Two weeks ago we celebrated all of this year’s CALS Award recipients, and this week we begin to share more information about all of the individual winners, starting with the Academic Staff Excellence Awards.

Todd Courtenay

Todd Courtenay is the Associate Director of the CALS Global Health Undergraduate Program and the Global Health Advising Hub, where he and his staff work directly with approximately 1,000 undergraduate students pursuing Global Health majors and certificates. Todd and his team have initiated a series of events for students, including career planning workshops and graduation celebrations, and have received very positive feedback from students.

As the associate director of the program, Todd serves as liaison to the Department of Entomology, the major’s administrative home; connects with the faculty directors of the Global Health Program; and works with the Global Health Undergraduate Programs Committee, which provides oversight for the major and certificate.

Under Todd’s leadership, enrollment in the two-year-old Global Health major has grown to an impressive 425 undergraduates, making it one of the top five fastest-growing majors at the UW. There are also an additional 725 students pursuing the certificate in Global Health. Todd’s impressive array of accomplishments in instruction, advising and service have greatly benefitted the major, the college and the university.

Jennifer Heinritz

Jennifer Heinritz is the Master’s Degree Program Coordinator in the Department of Bacteriology. Since her first day on the job, Jennifer has made a profound, positive impact on the program’s quality. She came onboard during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet found numerous ways to connect with students. In just a short time, Jennifer has become an expert in all things related to the program and is routinely sought out by students and faculty for advice.

Jennifer’s colleagues report she is extremely organized and forward thinking, which contributes to her productivity. She recently redesigned and updated the program web page, which contributed to doubling the number of students in the program and improved the satisfaction of existing students pursuing a masters in bacteriology.

Jennifer has made many connections with other relevant offices on campus to ensure the success of the program. She goes above and beyond and actively seeks out ways to help her colleagues. Her nominators agree she is a significant asset to the program, the bacteriology department, CALS and the UW.

Sarah L. Kemp

Sarah Kemp has led the School Enrollment Projection Project within the Applied Population Lab for two decades. Under Sarah’s leadership, the number of projects undertaken by the program has increased dramatically, and the program has gained regional and national recognition, resulting in a growing number of partnerships with school districts outside of Wisconsin.

In addition to her outstanding contributions through her research program, Sarah is a vital member of the Applied Population Lab community. As a result of her inclusive and encouraging leadership style, the A.P.L. team that Sarah leads is high performing and mutually supportive, which has a contagious, positive impact on the tone and conduct of operations throughout the entire unit. Sarah exudes dedication, enthusiasm and energy, and those qualities benefit everyone she encounters.

Sarah’s work at the A.P.L. exemplifies the Wisconsin Idea at its best, bringing university resources and information to people where they live and work – in this case, so that school districts can make informed plans for the future. Her remarkable skills and achievements have made her an invaluable contributor to the mission of the A.P.L. and to the UW as a whole.