Leadership Excellence Awards Descriptions

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Student Affairs

Point of Contact

Alex Miller

Description/History

This award was established in 2024 to recognize the top 3%, or approximately 17 students, of the graduating class who demonstrated outstanding leadership and service during their years at W&L. It is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Division of Student Affairs and Vice President of Student Affairs. The selected graduating seniors will have distinguished themselves among their peers through significant contributions to the broader W&L community.

Criteria

Students selected to receive the 1749 Senior Medallion Award will be graduating seniors who embody the W&L Mission Statement and values, including honor, integrity, civility, and inclusiveness, will be model representatives of the university, and will leave behind a lasting impact. These students will have demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment, and passion to the broader W&L community through involvement in various organizations and initiatives, and will be known for having inspired, motivated, and challenged their fellow peers.

2025 Selection Committee

• Alex Miller, VP for Student Affairs
• Dave Leonard, Dean of Students
• Leah Beard, Assistant Dean of Student Leadership
• Heidi Bustos, Assistant Director of Student Leadership
• Genelle Gertz, Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus, Jr. Professor of English

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Student Affairs

Point of Contact

Alex Miller

Description/History

This award and endowment was established in 2017, in memory of Madison Montgomery Shinaberry, known as Maddie to family, friends and classmates. Maddie was a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of 2016 and passed away on December 16, 2016, following a courageous fight with complications related to her double lung transplant in January 2009. While at W&L, Maddie was a Johnson Scholar, and a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Phi Eta Sigma honor society and the dance company. She traveled to Denmark with her spring term course during her first year and, as a sophomore, participated in the Washington Term program where she interned with Congressman John A. Boehner of Ohio, who was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives at the time. Maddie was a passionate lobbyist for organ donation awareness, and she successfully led a charge to have the Virginia Board of Education include organ donation education in the ninth grade physical education curriculum. Maddie was a beloved member of the W&L campus community, highly regarded by her peers and faculty. Each year this award will celebrate Maddie’s passion for leadership and service to the Washington and Lee community.

Criteria

The ideal candidates will be rising seniors who demonstrate outstanding leadership and service through involvement in various student organizations and the broader W&L community. Students will also demonstrate a commitment and passion for investing in and mentoring their peers.

2025 Selection Committee

• Alex Miller, VP for Student Affairs
• Dave Leonard, Dean of Students
• Leah Beard, Assistant Dean of Student Leadership
• Heidi Bustos, Assistant Director of Student Leadership
• Genelle Gertz, Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus, Jr. Professor of English

Past Winners

• Ben Bankston and Lizzy Nguyen, 2024
• Pierson Gammage and Jake Winston, 2023
• Allie Stankewich and James Torbert, 2022
• Troy Larsen and Bella Daher, 2021
• Lourdes Arana and Ayo Ehindero, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Office of Student Activities

Point of Contact

Laura Ulmer, Associate Dean of Student Engagement

Description/History

Chosen by the Division of Student Affairs, it recognizes a student who has exhibited extraordinary leadership in planning student activities at Washington and Lee University. Chris Noland was a former student at Washington and Lee University and was president of the Student Activities Board. He was a student very involved in all aspects of student life. As a result of his service and contribution this award is named to honor his leadership.

Criteria

Planning campus events and activities, engaged in student life, excels at bringing the community together

2025 Selection Committee

• Laura Ulmer
• Dave Leonard
• Jake Reeves

Past Winners

• Emily Anne Moran, 2022
• Donald Edward LeCompte, 2021
• Micah W. Holcomb, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Executive Committee

Point of Contact

Harris Stripling

Description/History

Chosen by the Executive Committee, it recognizes the student who has made the most valuable contribution to student affairs in one or more fields. The Frank J. Gilliam Award, named for Dean Emeritus Frank J. Gilliam as a tribute to his long and devoted service to Washington and Lee since 1926, is awarded annually. The award consists of a personal plaque and a cash donation to that University organization or department selected by the recipient.

2024 Selection Committee

The full 2024-2025 Executive Committee of the Student Body

Past Winners

• Jess Kishbaugh, 2024
• Hannah Puckett, 2023
• Troy Larsen, 2022
• Chase Isbell, 2021
• Lauryn McCray, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life

Point of Contact

Leah Beard

Description/History

Recognizes the most outstanding individual fraternity and sorority members of the Greek community. One award will be presented to one member from each respective council community (IFC, NPC, and NPHC). These three students should be exemplary leaders on campus, not only within their chapter and the Greek community, but also as a member of the larger student body.

Criteria

The recipients must be members of recognized national (IFC, NPC, or NPHC) or local Greek organizations on W&L’s campus. Beyond their academic and extracurricular achievements, the recipients should be of great character and dedicated to bettering the Greek community.

2025 Selection Committee

• 2025 Panhellenic Council
• 2025 IFC Council
• 2025 NPHC Council
• Leah Beard, Panhellenic Advisor
• Kyle McCoil, IFC Advisor
• Heidi Bustos, NPHC Advisor

Past Winners

• Kaylin Jury, Alan Haigler, and Owen Murray, 2024
• Mimi Sherrill, Tiwaniya Tyler, and Ty del Casal, 2023
• Taylor Garcia and Steve Warren, 2022
• Emma Stoffel and Brian Wickman, 2021
• Catherine Latour and Pranam Patel, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Student Affairs

Point of Contact

Jason Rodocker

Description/History

Given to recognize a student who has contributed in ways often not seen by the larger community and who has brought both depth and breadth to the University.

Criteria

Must be a current undergraduate student

2025 Selection Committee

• Jason Rodocker, Associate Dean of Students & Dean for First-Year Experience
• Elizabeth Knapp
• Fio Lewis
• Laura Ulmer
• Jenny Davidson

Past Winners

• 2024 - Stephanie Boktor ’25
• 2023 - Diana Rodriguez ’23
• 2022 - Estrella Burks-Parra ’23
• 2021 - Patrick Hofstedt ’21
• 2020 - Edwin Castellanos ’20
• 2019 - Simon Marland ’20
• 2018 - Hannah Palmatary ’18
• 2017 - Noelle Rutland ’17
• 2016 - Lainey Johnson ’16
• 2015 - Daphine Mugayo ’15

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Leadership Excellence Awards Banquet Committee

Point of Contact

Ben Bankston

Description/History

Recognizes a campus advisor that goes above and beyond in their efforts to support student initiatives, foster relationships, and provide opportunities for new experiences.

Criteria

The ideal candidate will be an advisor to an on-campus club or organization for at least 1+ years.

2025 Selection Committee

• Ben Bankston ’15
• Emily Bradley ’26
• Lillian Peskova ’26
• Sophia Taylor ’26
• Abby Leo ’26
• Kelcie Comisac ’27
• Thomas O’Connor ’27
• Leah Beard, Assistant Dean of Student Leadership

Past Winners

• Brian Alexander, 2024
• Jake Reeves, 2023
• Tom Camden and Kirk Luder, 2022
• Ellen Mayock, 2021
• Jan Kaufman, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

LGBTQ+ Resource Center

Point of Contact

Jake Reeves

Description/History

This award is designed to recognize outstanding student leadership that improves the lives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer communities on the Washington and Lee campus and/or in the surrounding local area. The award is made possible by John Flippen ’92. Any sophomore, junior, or senior attending Washington and Lee University is eligible for the award.

2025 Selection Committee

• Jake Reeves, Associate Director of Student Engagement and Technology

Past Winners

• 2023 - Cat Hudson ’24
• 2022 - Andrew Claybrook ’22 and Pamela Stiemel ’22
• 2021 - Chase Isbell ’21
• 2020 - Chase Isbell ’21 and Ginny Johnson ’20
• 2019 - MK Moran ’19, Liv Cooper ’20, and Genna Feirson ’20
• 2018 - Stephanie Chung ’18

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Leadership Excellence Awards Banquet Committee

Point of Contact

Ben Bankston

Description/History

This award recognizes a first-year student that is passionate about leadership education and its practice. This student should bring innovative ideas to the table and exude a high level of commitment to empowering other student leaders.

Criteria

The ideal candidate will be a first-year student who exemplifies passion for leadership and empowering other students, as well as involvement in the W&L community and beyond.

2025 Selection Committee

• Ben Bankston ’25
• Emily Bradley ’26
• Lillian Peskova ’26
• Sophia Taylor ’26
• Abby Leo ’26
• Kelcie Comisac ’27
• Thomas O’Connor ’27
• Leah Beard, Assistant Dean of Student Leadership

Past Winners

• Gaby White, 2024
• Hamza Zia, 2023
• Trip Wright, 2022
• P.T. Meadors, 2021
• Emma Aldrich, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Lenfest Center of the Arts

Description

The award, “Excellence in Arts Management,” recognizes an outstanding student leader, who in the minds of the Lenfest Center staff, has demonstrated leadership and dedication to help carry out the mission of the Center and is actively seeking ways and creating opportunities to advance the Lenfest Center’s presence on campus and within the student population

*Nominations for the “Excellence in Arts Management” Award are not handled through the nomination form, but are selected by the Lenfest Center for the Arts staff.

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Nabors Service League, Shepherd Program

Point of Contact

Jenny Davidson

Description/History

The Nabors Service League McLoughlin Award for Volunteerism is presented annually by the Nabors Service League to a senior student who demonstrate a commitment to their community through innovative service. Recipients of the McLoughlin Service Award embody vision, innovation, dedication, and leadership. This award is named for Stacy McLoughlin Taylor ‘02, who played an integral role in creating both the Nabors Service League and the Volunteer Venture programs.

Criteria

The ideal candidate will be deeply engaged in the local Rockbridge community with a commitment to honoring human dignity and learning best practices from community leaders.

Selection Committee

• Jenny Davidson
• Avani Kashyap ’24, NSL President
• Marisa Charley

Past Winners

• Sion Jang, 2024
• Kamryn Godsey, 2023
• Mansi Tripathi, 2022
• Danika Brockman, 2021

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Office of Sustainability

Point of Contact

Jane Stewart

Description/History

Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, this award recognizes two students who have made valuable contributions to sustainability efforts within W&L or for our global community. Awardees are chosen based on their level of impact in one or more of the primary aspects of sustainability: environment, economics, and social equity.

Criteria

The ideal candidate will have had a substantial record of active engaging in sustainability efforts on and/or off campus, whether through research, direct action, advocacy, and/or education.

2024 Selection Committee

• Jane Stewart, Director of Sustainability
• Nicole Poulin, Campus Garden Manager
• Kim Hodge, Assistant Dean of Students
• Designated USC representative

Past Winners

• Jules Seay and Shae Reinberg, 2024
• Joanne Ko and Flora Worthington, 2023
• Sarah Hollen and Joseph Lee, 2022
• Jeroimo Reyes Olmedo and Carissa Petzold, 2021
• Ginny Johnson and Anna Soroka, 2020

Sponsoring Office/Organization

First-Year Experience

Point of Contact

Jason Rodocker

Description/History

Given in recognition of initial faculty advisers that role model exceptional holistic support for FY advisees. The award was created by FYE in 2022.  

Criteria

Must be a current initial faculty adviser to a first-year student.

2024 Selection Committee

• Jason Rodocker, Associate Dean of Students & Dean for First-Year Experience
• Paul Youngman, Associate Provost

Past Recipients

• 2024 - Jemma Levy
• 2023 - Chris Dobbins

Sponsoring Office/Organization

University Counseling Center

Point of Contact

Annie Robinson 

Description/History

Nominations are solicited from the general campus including RAs and PCs. The PC selection committee (head PC, senior steering committee, and staff advisor) will narrow the nominations to a list of finalists and select recipients. If a member of the senior steering committee is nominated, they are excluded from the selection process.  

Criteria

The ideal candidate will embody the Peer Counselor ideal of being a knowledgeable, supportive friend who has consistently made themselves available to FY students on their hall as well as to others across the campus community.  In order to recognize as many PCs as possible, a PC cannot win the award multiple times.  

Past Winners

• Cole Gershkovich, Lily Miggins, 2024
• Cat Hudson, Mariam Drammeh, 2023
• Annie Thomas, Christian Pinto, 2022
• Hannah Puckett, Jonathan Tucker, 2021

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Harte Center for Teaching and Learning

Point of Contact

Adam Scales

Description/History

This award recognizes peer tutors who have made a positive educational impact on their peers and others across the institution. 

The Outstanding Peer Tutor (1) award recognizes a tutor who is highly effective and impactful in their tutoring. 

The Outstanding Peer Tutor (2) award recognizes a tutor who has been a role model for their peers while displaying long-term dedication and commitment to the peer tutoring program. 

Criteria

Both candidates will be individuals who go above and beyond the duties as outlined in the peer tutor job description. Both candidates have proven themselves to be highly effective in their tutoring and peer educational pursuits. 

The Outstanding Peer Tutor (1) award is for an individual who is highly effective at tutoring. They have constantly displayed high standards of tutoring and have made a positive difference in the learning and growth of their tutees. This individual has also displayed aptitude in reflecting on their own personal and professional development. This candidate has received consistently positive feedback from their tutees and the tutoring leadership team.

The Outstanding Peer Tutor (2) award is for a Peer Tutor who has shown tremendous dedication and commitment to the peer tutoring program. In addition to their effectiveness in tutoring, this individual has been keen to involve themselves in other initiatives to support the learning and development of students at W&L. This candidate is a positive role model to others and they have positively impacted the peer tutoring program. 

2024-2025 Selection Committee

• Adam Scales, Assistant Director of Academic Resources
• Caroline Evans, Peer Tutoring Coordinator
• Hamza Zia, Peer Tutoring Coordinator

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Housing & Residence Life

Point of Contact

Chris Reid

Description/History

Nominees will be submitted to the RA/CA supervisor (I.e., the Director and/or Assistant Director of Residence Life). The supervisor(s) may make award recipient decisions or call upon other student affairs colleagues for their feedback.

Criteria

RA/CAs foster inclusive living environments that are conducive to holistic growth and the University’s tradition of honor. RAs & CAs will support the W&L residential experience by offering growth opportunities that support self-discovery, citizenship, and future planning. 

The ideal candidate will be an individual who successfully fulfills and often goes above and beyond the duties as outlined in the RA/CA position description. This individual is a positive role model on and off-campus, and values accountability, community development, and servant leadership. Once the nominations are received, the selection committee will review peer feedback, performance evaluations, and programming evaluations before making a decision. 

2025 Selection Committee

• Chris Reid, Assistant Dean and Director of Housing and Residence Life
• Hannah Phillips, Associate Director of Residence Life
• Jason Rodocker, Dean for First-Year Experience

Past Winners

• 2024 – Molly Pennisi (RA), Tade Omisore (CA), LeAnna Baker (Programmer) & Molly Pennisi (Programmer) 
• 2023 – Josh Brown (RA) & Annalisa Waddick (RA), Bryson Parker (CA), Molly Pennisi (Programmer)
• 2022 – Leia Barrow (RA); Spencer Kriss (CA); Sharon Mendieta Ramirez (Programmer)

Award Type

Group

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Executive Committee

Point of Contact

Harris Stripling

Description/History

The Americus White Award is named for the first President of the Executive Committee. Chosen by W&L’s Executive Committee, this award recognizes the student organization that has demonstrated excellence in leadership, management, and programmatic efforts. Utilization of allocated funds is a factor in selection.

Criteria

The ideal candidate for this award will show passion for their mission through engaged membership and strong leadership. The candidate for this award will be an official EC recognized student organization.

2024 Selection Committee

The full 2024-2025 Executive Committee of the Student Body

Past Winners

• Mock Convention, 2024
• Campus Kitchen, 2023
• Student Association for Black Unity (SABU), 2022
• Contact Committee, 2021
• Mock Convention, 2020

Award Type

Group

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Leadership Excellence Awards Banquet Committee

Point of Contact

Ben Bankston

Description/History

The Best Event of the Year award is presented to an organization/group who hosts an event that has a positive impact on the larger W&L Community.

Criteria

The ideal candidate for this award will be an event hosted by an organization/group that left a positive impact on the campus and/or community. The event should have been open to the whole student body and held during the current academic year or previous winter/spring term.

2025 Selection Committee

• Ben Bankston ’25
• Emily Bradley ’26
• Lillian Peskova ’26
• Sophia Taylor ’26
• Abby Leo ’26
• Kelcie Comisac ’27
• Thomas O’Connor ’27
• Leah Beard, Assistant Dean of Student Leadership

Past Winners

• Souper Bowl, 2024
• Black Ball, 2023
• Baile, 2022
• R.I.S.E.: The Athlete Experience, 2021
• Mock Convention, 2020

Award Type

Group

Sponsoring Office/Organization

Executive Committee

Point of Contact

Harris Stripling

Description/History

Recognizes the student organization/chapter whose philanthropic efforts have made the most impact on our campus while supporting a local/national/global cause. The most funds raised per capita and the most innovative way of raising those funds is a factor in selection.

Criteria

The ideal candidate for this award will host an event(s) that draws wide participation from across campus with the mission of both awareness and raising financial resources for a given charity.

2024 Selection Committee

The full Executive Committee of the Student Body

Past Winners

• Remote Area Medical, 2024
• Alpha Delta Pi, Phi Kappa Psi, and WLUnite, 2023
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., 2022
• W&L Habitat for Humanity, 2021
• Chi Omega, 2020

Award Type

Group

Sponsoring Office/Organization

The Office of Community-Based Learning

Point of Contact

Bethany Ozorak

Description/History

Recognizes a student group that has made a significant positive contribution to the Lexington/Rockbridge area community through volunteer service. The winning group will receive a $150 award going towards a future service endeavor.

Please answer the following questions in your nomination:

1. How many service hours has your group completed in total for the Academic Year? Service hours must be logged on Engage W&L before you apply.
2. How has your group made a significant positive contribution to the Lexington/Rockbridge area community through volunteer service?

Criteria

The ideal group is devoted to service and volunteering in the Rockbridge County/Lexington community. They have made a positive contribution to the community and plan to continue and sustain this investment.

2025 Selection Committee

• Professor Sascha Goluboff, Director of the Office of Community-Based Learning
• Bethany Ozorak, Associate Director of the Office of Community-Based Learning
• Alessandra Del Conte Dickovick, Associate Director of the Office of Community-Based Learning

Past Winners

• Washington and Lee Student Consulting, 2024
• #HungerFighters, 2023
• English for Speakers of Other Languages, 2022