Congratulations to the 2021 Champions of Equity!
The Steinhardt Champions of Equity Awards were created to recognize and celebrate those who make significant contributions to improving the culture and climate of our school, helping to advance our school's vision of diversity, equity, and belonging. The awards program is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, in close collaboration with the Steinhardt Equity Council (CAUSE), a shared governance group.
Distinguished Service Awards
This award is presented to members of the community who have exemplified critical compassion in their work and provided exceptional service to the students, faculty, administrators, and staff of NYU Steinhardt.
Equity in Student Recruitment and Retention Task Force (ESRT)
Council for Advocacy and Action United for Social Equity (CAUSE)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Womxn and Work Taskforce
Heart and Soul Award
This award is presented to members of the community that lead with empathy and love in service to our students and demonstrate critical care and healing justice in their work.
Nija Leocadio
Mike Funk
Shanieka Brooks
Heroes Award
This award is presented to Steinhardt employees who have created socially innovative solutions to inequities at our School.
James Foley
Kelsey Buttendorf
John Lyons and the Institutional Research Team
Barack and Michelle Obama Hope Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt leaders that have driven positive cultural change at our School and in the larger global community.
Ying Lu
Jim Kemple
Stella Flores
Distinguished Scholar Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt researchers that have centered equity and justice in their scholarship and have had a profound impact on the global community.
Niobe Way
Hiro Yoshikawa
L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy
Champions of Equity Distinguished Administrator and Staff Award
This award is presented to Steinhardt employees who have exemplified service that centers, affirms, and supports the community.
K. Sasha Best
Shenise Fields
Kervin Pillot
Champions of Equity Outstanding Department Award
This award is presented to an NYU Steinhardt department that has demonstrated exemplary leadership and created a sense of belonging among its students, faculty, administrators, and staff through restorative practice and loving accountability.
Administration, Leadership, and Technology
Applied Statistics, Social Science, and Humanities
Occupational Therapy
Champions of Equity Racial Justice Award
This award is presented to anti-racist community leaders that center intersectional equity and justice for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other historically marginalized people of color in their work and at our School.
Steinhardt Latinx Graduate Student Association
Mercy Agyepong
Jamie Sterns
Noel W. Anderson
Champions of Equity Distinguished Student Organization Award
This award is presented to Steinhardt student organizations that have shown exemplary advocacy and service to the student community.
International Programming and Advocacy Committee (IPAC)
Graduate Student Organization (GSO)
Undergraduate Student Government (USG)
Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt undergraduate students who have gone above and beyond in service to the Steinhardt community to advance equity and justice.
Ryan Campbell, President, Undergraduate Student Government 2019-2020
Anthony Cruz, Undergraduate Student Government
Annie Yaya, Undergraduate Student Government
Katie Demos, Publicity Chair, Undergraduate Student Government
Champions of Equity Distinguished Graduate Student Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt graduate students that have gone above and beyond in service to the Steinhardt community to advance equity and justice.
Nicole Johnson
Tamara Minott
Ra Ra Rollins
Madison Lee Coe
Blake Whyte
Champions of Equity Economic Justice Award
This award is presented to Steinhardt community members that have worked to create opportunities for students and exemplified the value of cooperative economics and community cultural wealth.
Delmy M. Lendof, Associate Dean of Student Affairs
A3SR Program
Champions of Equity Gender and Trans Justice Award
This award is presented to community leaders that have demonstrated courage and vulnerability to advance intersectional racial and gender justice at our School.
Jamie Sterns, Lilly B. Padia, Lisa Stulberg, and Stina DuFour (Ruth Bader Ginsburg Womxn and Work Taskforce)
Joe Salvatore and Tammie Swopes (Verbatim Performance Lab)
Harris Kornstein, Charlie Muller, Anna Stielau, and Megan Wiessner (MCC Graduate Students)
Champions of Equity Linguistic Justice Awards
This award is presented to anti-biased community leaders that work to combat linguistic violence and dehumanization in their work and at our School.
Maria Brea
Kongji Qin
NYU Steinhardt ASL Club
Susannah Levi
Champions of Equity LGBTQ+ Justice Award
This award is presented to anti-biased community leaders that work to advance equity and justice for trans, queer, and other folx with marginalized sexual identies by increasing visibility of LGBTQIA+ issues and advocating for sustainable change.
Jamie Remmers
Tiffany Martinez
Chris Woods
Champions of Equity Abilities Justice Award
This award is presented to anti-biased community leaders that work to advance equity and justice for folx with visible and invisible disabilities through learning and development for the larger community, scholarship, and practice.
Chris Nichols
Kristie Patten
Mara Mills
Champions of Equity Community Award
This award is presented to community members that demonstrate equity and justice through community power and participatory decision making.
Coalition for Education Justice
Food and Racial Equity (FARE) Collective and Krishnendu Ray
Diversity & Inclusion Student Committee (DISC)
Champions of Equity Distinguished Alumni Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt alums that have continued to advocate for prospective and current students to advance equity and justice in our departments and programs.
Brandon Nase, Vocal Performance
Kuhoo Verma, Vocal Performance
Chloe Felicity Finder, Music Education
Juliana Dueñas Lopez, Music Education
Mars Cardwell, Music Education
Viviana Garcia, Music Education
Champions of Equity Distinguished Center Award
This award is presented to NYU Steinhardt research centers that advance equity and justice in scholarship and in practice.
NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools
Center for Practice and Research at the Intersection of Information, Society, and Methodology (PRIISM)
Champions of Equity Champion of the Year Award
This award is presented to distinguished leaders of the global community that have centered equity and justice in their work, and exemplified all of the values of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging.
Lofton Holder
William Goodloe
Champions of Equity Award are among the most distinguished honors given by NYU Steinhardt to extraordinary individuals and teams who embody the spirit and principles of our school’s commitment to equity and social justice reflective of the following activities and attributes:
- Promoting a deeper understanding of equity by advancing best practices in their respective domains of influence
- Exhibiting leadership qualities in their work through collaboration, courageous conversations, social transformation through an intersectional lens, and loving accountability
- Prioritizing student needs and advocating for systemic and institutional change to address them to ensure equitable opportunities
- Serving as a creative and equity-minded decision maker in the shared governance process
- Fostering practices that help bridge equity gaps and close stubborn social disparities that continue to plague our community
- Developing cultural humility
- Fostering intercultural communication and collaboration
- Enriching learning and facilitate critical thinking
- Advancing personal and professional growth
- Helping to build our community members into increasingly better global citizens
Thus, the awards both honor and celebrate those who have demonstrated excellence through their efforts to expand social representation, amplify silenced voices, and advance equitable opportunities across the communities we at Steinhardt serve.