Celebrating staff excellence
In addition to recognizing the 10 recipients of this year’s University of Colorado Staff Council (UCSC) Staff Excellence Awards, the 2026 ceremony provided an opportunity for university leaders to express their gratitude for CU’s staff systemwide.
“It’s a great honor to work with such a remarkable community of people,” said Board of Regents Chair Ken Montera during the ceremony. “You help make CU a place where all people can feel a sense of belonging and find the support they need to thrive. Thank you for all that you bring to the university every day. Thank you for going above and beyond. And thank you for your dedication and outstanding work.”
In addition to Montera, Regents Frank McNulty, Callie Rennison and Ilana Spiegel attended the awards ceremony on April 24 at the Lone Tree Golf Club and Hotel. President Todd Saliman was also in attendance and helped kick off the ceremony by congratulating the 2026 honorees, thanking staff across CU and highlighting the importance of shared governance. Both Saliman and Montera praised UCSC Co-Chairs Ja’Net Hurt and Kimberly Slavsky for their work to serve as liaisons between CU leadership and staff systemwide.
“I want to acknowledge and express my appreciation for our shared governance model at CU. It works,” Saliman said. “We work very closely with you to deliver for you because when we deliver for our staff, faculty and students, we’re delivering for the university.”
CU staff members – two from each campus and system administration – received the honors presented annually to recognize those who go above and beyond their job duties and consistently surpass expectations. The award criteria are based on CU’s Guiding Principles: Integrity and Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence, and Community. Each honoree received a $250 award.
This year’s recipients are:
University of Colorado Boulder
- Jay Bolan, Graduate Program Manager
- Nicole Bryant, Director of Finance and Administration and Research Administrator
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
- Lindsay Coppa, Program Manager, Office of Research
- Lindsay Knell, Program Assistant in the College of Public Service
University of Colorado Denver
- Alexander Freedman, Director of Marketing, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Taylor Collazos, Development and Stewardship Associate
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
- Ryan Grip, Manager of Business Operations, Colorado Springs Department of Pediatrics
- Lainie Harrison, Office Supervisor
University of Colorado System Administration
- Stefan Martorano, Program Director, PeopleSoft HCM
- Mike Wolbrom, Program Director, Advancement Training and Outreach
This year’s call for nominations resulted in over 120 nominees being eligible for the award.
For more information about the Staff Excellence Awards or the University of Colorado Staff Council, please visit www.cu.edu/ucsc/ucsc-staff-excellence-award.