Faculty Member
Major: Theatre: Directing for the Musical Stage
Major: Theatre
Dance for Musical Theatre II - BFA, Spring 2026
Performance Practicum for Stage and Screen, Spring 2026
Senior Showcase and Career Management - BFA, Spring 2026
Senior Showcase and Career Management - BFA, Spring 2026
The purpose of the Distinguished University Employee Faculty SenateAward is to recognize full-time and adjunct faculty who have made significant contributions to UVU's mission through demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Through this award, UVU intends_
To publicly acknowledge the achievements of its faculty members in creating an academically engaged environment at UVU.
To demonstrate to the community the exemplary standards of academic professionalism to which the faculty members of UVU are dedicated;
To encourage faculty within UVU to pursue the highest levels of excellence in every aspect of their work (consistent with the best of academic traditions).
I was awarded this Wolverine Sighting by my chair, recognizing the immense work that went into organizing auditions this year, both stepping in as Production Manager to schedule and coordinate callbacks for 3 shows, and also as a choreographer for 2 of the 3. While I was the choreographer for "Great Comet," I am not the choreographer for "Secret Garden." Since they did not have a choreographer on the project, I stepped in to create the movement combination for callbacks and ran those. I also helped the guest director on that show navigate all the steps of the process and assisted with all callbacks and casting related to this show.
I was awarded a Wolverine Sighting for my service to the theatre department for chaperoning a trip of students to see shows at the Utah Shakespeare Festival so they could see professional theatre in the state and learn to look critically at theatre productions. This was an overnight trip that required driving students to the theatre in Southern Utah.
"PACE's Employee Recognition Committee was formed to ensure that staff receive the recognition they deserve in an organization whose front-line employees are often the faculty. The Wolverine Sightings Awards and the PACE Distinguished Employee awards are two ways PACE provides for staff to be recognized and rewarded for excellent service and quality work."1
1 - UVU Professional Association of Campus Employees Webpage
(https://www.uvu.edu/pace/about/index.html#:~:text=The%20Wolverine%20Sightings%20Awards%20and,Education%20Staff%20Association%20(UHESA).)
This award was given to me by my department chair, La Beene, in recognition of the work I completed in teaching. We had a professor of directing leave before the end of the semester and I agreed to take on their three Directing 1 classes, in addition to a full teaching load of my own. I was left with many ungraded assignments, a canvas course that had not been upkept, and no clear rubric for the student's final assignment. I finished the grading for these courses and clarified the final as well. Students received coaching on their final scenes from me as well as feedback on additional topics.
"Utah Valley University's (UVU) Spot Award is a one-time cash award that department leaders can give to employees to recognize their contributions to a project or task shortly after it's completed. The award is intended to show appreciation for actions that go beyond what's normally expected of an employee, and it's not meant to be used as an incentive for pre-established goals."1
1 - overview generated by google AI from the UVU directory
