CSU Pueblo Honors Faculty and Staff at 23rd Annual Recognition Luncheon
President Rhonda Epper, Provost Gail Mackin and campus leaders celebrated award winners, long serving employees and retirees at Thursday’s ceremony, a tradition that now spans more than two decades.
Dr. Dakota J. Sandras, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communication , accepts the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award from Dean Andreas Mueller during the 23rd Annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon on April 23, 2026.
Colorado State University Pueblo recognized nearly 100 faculty, staff and retirees Thursday at the 23rd Annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon. President Rhonda Epper presided over her first Recognition Luncheon since taking office.
“What I’ve seen is that everyone here cares so deeply for this institution. Your work and your commitment matter more than ever.”
— President Rhonda Epper
Epper thanked the planning committee chaired by Megan Lorenz, executive assistant to the president, along with committee members Kat Hund, Lisa Chavez, Della Gonzales, Trish Pocius, John Redmond-Palmer, Joe Yevara and Jessica Brown. She also recognized campus events and dining partners Elior, including Brandon Samora, Jerry Carter and their team.
Outstanding Administrative Professional Staff
John Redmond-Palmer, president of the Administrative Professional Council, presented the awards, selected from 18 nominees.
Janet Martinez, Undergraduate Clinical Liaison, School of Nursing
Coordinates clinical placements for more than 200 students each semester and supports dozens of adjunct faculty, often well beyond regular hours.
Lori Lucero, Grants Specialist
Played a lead role in turning around a COSI grant program that helped more than 140 students complete their credentials, and secured more than $1 million in new funding.
Jennifer Ghosh, Web Development
Maintains one of the university’s most visible assets, supporting departments across campus with website updates while working remotely.
Janet Martinez, Undergraduate Clinical Liaison, School of Nursing accepts the first place Outstanding Administrative Professional Employee of the Year award.
Nominees also included: Jim Quintana, Mariah Buss, Anthony Jimenez, Luna Velar, Brianna Moorman, Christine Lines, Hawley Young, Beverly Rawlings, Jamie White, Arron Schmitz, Kristen Olguin, David Carleo, Phillip Schulz, Rebecca Knight and Josh Gurley.
Outstanding Classified Staff
Trish Pocius, president of the Classified Staff Council, presented the classified employee awards, selected from 14 nominees by a panel of community members.
Kaelee Bos, Administrative Assistant III, Hasan School of Business
Improved scheduling and budgeting systems while managing multiple priorities and supervising student employees.
Lupita Strickland, Administrative Assistant II, PACK Center
Strengthened front desk operations and mentors student employees at one of the university’s busiest student hubs.
LeAnn Zacher, Administrative Assistant II, Social Work
Strengthened departmental processes for accountability and operations and supported accreditation efforts in just over a year on the job.
Nominees also included: Jamie Davis, Kayla Parker, Theresa Jimenez, Joe Martinez, Carrie Cooper, Alvin Buffalo, Rachel Herrera, Catherin Chavez, Maxie Newton, Michelle Rodriguez and Juanita Sanchez.
Outstanding Team of the Year
For the 13th year, Epper presented the Outstanding Team Award. Ten teams received nominations, including the CHASS Dean’s Office Team, Office of Financial Management, Extended Studies, Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology (SCITT), Hasan School of Business Operations Team, Student Leadership Involvement & Career Engagement (SLICE), School of Education, Admissions Recruitment and Processing and the Pack Pantry.
The PACK Center, Led by Assistant Provost Abby Davidson
The team streamlined advising processes using Starfish and Banner, strengthened career-aligned advising through the Colorado Career Advising model and supported Ready/Set/Enroll and orientation efforts that contributed to improved retention and enrollment outcomes.
Students’ Choice Awards
Associated Students’ Government President Shay Wilson presented the 14th annual Students’ Choice Awards. Before reading the script, Wilson thanked faculty and staff across her own student leadership journey, which spans housing, student affairs, SEAL, SLICE and ASG.
“Your work really does matter. Being ASG president has shown me how much this work matters to students.”
— Shay Wilson, ASG President
Dr. Samuel Gockel, Assistant Professor
Students describe Organic Chemistry as significantly more approachable under his instruction and credit him for making himself available for problem-solving sessions that often stretch into the evening.
Gwen Young, Director of Campus Services
Student nominations highlighted her help with meal plans, work-study connections and her steady encouragement through tough moments.
Leader of the Pack
Vice President of University Operations and Chief Financial Officer Garrison Ortiz presented the Leader of the Pack Award, now in its second year. The award drew 14 nominees.
Todd Whittemore, Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management
Ortiz praised Whittemore for his availability at any hour and his steady presence through major incidents and day-to-day operations.
“Because of Todd, CSU Pueblo is not only safer but stronger and more resilient.”
— Garrison Ortiz, Vice President of University Operations and CFO
Nominees also included: Laura Barela, Elly Christi Sperber, Oleksii Hamov, Abby Davidson, Ashley Minnich, Krista Bridgmon, David Volk, Arlene Reilly-Sandoval, Carol Larson, Selina Sanchez-Ozuna, Karen Yescavage, Jordan Guitierrez and Dante Montoya.
Faculty Excellence Awards
Provost Gail Mackin presented the faculty awards for excellence.
Dr. Michael Briscoe, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology
Published a sole-authored book, peer-reviewed articles and encyclopedia entries from 2023 to 2025, with research spanning environmental justice, animal welfare and global wellbeing.
Dr. Yvonne Montoya, Professor of Communication and Information Design
As faculty director of the McNair Scholars Program, she rebuilt program infrastructure, met federal benchmarks and guided scholars into graduate pathways.
Matthew Garcia, Interim Chair and Associate Professor
Leads art and creative media and coordinates Chicano studies, guiding programs through financial and curricular transitions while building community partnerships across Pueblo.
Heather Hopkins Bowers, Lecturer
Directs the writing center, developed tutor training modules and leads a campus-wide reading initiative to strengthen student reading proficiency.
Martha Wilcoxson, Adjunct Professor
Teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in business administration and management, using case-based learning and interactive tools to connect coursework to professional growth.
Dr. Joel Johnson, Professor, Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy and Geography
Integrated AI literacy into upper-level courses while reinforcing reading and analytical skills in his introductory classes.
Dr. Franzisca Sandmeier, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Mentors graduate thesis students through publication and runs a lab where graduate and undergraduate students collaborate on research.
Outstanding Faculty by College
The deans of each college presented their outstanding faculty members.
Dr. Emily Mulvihill, School of Education
Dean Vicki Piquette praised Mulvihill for advising doctoral candidates, leading the principal licensure program and carrying an extraordinary workload with care and precision.
Kathleen Wachutka
Dean Morris noted Wachutka’s leadership in updating the family nurse practitioner curriculum and introducing objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). A military spouse, Wachutka has practiced in New York, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, Hawaii and South Korea.
Dr. Dakota J. Sandras, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communication
Dr. Dakota J. Sandras, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communication, accepts the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award from Dean Andreas Mueller during the 23rd Annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon on April 23, 2026.
Dr. Dakota J. Sandras, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communication, accepts the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award from Dean Andreas Mueller during the 23rd Annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon on April 23, 2026.
In her second year on the tenure track, Sandras expanded SOCO Student Media’s social media reach by 200% and grew traffic to the TODAY online publication by 550%.
Dr. David Dillon, Department of Chemistry
Dean Dave Lehmpuhl recognized Dillon for nearly 28 years of teaching organic chemistry and a second term as department chair, noting that he and Dillon both started at CSU Pueblo in 1998.
Dr. Brad Gilbreath
This year Gilbreath published three peer-reviewed journal articles and one top-tier conference paper while serving on the faculty senate, leading faculty searches and contributing to the HLC self-study.
Maria Smyer, Assistant Professor
Smyer leads the Colorado Chicano Movement Archives, has organized and digitized collections, attracted new oral histories including an interview with Judge Dennis Maes and co-recorded the first episodes of a forthcoming podcast, Chicano Legacies.
Starfish Traveling Trophy
The School of Nursing received the Starfish Traveling Trophy with 96% participation, the first time a college has crossed 90%. Reporting across colleges ranged from 73% to 96% this year.
Years of Service
Executive Director of Admissions Lee Saunders presented the service awards.
Retirees
Saunders also recognized the university’s newest retirees: Jack Carrigan, Douglas Summer, Bernard Goetz, Kenneth McKenzie, James Louisell, Wendy Fairchild, Theresa Vega, Veronica Trujillo and Roger Clark.
Closing Remarks
Epper returned to the stage for closing remarks and recognized the moment of joining the institution alongside an employee with 45 years of service.
“I have a lot to learn from all of you. I’m excited about the weeks and months and years ahead and all that we can accomplish together.”
— President Rhonda Epper
She thanked attendees for staying through the full ceremony and invited them to enjoy the rest of their afternoon celebrating one another.
