Stony Brook University celebrated the work of its exceptional employees at the second annual Stony Awards, held November 20 at Flowerfield in St. James.
The Stony Awards were established last year as an opportunity to recognize Stony Brook faculty, staff and healthcare personnel who go above and beyond in teaching, service and creating a sense of community. Members of the campus community submitted nominations in support of their colleagues’ excellence, service and dedication to Stony Brook.
“To every Stony Award finalist in this room, your impact on Stony Brook University is exceptional,” said Interim President Richard McCormick. “You reflect the very best of what we can achieve when we work together. You make this university an inspiring place to be every day.”
McCormick credited the nominees with building and stewarding Stony Brook’s culture of belonging and appreciation, and for creating a living, learning and working environment that is caring and welcoming. “I have witnessed employees across our complex institution working hard to ensure that Seawolves at every level feel valued and recognized for their integral contributions to this university,” he said. “For that I am truly grateful. Thank you.”
The winners of the 2024 Stony Awards are:
President’s Award for Nurturing a Welcoming, Inclusive Campus Culture: Rewa Thompson
Thompson is a nurse practitioner and educator who advocates for women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, and whose scholarship is deeply rooted in promoting health equity and mitigating bias and racism in nursing instruction. She is the co-chair of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Social Justice (IDEAS) committee. The award was presented by Justin Fincher, interim chief deputy to the president and senior vice president of government and community relations, and executive director of the Stony Brook Foundation.
President’s Award for Excellence in Patient Service: Poonamdeep Gill, MD
Gill is a psychiatry specialist with Stony Brook Medicine and an assistant professor in psychiatry who holds expertise in emergency psychiatry, psychotic disorders, and addiction and substance abuse. The award was presented by Sujatha Palat, the 2023 award recipient.
Excellence in Leadership Award: Rick Gatteau and Marianna Savoca
Gatteau is Vice President for Student Affairs and leads campus efforts to support student success, including focusing on health and wellness, engagement in campus life and career development. Savoca is associate vice president for career readiness and experiential education, and leads initiatives to scale career readiness and improve access to high-impact, learning-integrated internships and work experiences for all SBU students. The award was presented by Interim President McCormick.
Community Award: Tracey Walters
Walters is a professor of literature in the Department of Africana Studies, with affiliate appointments with the Department of English and Women’s and Gender Studies. Walters writes about the experiences of African diasporic women through the lens of feminist studies and cultural studies. The award was presented by Vice President for Enterprise Risk Management and Chief Security Officer Larry Zacarese.
SB YOU Award: Surita Bhatia
Bhatia is associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, a professor of chemistry and director of the NSF NRT PhD training grant on quantitative analysis of materials. She has served as PI or co-PI on grants totaling more than $16 million from the NSF, NIH, Department of Energy, philanthropic foundations and private industry. The award was presented by Fincher.
President’s Stony Brook Champion Award: Rick Gatteau
The Stony Brook Champion was presented by McCormick to the 2024 awardee who epitomizes this university’s mission and exemplifies the best of the best, and was won by Gatteau.
This year’s event also featured the introduction of the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Service, which recognizes an employee who has consistently advanced the mission of Stony Brook University through a demonstrated exceptional commitment to institutional excellence that has impacted — and will continue to benefit — the University for years to come. This award is selected and awarded at the discretion of the President, and was presented to Judith Greiman, former chief deputy to the president and senior vice president for government and community relations, who retired from Stony Brook earlier this year.
The ceremony, hosted by emcee Blair Tate, also included awards facilitated by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the SUNY Chancellor that recognize faculty and staff across a variety of disciplines, including SUNY Distinguished Professors. Those winners are:
Office of the Provost
Outstanding Mentor Award: Sandeep Mallipattu, James Pierre-Glaude
Outstanding Lecturer Award: Kevin McDonnell, Sara Santos
Stony Brook Trustees Award: Stanley Bak, Theodore Drivas, Ruobing Li, Carrie Mongle, Shanshan Yao
Distinguished Professors: Daniel Raleigh, Adam Singer, Jacobus Verbaarschot
Distinguished Service Professors: Joanne Davila, Susan Lane, Lawrence Martin, Laszlo Mihaly
Distinguished Teaching Professor: Marci Lobel
SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence
Excellence in Teaching: Robin DeLuca-Acconi, Anna Geisherik, Jason Paradis, Tony Scarlatos, Ken Weitzman
Excellence in Adjunct Teaching: Maya Koga Endoh, George Giokas, Anna Melnikova
Excellence in Faculty Service: Rachel Bergeson, Holly Colognato, Kathleen de Riesthal, Suzanne Velázquez, Dina Vivian
Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Karena Chapman, John Hobbs, Paul Kelton, Ken-ichi Takemaru
Excellence in Professional Service: Marisa Bisiani, Nancy Black, Lauren Brookmeyer, Karen Levitov, Rachael Redhead, Christine Szaraz
Excellence in Librarianship: Mona Ramonetti
Excellence in Classified Service: Michelle Carbone, Steven Altman, Joseph Manitta
Visit the Stony Awards website for complete bios of all of the winners and nominees.
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