Staff Appreciation Dinner Honors and Remembers Colleagues

The Lehigh University community recently gathered to celebrate the contributions of its staff at the 2026 Staff Appreciation Dinner. President Joseph J. Helble opened the evening by expressing his gratitude, noting that the university's progress toward strategic priorities like "A Lehigh for Everyone" is made possible by the collaboration, care, and pride that staff bring to their work every day.

The program, emceed by Associate Vice President for Human Resources Chris Halladay, featured the induction of several members into the 25-Year Club, including Kathleen Hutnik, Erin Lisetski, Warren Loller, Janet Norwood, Vicki Ruggiero, and Candi Staurinos. This milestone recognizes a quarter-century of dedicated service to the institution.

A significant portion of the evening was dedicated to honoring university award recipients. Mikki Maderas and Stacie Brennan received the ERAC Distinguished Service Award for their exceptional leadership and commitment to improving the work environment. Officer Zahirah Corrigan of the LUPD was honored with the John W. and Barbara R. Woltjen Award for her professionalism and work with the Rape Aggression Defense training program.

Other notable awards presented included the Paul J. Franz ‘44 Award to Ashley Sciora for her mentorship in the Community Service Office, and the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Academic Advising to Andrea Goff for her support of the Computer Science and Business Honors Program. Kelly Woodbridge received the Inclusive Excellence Award for her transformative work in disability inclusion, and Heather Simoneau was recognized with the Louis and Helen Zirkel Library Staff Award.

The university also celebrated the achievements of Leila Ehtesham, recipient of the Perry and Carol Zirkel Nonexempt Staff Award, for transforming the wood and metal shops at Mountaintop, creating the 3D Print Hub, and making the labs safer and more accessible. Michaela Criswell received the Alfred Noble Robinson Staff Award for her outstanding performance and commitment during a leadership transition in Housing Services, where she successfully led the implementation of HousingCloud and the rollout of Transact. 

The honorees also included Kathleen Hutnik, recipient of the Exempt Staff Distinguished Service Award, who was recognized for two decades as an unwavering advocate for graduate students and her service as University Ombudsperson. Hollie Tran received the Hillman Nonexempt Staff Award for her work as co-project manager for the Middle States self-study and for redesigning the self-study evidence inventory system. Ted Bowen was honored with the Hillman Exempt Staff Award for becoming the indispensable backbone of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department's lab operations and a critical guide for the Senior Design program.

The program also included a solemn moment of silence to remember members of the Lehigh family who passed away during the previous year. This past year was particularly poignant as the community mourned the loss of five active employees whose impact and dedication continue to be felt across the university.

The evening concluded with a heartfelt tribute to twenty newly minted retirees, with special recognition for Joan Brosious, MaryEllen "Mel" Kitchen, and Barbara McGuire, who were in attendance to celebrate their many decades of service.

In keeping with Lehigh's commitment to sustainability, physical programs were replaced by digital access. Attendees and the broader community can view the full Staff Appreciation Dinner program on the HR website and more photos from the event here.