Career Award
Brian Palomo
Senior Coordinator for Peer Mentoring
Dean of Students Office - Belonging & Mentoring
This award honors a Student Affairs professional with at least 5 years of experience who has consistently demonstrated leadership, effectiveness, and meaningful contributions to the division. The recipient is recognized for their sustained impact, professional growth, and continued commitment to advancing student success and development, support for colleagues and the workplace, and commitment to the profession.
Nomination Excerpt: "This recipient has demonstrated exceptional adaptability and leadership during times of significant institutional change. When the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered our funding structure and service model, they seamlessly pivoted to support over 600 Arizona Assurance scholars across all stages of their academic journeys. They also played a central role in reimagining the New Start Conference, integrating it into the New Start course and program in ways that improved efficiency, coherence, and student success. This colleague is a trusted mentor to newer professionals, frequently taking them under his wing to ensure they feel supported and confident in their roles. Their deep connection to the Tucson community has been an invaluable resource for both staff and students seeking to build a sense of belonging."
Academic Partner Award
W.A. Franke Honors College
This award recognizes a faculty member, academic program or department who has shown exceptional collaboration with Student Affairs. Recipients are honored for their commitment to holistic student development, student support, and learning beyond the classroom.
Nomination Excerpt: "Student Affairs has long shared a close and collaborative relationship with the W. A. Franke Honors College, grounded in a mutual commitment to student success and holistic development. One of the most visible and impactful examples of this partnership is Honors Village—an integrated academic and residential community that brings learning, living, and engagement together in a way that truly centers the student experience. Whether through intentional programming, faculty-student connections, or the creation of spaces that foster belonging and intellectual curiosity, the Honors College consistently models what it means to support students in a comprehensive and forward-thinking way."
Campus Partner Award
Frank Perez
Health & Safety Officer
Office of Public Safety
This award honors a non–Student Affairs team or staff member who has demonstrated outstanding collaboration and partnership with the Division of Student Affairs. This award recognizes shared efforts that enhance the student experience and strengthen the campus community through shared goals and impact.
Mentor Award
Drake Belt
Associate Director, Facility & Safety Operations
Campus Recreation
Celebrates an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to mentoring students, staff, or colleagues. The recipient is recognized for fostering professional growth, providing guidance and encouragement, and creating inclusive, supportive environments that empower others to succeed.
Nomination Excerpt: "This recipient has shown capabilities, professionalism, understanding, and compassion more so than most employees and watching them working with students and staff members alike on campus and within our community has been so rewarding. They are a true mentor and leader. Whether students, staff, or community members, you will constantly see them stepping forward to accomplish and lead where others do not."
Scholar–Practitioner Award
Dr. Alexei Moreno Marquez
Assistant Director, Financial Wellness
Dean of Students Office – Student Assistance
This award honors a professional who effectively integrates research, assessment, and/or theory into practice. This award recognizes an individual who uses evidence-based approaches to improve programs, services, and student outcomes while contributing to the scholarship of student affairs.
Nomination Excerpt: "This award recipient is an outstanding example of what it means to be a scholarly practitioner. Their passion for evaluation, research, presenting, and publishing has not stopped. They consistently push our office to tell the story of our students and the work done by the programs and services we provide. As an an HSI Fellow, they examined the impact of the Bursar’s payment plan enrollment fee on students. Their research combined with national data led to larger campus conversations around policies with financial implications for students. They understand the importance of researching, presenting, and publishing on the work that we do with students to advance student success in higher education and on a national level."
Student-Centered Practitioner Award
Laura John
Assistant Director
Fraternity & Sorority Programs
This award recognizes a professional whose work consistently centers the student voice. This award honors efforts that elevate student perspectives and empower students as partners, and design experiences that reflect students’ needs, identities, and aspirations.
Nomination Excerpt: "This recipient embodies the spirit of the Student-Centered Practitioner Award. They consistently ensure that student voices are heard and respected in the work we do. Whether through program design, leadership development, or day-to-day interactions, they approach every decision with a clear focus on student needs, identities, and aspirations. They view students not simply as participants in programs, but as partners whose perspectives shape and strengthen the work of our office. Across each of these areas, leadership, mentorship, and student-centered practice, their impact is meaningful and lasting. They challenge students to become the best versions of themselves while supporting them through difficult moments with care and patience."
Distinguished Service Award
Rosanna Curti
Associate Dean of Students
Dean of Students Office
Recognizes a long-standing Student Affairs professional whose career reflects exemplary service, leadership, and dedication to the institution and the profession. This award honors an individual whose contributions have created a lasting legacy and positively shaped students, colleagues, and campus culture.
Nomination Excerpt: "This recipient has played an important role in developing systems and processes that ensure students receive fair, transparent, and educationally grounded support when challenges arise. Their contributions to institutional policy, case management, and collaborative response efforts have strengthened the university’s ability to respond effectively to student needs. Colleagues across campus frequently seek their expertise because of their sound judgment, thoughtful analysis, and commitment to student-centered outcomes. They are widely respected as a mentor and role model. They generously share their time, knowledge, and encouragement with colleagues, supporting the professional development of emerging student affairs professionals while modeling ethical leadership and thoughtful decision-making."
Bear Down Service Award
Dr. Aaron Barnes
Director of Counseling & Psych Services
Campus Health
Celebrates an individual or team who exemplifies a commitment to students and our campus community. Recipients go above and beyond in supporting students and colleagues while embodying the values, energy, and Bear Down spirit of the University of Arizona.
Nomination Excerpt: "The Bear Down Service recipient serves as a highly skilled and creative leader, who brings novel, community-centered approaches to his important role on campus. Since joining our team, their tenure is defined by a rare combination of strategic vision, clinical excellence, and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of our students. Their leadership has been instrumental in navigating the complex, evolving landscape of campus mental health, and they have shown an ability to try new approaches in their role. Their leadership led to the development of the innovative UACMT model, a care delivery system that has already shown promising results in streamlining student support in working with UAPD and first responders. Furthermore, they have helped make CAPS a training site for mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists."