DSA Employee Award Winners
UWF's DSA has the opportunity to nominate team members to the following honorable awards: DSA Dazzler, Department of the Year, DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service, Distinctive Program/Event of the Year, DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer and the DSA Dynamo.
2026 Award Recipients
- DSA Dazzler: Austin Scott, Coordinator of Commuter Student Services, Student Engagement
- Department of the Year: Housing Residence Life
- DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service: Aubrey Shelton, Coordinator of Career Education, Career Development and Student Engagement
- Distinctive Program: Intramural Sports, Offered by Recreation and Aquatics
- DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer: Rachel Hendrix, Executive Director, Office of International Affairs
- DSA Dynamo: Olivia Ashcraft, Senior Graphic Designer, Student Affairs Design and Communication
Past Winners
- DSA Dazzler: Krysta Ponek, Coordinator of Outdoor Adventures, Recreation and Aquatics
- Department of the Year: Student Engagement
- DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service: Olga Batova, IEP Coordinator, Office of International Affairs
- Distinctive Program: RECHELLA, offered by Recreation and Aquatics
- DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer: Jenny Makselan, Assistant Director, Kugelman Honors Program
- DSA Dynamo: Adetoyosi Obikoya, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Counseling and Psychological Services
- DSA Dazzler: Darby Drapeau, Student Support Specialist, Office of Student Engagement
- Department of the Year: Career Development and Community Engagement
- DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service: Amos Davidson, Jr., Assistant Director, Office of Student Engagement
- Distinctive Program: Argo Pantry's Wellness Wednesdays, offered by the Dean of Students Office
- DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer: Dawn Rockey, Director, Student Accessibility Resources
- DSA Dynamo: Candice Morgan, Director, Student Success
- DSA Dazzler: Elizabeth Barrett, Program Coordinator, Kugelman Honors Program
- Department of the Year: Dean of Students Office
- DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service: Kennyattah Cox, Director of University Commons and Event Services
- Distinctive Program: Club U-Dub, offered by the Office of Student Engagement
- DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer: Rachael Treis, Advisor II, First Year Advising
- DSA Dynamo: Lyndon Torree, Coordinator, Student Affairs Technology Support Services
DSA Awards and Descriptions
DSA Dazzler-New professional of the year (1-2 years)
Recognizes an employee who has quickly contributed to the success of DSA and of their department through their use of personal initiative, analytical and critical thinking skills, and problem-solving capability. This employee demonstrates a positive attitude and cooperative spirit.
Department of the Year
This award honors a department that has excelled in helping and assisting students, faculty/staff, families, community members, etc., both within and outside DSA. This department demonstrates effective teamwork in executing impactful, educational, and innovative services, programs, and/or collaborations across the campus. This department works both independently and collaboratively with other departments to provide a holistic experience for the campus community.
DSA Devoted to Outstanding Service
Recognizes an employee who consistently demonstrates an overall positive attitude and is committed to providing superior support to students, faculty, staff, and community members. The level of service this employee provides exceeds job expectations. This employee is dedicated to helping others achieve a positive outcome and demonstrates initiative toward process improvement.
Distinctive Program/Event of the Year
This award recognizes a program/event that demonstrated creativity, leadership and innovation. The program/event is sponsored by a department in DSA and makes a positive impact relative to DSA’s strategic priorities: Transformational Experiences, Academic Success, Health and Wellbeing, or Staff Development and Operations.
DSA Distinguished Hall of Famer (5+ years)
Recognizes an employee who constantly strives to improve the quality of services and programs above and beyond their job description. This employee serves as a positive role model to others by consistently projecting a positive attitude toward their work, sharing their knowledge and insight with staff, and/or being a motivator for student success.
DSA Dynamo (3-5 years)
Recognizes an employee who displays exemplary performance in their own responsibilities, as well as service to the division, University, and community, beyond assigned duties. The individual has gone above and beyond his/her job expectations, contributes to the division in meaningful ways and has demonstrated innovative and unique methods that have made a positive impact on services, programs or students. This staff member shows promise of assuming a greater leadership role in the division.