2026 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 ninth annual Engage for Change Awards on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 featured a keynote address by Richmond artist Hamilton Glass who also created the award print.
Awards and Honorees
Learn more about the honorees in our 2026 Engage for Change Awards program.
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.
Lucas Chuidian, '27
Brunnet Makava, '27
The Pathways to a College Experiene Leadership Team (Isabella Corona, '27, Duncan Hall, '27, and Lucy Lew, '28)
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.
David Giansacpro, Associate Professor of Spanish
Lauren Henley, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
Kerrissa MacPherson, Adjunct Instructor of Health Studies
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.
Janelle Peifer, Associate Professor of Psychology
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.
Laura Fitrer, Senior Program Manager of Professional Education, School of Professional & Continuing Studies
Tom Parfitt, Director of Professional Education, , School of Professional & Continuing Studies
Misty Woodward, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Sheltering Arms Institute
Kelly Merrick, Vice President of Philanthropy, Sheltering Arms Institute
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.
George Hiller, Adjunct Professor of Liberal Arts
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.
Linda Trent, Administrative Aoordinator, Jepson School of Leadership Studies
Joseph Day, Natural Areas Steward, and Hayley Herrmann,Sustainability Communications & Engagement Specialist, Office for Sustainability
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.
Tom Anderson, Founder and CEO, IT4Causes
Civic Commitment Award
Civic commitment is defined as developing one’s commitment to and effectiveness in participation in public processes. This award honors an individual who demonstrates civic commitment and inspires it in other learners, enhancing their positive impact on the world around them.
Heather Russell, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Public Scholarship Award
This award honors an individual for their scholarly or other creative activity that serves a public good extending beyond the academic purpose of the work. Public scholarship encompasses different forms of making knowledge about, for, and with diverse publics and communities.
Bedelia Richards, Associate Professor of Sociology
Gus Dulaney-Dewald, '27