The Women Leaders Series planning team in the Office of Student Engagement solicits nominations for the annual Ithaca College Women of Distinction awards early in the spring semester and hosts an annual ceremony and reception recognizing the recipients in March. At the ceremony, recipients are introduced by a student mentor and then they share inspiring stories and words of advice with students and other IC community members who attend. The 2026 ceremony will be held on Friday, March 27 from 3:30 to 5:00PM in Klingenstein Lounge.
Celebrate the Ithaca College Women of Distinction 2026
The 8th annual Women of Distinction awards recognize women who exhibit leadership and pave the way for women in their fields of expertise; serve as role models and mentors and are committed to advancing women; and give back to the IC community through their time, talent, and resources.
Announcing the 2026 IC Women of Distinction
The Women Leaders Series planning team in the Office of Student Engagement is excited to announce the 2026 Women of Distinction! Congratulations to these outstanding faculty and staff members at Ithaca College:
- Michelle Bradshaw, Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy
- Kirsten Hamberg, College Events Coordinator, Office of Conference and Event Services
- Rachel Schutz, Associate Professor, Music Performance
- Paula Younger, Executive Director for Government, Community, and Constituent Relations
Please join us for a ceremony on Friday, March 27 from 3:30-5:00pm that will recognize these honorees, and will offer students and other members of the IC community the opportunity to hear about their journeys. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP for the event on IC Engage. Check in begins at 3:30pm, ceremony begins at 3:45pm followed by refreshments and conversations with the recipients.
Photos from the 2025 IC Women of Distinction Ceremony. Awards were presented to the recipients by student mentees!
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The Ithaca College community is invited to nominate a faculty or staff member each January to be recognized at the annual Women of Distinction ceremony held at the end of March. The selection committee will review all nominations and will inform nominators and recipients of the selection results before March 1. Please contact the Office of Student Engagement at ose@ithaca.edu with any questions.
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Past recipients of the award include:
Danette Johnson, Julie Dorsey, Tiffany Huff, Te Wen Lo, La Jerne Terry Cornish, Chrystyna Dail, Lauren Goldberg, Cathy Michael, Diana Dimitrova, Belisa Gonzalez, Elyse Nepa, Erienne Roberts, Michelle Goode, Christina Moylan, Nia Nunn, Bonnie Prunty, Sumru Atuk, Crissi Dalfonzo, Diane Gayeski, Melinda Quigg