The College of Arts and Letters presented its 2026 Staff Awards at the College of Arts and Letters Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 28 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.  

The 2026 Staff Award winners are:

• Ashley Housler – Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award
• Allison Fox and Suzie Reed – Outstanding Leadership Award
• Heather Dainton – Exceptional Service Award
• Carrie Lewis – Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Award
• Marina Valli – Flying Under the Radar Award
• Melissa French – Rising Star Award
• Katie Crombe and Rugelio Ramereiz – Power of Collaboration Award
• Justin Kenton – Honorary CAL Pal Award
• RCAH Staff Members – Golden Staff Award

The College of Arts and Letters recognizes these staff members for having contributed to the success of the college and demonstrating exceptional dedication, service, and leadership.

Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award

Established in 2011, the award’s first recipient was its namesake, Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh, who served the College of Arts and Letters for more than 25 years in various staff positions. The gold standard of staff awards within the college, recipients are dedicated to problem-solving and fostering high-quality work and exemplify the qualities displayed by Vanden Bergh and whose attainment of excellence deserves special recognition.

Ashley Housler, HR Administrator, is the 2026 recipient of the Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award. Housler supports three academic departments through her Human Resources work and serves on the college’s Culture of Care Advisory Group, where she helps organize events and initiatives, including the college’s annual Halloween Event and Holiday Gift Program for an MSU student and their family.

Mary Beth Heeder, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Director of the Arts & Humanities Health and Wellbeing Initiative, nominated Housler for this award and wrote that “Much like Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh, Ashley is a leader who makes other people and the community stronger. Ashley sees what needs to be done, finds a way forward, brings people together, and then gives generously of herself to ensure the work is done exceptionally well. Her creativity and problem-solving make work more effective; her collaborative spirit makes teams stronger; and her integrity, kindness, dignity, and respect make people feel that they matter.” 

Outstanding Leadership Award

Established in 2018, the Outstanding Leadership Award recognizes support staff members who embody exceptional leadership by building community, nurturing a culture of care and support, exhibiting strong stewardship of institutional resources (time, talent, financial, etc.), and developing a shared vision of institutional excellence. 

This year, two staff members received this award – Allison Fox, Director of Career Development for the College of Arts and Letters and the School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (RCAH), and Suzie Reed, Fiscal Officer.

Scot D. Yoder, Director of the School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities, nominated Fox for the award and wrote that “Allison’s style of leadership takes time and patience, but it leads to lasting change. I think it is fair to say that, because of Allison’s work, we now have a culture of career development in our unit such that the RCAH faculty now conceive of their work differently.” 

Carly Ensign, Director of Finance, nominated Reed for the award and wrote that ” Her leadership does not depend on a title; it is evident in the way she listens, collaborates, solves problems, shares knowledge, and consistently makes the people and organization around her stronger.” 

Exceptional Service Award

Established in 2016, the Exceptional Service Award recognizes support staff members who have consistently demonstrated outstanding performance and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. Recipients anticipate the needs of the college and are proactive and forward-thinking in addressing those needs. They also promote productive relationships across the college and university while demonstrating diplomacy and responsiveness.

Heather Dainton, Fiscal Officer/Research Administrator, is the 2026 recipient of the Exceptional Service Award. She joined the college in July 2023 and focuses on post-award research administration. Her nominators point to the monthly reporting efficiencies she implemented, her open office hours, her contributions to the CAL Research Newsletter, and her service on the CAL Staff Advisory Council.

Sara Allison, Assistant Team Lead/Fiscal Officer, nominated Dainton for this award and wrote that “She anticipates questions and concerns, considers the needs of everyone involved, and works proactively to prevent problems rather than simply responding to them after they occur.” 

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Award

Established in 2018, the Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Award honors a support staff member who engages across differences and actively works to make Michigan State University a more accessible and welcoming place. Recipients seek diverse perspectives, practice inclusive behaviors, champion accessibility, and foster belonging for marginalized communities.

Carrie Lewis, Academic Operations Undergraduate Studies Coordinator, is the 2026 recipient recognizing her efforts to engage across differences among the communities in which she works. Lewis serves as the college’s scholarship coordinator and project manager for the college’s emergency funds.

Leann Dalimonte, Director of Academic Operations, nominated Lewis for the award and wrote that “Carrie’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is not something she approaches as an additional responsibility. It is embedded in how she thinks about her work. She consistently considers who is being served, who may be overlooked, whether a process is truly equitable, and how institutional structures can better support the communities and students who rely on them…She does not simply help programs and processes function, she makes them more thoughtful, accessible, equitable, and responsive to the people they are intended to serve.”

Flying Under the Radar Award

Established in 2024, the Flying Under the Radar Award acknowledges the contributions of support staff members who shine in their roles quietly but with remarkable efficacy, without the desire for recognition. It is designed to celebrate those essential individuals who, through their steadfast commitment, exemplary performance, and cooperative spirit, make significant impacts behind the scenes. The award honors the unsung heroes whose efforts, though not always visible, are fundamental to the college’s collective success.

Marina Valli, Academic Program Coordinator, is the 2026 recipient of the Flying Under the Radar Award. Valli manages graduate student affairs and programming, degree plan guidance, graduate financial assistance, academic scheduling, and enrollment management.

Leann Dalimonte, Director of Academic Operations, nominated Valli for this award and wrote that “Being her supervisor, I often encourage and want to see her center stage, but Marina embodies invisible excellence. Her contributions are always impactful and consistently elevate program effectiveness, even though they are rarely acknowledged publicly…Though her work rarely makes headlines, it is indispensable to our mission.”

Rising Star Award

Established in 2016, the Rising Star Award honors support staff members who have worked in their position in the College of Arts and Letters for less than three years and have shown exemplary dedication to the mission of the college and Michigan State University while consistently demonstrating outstanding performance in fulfillment of their job responsibilities.

Melissa French, Academic Program Coordinator, is the 2026 recipient of the Rising Star Award. She joined the college in 2024 and supports the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures and the Department of Romance and Classical Studies, drawing on her prior experience in central human resources.

Yen-Hwei Lin, Chair of the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures; Jason Merrill, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies; and Charlene Polio, Director of the M.A. Program in TESOL and Applied Linguistics, nominated French for this award and wrote that “Melissa has demonstrated outstanding performance and an unwavering commitment to excellence in whatever she works on. She is extremely responsive and attentive to details and possesses a wide range of expertise and excellent organizational skills…In such a short period of time, Melissa has also grown significantly…We expect her to climb up the career ladder quickly, and certainly hope that we can retain her.”

Power of Collaboration Award

The Power of Collaboration Award is a new award that honors outstanding partnerships by recognizing those who combine their strengths to achieve significant innovations, solutions, advancements, and remarkable outcomes, serving as an inspiration for collaborative excellence. It is a tribute to the unity, creativity, and integrity that fuel progress, highlighting the essence of collective success.

Katie Crombe and Rugelio Ramereiz, Directors of Recruitment for the College of Arts and Letters, are the 2026 recipients of the Power of Collaboration Award.

Crombe and Ramereiz previously served as Strategic Recruitment Coordinator and Recruitment Coordinator, respectively, in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, now the School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (RCAH). On Jan. 1, 2026, they took on the additional role of leading recruitment efforts for the College of Arts and Letters, a change formalized July 1, 2026, with their new roles.

Scot D. Yoder, Director of RCAH, nominated Crombe and Ramereiz for this award and wrote that “Students often comment that they are part of a community that includes students, faculty, staff, and alumni; that they are known; and that they are supported by a team throughout their entire experience at MSU…This is the power of collaboration that Katie and Rugelio bring.” 

Honorary CAL Pal Award

This is the first time the Honorary CAL Pal award was presented. The award honors an individual who works with the College of Arts and Letters. The inaugural is Justin Kenton, Information Technology Professional, who is an affiliate employee with MSU IT Services assigned to provide service to the College of Arts and Letters.

“Justin is our desktop support person, which sounds pretty basic until you realize that he is supporting roughly 500 faculty and staff users with only the assistance of a couple of students,” said Tom Hakes, Management Analyst for the College of Arts and Letters, who works with Kenton.

The award, signed by Thomas Stubblefield, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, reads: “We offer heartfelt appreciation for your exceptional service, trusted partnership, and genuine care for the College of Arts and Letters community. Your expertise, responsiveness, and generous spirit make a meaningful difference and have made you an invaluable, honorary member of CAL.”

Golden Staff Award

Established in 2015, the Golden Staff Award is a special way to recognize an individual, department, program, or group in the college for demonstrating exemplary service, hanging in there when the going gets tough, or just being a good model for the rest of us. 

This year’s Golden Staff Award goes to the 2025-26 support staff of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, now known as the School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (RCAH).

RCAH faculty and staff navigated significant challenges during the integration with the College of Arts and Letters. Through it all, the support staff provided the steady structure, care, and resilience that helped hold the community together. They met change with grace, dignity, and compassion — supporting their colleagues while helping preserve the spirit of RCAH. 

By Austin Curtis and Kim Popiolek