2026 Staff Excellence Awards Winners

Congratulations!

Northeastern University is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Staff Excellence Awards. These awards recognize staff whose work has made a significant impact in advancing and supporting the Northeastern community.

Titles, departments, and campus affiliations reflect each recipient’s role at the time of nomination.

Innovation Across the Network

Leverages Northeastern’s innovative, global environment to generate impact.

Holly Franklin

Senior Director of Learning and Digital Strategy, Innovation Lab, Office of the Chancellor

Jennifer Nelson

Associate Director - Academic Operations, College of Engineering

Driver of Community and Belonging

Fuels initiatives that empower marginalized communities and elevate unheard voices.

Magali Feruzi

Associate Dean - Student and Academic Services, College of Professional Studies

The Global Learner Support Team

Team Award

Team Members

- - Jeremy Walter, Director – Global Learner Support (Toronto Campus)
  - Joseph Clark, Director – Assistant Director – Global Learner Support (Vancouver Campus)
  - Annie Edwards, Global Learner Support Specialist (Seattle Campus)
  - Tamara Estwick, Global Learner Support Specialist (Toronto Campus)
  - Ahmed Hassan, Global Learner Support Specialist (Vancouver Campus)
  - Lynn Nakazawa, Global Learner Support Specialist (Arlington Campus)
  - Bianca Torres-Shaver, Global Learner Support Specialist (Portland Campus)
  - Young He, Global Learner Support Tutor (Vancouver Campus)
  - Keren Kang, Global Learner Support Tutor (Seattle Campus)
  - Timothy Randazzo, Global Learner Support Tutor (Silicon Valley Campus)
  - Lise Watson, Global Learner Support Tutor (Toronto Campus)
  - Ruth MacKechnie, Global Learner Support Tutor (Silicon Valley Campus)
  - Claire Kagaya, Global Learner Support Tutor (Seattle Campus)
  - Haedy Liu, Global Learner Support Tutor (Miami Campus)

Model Mentor and Coach

Actively mentors colleagues and has coaching conversations.

Dan Wilson

Principal R&D Scientist II, Kostas Institute

Iris Pfrommer

Associate Director - Events Planning, Management, and Technology

Mark Boulter

Assistant Vice President, Facilities Services, PREF

Rebecca Rufo-Tepper

Assistant Vice President - EDGE, Office of the Chancellor

Dream Team

Collaborates in strategic, complex ways to meet a team goal.

Seattle Campus Operations Team

Team Award

Team Members

- Sara Boop, Associate Director – Operations (Seattle Campus)
- Kenan Aden, Operations Coordinator (Seattle Campus)
- John Blair, Administrative Coordinator (Seattle Campus)
- Jackson Johnson, Operations Assistant (Seattle Campus)
- Nate Abate, Front Desk Assistant (Seattle Campus)
- Erika Felix, Front Desk Assistant (Seattle Campus)
- Valerie Schloredt, Front Desk Assistant (Seattle Campus)

Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern (OPEN)

Team Award

Team Members

- - Kellianne Carfi, Director – Wellness Initiatives OPEN (Boston Campus)
  - Megan O’Hara, Director – Violence Prevention Initiatives OPEN (Boston Campus)
  - Rachael Cina, Assistant Director – Survivor Support (Boston Campus)
  - Alex Kane, Assistant Director – OPEN (Boston Campus)
  - Kyla Martin, Confidential Resource Advisor (Boston Campus)
  - Kimberly Bement, Assistant Director – OPEN (Boston Campus)
  - Colin Griffiths, Assistant Director – OPEN (Boston Campus)
  - Olivia Duncan (moved to another team) (Boston Campus)

We are incredibly grateful to the staff members who made up this year’s Review Teams. Their dedication and hard work ensured that our awards process was not only thorough but also reflective of Northeastern’s values.

Explore Our Excellence Awards

Learn more about our awards and the nomination process.