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To be eligible for the ±Ê°ù±ð²õ¾±»å±ð²Ô³Ù’s Award for Excellence, the nominee:

1. Must be an ¹û½´ÊÓƵ employee (non-faculty).
2. Must have completed at least two years of continuous full‑time or part-time service in the department for which they work.

The president, the executive leadership team, assistant and associate provosts, assistant and associate vice presidents, executive directors, deans, assistant and associate deans, academic department chairs, and full‑time faculty are not eligible for this award.

Former award recipients are eligible for renomination five years after receiving their awards. Non-recipients who have been previously nominated may be renominated at any time.

The standard for the ±Ê°ù±ð²õ¾±»å±ð²Ô³Ù’s Award for Excellence is exceptionally high. Recipients should be individuals who have repeatedly sought to better themselves, their units and, ultimately, ¹û½´ÊÓƵ, and have transcended normal definitions of excellence.

• A Letter of Nomination from a current ¹û½´ÊÓƵ employee (two pages maximum, 250 – 350 words)
• One (1) Additional Letter of Recommendation supporting the nomination (two pages maximum, 250 – 350 words). Additional letters of support will not be considered.

Please note: Nomination packages must include all three items listed above to be considered complete. All three items must be together for the nomination to be reviewed by the Committee.

Multiple nominations for single employees may be accepted; however, each packet must be complete and contain the three required items. Each completed nomination packet will be considered independently.

The letter of nomination and the supporting letter of recommendation are the basis for the Committee’s evaluation of nominees. Therefore, letters should be as specific and descriptive as possible.

An effective letter of nomination should include the following:

Explain why the nominee deserves the award:

• Highlight the nominee’s achievements and key strengths.
• Use specific examples (e.g., projects, leadership roles, milestones, commitment to DEIB initiatives, managing office operations, coordinating events, improving processes and efficiency, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment, etc.).
• Quantify impact when possible (e.g., statistics, outcomes).

Connect the nominee’s performance to the award criteria:

• Demonstrate how the nominee’s accomplishments align with the criteria for the award.
• Provide specific examples of the nominee’s impact, relevance, and unique qualifications.

Address the nominee’s personal attributes:

• Include qualities like integrity, leadership, or professionalism, if relevant.
• Describe how these attributes contribute to the nominee’s success and suitability for the award.

The Advisory Committee for the ±Ê°ù±ð²õ¾±»å±ð²Ô³Ù’s Award for Excellence (the Committee) is administered by two co-chairs from the Office of Human Resources. The co-chairs review nomination packets to ensure that all required documents have been submitted. Only complete nomination packets are forwarded to the Committee for review and rubric scoring. Nominations for the award may come from any person in the campus community; however, relatives of employees may not submit a nomination for their family member, but may provide a supporting letter of recommendation.

After review and rubric scoring of all nominations, the Committee submits its recommendations to the Office of the President. The Committee represents a variety of constituencies from our ¹û½´ÊÓƵ community including students, previous year honorees, Local 153 representatives, faculty members and administrators.

The deadline for completed nomination packets is March 16, 2026.

Once you have completed all steps mentioned above, please submit your or to:

Advisory Committee for the ±Ê°ù±ð²õ¾±»å±ð²Ô³Ù’s Award for Excellence c/o Office of Human Resources
Levermore Hall, Room 203
¹û½´ÊÓƵ
Garden City, NY 11530

2026

• Jessica Campbell
• Beverly Frisk-Fox
• James Harris
• Gina McGovern

2025

• Kelsey A. D’Andrea
• Joseph Dedentro
• Brian P. Mearini
• Scott Zotto

2024

• Melissa Bellantonio
• Annette Leone
• Kathie Ortore
• Leandro Rodriguez

2023

• Alyssa Estrada
• Noelle Fiallo-Evans
• Crystal Krudis
• Rosemarie Napolitano

• Sarah Avery
• Alessandra Bevinetto
• Charlie Kulins
• Suzy Piatos

• Rosemary Bradshaw
• Nicole Gaudino-Vieira ’12, MS ’17
• Gina McGovern
• Anna Zinko

• Stephanie Espina
• Bernadette Fitzpatrick
• Samantha Bassford
• Patricia Veigl

2019

• Grace Adamo
• Rosemary Garabedian ’07, M.S. ’13
• Jacqueline Johnston Ph.D. ’18
• Shirley Komansky

• 2024 – Linda Jean-Louis
• 2023 – Caitlin Sullivan
• 2022 – Schanica Pickens
• 2021 – Meenakshi Elango
• 2020 – Raysa Amador, PhD