2023 Winners
Eric Swift, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff development committee for affording me the opportunity to attend the Harvard Management Development Program. This experience is a lifelong dream realized, and I am truly grateful for your support in making it possible. I am confident that the knowledge, insights, and networks I gain from this program will significantly contribute to my continuous growth and success as a Management Consultant, allowing me to make a lasting impact in the field." Swift 2023
Bobby Walch , University of Pittsburgh Library System
"I am honored, and grateful to be one of the recipients of the Frisch Staff Professional Award. Thank you to the selection committee, and staff council for your thoughtful consideration." Walch 2023
2022 Winners
Bianca DeJesus, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
“ I am so grateful and humbled to be selected as the recipient for the Staff Development Award in honor of Ronald W. Frisch. Thank you to Staff Council. I started at the university in January 2021, in the midst of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, so my onboarding and orientation were far from “normal.” This award allows me to invest in my professional development while I am still early in my tenure and transition to Pitt. This award will contribute greatly to my professional goals which will ultimately allow me to better serve the first year students of the Dietrich School.”
Trupti Sarode, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
"It is such an honor to be recognized as a recipient of the Staff Development Award in Honor of Ronald W. Frisch. The professional development opportunities this will support -- the American Evaluation Association Annual Conference (AEA), the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), and the NASPAA Annual Conference -- are central to my current role as the Director of Innovation and Strategy at GSPIA. Having taken on this role not too long ago (in September 2021), these opportunities will support my learning and growth in key areas like DEI, learning and evaluation, and public service education in general in service toward the school and the larger University of Pittsburgh community. I am grateful to the Staff Council for this recognition."
2021 Winners
Lorraine M. Pollini, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
"I was very grateful and humbled to be selected as a recipient of the Staff Development Award in Honor of Ronald W. Frisch. I have worked for the University for 17.5 years. I have wanted to pursue a certification with the Board of Editors in the Life Science (BELS) for the past several years. BELS mission is “to maintain and promote a proficiency in editing in the life sciences.” This award means a great deal to me. I am very excited to pursue the Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS) certification. Thank you for your consideration of me, the honor of this award, and the extraordinary opportunity for advanced professional development".
Brooke J. Riley, University of Pittsburgh Police Department
"Thank you to Staff Council for giving me the opportunity to continue my education and sharpen my leadership skills by awarding me the Staff Development Award in Honor of Ronald W. Frisch. Lifelong learning is a value that is important to me for personal growth and for fulfilling my duty as a public servant. I am looking forward to learning from FBI-LEEDA’s Ethics and Supervisor Liability Online Distance Program. These classes will help give me tools to better serve the Pitt and Oakland Community while reaffirming my commitment to the department’s core values of integrity, respect, service, and fairness".
2019 Winner
Nancy Briones
"I came to the University with 25 years of industry experience and found it challenging to navigate through the vastly different structure of academia. As much as I tried to move forward, I quickly found myself in a position that offered little chance for advancement. I enrolled in classes to further my education in the hopes that showing progressive professional growth by working toward an advanced degree might provide an opportunity for me to obtain a more challenging position without having to leave the University. I worked with a member of Staff Council and was often updated on the strides taken by them to improve University policies. While reading their webpage, I stumbled on the staff professional development award and applied. I was surprised and extremely grateful to have been chosen amongst all the applicants for this award, which was a generous gift that I could use in the pursuit of my graduate degree in Accountancy. This group is dynamic, and the Pitt community is fortunate to have them working for us."
2018 Winner
Mark Villasenor
Congratulations to the recipient of the 2018 Staff Professional Development Award in Honor of Ronald W. Frisch, University of Pittsburgh Police Sergeant Mark Villasenor. Sergeant Villasenor will use the award to attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando, FL in October. His attendance will inform his role as Unit Supervisor for Pitt Police’s Community Relations & Neighborhood Resource officers unit. Thank you to all who applied!
2017 Winner
Matthew Landy
Congratulations to our 2017 Staff Professional Development Award in honor of Ronald W. Frisch awardee, Matthew Landy, Assistant Conduct Officer, Office of Student Conduct.