Joan Austin Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize individuals who have made long-term commitments of time and energy to NYSTAA. It recognizes significant and lasting contributions to the organization and advocacy for transfer issues. Recipients may have served the organization as board members, officers, active committee members, NYSTAA/transfer issues advocates across the State, conference presenters, professional leadership, role models for new transfer professionals, or served in many other capacities deemed significant to the mission of NYSTAA.
In 2012, NYSTAA’s Distinguished Service Award was renamed in honor of Joan Austin, who passed away on December 2, 2011. Joan touched the lives of many both professionally and personally. Her commitment and dedication to NYSTAA and the field of transfer will not be forgotten.
Award Recipient History
1998 Gail Akin, SUNY Oswego
1998 G. Christopher Belle-Isle, Monroe Community College
1998 James Valone, Canisius College
1999 Bruce Duncan, SUNY Morrisville College
1999 Peter Lindsay, Niagara University (posthumous)
1999 Marian Nicoletti, Rochester Institute of Technology
2000 Jennifer Mailey, Corning Community College
2001 Priscilla DiRisio, Genesee Community College
2001 Edward Kompass, Dutchess Community College
2001 Susan Manfred, SUNY Potsdam College
2003 Joan Austin, Cazenovia College
2003 Gloria Battaglia, Onondaga Community College
2003 Maryrose Raab, SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome
2003 Katherine Schwabach, Herkimer County Community College
2004 Joan Pondolfino, SUNY Oneonta
2004 Roger Sullivan, SUNY Oneonta
2004 Mark Wojnowski, Niagara University
2005 Paul Fisher, Cornell University College of Human Ecology
2005 Bernice Dunn, Schenectady County Community College
2005 Cheris Lawrence, SUNY Oswego
2005 Special Achievement Award: Dedication to Downstate Region – Danielle (Brunetti-Huneke) McKee
2006 Thomas Fletcher, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
2007 Cathleen Anderson, Le Moyne College
2007 Donald Young, Wells College
2008 Beth Minard, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 2009 Brian Hazlett, Binghamton University
2009 Alexander Ott, New York Institute of Technology
2010 Kandi Geibel, Alfred State College
2010 Rebecca Mack, Monroe Community College
2011 Amy Stokes, Bryant and Stratton College
2012 Lia Hallett, University at Buffalo
2012 Christian Kull, Monroe Community College
2013 Bart Grachan, New York University – Steinhardt
2014 Lindsay Gerhardt, SUNY Geneseo
2015 Jessica McCaffery, SUNY Empire State College
2016 Thomas D. Iwankow, Maria College
2017 Kristen Aust, Bryant and Stratton College
2017 Tara Gates, Utica College
2019 Heather Stevens, Tompkins Cortland Community College
2020 None
2021 Carol Costell Corbin, SUNY Cortland
2022 Robin Graff, Westchester Community College
2023 Mike Henningsen, SUNY Binghamton University
2024 None
2025 Tracey Iorio, Stony Brook University