We believe in recognizing and celebrating the remarkable efforts of our staff who embody our vision of making the university better every day.
The inaugural FOA Annual Excellence Awards – Innovation, Collaboration, and Moved Mountains – are designed to honor three individuals within Finance, Operations and Administration who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to our mission and values.
- Eligibility: All FOA staff members with a UC Davis email address.
- Recognition: All winners will be recognized at a ceremony in the spring.
Nominate a Deserving Colleague
Your nominations matter! Help us identify, recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of our FOA colleagues. Complete the form below to nominate a colleague for these prestigious awards. Let’s come together to appreciate those who make UC Davis a better place every day.
Nominations have closed for 2023. Revisit this page soon to nominate a colleague for a 2024 award.
FOA Innovation Award
This award recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed to advancing how UC Davis works through innovative solutions, practices or ideas. The recipient has demonstrated a forward-thinking approach in their work, embodying creativity and resourcefulness.
Examples:
- Demonstrated a novel approach to problem-solving that aligns with driving innovation.
- Implementation of ideas or solutions that have had a measurable impact on improving university operations or processes.
- Actively contributed to advancing sustainability and efficiency in university resources.
- Successfully operationalizes cutting-edge research to improve how campus functions.
FOA Collaboration Award
This award is given to an individual that exemplifies exceptional cooperation and partnership. This award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond in working collaboratively to achieve shared goals, reflecting our commitment to building community.
Examples:
- Exhibited outstanding cooperation, partnership or teamwork, either within or across departments.
- Demonstrated the ability to bring diverse perspectives together to achieve common goals.
- Contributed to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment.
- Led project that successfully wove together disparate contributions, ideas, talents, resources or teams for a greater whole and broader campus outcomes.
FOA Moved Mountains Award
This award celebrates extraordinary achievements that have made a significant and positive impact on the university. It's for those who have 'moved mountains' – overcoming significant challenges, seemingly intractable problems or long-standing obstacles with determination and integrity.
Examples:
- Overcame considerable challenges or barriers while maintaining a high standard of integrity and professionalism.
- Made a substantial, positive impact on the university, whether through project completion, process improvement, identifiable behavior change or community building.
- Displayed resilience and a commitment to the university’s mission and values in their approach to challenges.
2023 Award Recipients
FOA Innovation Award
Amber Sharpe
FOA Business Partners
FOA Collaboration Award
Aaron Knapek
Design and Construction Management
FOA Moved Mountains Award
Jennifer Thompson
Supply Chain Management
Read about how the award recipients went above and beyond in their work.