Austin Community College (ACC) congratulates recipients of its annual Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards.

Leadership Awards
Recipients of the ACC Leadership Award are recognized for going above and beyond the duties listed in their job descriptions. They may serve as mentors to their colleagues or staff members, provide assistance beyond their normal duties to aid their department or the institution as a whole, volunteer to help with institution-wide projects, encourage their staff or colleagues to enhance their education and/or their professional skills, provide superior internal and external customer service, support the institution in a positive and optimistic manner, represent the institution in a professional manner, and consistently seek improvement of their own skills.

• Classified Employee of the Year | Georgia Branch, Coordinator, Curriculum and Catalog
• Professional-Technical Employee of the Year | Jose Resendez, Manager, Learning Labs
• Administrator of the Year | Dr. David Fonken, Dean, Science, Engineering, & Mathematics
• Faculty Leader of the Year | Dr. Vanessa Lazo, Department Chair and Professor, Foreign Languages
• Chancellor's (formerly President's) Leadership Excellence Award Winners:
  • Sharrion Jenkins, Executive Director, Campus Operations, Quality Control, and Project Management
  • Dr. Rachel Ruiz, Dean, Student Affairs
  • Brandon Whatley, Dean, Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Applied Technology

Teaching Excellence Awards
The ACC Teaching Excellence Awards honor full-time and adjunct faculty who promote special learning opportunities, student interaction, depth/breadth of knowledge in a subject area, and innovation.

• Teaching Excellence Full-Time Faculty Award | Dr. Sharon Butler, Professor - General Studies & Student Development
• Teaching Excellence Adjunct Faculty Award | Dr. Herbert Coleman, Adjunct Professor - Psychology & Student Development

NISOD Excellence Awards
Recipients of the NISOD Excellence Award are recognized for doing extraordinary work on their campuses. They are honored at the annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence and receive an excellence medallion and awards booklet that recognizes and showcases their achievements.

• Natalie Andreas, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Business, Government, and Technical Communications
• Sharon Goh, Adjunct Associate Professor, Student Development & ESOL
• Barbara Lane, Adjunct Associate Professor, History
• Christopher Morgan, Adjunct Assistant Professor, English
• Dr. Nabeel Khan, Professor, Computer Information Technology
• Kimberly McDougall, Associate Professor, Dental Hygiene
• Dr. Jack O'Grady, Professor, Biology
• Jason Vidrine, Associate Professor, Communication Studies

eFaculty of the Year Award
This award recognizes an outstanding ACC faculty member who has creatively incorporated internet-based technologies to teach online and/or hybrid courses at ACC. The recipient designed and taught one or more online or hybrid courses with an imaginative approach, well-designed course materials, instructional strategies, and a demonstrated rapport with the course participants.

• Dr. Richard R. Espinosa, Department Chair and Professor, Allied Health Sciences

Piper Professor Nominee Award
The Piper Professor Nominee Award is a statewide award that recognizes outstanding full-time faculty in the teaching profession. Higher education institutions must be invited to submit a nominee. Only ten professors are selected to receive this award each year.

• Curtis Eckerman, Professor, Biology

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty (New in 2021)
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty honors nursing faculty who inspire their students to remember that nursing is more than tasks and technology. The DAISY nurse faculty is one who ensures that both the art and science of nursing are brought to every patient experience. This award celebrates nursing faculty for their inspirational influence on the nurses of today and tomorrow.

• Glenda McCombs, Professional Nursing Skills and Clinical Tutor

All recipients will be honored at the ACC awards dinner in the summer. For questions please contact the Office of Faculty Development by phone at 512-223-7216 or email at facdev@austincc.edu.