NIRSA and the entire field of collegiate recreation are made great by the passion, drive, and dedication of some truly amazing individuals and institutions. Each year, NIRSA is proud to recognize some of its extraordinary members with a variety of awards. Recipients of many NIRSA awards are announced ahead of the NIRSA Annual Conference, while others are first made public during the Association’s signature event.

See related: “Congratulations to many of the 2022 NIRSA award recipients” | “Kevin Marbury is the 2022 recipient of NIRSA’s Honor Award”

The Association would like to congratulate all award recipients for their excellence, especially those individuals listed below who were announced for the first time during the NIRSA 2022 Annual Conference and & Campus Rec and Wellness Expo!

Juliette Moore People of Color Distinguished Leadership Award

The Juliette Moore Distinguished Leadership Award honors those individuals who have helped further the goals of building a diverse and inclusive culture in our Association by fostering equality of opportunity, encouraging diverse perspectives, and creating a welcoming and supportive climate. The award was presented during the 2022 Founders People of Color Social, sponsored by PLAE and Life Fitness, on March 30.

Award Recipient

Stefani Plummer, California Baptist University

Regional Award of Merit

NIRSA professionals wear countless hats. To be successful, they often become innovative and dedicated pioneers in the field of collegiate recreation. The Regional Awards of Merit acknowledge the exceptional performance or dedication of NIRSA members. These awards were presented during Regional Meetups held on March29.

Region I

Peter J. Murray, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Region II

Alison A. Cross, Virginia Tech

Region III

Scott Vandermoon, CENTERS, LLC at DePaul University

Region IV

Brian Mills, University of Houston-Clear Lake

Region V

JT Timmons, University of Iowa

Region VI

Brian Smith, UCLA

Canadian Region

Gansheng Xu, University of New Brunswick

Sarah Fain Distinguished Service Award

The Sarah Fain Distinguished Service Award celebrates the dedication of a NIRSA Championship Series volunteer who has embodied the spirit of Sarah Fain through their commitment to the NIRSA Championship Series and its tournaments over the course of many years of service.

The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional performance in leadership and in the development of NIRSA programs, policies, events, special projects, or committees. The award was presented at the NSC Thank You Social on March 29.

Award Recipient

Anna Castillo, Southwestern University

Again, congratulations to all this year’s NIRSA award recipients, true leaders in collegiate recreation! The full roster of 2022 award recipients will soon be added to the historical list of recipients on the individual award pages of the NIRSA website.

  • For more information, contact NIRSA Member Relations Manager, Sarah Leskovec.
Member Relations Manager at  | NIRSA Profile

Sarah Leskovec is currently the Director of Membership & Leadership at NIRSA.