University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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Past Recipeints

Headshots of the four 2022 Cowan Award Recipients
2022 Larine Y. Cowan Make a Diffrence Award Recipients. From left to right: Ky Merkley, M. Nicholas Hoyt, Kevin E. Jackson, and Deanna Hence.

Advocacy for LGBTQ Affairs

2022 – Ky Merkley

2021 – Leslie K. Morrow

2020 – Robin Fretwell Wilson

2019 – Amy L. Powell

2018 – Keiko Price

2017 – Johnell Bentz

2016 – Andrea Cailles

2015 – Manuel Colón

2014 – Alejandro Gómez

2013 – Louis Bergonzi

2012 – Michael Parrish

Excellence in Access and Accommodations

2022 – M. Nicholas Hoyt

2021 – JJ Pionke

2020 – Meghan Burke and Ann Fredricksen

2019 – M.T. Hudson

2018 – Christy Blew

2017 – Stacy Dymond

2016 – Elevator Control Team

2015 – Joseph D. Minarik

2014 – Reggie Alston

2013 – University Housing

2012 – Timothy Offenstein

Leadership in Diversity

2022 – Kevin Jackson

2021 – Shardé McNeil Smith

2020 – Kimberly J. Shinew

2019 – Ruby Mendenhall

2018 – Harley Johnson

2017 – Tony Franklin and Brenda Wilson

2016 – Lynford Goddard and Toni Pitts

2015 – Jonathan Inda, Ronald Bailey, and Assata Zerai

2014 – Melvin Boatner

2013 – D. Lynette O’Neal

2012 – Avé Alvarado

Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity

2022 – Deanna Hence

2021 – Avital Livny

2020 – Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher

2019 – Monika Stodolska

2018 – Isabel Molina-Guzman

2017 – Mikhail Lyubansky

2016 – Nicole Cooke

2015 – Janet Carter-Black and Stephen Zimmerman

2014 – Stacy Harwood, Jan Eckert and Andrew Alleyne

2013 – Adrian Burgos, Jr.

2012 – Menah Pratt-Clarke

2011 (no specific categories)

Kimberly Alexander-Brown

Chris Benson

Elyne Cole

Jesse Thompson, Jr.

2010

James Anderson

Wendy Heller

Sheri Shaw

2009

East Saint Louis Action Research Project

Susan Linnemeyer

Alejandro Lugo

Anna Tsai

2008

College of Education

Facilities and Services

2007

Helen Neville

Feniosky A. Pena-Mora