College of Arts and Sciences Awards

As an alum of the PsyD program, Kristine Kennen joined the doctoral program in 2022 as GIPP director of admissions and GIPP director of dissertation research, two key roles in overseeing the program's administrative functioning. She joined at a time of significant departmental transition, when our goal was stabilization and program development following recent retirements from the previous administrative team for the program.

Kristine has supported the revamping of these key areas of program responsibility including streamlining the admissions review process to support faculty’s role in this process as well as updating the dissertation manual and creating an across-the-year plan of dissertation advisement for each doctoral cohort to ensure that students stay on track with their dissertation goals. As a result, we have seen an increase in the timely completion of dissertation goals for students which supports their pathway to timely graduation.

Kristine believes in the ethos of community and team through transparency, commitment and enthusiastically doing the work. She is always willing to contribute to problem solving, take on any task that moves the ball forward for the department and students, and has been an invaluable member of the administrative team at GIPP. She bookends our students' experience in the program, welcoming them in during orientation their first year, and closing the loop as they complete dissertation. She is an excellent steward of the program's spirit in both roles, and she models professionalism for our students in an exemplary way.

Her attention to detail, thorough approach, humor, and desire to see the students, faculty, and program succeed are unmatched.

Cindy Oppenheimer handles a multitude of tasks efficiently and with good humor and kindness. She demonstrates a willingness to help and to be useful in all possible ways.  

She stays well ahead of deadlines and effectively manages all reporting, budgeting, and student worker hiring and support for all three departments. This year, she had expanded her support for the Center for Social Research and has taken on additional work for the Honors program and the Rell Center for Public Service. She has also helped as the History department expanded to include the Philosophy faculty.

Cindy is a great advocate and supporter of her colleagues, frequently seeking ways to support fair treatment, better wages, and more efficient management of the University for other staff members. She gives of her own time in ways that support the students and our College, not simply the three departments, through activities  like reading prospective student essays and volunteering to support student voting drives on campus. She also does an excellent job managing and modelling working behavior for our student workers.

Cindy is rarely idle—when she finds her tasks complete, you can guarantee she will reach out to ask: “What else can I do?” She loves to stay busy and is a model employee in her creativity, her willingness to think outside the box, and her extraordinary work ethic.  

Being the director of GIPP PsyD program is no easy feat, as Jennifer Petro is constantly trying to balance meeting the needs of the students, faculty, department, University, and the accreditation standards expected by the American Psychological Association. While trying to strike this balance is not easy and may lead to some sleepless nights, Jennifer truly exhibits a set of leadership skills that should be the model for any leader. She is warm, thoughtful, supportive, and genuinely listens, all while keeping the bigger picture in mind and often making very difficult decisions.

Jennifer is incredibly experienced and knowledgeable. She is always able to cite various APA policies and is in the know with the current happenings and future directions of the field. Under her leadership, there has been a significant positive shift in the PsyD program, including new visions for the future of the program, a complete overhaul of the policies, procedures, and manuals, and newfound comradery amongst the faculty. Jennifer’s leadership will continue to lead the program to a resurgence of success and satisfaction amongst all stakeholders.

Jennifer is the “go-to” support person of the department and students seek her out for any concern that they may have. Even when she must have difficult conversations with them, it seems that they still walk out of her office with a smile and an action plan. She is a constant cheerleader for them and it is clear that they feel it.

Kelly McGeever is being recognized for her extraordinary and dedicated service to the criminal justice program, to her department, and to the College of Arts and Sciences. She currently serves as the associate dean after completing her role as an assistant dean in the prior academic year. In both of those roles, Kelly has improved the level of communication and responsiveness from the dean’s office and has significantly improved processes such as prerequisite updates, transfer equivalencies, academic appeals, advising, academic standing, and evaluation.

In her role as program director for the criminal justice program, one of the College’s largest academic majors, Kelly worked on planned changes to the program’s curriculum and applied the University’s revised program review protocols to them. She worked to restructure the program to improve its efficient delivery and to help ensure that students could progress smoothly through the sequence in four years. This included identifying discrete pathways to different internship and career options without building rigid, difficult-to-sustain curricular tracks with distinct requirements into the new model.  

In addition to the regular work of teaching and advising students, Kelly is a constant presence at recruiting events for the college and attends nearly every single one. At these weekend obligations, Kelly can be seen smiling and chatting with prospective students and families, cheerful and eager to answer queries about the criminal justice program and about the College of Arts and Sciences.

Natalie Politikos has steadfastly stewarded and enhanced the University, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Psychology through her tremendous service and leadership contributions. Her national leadership in the field of school psychology has transformed the field through new national accreditation standards and processes.

Natalie has served as a member of the President’s Council during COVID and as a leader (serving as vice-chair, secretary, and member) in the Faculty Senate since 2018. Natalie is well-known for bringing faculty senate business to the College of Arts and Sciences meetings and for being a thoughtful voice, always placing her report into the larger context of the University and higher education.

In her national leadership role, her expertise in school psychology and accreditation standards shines through her work as program accreditation board chair of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for the past seven years. This is intensive work, and she does a tremendous job. She is the national leader in identifying how graduate programs are approved/accredited and she coordinates with multiple national accrediting bodies, as well as the National Association of School Psychologists to accomplish a huge task. After an intensive review process that brings more than a dozen University faculty reviewers from across the U.S. to our campus each year for two intensive weeks of reviewing program reports, Natalie writes decision reports for dozens of universities a year.

Natalie has directed the graduate program in school psychology for the past 16 years and she does an extraordinary job recruiting students, overseeing accreditation requirements, and ultimately leading students to exceptional success in their careers. Natalie also generously volunteers for important service commitments in the department and most recently volunteered to review Promotion and Tenure cases through the Personnel Committee. She has coordinated the Diagnostic Materials Library for the past 20 years which is a large task. It involves researching updated assessment and measurement tools across the fields of clinical, school, and neuropsychological practice, working with publishing companies to purchase tools as well as ongoing supplies, bringing trainings to campus for the University and public when major revisions occur, and managing a very busy loaning library that is the backbone of graduate training.

Given the College’s and the University’s priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, and her personal commitments, Natalie recently proposed an alternative re-accreditation review option for its upcoming re-accreditation review in 2026. The process was approved, and she is leading evaluating the program’s curricula regarding diversity and social justice. and the ways in which the program helps students achieve cultural competence through their 71-credit graduate training experiences. Natalie was awarded a Departmental Inclusive Excellence and Belonging grant in 2024-25 to support curricula development to enhance transparency, critical engagement with difference, and inclusive practices that foster belonging. This important work serves the University of Hartford’s School Psychology program and enhances its training.

Alexandra Arroyo serves as a state prosecutor in Hartford, Connecticut. Her commitment to public service began immediately after graduating college when she joined Teach For America, and moved to Fort Worth, Texas, dedicating herself to educational equity before pursuing a legal career.

After law school, Attorney Arroyo worked as an Associate Attorney at Wiggin and Dana in New Haven, Connecticut. She then served as a law clerk for United States Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti, gaining valuable experience that would later prove instrumental in her legal career.

In her current position as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Hartford, she handles prosecutions of violent felonies. Attorney Arroyo handles the pre-arrest review of search and arrest warrants, pre-trial hearings and plea negotiations, victim meetings, and jury trials. Attorney Arroyo also has the distinction of being cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Her experience includes successfully prosecuting a multi-defendant federal racketeering case in the United States District Court. Drawing on her background in education and law enforcement, she has served as an instructor at the Waterbury Police Academy and Waterbury Police Department Annual Training and Re-certification Program. Attorney Arroyo also volunteers as a Mock Trial Coach for the Lawyer’s Collaborative for Diversity.

Attorney Arroyo graduated UHart with a major in politics and government, and minor in rhetoric and professional writing. She received her Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac University School of Law. Attorney Arroyo lives in Newington, Connecticut, with her husband, a fellow UHart alum, and their one-year-old daughter.

Lillian Kreppel graduated UHart with degree in communication. She serves as executive director and co-founder of HPV Cancers Alliance with actress, Marcia Cross and businessman, Dan Lifton. Lillian's personal experience with HPV-related anal cancer profoundly influenced her to become an activist and a tireless advocate each and every day. She knew that she had a responsibility to empower the public and the medical communities through education, awareness, and advocacy, and that the time was, and is, NOW.

Lillian is motivated, driven and committed to spreading knowledge and saving lives because in her words, "Although HPV impacts nearly everyone, no one should die from this preventable virus."

Dr. Ira B. Schwartz majored in physics at UHart. He is an APS Fellow and a distinguished applied mathematician, received his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland in 1980, and currently is head of the Nonlinear Systems Dynamics Section at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. His work has focused on mathematical and numerical analysis of nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and nonlinear stochastic analysis and control of networked systems. Following completion of his PhD he was awarded an NIH fellowship to work on mathematical biology problems during which he studied chaos in population dynamics.  

Dr. Schwartz has made groundbreaking contributions to the field of dynamical systems and applications. His work seamlessly integrates deep mathematical insight with practical applications across various domains, including physics, biology, and engineering. One of Dr. Schwartz's notable achievements is his development of theoretical tools and topological insights to understand the effects of external driving forces on nonlinear systems exhibiting chaotic bursting behaviors. His research elucidated the complex transitions between chaotic and periodic states as system parameters vary, providing a comprehensive framework for analyzing such phenomena. This framework has been instrumental in advancing studies in laser physics, swarms, Josephson junction arrays, and population dynamics, particularly in modeling and controlling epidemic outbreaks.

In the realm of epidemic dynamics, Dr. Schwartz pioneered a topological approach to stochastic phenomena, focusing on extinction events in populations. His methodologies have been pivotal in analyzing epidemic extinction in adaptive networks, leading to innovative strategies for disease eradication in large populations.

Dr. Schwartz's innovative methodologies have significantly advanced the field of dynamical systems resulting in numerous awards, including the US Navy Technology Transfer Award. His work continues to influence a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, underscoring his role as a leading figure in applied mathematics. Most importantly, he has influenced a cadre of young collaborators, ranging from science magnate high school students to post-doctoral researchers.

2024 Honorees

• Pam Masi, Executive Assistant, Dean's Office 

• Karen Shepardson, Office Coordinator, Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Physics

• Gwendolyn Williams, Laboratory Supervisor, Chemistry

2023 Honorees

• Nicole Mazzarella, Director of Collegiate Admission

• Jean M. Roberts, Chemistry Lab Supervisor

• Emily Scott, Manager of Student Services & Evaluation

2022 Honorees

• Sean Congdon, Laboratory Supervisor, Department of Biology

• Zachary Haines, Media Laboratory Supervisor, School of Communication

• Karen Schermerhorn, Academic Support Specialist, School of Communication

2021 Honorees

• Mary Dowst, Office Coordinator, Departments of Biology and Chemistry

• Nancy Dudek, Office Coordinator, Department of English and Modern Languages

• Donna Galin, Office Coordinator, Departments of Computing Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics (Currently Office Coordinator in the Department of English and Modern Languages)

• Susan Gottlieb, Office Coordinator, School of Communication and Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies

• Sharmon Kennedy, Office Coordinator, Department of Psychology

• Cindy Oppenheimer, Office Coordinator, Departments of History and Philosophy; Politics, Economics, and International Studies; and Sociology and Criminal Justice

2020 Honorees

• Shelley Fischer, Office Coordinator, Department of Mathematics (Currently Office Coordinator, Department of Education, College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions)

• Pamela Masi, Office Coordinator, Department of History (Currently Executive Assistant, Dean's Office)

2024 Honorees

• Laura Enzor, PhD, Associate Professor, Biology

• Jack Powell, PhD, Professor, Psychology

• Julie Sochacki, JD, Clinical/Applied Associate Professor, Department of English and Modern Languages

2023 Honorees

• Sheikh Rabiul Islam, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Computing Sciences

• Margaret Tarampi, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

 2022 Honorees

• Susan Grantham, PhD, Professor of Communication

• Aime Levesque, PhD, Associate Professor and Biology Dept. Chair

• Hashini Mohottala, PhD, Associate Professor of Physics

2021 Honorees

• Robert Decker, PhD, Professor of Mathematics

• Kelly Weber, PhD, Associate Director, Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology, Clinical Teaching Associate Professor of Psychology

2020 Honorees

• Bin Zhu, PhD, Associate Professor, Biology; Director, Environmental Studies Minor

• Lynne Kelly, PhD, Professor, School of Communication

• Nicholas Ealy, PhD, Professor, Department of English and Modern Languages 

2024 Honorees

• Emma Asante M'06, VP of Community Relations, NBCUniversal Washington, D.C.
• Charles "Chaz" Davis '16, Director of Youth Services, Colorado Center for the Blind

2023 Honorees

• Lisa Schwartz Lobel ’89, Co-Owner, Boston Casting
• Aïda Alassane N'Diaye-Riddick '92, Founder, Empower Us 

2022 Honorees

• Thomas Carroll ‘79, Founder and CEO, Brand Equity Ventures
• Tangie McDougald ’11, CEO and Founder, Community Matters, LLC
• Pedro Segarra ’81, Workers’ Compensation Commissioner

2021 Honorees

• Robert Ellis ’72, Vice President, Director of Marketing, The Wyatt Company (Retired)
• Latoya Nichole Hampton ’03, Mitigation Specialist, Federal Community Defender Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

2020 Honorees

• Marcy Campbell ‘82, Vice President, Global Professional Services, Digital & In-store Commerce, SME Sales PayPal, Inc.
• James C. Rovella ’80, M’82, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection