MD, DC, & DE Faculty, Administrators, Student Leaders, & Community Partners to be Honored at 2024 TMA Awards Ceremony hosted by Howard Community College
(Frederick, MD) - On November 22, 2024, the Board and staff of Transform Mid-Atlantic and representatives from its membership and across the region will gather for the 15th Annual TMA Awards Ceremony - generously hosted by Howard Community College - to celebrate the inspiring contributions that this year's award recipients are making to the advancement of the public purposes of higher education.
This year's honorees include faculty, students, administrators, and community partners from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware who are engaging in transformative community-engaged teaching, research, learning, activism, leadership, and partnership. They join 100+ past TMA Award recipients from throughout the region who have been recognized for their important work and leadership in advancing TMA's and their institutions' missions.
2024 Award recipients include:
Dr. Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Awards
2-year: Dr. Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin, Community College of Baltimore County
4-year private: Dr. Victoria Harms, Johns Hopkins University
4-year public: Dr. Amy Hagenrater-Gooding, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Engaged Scholarship Award
Dr. Jasmine Blanks Jones, Johns Hopkins University
Exceptional AmeriCorps VISTA Mentorship Awards
Ms. Kathy Condor, Allegany College of Maryland
Ms. Lindsay Chudzik, formerly at Notre Dame of Maryland University
Exceptional AmeriCorps VISTA Service Awards
Ms. Jade Kenney, Allegany College of Maryland
Ms. Kristina Pickering, Notre Dame of Maryland University
Global Citizenship Award
Professor Carla Naranjo & Professor Shelley Jones, Montgomery College
Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion - Civic & Community Engagement
JEDI-CCE Award
Dr. Payam Sheikhattari, Morgan State University
Transformational Leadership Award
Professor Becki Maurio, Carroll Community College
Transformational Student Leadership Awards
Ms. Bailey Sullivan, University of Maryland College Park
Ms. Rebecca “Becka” McAfee, University of Baltimore
Transformational Partnership Award
University of Baltimore and Tammy’s Angels
Most Engaged Campus Award
Towson University
Scroll down to learn more about their work. A description of each Award and criteria for nomination is available on the TMA Awards webpage. If you have any additional questions about the TMA Awards program, please contact Nicki Fiocco.
About Dr. Sabio-McLaughlin: Professor Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin has held several leadership positions at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), among them Program Coordinator for the Women’s Studies program, East Side Service-Learning Coordinator, Events and Programming Coordinator for the Community Book Connection and Co-Chair for the President’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Advisory Council. She is also Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Justice (ISEJ) at CCBC.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Dr. Sabio-McLaughlin's work at the Community College of Baltimore County to integrate service-learning and community-engaged pedagogy within her own teaching as an Associate Professor of History and Women & Gender Studies, and across the institution’s curriculum as Service-Learning Coordinator. The design of her courses at CCBC reflect key and innovative practices that do not simply bring relevant and important issues into the classroom but require students to thoughtfully experiment with and pursue their own interests and activism in the community. Her example emulates the transformative potential of community-engaged learning and the public purposes of higher education as being integral to both career readiness and lifelong engagement as citizens of our communities and world.
About Dr. Harms: Dr. Harms came to Baltimore in 2018 as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) visiting assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, where the Center for Social Concern (CSC) introduced her to community-based learning. Baltimore partners and students have helped make her classes so unique and insightful that she was hired full-time in 2023. Dr. Harms holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA from Central European University, Budapest, and a BA from the European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder).
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Dr. Harms' pedagogy and teaching at Johns Hopkins University that centers both engaged student learning outcomes and a critical exploration of the complex history of the institution’s position within the greater Baltimore community. An outstanding example that demonstrates her commitment to community-engaged teaching and learning is her collaboration with the JHU Center for Social Concern and various community partners to co-create experiential and equity-centered opportunities for students in Dr. Harms' seminar course, titled Rebels, Revolutions & Right-Wing Backlash, to learn about the history of Civil Rights in Baltimore. As a member of the Engaged Scholar Community of Practice, her leadership and work exemplify the important practice of service-oriented experiential education and the institutionalization of just community engagement at the university.
About Dr. Hagenrater-Gooding: Amy Hagenrater-Gooding is a Professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) where she has taught for fifteen years (twenty-four in the profession). She teaches classes on modern drama, the novel, women’s literature, Afrofuturism, and dystopian fiction. Her research interests deal with gender issues, women’s agency, and mother-work as seen in her publications.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of your inspiring work to develop a community-engaged student learning experience, “Facing Town and Gown: Futurizing Connection and Community,” within your Advanced Composition course using a framework and tools developed by The Facing Project. Your vision for the project was to bridge the divide between UMES and the Princess Anne community by engaging students, community members, and other stakeholders in critical dialogue about the role that the university plays in the life of Somerset County. The final project, published in April 2024, demonstrates the power of storytelling as a unique, engaging, and community-informed pedagogy. As you write, this project underscores the many ways that institutions can build bridges with their communities, “especially when we look through the ‘I’s of another.”
About Dr. Blanks Jones: Jasmine L. Blanks Jones is a dynamic theatre nonprofit founder, award-winning educator, and scholar holding a joint PhD in Education and Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research and community-based learning projects span anthropology, theater, pan-Africanism, health equity, and youth cultural and political formation with recent publications reflecting her transdisciplinary approach to working with communities to identify and solve their own problems and tell their own stories.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Dr. Blanks Jones' work as a scholar and community-engaged leader to advance the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through civic and community engagement in Baltimore and beyond. As a researcher, her scholarly contributions to the fields of civic/community engagement, anthropology, and education connect the dots between key theoretical concepts intertwined with the public purposes of higher education – such as her own Reparative Arts in Community Engagement framework, intersectionality, and the role of class and racism in (re)producing systemic inequities – and their practical applications and implications for policy at all levels, institutional change, and youth-led activism and community development. Dr. Blanks Jones' scholarship has informed and contributed to her inspiring leadership of the Center for Social Concern and the Center’s reciprocal and responsible partnerships in Baltimore.
About Dr. Sheikattari: Dr. Payam Sheikhattari is a Full Professor of Public Health at Morgan State University. With 19 years dedicated to health equity and community engagement, he has pioneered community-based participatory research, notably through projects like CEASE and the Morgan CARES Community Engagement Core. Dr. Sheikhattari’s work has secured over $60 million in funding, fostering impactful public health interventions and partnerships that empower communities and bridge research with real-world needs.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Dr. Sheikhattari's pioneering work to integrate community-based participatory research with public health methodologies, which has generated critical advancements in health equity research, responsible partnerships with intentionally marginalized communities, and culturally and contextually relevant public health interventions. His leadership of the Morgan CARES and CEASE programs demonstrates the incredible impact of inclusive research that is co-created and -owned alongside and by diverse community stakeholders in Baltimore and beyond.
About Professor Naranjo and Professor Jones: Carla Naranjo has been teaching Spanish at Montgomery College (MC) for 18 years. Since 2016, she has co-coordinated the MC Global Classrooms Faculty Fellowship, which develops Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) opportunities that connect MC students and faculty with universities in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and others via virtual exchanges. These exchanges promote dialogue and enhance global learning and intercultural competencies. She is currently writing her dissertation on COIL for a Ph.D. in Education.
Shelley Jones came to Montgomery College in 2006 and began co-coordinating the Global Classrooms Faculty Fellowship in 2016. The Fellowship, which provides a year-long training for faculty interested in globalizing their curricula through virtual exchanges, has served close to a thousand students and faculty at the College. Faculty participants from the Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences disciplines and their students have collaborated with peers from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Professor Naranjo and Professor Jones' inspiring leadership of the Montgomery College Global Classrooms Program. Through a bevy of reciprocal domestic and international partnerships and the innovative use of technology, this program has provided hundreds of Montgomery College faculty and students the opportunity to learn alongside colleagues and peers across vastly different contexts. At its best, global citizenship education encourages curiosity and develops the values of cultural and intellectual humility. As assessments of the Global Classrooms Program have demonstrated, Montgomery College students are developing these very values and better understand the world and their place and propensity to catalyze change within it due to Professors Naranjo and Jones' invaluable and continued efforts.
About Professor Maurio: Becki Maurio is an educator driven by a love for language learning and a commitment to uplifting diverse linguistic communities. At Carroll Community College, she began her journey with adult ESOL students and later moved into the role of Director of Adult Education Programs. As a faculty member, Becki has undertaken initiatives aimed at empowering Hispanic/Latine students and families, while challenging institutional barriers in order to reimagine community-centered, inclusive programs.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Professor Maurio's years of advocacy and work in support of multilingual, multigenerational, and multicultural education and engagement at Carroll Community College and within the community. As a community-engaged scholar and practitioner, she has dedicated much of her career to working alongside the Hispanic and Latino community to ensure that their voices, needs, and concerns are incorporated into the institution’s initiatives and programs to support student recruitment, success, and retention. While Professor Maurio would be the first to acknowledge that recognition of these initiatives should be shared with the College's community partners, TMA strongly believes that her personal commitment to support historically marginalized students and families has made an indelible mark on the College and its place-based public mission in Carroll County.
About Ms. Sullivan: Bailey Sullivan is a senior economics and sociology major with a Spanish minor at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an aspiring immigration lawyer with an interest in working with the Spanish speaking community. She spends her time teaching ESL classes and working with three children’s programs focusing on improving literacy within the local community. She is also involved with research and student teaching on campus.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Bailey's four years of community-engaged leadership at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and important contributions to support her student peers and colleagues at the institution as they, too, participate in civic and community engagement programs and opportunities. TMA is inspired by the time and responsibility that student leaders like Bailey dedicate to the public mission of higher education. Clearly, her knowledge, understanding, and dedication have deepened UMD’s partnerships with community organizations – from The Caring Project to En Camino con la Communidad – in the post-COVID 19 era.
About Ms. McAfee: Rebecca advocates during the Maryland General Assembly in efforts to pass mental health initiatives, and prison reform bills through volunteering with the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform and the Maryland Coalition of Families. She has worked as a drug and alcohol counselor, and an aftercare coordinator within the Maryland Department of Corrections. Rebecca is currently pursuing her second Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Baltimore in hopes of completing the dual MPA/J.D program.
From their nomination: This award is presented in recognition of Rebecca's leadership as a graduate student at the University of Baltimore to advocate for criminal justice reform and the mental health and wellbeing of students and community members at the local and state level. As a speaker, organizer, and student scholar, she has built the capacity of organizations and individuals to create supportive social environments in which mental illness is destigmatized and individuals facing mental health-related issues are given the resources they need to thrive.
About Ms. Kenney: Jade Kenney, a Certified Community Health Worker and Nationally Certified Recovery Coach II, has dedicated her career to empowering others in their wellness journeys. With over 10 years in recovery coaching and three years with this AmeriCorps project, Jade brings compassion and expertise to ACM’s Holistic Education program. Her commitment to mental health advocacy and transformative peer support has positively impacted countless lives, fostering resilience and healing in the community.
From their nomination: This award recognizes Jade's dedication and leadership in service of Allegany College of Maryland’s Center for Mind-Body Medicine Holistic Education AmeriCorps VISTA Project. Few citizens decide to serve their community as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, and an even smaller number do so for three years. Her work as a “doer” to build the capacity of ACM’s initiatives around Mind-Body Medicine in partnership with Kathy Condor and other stakeholders will provide opportunities for countless students and community members to overcome trauma, embrace their strengths, and truly thrive in Allegany County for years to come. As her former supervisor Kathy Condor writes, Jade is truly “an exceptional person” and her unflagging and deeply personal sense of responsibility to community “is contagious.”
About Ms. Pickering: Kristina Pickering was the AmeriCorps Vista for Notre Dame of Maryland University's York Road Education and Service (YES) Program. In her year of service, she redesigned the program, expanding students' role at local elementary schools on the York Road Corridor. She utilized students' skills and talents to create meaningful and intentional programming, taking on the role of a teacher herself with after-school art classes. She also supported NDMU's efforts to build equitable resources on its campus.
From their nomination: Kristina's year of service at Notre Dame of Maryland University’s YES Program was transformative and truly exemplified the AmeriCorps mission “to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.” Alongside her supervisor, Lindsay Chudzik, Kristina breathed new life into the YES Program after the difficulties of the pandemic years by increasing the number of program tutors from less than 10 to 70; launching the YES Board, Gator Groceries, and Gator Thrift initiatives; and building the capacity of many other campus-community focused partnerships. As Lindsay writes, Kristina's leadership and service demonstrate an uncommon but necessary consciousness about the importance of centering community voice and perspectives, “and it is this gift for community building and empathy that make [her] work impactful and sustainable.”
About Ms. Condor: Kathy Condor manages Allegany College of Maryland’s (ACM) Resilience Institute. Cultivated through the college’s long partnership with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), the Institute was launched as part of ACM’s recent TMA/VISTA project. Kathy is currently managing a pilot program to bring CMBM’s stress reduction model to Allegany County Public Schools. 2025 brings retirement in mountain Maryland with husband Chuck, and more frequent travel to DC, FL and CA to visit their adult sons.
From the nomination: In TMA's 15+ years of administering its AmeriCorps VISTA Program, few supervisors have demonstrated the level of commitment, vision, and care that Kathy has at the helm of Allegany College of Maryland’s Center for Mind-Body Medicine Holistic Education Program. Former AmeriCorps VISTA Member at ACM, Jade Kenney, writes that her “ability to inspire, innovate, and create lasting impact has been invaluable, making Kathy a true asset as a supervisor, mentor, and community leader.” Jade also shared that Kathy was not simply an “effective” and “resilient” leader throughout her VISTA service, but that she encouraged her to return to school and that, because of Kathy's support, she became a better parent and more confident leader.
About Ms. Chudzik: Lindsay Chudzik earned an MA in Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. She was an award-winning community-engaged professor for more than a decade, receiving institutional and national recognition for teaching and building sustainable community partnerships. Her scholarly and creative work appears in several journals and literary magazines. Lindsay currently works at The George Washington University's Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service running engage DC and SMARTDC. Her debut novel, The Most Cake, is forthcoming. Social justice is her love language.
From the nomination: This award is presented for Lindsay's service as the TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Supervisor of Notre Dame of Maryland University’s YES Program Project from 2023-2024. Former TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Member Kristina Pickering writes that working alongside Lindsay has been “one of the highlights of her career” and that she experienced unparalleled levels of care, empathy, and mentorship from Lindsay during her year of national service at NDMU. Additionally, she reflected that Lindsay is “someone who sees [people] for who [they] are and inspires [them] to be even better.” That Lindsay excelled not just in turning the YES Program into a vibrant, community-centered initiative but also invested such energy, time, and compassion into her role as a supervisor and mentor speaks volumes about her values-driven leadership and commitment to improving the civic life of our communities.
About the partnership: Tammy’s Angels and the University of Baltimore have been selected as the recipients of the 2024 Transform Mid-Atlantic Transformational Partnership Award.
Since its founding in 2021, Tammy’s Angels has made important progress to develop community-led solutions that empower individuals and families in Baltimore to overcome complex socioeconomic challenges through its programs focused on housing and income assistance, educational support, job placement, health and wellness, and social inclusion.
The University of Baltimore’s commitment to engage its students as volunteers in the greater community has contributed to the success of Tammy’s Angels’ initiatives.
Many students at the university have also directly benefited from this partnership as recipients of the organization’s services. This partnership is providing UBalt students and community members with reciprocal experiences to engage their service and volunteerism with issues of critical importance in the community. These experiences also provide UBalt students with important experiential and career-oriented opportunities to build their knowledge, understanding, and propensity to create change.
About Towson University: In 2023-2024, Dr. Vernon Hurte and Dr. Romy Hübler demonstrated their commitment to our network by facilitating Towson University’s hosting of two of Transform Mid-Atlantic’s (TMA) largest and most successful events: the Fall 2023 Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Civic and Community Engagement (JEDI-CCE) Institute and Spring 2024 TMA Regional Civic Engagement Summit. Additionally, over the past academic year, Towson University (TU) has participated in nearly every program, grant opportunity, and event offered by TMA. This includes two three-year anti-poverty projects hosted by TU through TMA’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program: the Towson University Basic Needs Hub led by Dr. Alison Peer and the Towson University Northeastern (TUNE) Food Security Initiative coordinated by Professor Allison Frey. In addition to serving as Towson’s liaison to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge and steering the university’s 2026 application for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, Dr. Hübler has provided invaluable insight to our staff as the institution’s representative to the TMA Senior Advisory Group for Engagement (SAGE).