Public Service Leadership Awards

Read about the 2025 Public Service Leadership Award ceremony.

How It Works

The PSLA award ceremony is held every spring semester to recognize individuals and partnerships for their service with communities and contributions to the public good. 

Honored awardees are invited to make a donation to a non-profit of their choice. Guests celebrate in person, and there is also a livestream of the event for remote viewing.

Student Awards

The Center for Community Engagement awards six general awards to student leaders, in addition to three named student awards:

• The Dana Morosini Reeve ‘84, P’14 Endowed Memorial Public Service Award is given to the student who best exemplifies Dana’s spirit and determination as she tirelessly and selflessly devoted her life to caring for her husband Christopher Reeve and, through the Christopher Reeve Foundation, to her work as an advocate for all those with spinal cord injuries.
• The John M. McCardell Jr. Public Service Award recognizes the student who best exemplifies efforts that bring Middlebury, both the College and the Town, more closely together for a public benefit. In this way, we honor the values to which John had been so strongly committed during his tenure as president and celebrate others who continue the tradition of this very important work.
• The Bonnie McCardell Public Service Award is given to a student for actions in support of youth and who best exemplifies outreach in one of the following areas: (1) youth and family services, (2) literacy, and (3) the special needs that arise during the critical middle and early high school years.

Partnership Award

• The Tiffany Nourse Sargent ’79 Engaged Partnership Award honors an educational partnership between Middlebury College and a community organization to address community needs. The partnership honored could be a collaboration that supported academic coursework, research, student organization(s), or another meaningful learning endeavor.

Educator Award

• The Award for Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship recognizes and rewards a Middlebury College faculty or staff member of any rank in any field or discipline for high quality work integrating community engagement into their teaching and/or research. The award recipient demonstrates a record of successful teaching and/or research that is carried out through long-term, collaborative community-engaged partnerships that address a community-identified need or priority. The co-production of knowledge through these partnerships results in a public value and/or scholarly impacts in the field(s) of inquiry.

Alumni Award

The Public Service Leadership Alumni Award is given to a Middlebury College graduate who demonstrates a dedication to the common good through significant collaborative contributions in public service and leadership. Alumni are invited to nominate themselves (or others) for the honor.

2026 Awardees

The John M. McCardell Jr. Public Service Award

• Brooke Dolan ’26

The Bonnie McCardell Public Service Award

• Casey Nguyen ’27

The Dana Morosini Reeve ‘84 Memorial Public Service Award

• Claudia Lopez ’26
• Changchang Ma ’26

Public Service Leadership Awards

• Lucas Basham ’28

• Caleb Boateng ’26

• Isbeth Bustos ’26

• Mary Elliot ’26

• El Fahey ’26

• Ignacio Gamero ’26

• Erik Ghalib ’28.5

• Joseph Jacobson ’27

• Kseniia Lebid ’26

Public Service Leadership Alumni Award

• Jack Carew ’20
• Francoise Niyigena ’21
• Meg Sears ’19.5

The Tiffany Nourse Sargent ‘79 Engaged Partnership Award

• Henry Sheldon Museum
• Mary Hogan Elementary School

Award for Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship

• Megan Brakeley ’06
• Dr. Olga Sanchez Saltveit

Nominate Someone!

We accept nominations for Public Service Leadership Awards during the spring semester. 2026 nominations are now closed. Do you know a student, educator, community partnership, and/or alumni who is invested in community-focused, public service projects/programs/academics/career?

Please tell us more and nominate someone here in spring of 2027!