Four at SLCC Bring Home NASPA Awards

Salt Lake Community College President Deneece G. Huftalin and three others at the college have won Region 5 NASPA (National Association for Student Personnel Administrators) awards for their efforts in supporting and improving student programs and services on campus.

SLCC President Dr. Deneece G. Huftalin

Huftalin received the President’s Award for advancing the quality of student life on campus in part by supporting student affairs through “consistent advocacy for and participation in the holistic student experience for at least seven years.” Those who work for her say Huftalin leads with “integrity in advancing a bold vision centered on student success, equity, inclusion and social justice” and makes “those around her feel recognized and valued for the contributions they make to the student experience.”

Others at the college who received awards were:

Lee Martinez (recently retired), former assistant director of Academic Advising at SLCC – Community College Professional award

Richard Diaz, director of the Orientation & Student Success program at SLCC – Outstanding Mid-Level Professional award.

Austin Fashimpaur, SLCC Student Association senator and Civically Engaged Scholar – Undergraduate Rising Star award.

Austin Fashimpaur

In a nomination letter for the award, Austin, who is majoring in computer science at SLCC, is described as having an “outstanding grasp of logic, maturity beyond his years, willingness to step outside his comfort zone and communication skills that have made him a standout student.” He was noted in particular for his efforts with recycling and sustainability on campus.

Richard Diaz

Diaz is credited with leading the strategic development and opening of SLCC’s Dream Center and its Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. In his nomination letter, Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont, Associate Vice President for Student Success, wrote, “I believe Richard Diaz is an outstanding mid-level professional due to his expertise in our field and because of his focus on making practices and programs accessible to everyone.”

Lee Martinez

Martinez was a lawyer and politically active in the community when he started as an academic advisor at SLCC 12 years ago, thinking the job would be temporary. “I truly enjoyed what I was doing helping students and it quickly became home and you all became family for me,” Martinez wrote in a retirement notice this year. Martinez leaves SLCC with a legacy of “love, determination, justice and growth,” wrote Ashley Sokia, director of Academic Advising for SLCC.

NASPA, founded in 1918, is now a “member-centered association supporting a diverse and passionate network of 15,000 professionals and 1,200 institutions” in all 50 states, 25 countries and eight U.S. territories.

The regional awards have been forwarded for consideration of NASPA central awards.

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