Alumni & Friends

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Each year the USF College of Education is proud to present three alumni awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of graduates who have made a positive impact in the field of education.

Alumni, staff, faculty, students and friends of the university are invited to nominate College of Education graduates from across all three USF campuses each year in early spring. Award winners are recognized at a ceremony in May in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Week.

2024 Award Recipient Graphic

Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award

The Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Alumni Award recognizes an individual who has graduated from the USF College of Education and who has demonstrated long-term contributions, achievement, and service within Education or a related profession – locally, statewide, regionally, nationally, and/or globally.

Past Recipients
Recipient Award Year USF COE Graduation Year and Degree
Earl Lennard, Ph.D. 2014 ’63 B.A. Special Education
’93 Ph.D. Vocational Education
Doris Ross Reddick 2015 ’70 M.A. Special Education
Michael A. Grego, Ed.D. 2016 ’89 M.Ed. Educational Leadership
’97 Ed.D. Educational Leadership
Joanna Fox 2017 ’99 B.A. English Education
Joe Tomaino 2018 ’71 M.A. Business Education
Mona Jain, Ph.D. 2020 ’84 Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Education
Troy D. Sadler, Ph.D. 2021 ’03 PhD. Science Education
Dominic “Dick” J. Puglisi, Ph.D. 2022 ’69 M.A. Social Science Education
Joyce Haines, Ph.D. 2023

BA ’68 Elementary Education
MA ’77 Reading Education
PhD ’89 Interdisciplinary Education


Spirit of Partnership Alumni Award

The Spirit of Partnership Alumni Award recognizes an individual who has graduated from the USF College of Education and who has created and sustained partnerships within the community, within the college, and/or between the community and the college to promote and advance the field of education.

Past Recipients
Recipient Award Year Graduation Year and Degree
Freda Abercrombie 2014 ’88 M.A. English Education
Christopher S. Christoff 2015 ’96 Special Education
Stephanie Holmquist Johnson, Ph.D. 2016 ’05 M.A. Career & Technical Education
’14 Ph.D. Career & Workforce Education
Aracelis A. Rogers, Ph.D. 2017 ’04 Ph.D. Adult Education
Erin Sapp Santiago 2018 ’94 M.A. Exceptional Student Education
Sara Kay Bonti 2020 ’88 B.S. English Education
’07 M.Ed Education Leadership
LaShawn Frost, Ed.D. 2021

’04 M.Ed Educational Leadership
’07 M.Ed Educational Leadership

LaSonya L. Moore , Ed.D. 2022

’03 B.A. Special Education
’07 M.Ed Educational Leadership 

Monica Ilse, Ed.D. 2023

’98 MA Counselor Education
‘00 MEd Educational Leadership
’11 Ed.D. Educational Leadership

 

Young Educator Alumni Award

The Young Educator Alumni Award recognizes graduates of the College of Education who serve as exemplary leaders and role models in the field of education among their peers and in their communities. Nominees must have graduated from USF within the last 10 years and be 35 years old or younger.

Past Recipients
Recipient Award Year Graduation Year and Degree

Tyler Campbell

2017 ’12 B.S. English Education
Alex LaSpina 2018 ’09 B.A. Elementary Education

Francesca Perrone-Britt 

2020

’10 B.A. Elementary Education
’12 M.A. Reading Education
’20 Ed.S. Curriculum & Instruction

Edna Jones Miller, Ph.D.

2021

’12 Ph.D. Higher Education Administration

Caprice Edmond

2022

’15 M.A. Elementary Education
’17 M.Ed Educational Leadership

Brad Bernstein

2023

’10 BS Physical Education
’15 MEd Educational Leadership

For more information, please email EDUDevelopmentOffice@usf.edu