
Faculty and Staff Recognized with 2025 Annual Woodruff School Awards
April 25, 2025
By Chloe Arrington
Faculty and staff in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering were recognized with awards across 22 different categories at the Faculty and Staff Honors, Awards, and Promotions Reception on April 17.
Members of the Woodruff School community nominated their colleagues, honoring those who make the School a better place and go above and beyond their job responsibilities to create an inclusive culture and enable others to succeed.
This year's Chair’s Awards included:
- Chair’s Appreciation Award: Jill Fennell
- Chair’s Appreciation Award: Jaimie Hayes, Ashley Ritchie
- Chair’s Appreciation Award (Campus Partners): Rick Clark, Matt Ryan
- Sustained Exceptional Performance Award: Al Ferri, Melody Foster, Angela Hicks, Cary Ogletree
Jill Fennell
This Chair’s Appreciation Award is presented for multiple initiatives and programs that have helped advance the written and verbal communication skills of Woodruff School students.

Jaimie Hayes Ashley Ritchie
This Chair’s Appreciation Award is in recognition of the large-scale effort to bridge the gap between development and communications in the Woodruff School.

Rick Clark
This Chair’s Appreciation Award is in recognition of the support in enhancing NRE enrollment over the last three years.

Matt Ryan
This Chair’s Appreciation Award is in recognition of the exceptional support of the Regional Development Team in advancing the Woodruff School through the Transforming Tomorrow Capital Campaign.

Al Ferri
This Sustained Exceptional Performance Award is in recognition of unwavering dedication, exceptional performance, and innovative contributions that have significantly enriched the academic environment and positively impacted students, colleagues, and the broader community.

Melody Foster
This Sustained Exceptional Performance Award is in recognition of exceptional performance, dedication, excellence, and innovation in service to the Woodruff School.

Angela Hicks
This Sustained Exceptional Performance Award is in recognition of consistent commitment and reliability in multiple roles, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.

Cary Ogletree
This Sustained Exceptional Performance Award is in recognition of consistent excellence, attention to detail, and commitment to the School and Institution's mission.

This year's faculty winners included:
- Culture Champion Award: W. Hong Yeo
- Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award: Zhuomin Zhang
- Mentor of the Year Award: Satish Kumar, Susan Napier Thomas
- Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Award: Alexander Alexeev, Todd Sulchek
- Outstanding Junior Faculty Award: Sourabh Saha, Fan Zhang
- Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Award: Aaron Young
- Outstanding Non-Tenure Track Faculty Award: Kristi Mehaffey
- Postdoctoral Excellence Award: Zhantao Liu (Advisor-Hailong Chen)
- Research Award: W. Hong Yeo
- Research Faculty Excellence Award: François Guillot
- Teaching Excellence Award for Non-Tenure Track Faculty: Samuel Petter
W. Hong Yeo
This Culture Champion Award is presented to faculty who have made a positive impact on the culture of the staff in the Woodruff School. Honorees are faculty members who makes a difference, advocate for a positive and productive culture, and work to support and/or develop successful cultural practices that support the Woodruff School’s strategic educational and research goals.

Zhuomin Zhang
The Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award is presented to full professors who have made sustained and significant contributions throughout their career, with particular emphasis on recent educational, research, and professional service activities. Most measures of faculty productivity are considered for over the past 10 years, while the number of publications, number of citations, number of Ph.D. students graduated, and awards and honors received are over the duration of the faculty member’s entire career.

Satish Kumar
The Mentor of the Year Award is presented to faculty who have excelled in the mentorship of faculty, staff, or students. The award recognizes the time and effort that the nominee spends in mentoring and serving the School community. Selection criteria includes the overall impact of faculty on the greater community. Results include significant, high-quality, innovative contributions to instruction, their field of study, or a visible impact on one or more mission areas.

Susan Napier Thomas
The Mentor of the Year Award is presented to faculty who have excelled in the mentorship of faculty, staff, or students. The award recognizes the time and effort that the nominee spends in mentoring and serving the School community. Selection criteria includes the overall impact of faculty on the greater community. Results include significant, high-quality, innovative contributions to instruction, their field of study, or a visible impact on one or more mission areas.

Alexander Alexeev
The Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Award is presented to faculty who have achievements in commercialization and entrepreneurship related to Georgia Tech research, as demonstrated through fundraising at a company, licensing, acquisition, or other entrepreneurial activities.

Todd Sulchek
The Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Award is presented to faculty who have achievements in commercialization and entrepreneurship related to Georgia Tech research, as demonstrated through fundraising at a company, licensing, acquisition, or other entrepreneurial activities.

Sourabh Saha
The Outstanding Junior Faculty Award is presented to assistant professors who have made significant, high-quality, and innovative contributions in research, teaching, and service as demonstrated, for example, by excellence in research authorship, extramural funding, graduate student mentorship, innovation in teaching, or outreach.

Fan Zhang
The Outstanding Junior Faculty Award is presented to assistant professors who have made significant, high-quality, and innovative contributions in research, teaching, and service as demonstrated, for example, by excellence in research authorship, extramural funding, graduate student mentorship, innovation in teaching, or outreach.

Aaron Young
The Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Award is presented to associate professors who have made significant, high-quality, and innovative contributions in research, teaching, and service as demonstrated, for example, by excellence in research authorship, extramural funding, graduate student mentorship, innovation in teaching, or outreach.

Kristi Mehaffey
The Outstanding Non-Tenure Track Faculty Award is presented to academic and research faculty who have outstanding accomplishments and/or performance in one or more of the following areas: program development and management/support, teaching, research, or service.

Zhantao Liu
The Postdoctoral Excellence Award is presented an individual for outstanding achievements as a postdoctoral scholar who has brought widespread recognition to the themselves, their lab, and/or the Institute.

W. Hong Yeo
The Research Award is presented to faculty who have made a significant contribution to their field and to the reputation of the Woodruff School through innovations in research that support the Woodruff School’s strategic educational and research goals.

François Guillot
The Research Faculty Excellence Award is presented to an individual for outstanding achievements as a research scientist and whose contributions would have brought widespread recognition to the themselves, their lab, and the Institute.

Samuel Petter
The Teaching Excellence Award for Non-Tenure Track Faculty is presented to non-tenure track faculty who have exceptional performance and excellence in the area of teaching. Nominees are validated by documented teaching excellence which may include CIOS scores, student input, and peer reviews.

This year's staff honorees included:
- Culture Champion Award: Scott Elliott
- Hats Off Performance Award: Mikey Fuller
- Leader Jackets Award: Nathan Mauldin, Segried Winfrey
- Outstanding Staff Leadership Award: Echo Sayr
- Outstanding Student Support Award: Andrew Keller, Jacob Tompkins
- Professional Support Excellence Award: Shana Hefferon
- Solutions Award: Eden Kahssai, Ann Lamb
- Staff Excellence Award: Veronica Leak, Jessica Whitaker
- Staff of the Year Award: Justin Dean, Johnieda Merritt
Scott Elliott
The Culture Champion Award is presented to staff who went above and beyond to facilitate, enable, and support the teaching and research initiatives of faculty and their research groups. This award recognizes staff members who strive to make a difference and work to support and/or develop successful cultural practices that support the Woodruff School’s strategic educational and research goals.

Mikey Fuller
The Hats Off Performance Award is presented to staff who have demonstrated exceptional job performance and/or service to the Woodruff School above and beyond the call of duty. This award recognizes the excellent performance by staff members in support of the School's strategic educational and research goals. These activities enhance the quality of the School's programs through achievements beyond normal expectations for staff.

Nathan Mauldin
The Leader Jackets Award is presented to staff supervisors who are a critical piece of the team in the Woodruff School as they hire and train new employees, provide guidance, and build the culture. The winners of this award best exhibit these qualities in leadership, communication, goal achievement, decision making, performance management, team development, resource management, adaptability, and ethical conduct.

Segried Winfrey
The Leader Jackets Award is presented to staff supervisors who are a critical piece of the team in the Woodruff School as they hire and train new employees, provide guidance, and build the culture. The winners of this award best exhibit these qualities in leadership, communication, goal achievement, decision making, performance management, team development, resource management, adaptability, and ethical conduct.

Echo Sayr
The Outstanding Staff Leadership Award is presented to staff for leadership in support of research, teaching, or service. The recipients of this award have evidence of initiative, leadership, innovation, and high-quality results with respect to processes or programs that support research, teaching, or service, as attested by the appropriate supervisor(s) or administrator(s).

Andrew Keller
The Outstanding Student Support Award is presented to staff who go above and beyond to support students in extraordinary and unexpected ways. This could be either through sustained support of some kind or one-off extraordinary acts of service.

Jacob Tompkins
The Outstanding Student Support Award is presented to staff who go above and beyond to support students in extraordinary and unexpected ways. This could be either through sustained support of some kind or one-off extraordinary acts of service.

Shana Hefferon
The Professional Support Excellence Award is presented to staff who have suggested or created and implemented measurable new efficiencies or innovations related to the technical support of academic research or teaching programs, or who have significantly improved upon an existing technical support activity in a measurable way.

Eden Kahssai
The Solutions Award is presented to staff who have suggested or created and implemented new processes, resources, cultural improvements, or other contributions that lead to measurable improvements in the efficiency and/or effectiveness of School or Institute operations, student or staff lives, the functioning of the community as a whole, or research/teaching connections.

Ann Lamb
The Solutions Award is presented to staff who have suggested or created and implemented new processes, resources, cultural improvements, or other contributions that lead to measurable improvements in the efficiency and/or effectiveness of School or Institute operations, student or staff lives, the functioning of the community as a whole, or research/teaching connections.

Veronica Leak
The Staff Excellence Award is presented to staff who demonstrate significant job performance in one or more areas of strategic focus, communication, teamwork, or decision making, demonstrating high levels of execution in their primary job duties, auxiliary roles, and citizenship — positively impacting the strategic goals of the School.

Jessica Whitaker
The Staff Excellence Award is presented to staff who demonstrate significant job performance in one or more areas of strategic focus, communication, teamwork, or decision making, demonstrating high levels of execution in their primary job duties, auxiliary roles, and citizenship — positively impacting the strategic goals of the School.

Justin Dean
The Staff of the Year Award is presented to staff who have made the most significant impact on the success and operations of the Woodruff School. Their activities enhance the quality of the Woodruff School’s programs through achievements such as increased productivity of staff, faculty, and/or students, reduced costs, or quicker response times for faculty, staff, and students, which are achievements beyond normal expectations for staff.

Johnieda Merritt
The Staff of the Year Award is presented to staff who have made the most significant impact on the success and operations of the Woodruff School. Their activities enhance the quality of the Woodruff School’s programs through achievements such as increased productivity of staff, faculty, and/or students, reduced costs, or quicker response times for faculty, staff, and students, which are achievements beyond normal expectations for staff.
