AUCD | Awards

Award Descriptions

Lifetime Achievement Award George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award Special Recognition Award Young Professional Award Anne Rudigier Award Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and AdvocacyGold Star Award AUCD International Service Award Council on Research and Evaluation Trainee Research Award Dalice Miller Hertzberg Nursing Impact Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award is AUCD's highest honor and recognizes an individual whose career reflects at least 20 years of extraordinary and sustained commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families.

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AUCD 2025 Lifetime Achievement
Award Recipient
Danny Armstrong
Mailman Center for Child Development

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AUCD 2025 Lifetime Achievement
Award Recipient
Michael Gamel-McCormick
Washington, DC

George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award

The George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes a longtime UCEDD, LEND, or IDDRC professional whose career reflects at least 20 years of exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the disability field and the mission of AUCD.

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AUCD 2025 George S. Jesien Distinguished Award Recipient
Cate Weir
Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston

Special Recognition Award

The Special Recognition Award honors an individual, group, or organization outside of the AUCD Network whose work has made an outstanding contribution to people with disabilities and their families at the local, state, or national level.

AUCD 2024 Special Recognition Award Recipient
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Young Professional Award

The Young Professional Award recognizes an outstanding professional under age 40 whose leadership, innovation, and community engagement demonstrate a strong commitment to people with disabilities and their families.

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AUCD 2025 Young Professional Award Recipient
Toni Saia
First Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University

Anne Rudigier Award

The Anne Rudigier Award recognizes an outstanding current UCEDD, LEND, or IDDRC trainee or student whose compassion, commitment, and service have made a meaningful difference for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The recipient will receive a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the disability community.

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AUCD 2025 Anne Rudigier Award Recipient
Rebecca Townsend
Kansas University Center in Disabilities

Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and Advocacy

The Gordon Richins Award recognizes an AUCD Network member, professional, advocate, or Consumer Advisory Council whose leadership and advocacy have expanded meaningful inclusion, self-advocacy, and leadership opportunities for people with disabilities and their families.

AUCD 2025 Gordon Richins Award
Joanne Siegel
Rose F. Kennedy Center

Gold Star Award

The Gold Star Award recognizes a Capitol Hill staff member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to disability policy and meaningful partnership with AUCD and the broader disability community.

AUCD 2025 Gold Star Award Recipient
Heather Wadyka
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

AUCD International Service Award

The AUCD International Service Award recognizes an individual or group whose work has advanced inclusion, opportunities, programs, or policies for people with disabilities and their families outside the United States.

AUCD 2025 International Service Award Recipient
Mustafa Rfat
Washington University at St. Louis

Council on Research and Evaluation Trainee Research Award

The Council on Research and Evaluation Trainee Research Award recognizes a current or recent AUCD Network trainee whose research makes a meaningful contribution to the disability field and demonstrates promise as an emerging researcher.

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AUCD 2024 CORE Trainee Research Award Recipient
Ann Marie Martin
Indiana LEND at the Indiana University School of Medicine

Dalice Miller Hertzberg Nursing Impact Award

The Dalice Miller Hertzberg Nursing Impact Award recognizes a nurse whose clinical care, leadership, education, or community engagement is improving health, reducing barriers to care, and enhancing quality of life for people with developmental disabilities. The recipient will receive a monetary award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the disability community.

Image of Anne Marie Martin, a white woman with brown hair wearing a blouse and jacket.

Dalice Miller Hertzberg

Past Award Recipients

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2000-2024 Award Recipients

Learn more about the AUCD 2024 Conference

2000 Ethel Chou
2001 Kathy Sheppard Jones (KY)
2002 Kelly Peters (NM)
2003 Joseph Caldwell (IL)
2004 Kristy Adakai-Tinney (NM)
2005 Ann Cameron Williams, PhD (IL)
2006 Sara E. Boyd, MA (KY)
2007 John Kramer, MA (IL)
2008 Catherine P. Keiling, BA (IL)
2009 Emily Shea Obremski (KS)
2010 Jasmina Sisirak, MPH (IL)
2011 Meghan R. Burke, MS (TN)
2012 Jody M. Pirtle, PhD (AZ)
2013 Ashley Candelaria, MS (KY)
2014 Emily Johnson, MA (OR)
2015 Katherine Hastings, MS (KY)
2016 Vanessa Diambou (VT)
2017 Joseph P. K. Ahuna, III, JD, MPA
2018 Ellen Casale, EdS, MEd (TN)
2019 E (Alice) Zhang, PhD, BCBA, LBA (KS)
2020 Emily Moseley, Graduate Student (KY)
2021 Yue Xu, Doctoral Student (IL)
2022 Kiley McLean (WI)
2023 Shawn Aleong (PA)
2024 Jennifer Morgan (TX

2010 Barbara LeRoy, PhD (MI)
2012 Tamar Heller, PhD (IL)
2013 David O'Hara, PhD (NY)
2015 Andy Minnion, MBE (England)
2016 Michael Wehmeyer, PhD (KS)
2017 Karl Ellingsen, PhD (Norway)
2018 Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie, MA
2019 Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, LLM, MA
2021 Brent Askvig, PhD (ND)
2023 Kerim M. Munir, MD, MPH, DSc
2024 Megan Roberts (OK)

2015 Samatha Goldman, MEd (TN)
2016 Carli Friedman, PhD (IL)
2017 Carly Blustein Gilson, PhD
2018 Elizabeth Biggs
2019 Ariel Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L
2020 Helen Rottier, PhD student (IL)
2021 Michele A. Schutz, student (TN)
2022 Brittney L. Goscicki (MD)
2023 Larissa Minner (TX)
2024 Ann Marie Martin (IN)

2001 Steve Shroeder
2005 Herb Cohen, MD (NY)
2006 Jack H. Rubinstein, MD, in memoriam
2007 Diane Nelson Bryen, PhD (AZ)
2008 Hill M. Walker, PhD (OR)
2009 Lucille A. Zeph, EdD (ME)
2010 Jan A. Nesbit, PhD (NH)
2011 K. Charlie Lakin, PhD (MN)
2012 David Mank, PhD (IN)
2013 William E. Kiernan, PhD (MA) and Robert Stodden, PhD (HI)
2014 Ansley Bacon, PhD (NY) and Frederick Palmer, MD (TN)
2015 Harold Kleinert, ED (KY)
2016 Robert Bacon, MA (IA)
2016 Deborah Spitalnik, PhD (NJ)
2017 Judith M. Holt, PhD (UT)
2018 David R. Johnson, PhD (MN)
2019 Daniel Crimmins, PhD (GA)
2020 Dan (Dalun) Zhang, PhD (TX)
2021 Elise McMillan, JD (TN)
2022 Elizabeth A. Perkins, PhD, RNLD, FAAIDD, FGSA (FL)
2023 Amy S. Hewitt, PhD (MN)
2024 John Butterworth (MA)

2004 Amy Judge (Representative Langevin's Office)
2005 Ellen Murray (Senate, Labor HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee)
2006 Aaron Bishop (Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Professional Staff)
2007 Connie Garner (Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Professional Staff)
2008 Sharon Lewis (Disability Policy Advisor to George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee)
2009 Kenneth DeGraff (Legislative Director to Congressman Mike Doyle, D-PA)
2010 Adrienne Hallett, MTS (Professional Staff, Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee)
2010 Lisa Bernhardt, MPP (Professional Staff, Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee)
2011 Michael Barnard (Legislative Assistant, Senator Robert Menendez, D-NJ)
2011 Tim Lynagh (Deputy Chief of Staff, Representative Christopher H. Smith, R-NJ)
2012 Andrew J. Imparato (U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Professional Staff)
2013 Karen Summar, MD, MS (Legislative Counsel to Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-WA)
2014 Cate Benedetti (Staffer for Rep. Christopher Smith, R-NJ)
2015 Jennifer Debes (Staffer for Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-FL)
2016 Jake Cornett, MA (Senior Advisor, Office of US Senator Patty Murray)
2017 Michael Gamel-McCormick, PhD (Disability Policy Director, The Office of US Senator Bob Casey)
2018 Kimberly Knackstedt, PhD (Disability and Education Policy Advisor, Representative Bobby Scott and the House Education and Workforce Committee)
2019 Kelsey Griswold (Legislative Director, Office of U.S. Representative Chris Smith)
2020 (Gil) Ruiz (Legislative Assistant, Office of US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand)
2021 Katie Campbell (Legislative Direct, Office of US Senator Mark Kelly)
2022 Sarah Mueller (Disability Policy Advisor (U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP)
2023 Brad Thomas, MEd (DC)
2024 Peter Mills (DC)

2000 University of Maine UAP
2001 Waisman Center, WI
2002 Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute, Kentucky
2003 Center for Development and Disability, New Mexico
2006 Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
2007 Missouri UCEDD
2008 South Carolina UCEDD
2009 Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
2010 Westchester Institute For Human Development, NY
2011 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, TN
2012 Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington
2013 Community Advisory Committee, Florida Center for Inclusive Communities
2014 Utah Center for Persons with Disabilities
2015 Institute for Disability Studies University of Southern Mississippi UCEDD
2016 Community Advisory Council of the Center for Leadership in Disability, Georgia State University
2018 Deborah Unruh
2019 Rochelle 'Shelly' Baer, MSW, LCSW
2020 Mitchell Levitz
2021 Fran D. Goldfarb, MA, MCHES, CFPS
2022 Elizabeth Benevides, MD
2023 The Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities and Kansas Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities Consumer Advisory Panel (KUCDD-LEND CAP)
2024 Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND)