UofL employees recognized as Cardinal Principle Champions

The Cardinal Principle Champions Award was designed to honor faculty and staff (individuals or teams) who have demonstrated one of the Cardinal Principles at the highest level of impact. Those principles include: Community of care; Accountability; Respect; Diversity and inclusion; Integrity and transparency; Noble purpose; Agility; and Leadership.

The inaugural winners of these awards are:

Community of care: Jenna Orwick, program coordinator, UofL Health Promotion

Orwick was a lead facilitator on the Growing Mindfulness Initiative, a campus-wide collaborative effort built around the Cardinal Principles to cultivate a community of care through mindfulness. She has coordinated weekly mindfulness programming and other services and workshops for the entire campus community. “Jenna has been essential in creating a culture on campus of compassion, gratitude, kindness and health mentally and physically,” according to her nomination.

Accountability: Cathy Carter and Roberta Devers from the Human Subjects Protection Program Office 

The office reviews research submissions that involve human participants and serves as the administration office to support the UofL Institutional Review Board. In 2020, the office transitioned its entire operation despite a high volume of time-sensitive work due to COVID. Carter and Devers have motivated the team by hosting discussions and meetings based on the Cardinal Principles.

Respect: Tamara Russell, academic coordinator senior, University Honors

According to her nomination letter, Russell “has a rare and extraordinary ability to subvert existing hierarchies to uplift and empower students. She is ceaseless and unwavering in highlighting students’ strengths, making space and creating platforms for them to speak their own truths, and supporting them to carry out their visions and plans … At the same time, she is able to see multiple perspectives and act as a liaison and mediator.”

Diversity and inclusion: Jonathan Hughes, director of admissions, Speed School of Engineering

Hughes has come up with creative initiatives that have yielded an increased number of African American and Black students attending the Speed School, according to his nomination. He also greatly increased the Latinx and first-generation student population at the school.

Integrity and transparency: Julie Dials, senior executive director of Development, University Advancement

According to her nomination, Dials exhibits the Cardinal Principles in her daily work. One of her values is also integrity. “She doesn’t just expect this of us as we deal with one another as well as with donors, but she also walks the walk. I have seen her time and time again display herself as an honest leader, one that extends grace and always assumes good intention.”

Noble purpose: Karen Thompson, administrative assistant, A&S Criminal Justice

During the pandemic, Thompson continued to come into the office, stating the work needs to be done and the faculty need support. According to her nomination, “Her belief in the noble purpose of our collective work has definitely helped the department’s faculty weather the storm of 2020-21, but it has also helped to shine a bright light on how her kindness, generosity and sense of care are too often underappreciated. This past year has made it abundantly clear … that things would fairly quickly start coming apart at the seams if she wasn’t there to keep holding it all together.”

Agility: Michael Mardis, Stephanie Reibert, Tim Moore, Angela Taylor, Heather Gentry, Kevin Lush, Ryan Sears, Joe Elliott, Amanda James, Lily Assgari, Kassie Flanery, Scott Burks, Vanessa Blair, Janet Cappiello, Paul DeMarco, Courtney Kerr, Reilly Brown, Zach Pennington, Mary Ann Vetter, Commencement Planning Team

The team recommended the postponement of May 2020 commencement due to the pandemic and began planning for a virtual celebration to honor what would have been the spring 2020 commencement date. The team then started to plan the virtual commencement ceremony in December 2020 and continued to meet weekly to plan and execute a return to in-person commencement exercises in May.

Leadership: Brandyn Bailey, Nubia Bennett, Blaz Bush, Valerie Casey, Sarah Garrison, Leondra Gully, Lisa Gunterman, LaJa Hurt, Jamieca Jones, Faye Jones, Goldie Latta, Daquarius Mahone, Marcos Morales, Monica Negron, Patsy Russell, Enid Trucios-Haynes, Marian Vasser, Aaron Weathers II, Phyllis Webb, Brevin Woodford, Shonna Boyd-Wagner, Kiana Fields, Vicki Hines-Martin, Karen Krigger,Jon Moody, Steven Osborne, Ryan Simpson, Tonia Thomas, Craig Ziegler, Diane Whitlock, Diversity and Equity Division

The DEI has stayed the course of its noble purpose, including some pushing back, to make a difference in the campus and the community, the nomination notes. “Even when they receive messages that their policy recommendations, messages or trainings are ‘too much’ or ‘not realistic’ or ‘don’t play nice enough,’ the DEI unit continues to speak up and out to try to make the action that is needed … As we move forward, this group will most likely continue to be instrumental in the leadership of the [Cardinal Anti-Racist Agenda] as the agenda must move from a dream into realities.”

Read more about these leaders online here.