2023 Engage for Change Awards
Every year, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement celebrates and acknowledges students, faculty, staff, and community leaders working together to make an impact in our communities.
Our sixth annual Engage for Change Awards on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 featured a keynote address by Jamie Bosket, president and CEO of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
Each honoree received this year's Engage for Change print by Richmond artist Alexis Rogers.
Awards and Honorees
Service for Change Award
This award recognizes an individual or group who has committed to service and relationship building in the Richmond community as a significant part of his/her/their college experience and whose work has contributed to a community's goals. We honor awardees for their ongoing commitment to community engagement and for the spirit in which they have engaged. Awardees have exhibited a dedication to understanding social issues in context, a commitment to valuing the dignity and worth of every individual, a persistent self-awareness and willingness to reflect critically, and a sustained and ethical approach to engagement.
Jake Barnet, '24
Yamir Chapman, '25
Beza Mulatu, '25
Community-Engaged Teaching Award
This award recognizes a faculty member who has consistently demonstrated excellence in community-engaged teaching at the University of Richmond. Community-engaged teaching is undertaken in collaboration with community partners in order to further the learning of all involved and build the capacity of students and community members in order to effect positive change. Excellent community-engaged teaching may connect our students to the greater Richmond community through a variety of modes, including but not limited to service-learning; collaborative projects with community partners; clinical education, student teaching, and internships; and study trips and immersive engagement with community experts.
Camilla Nonterah, Associate Professor of Psychology
Community-Engaged Scholarship Award
This award recognizes University faculty member(s) whose scholarly and/or other creative activity emerges from a mutually beneficial partnership with a community and creates new knowledge that contributes to positive social change. Community-engaged scholarship is characterized by its relevance to a faculty member’s expertise, its benefit to the external community, its visibility among community stakeholders, and its contribution to the University's mission.
Andy McGraw, Associate Professor of Music
David Salisbury, Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability
Collaboration for Change Award
This award honors a collaborative community-based partnership between campus and community stakeholders. This award is given to an individual or group who recognizes the importance of authentic relationships and genuine collaboration to affect change. Criteria include: a sustained commitment to an evolving and iterative relationship over time; partnerships that exemplify collaboration as a process of co-creation; a respect for the knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders; and a demonstrated outcome that reflects mutually shared goals emerging from the partnership.
Sara Hanson, Director of the Spider Business Hub
Activism for Change Award
This award recognizes an individual or group who has organized for meaningful action towards social justice in the Richmond region. Awardees have worked persistently to understand the larger context of a social problem and are strategic and intentional in their actions to promote change.
GreenUR
Advocacy for Change Award
This award recognizes an individual or group who has consistently advocated for meaningful action towards social justice in the Richmond region. Awardees have worked persistently to understand the larger context of a social problem and are strategic and intentional in their actions to promote change.
Equality Virginia
Contribution to the Institution Award
This award recognizes faculty or staff member(s) whose community-engaged teaching, scholarship, and/or service made a significant contribution to the University of Richmond, furthering opportunities for faculty engagement, community collaboration, and the learning and thriving of our students.
Kerstin Soderlund, Associate Dean for Student & External Affairs
Bill Coleman Award
Mr. William “Bill” Coleman was the shuttle driver for Spiders serving in the community from 2012-2021 and a beloved colleague whose spirit and dedication advanced student engagement at the University of Richmond. This award recognizes a member of the University’s staff who is dedicated to supporting meaningful engagement with our local and global communities.
Lauren Lightfoot, Administrative Coordinator, Parking & Transportation Services
Community Educator Award
Educators guide and instruct us, and this role does not rest solely within institutions of higher education. This award honors an individual or organization in the Richmond community who has transformed students, faculty, and/or staff through the sharing of their knowledge and expertise.
Cara Cardotti, Director of Tax Assistance Program, United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg
Brenda Dabney Nichols, Author of African Americans of Henrico County and Ziontown