Administrators, Faculty and Staff Receive National Awards for Excellence in Teaching

By: Angela Mennecke

headshots of award winners

Several College of DuPage administrators, faculty and staff members are recipients of the 2024 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. The award recognizes community and technical college employees who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues.

College of DuPage President Dr. Brian Caputo said the honorees embody COD’s commitment to students and the communities it serves.

"Within our college community, we are privileged to have devoted, forward-thinking and student-oriented administrators, faculty and staff," he said. "I commend each individual recognized for their dedication and invaluable service to our institution."

This year’s COD NISOD honorees are

(Awardees are pictured in order from top left.)

Administrators and Staff

  • Director of Admissions and Outreach, International Students and Campus Central Kiantra Loza
  • Academic Affairs Administrative Assistant Rachel Anderson
  • Academic Division Administrative Assistant of Nursing and Health Sciences Pamela Dinucci
  • Bilingual Admissions Representative Edward Ortega
  • Accounting Supervisor Judy Vosicky

Full-time Faculty

  • Professor of Biology Tara Leszczewicz

Part-Time Faculty

  • Adjunct faculty member of Anatomy and Physiology Carla Lawrence
  • Adjunct faculty member of Mathematics Jennifer Jeffrey
  • Adjunct faculty member of English Bonnie McLean
  • Adjunct faculty member of Psychology Matthew Patton
  • Adjunct faculty member of Manufacturing Technology Sterling (Stu) Wright (not pictured)
  • Adjunct faculty member of ESL/ABE/ASE Kayla Ryan (not pictured)

Award recipients will be recognized during NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, to be held May 25 to 28 in Austin, Texas.

NISOD is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning and leadership at community and technical colleges. NISOD provides faculty-focused programs and resources for community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional development dollars.