2015 Outstanding Advising Awardees

Congratulations to the 2015 Region 2 award and certificate of merit recipients! These outstanding individuals will be formally honored during the closing brunch of the region conference on March 20, 2015, but here is a preview!

 Outstanding Advising – Advising Primary Role - Tania B. Alvarez. Tania Alvarez is a certified Master Advisor at Old Dominion University. As a student success advisor for the ODU Batten College of Engineering and Technology for the past 5 years, Ms. Alvarez coordinated student success efforts to fulfill the Engineering Fundamentals Division mission of providing students with all the necessary tools to attain their engineering degree and be successful in the process.  She managed a 380+ student caseload, planned and implemented programs and workshops related to academic success and retention, co-led new student Freshman and Transfer orientations, and assisted at-risk students in achieving academic success. Because of her outstanding work, the College presented her with its Excellence in Advising Award in April, 2014 and she was also recently selected as the 2014-15 Excellence in Advising in the Primary Role award winner at Old Dominion University. She recently assumed the position of Coordinator of Transfer Advising and Articulation in the Office of Advising and Transfer Programs at ODU. Alvarez serves as Co-Chair for the Old Dominion Advising Network (ODAN), and Co-Advisor for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) student chapter. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Denison University, and a MA in Counseling from Regent University.

Outstanding Advising, Faculty Advisor –Dr.  Jamie Sutherland. Jamie Sutherland received his BA in Mathematics from Whitman College and his MA and PhD in Mathematics specializing in Mathematics Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison.  He has been teaching in the department of mathematical sciences at the University of Delaware since 2008.  He began advising students there in 2012 and currently advises approximately 300 undergraduates majoring in mathematics, math education, quantitative biology, mathematics and economics, and actuarial science.  

Outstanding Advising, New Advisor - Jill Nagiel. Jill Nagiel is the Education Advisor for the TEACH Institute at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland.  As a former middle and high school Spanish teacher, she is able to share her insight and experience with the future educators she advises.  After several years in the classroom, Jill realized that what she loved most about teaching was the rare opportunity to provide individualized support to help a student be successful.  In order to transition from the K-12 learning environment to higher education, Jill earned her M.Ed. in the College Student Personnel program at the University of Maryland.  She feels fortunate to have found the perfect career and to be a part of an amazing team of professionals at the TEACH Institute.

Outstanding Advising, Advising Administrator – Dr. Melissa Rakes. Melissa Rakes is the Dean of Student Affairs at Delaware Technical Community College. She led the creation of Delaware Tech’s Student Educational Plan that is used currently as the primary electronic advising tool by advisors and students. She previously served as an advisement coordinator and academic counselor at Delaware Tech.

Outstanding Contribution to Scholarship – Hilleary Himes. Hilleary Himes is the Director of Advising in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. She earned her Masters degree in Anthropology and has been in academic advising for 6 years. She is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Theory and Policy at Penn State.

Outstanding Advising Advocate – Dr. Brian K. Payne. Brian Payne received his PhD in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1993.  He is the vice provost for graduate and undergraduate academic programs at Old Dominion University, where he is tenured in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.  He has served as a department chair and chief department advisor.  He is the president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, a former editor of the American Journal of Criminal Justice and past president of the Southern Criminal Justice Association.  He is a recipient of the Southern Criminal Justice Association's Outstanding Educator Award and the Old Dominion University College of Arts and Letters Advisor of the Year Award.

Certificate of Merit Recipients

Advising Administration:
Kim Flournoy DiJoseph, Virginia Commonwealth University. As the inaugural Director of Student Success for the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work, Kim Flournoy DiJoseph developed and implemented undergraduate and graduate professional advising, recruitment, and retention initiatives that include enhanced academic and social supports and increased student engagement and communications. She received her B.S.W. and M.S.W. with a clinical concentration from VCU. Kim's previous direct practice, teaching, and consultation experience focused on organizational culture, families experiencing trauma, and the effects of trauma work on practitioners. This commitment to practitioner self-care and wellness informs her holistic view of working with social work students. A native of North Carolina, Kim lives in Richmond, VA with her family where they enjoy cooking, gardening, and traveling.

Dr. Jamie McClintock Brenner, Pennsylvania State University

Faculty Advisor:
Carolyn Denniker, Garrett College

Advising Primary Role:
A. Musu Davis, Temple University