The College of Nursing has partnered with the DAISY Foundation to offer The DAISY Award© to Extraordinary Nursing Faculty and the SUNFlower award recognizing the Significant acts of Uplifting and Noteworthy Friends in our staff community.
About the DAISY Award
Established in 1999, the DAISY Awards have expanded to over 4,500 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing in all 50 states. The strategic impact of the program on nurses and their organizations is deep, affecting nurses' job satisfaction, retention, teamwork, pride, organizational culture, healthy work environment, and more.
From the DAISY Foundation website:
As Patrick’s family, we brainstormed what to do in his memory. We vividly recalled the skillful and compassionate care Patrick received from his nurses during his eight-week hospitalization. We wanted to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere by establishing a recognition program, The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses (The DAISY Award). Through this and other recognition programs, we honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve and throughout their careers–from Nursing Student through lifetime achievement.
Nursing Faculty may be nominated by colleagues, peers, patients, families, or alumni. The award recipients are chosen by a selection committee at University of Arizona College of Nursing. The DAISY Award will be presented twice per year. Each Honoree receives a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
Nominations are open all year round. Nominate someone today! Award recipients will be announced at the College Award Ceremonies on May 6th and December 10th. The Award Committee will consider nominations received prior to the 1st week of November for the December Award Ceremony and nominations received prior to the 1st week of April for the May Award Ceremony.
About the SUNFlower Award
A new award created for College of Nursing Staff members to recognize individuals who act as a role model or mentor and demonstrate enthusiasm for creating a successful learning environment, while also demonstrating respect for others.
On the creation of the SUNFlower Award:
The College of Nursing has worked to establish a Meaningful Recognition Program for faculty and staff. The purpose of this program is to demonstrate appreciation to staff for their commitment and inspirational influence on their peers and nursing students. While the DAISY Award© is specific to nurses, the college recognized that the faculty’s work could not be done without our amazing staff. Indeed, any attempt at implanting Meaningful Recognition into the college culture would be incomplete if staff were excluded.
Nursing Staff may be nominated by colleagues, peers, patients, families, or alumni. The award recipients are chosen by a selection committee at University of Arizona College of Nursing. The SUNFlower Award will be presented twice per year. Each Honoree receives a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
Nominations are open all year round. Nominate someone today! Award recipients will be announced at the College Award Ceremonies on May 6th and December 10th. The Award Committee will consider nominations received prior to the 1st week of November for the December Award Ceremony and nominations received prior to the 1st week of April for the May Award Ceremony.
Award Honorees & Nominees
May 2022 DAISY Award Honorees
Heidi Kosanke, MSN/Ed, RN, CCRN
Senior Lecturer
"Heidi has been a wonderful mentor to many faculty members in the College. What makes her so special is she shares her knowledge experience and time willingly and for the greater good of serving the students…She is committed to innovation in teaching and commits herself to generate new strategies to adapt to the needs of our learners. She is kind and has a smile that radiates positivity."
Kelly Froehlich, MSN, RN, CAPA, CPAN, CNE
Senior Lecturer
"Kelly is student focused and demonstrates sheer enthusiasm for nursing in all that she does. She is fair, knowledgeable, and pushes students to reach their highest potential... Kelly does what is right and just for the profession of nursing... Her diligence to student-centered teaching and teamwork with faculty and others in the community is respected and truly appreciated."
Cindy Rishel, PhD, RN, OCN, NEA-BC
Clinical Professor
"Dr. Rishel's resilience and fortitude deserves to be recognized. Her leadership has ushered in highly impactful initiatives to create a healthy work environment and embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion at the CON…She strives to bring out the best in others through her teaching and mentorship. I've personally witnessed the success of others because of Dr. Rishel. She works behind the scenes and doesn't always receive the recognition she deserves."
May 2022 SUNFlower Award Honorees
Stephanie Thiltges, MA
Manager, Academic Advising
Stephanie received numerous nominations this year describing the inspiration she is to her peers and students. Here are some excerpts from the inspiring nomination stories:
“She has so much grace and patience and brings so much calmness to our team; it just makes you feel so relaxed and secure…This is someone that I strive to be day in and day out and I am so proud and HONORED to get to work with her every day.”
“Thank you, Stephanie, for being a quiet warrior in OSAA – motivated by your unending desire to do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons! You are an amazing role model and mentor – to both your colleagues and our nursing students.”
“Stephanie is one of the most supportive, empathetic, caring, dedicated, and selfless people that I have ever known. She works tirelessly, to ensure that the students she advises, as well as the colleagues she works with, are never left unsupported.”
Madelyn Davis, MS
Instructional Designer
Maddy also received multiple nominations this year detailing the incredible work she brings to the college. Colleagues stated:
“Maddy has demonstrated substantial commitment to helping improve student learning experiences and workplace culture in the College of Nursing (and beyond!)… Maddy has had many meaningful encounters with faculty and staff who have needed more than just instructional design support during the pandemic — supporting and helping them navigate through very challenging times.”
“Much of the success at the CON is due to Maddy Davis. Not only does she assure that our curriculum is of high quality, but she also deeply cares about the health of the work environment by showing compassion in all her interactions… Maddy has gone above and beyond her role to promote Inclusive Excellence. She is always asking how she can help and has made the CON more inclusive and welcoming. I cannot express how grateful I am for Maddy Davis and how she has inspired me.”
May 2022 DAISY Award Nominees
- John Fraleigh
- Lorre Laws
- Karen Butterbaugh
- Victoria Nugent
- Vlad Semin
- Lana Litevsky
- Penny Overgaard
- Wendy Duran
- Tad Pace
- Joan Shaver
- Terry Badger
- Ki Moore
- Terri Farmer
May 2022 SUNFlower Award Nominees
- Peg Kearney
- Cisco Abril
- Jason Gelt
- Will Holst
- Debbie Robinson
- Matthew Choate
- Nic Paulos
- Lydia Parra
- Jose Munoz
- Judi Molina
- Hyewon Shin
- Ryan Yee
- Jill Hagaman
- Steve Machtley
May 2021 DAISY Award Honorees
Lisa Kiser, DNP, CNM, WHNP
Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Kiser's warmth and genuine spirit manifest in every interaction she has with people. The type of work she dedicates herself to, helping the underprivileged and building international connections for the sake of promoting humanity and enhancing international health collaborations, is a sign of her noble heart. Dr. Kiser consistently demonstrates kindness and consideration to those she works with. As a student, I have had the privilege to meet, interact, and participate in healthcare initiatives she leads and I am continuously motivated to be a better person by her sheer joyful persona. I can genuinely say she fosters a safe environment for professional and personal development for her students. I am forever grateful for having the privilege to meet her, share some of my story, and having such tremendous support from her when I least expected it. During the toughest time in my life in my DNP program, she demonstrated a true interest in my success and wellbeing. She didn't hesitate to assist me and facilitate the resources I needed to make a tough decision. Words cannot express the extent of my gratitude for women and humans like her because by their pure existence they make others, like me, better people. Dr. Kiser has been pivotal in bringing tremendous positivity and hope throughout my DNP program experience. Thank you, Dr. Kiser!
"Dr. Kiser has been pivotal in bringing tremendous positivity and hope throughout my DNP program experience."
Sara Edmund, DNP, RN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
Clinical Assistant Professor
Sara always puts in 100%! When the pandemic began Sara stepped up and was instrumental in leading the development of clinical simulation in the DNP Program. Sara was co-chair of the task force and spent countless hours working to create hundreds of hours of simulation. This work was a selfless act because it was not given faculty workload. As we all know workload is always a lot. To add this enormous task on top was an amazing sacrifice. Sara is such a pleasure to work with she is always kind and positive with faculty and students. Sara is such as asset to our team and we are very lucky to have her!
Dr. Sara Edmund is consistently professional encouraging and supportive in her work with our students and other members of the College community. As an integral part of the PMHNP faculty team, she is always willing to take on new challenges and help create innovative and effective learning experiences for our students. She works tirelessly to make sure the work gets done and demonstrates a high passion for continually improving the DNP program. In her clinical practice, she takes care of patients experiencing mental health crises; this work speaks to her ability to provide compassionate and competent high acuity psychiatric care and also makes her an excellent clinical course instructor. She is a wonderful role model for our students and junior faculty members. We are so lucky to have her!
Dr. Sara Edmund is an amazing educator nurse practitioner and colleague. She exudes compassion expertise and dedication in all aspects of her work. Sara approaches teaching opportunities with enthusiasm and flair whether she is developing course materials directly teaching students or mentoring other colleagues. Sara is an integral part of the PMHNP DNP team and has directly contributed to the success of hundreds of students.
"Sara approaches teaching opportunities with enthusiasm and flair whether she is developing course materials directly teaching students or mentoring other colleagues."
Megan Degrado, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Lecturer
Megan has a way of making all of her students feel welcome and calm. Nursing school can be very challenging and having a warm and kind mentor puts our minds at ease. She has great experience and knowledge to help further our journey to becoming a great nurse.
I have seen Professor Degrado show the utmost empathy and concern when dealing with delicate situations. She supported her student during a fragile and difficult time and facilitated that person in getting the help they desperately needed. Professor Degrado has a calming presence and I love her enthusiasm for education and passion for nursing. I admire all that she has accomplished at such a young age and look at her as a role model for how I hope to integrate myself into the nursing field. I get excited when I have the opportunity to work alongside her and look forward to the knowledge she has to share. She deserves to be recognized for the motivation and encouragement she brings to this program.
“I have seen Professor Degrado show the utmost empathy and concern when dealing with delicate situations. She supported her student during a fragile and difficult time and facilitated that person in getting the help they desperately needed.”
May 2021 SUNFlower Award Honoree
Mark Mathesen
Information Technology Support Analyst, Senior
From my vantage point, Mark always appears calm, pleasant, and willing to help. With COVID wreaking havoc on donor and alumni events, Mark has gone above and beyond for both homecoming and virtual memorial service for Emeritus Dean Gladys Sorensen. In both instances Mark had to give up weekend time and he did so gracefully and without complaint. Mark added value to the events with his ideas and initiative. He even began to imagine how we can merge virtual and in-person homecoming events in the future, in meaningful ways. I am truly grateful to Mark!
Maribeth Slebodnik
Associate Librarian and Senior Lecturer
Maribeth Slebodnik is the consummate librarian. Maribeth enthusiastically makes herself available to students and faculty. She has been instrumental in moving our students toward using reference managing software. She has taught all of us about what certain databases offer and which ones may be more appropriate for our topics of interest. In addition to working with individual students, Maribeth co-developed and co-teaches courses. In these courses, doctoral students learn how to write systematic reviews. Maribeth is a fantastic team member, easy to work with and so professional. Through her laudable individualized support for students in these courses, PhD students will have a resulting publication that they may not have had otherwise. Maribeth is a true gem of a person and an amazing asset to the CON.
May 2021 DAISY Award Nominees
- Renee Gregg
- Tarnia Newton
- Tara Loghry
- Sherri Carson
- Melanie Welch
- Cindy Elliott
- Christopher Herring
- Linda Perez
- Sara Byron
- Timian Godfrey
- Janay Young
- Amber Price
May 2021 SUNFlower Award Nominees
- Alice Pasvogel
- Yvette Mathesen
- Jaclyn Marr
- Brandie Drobot
- Peg Kearney
- Lydia Parra
- Hyewon Shin
- Jose Munoz
- Valerie Kogut
- Chris Sogge
December 2020 DAISY Award Honorees
Sharon Hom, PhD, MS, RN
Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Sharon Hom is a favorite amongst students and is one of my favorite co-workers as well. Her intelligence, bright disposition, and compassion have inspired me to do better in my own work on more than one occasion. Often Dr. Hom will meet with individual students outside of class time to discuss strategies useful to succeed in her course and work with the students to develop a plan for success. Dr. Hom utilizes the college resources to create an inclusive learning environment that promotes a sense of community and belonging for all. Faculty like Dr. Hom who see the best in our students and work to optimize our students' potential have a tremendous inter-generational impact. Students and colleagues fortunate to learn from Dr. Hom's example of compassion will undoubtedly go forth to contribute goodness and fulfill the purpose of nursing.
"Dr. Hom's intelligence, bright disposition, and compassion have inspired me to do better in my own work on more than one occasion."
Jessica Rainbow, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Albert Einstein said: "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." This quote is very nursing, and it speaks to how learning goes beyond a simple accumulation of facts. Our teaching should incorporate joy, creativity, and knowledge. Dr. Rainbow does just that. She is curious and teaches our students how to be curious. She is compassionate and teaches our students to be compassionate. When another faculty member recently retired, she took on several students. Dr. Rainbow expressed a deep desire to allow the students to continue their progression and growth. It wasn't out of obligation but out of a deep sense of joy that she took them on.
"Dr. Rainbow is compassionate and teaches our students to be compassionate."
Gloanna J Peek, PhD, RN, CPNP
Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. Peek has many roles at the University of Arizona College of Nursing: PNP specialty coordinator, course chair, ASD program coordinator, mentor, friend, researcher, DNP – CISC chair...to name just a few. Dr. Peek has a beautiful smile and a kind heart. She will volunteer to help out whenever needed whether it is DNP committee who needs a chair or extra member, a faculty member who needs help during a family emergency, or a staff member who just needs someone to listen to them. Her mentoring does not end when the student graduates, she will continue to keep in touch with students after graduation. Her giving nature continues outside of the College of Nursing, she is active with her church, mentoring young girls in foster care, and volunteering her medical services at an orphanage in Mexico. Overall, Dr. Peek is a kind, caring, loving educator. She is someone who truly advocates for her faculty and students.
“Dr. Peek's mentoring does not end when the student graduates, she will continue to keep in touch with students after graduation.”
Cheryl L Lacasse, PhD, RN, AOCNS
Clinical Professor
I have witnessed Cheri's commitment to our students' success and welfare. This commitment ranges from her leadership as Director of the RN-MSN program; her role in our Arizona Nursing Inclusive Excellent (ANIE) Program, and her tremendous efforts in coordinating this year's CCNE accreditation materials and visits. In all of these roles, Cheri has demonstrated an amazingly balanced blend of advocacy, leadership, organizational skill, insight, compassion, and intelligence. In every interaction Cheri and I have had, my respect for and trust in Cheri has been further strengthened because of her fair treatment of everyone present, which further encourages community and collaboration. These qualities are particularly necessary during acutely challenging times such as those we've experienced in 2020 with COVID-19 fallout; multiple accreditation processes; and the new growth toward equity, diversity, and inclusion that the College is undergoing.
“Cheri has demonstrated an amazingly balanced blend of advocacy, leadership, organizational skill, insight, compassion, and intelligence.
December 2020 SUNFlower Award Honoree
Brandie Drobot
Academic Advisor
Brandie exudes the personification of this award, which is a positive influence to all in the College of Nursing. As colleagues, she consistently remembers birthdays, brings in fun gifts, and greeted everyone (pre-COVID) with a big "Hello my people!!!!!" every morning. Her energy and passion and joy are so nice to have and radiate happiness throughout the building. For students, she also serves as an uplifting member and representative of the CON. In her NURS 195 classes she would learn everyone's name, create custom gift baggies for holidays and treats for them, and would routinely chat with folks in the hallways (and in the bathroom, I'm told, though I don't know that personally). Even now with COVID, she is seeing students and brightening their day, as well as continuing to brighten mine. I can't imagine how dull, dreary, and fun-less that my work would feel without her.
“Her energy and passion and joy are so nice to have and radiate happiness throughout the building. For students, she also serves as an uplifting member and representative of the CON."
December 2020 DAISY Award Nominees
- Pamela Fick
- Morgan Stock
- Gloanna Peek
- Kim Shea
- Helena Morrison
- Cheri Lacasse
- Linda Perez
- Renee Gregg
- Michelle Kahn-John
- Sharon Hom
- Jessica Rainbow
- Lori Martin-Plank
- Lisa Kiser
December 2020 SUNFlower Award Nominees
- Peg Kearney
- Chris Sogge
- Jill Hagaman
- Brandie Drobot
- Val Kogut