Association for Faculty Women’s 2016-2017 Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award
The Association of Faculty Women is happy to announce that the 2016 winner of the Sam Smith Leadership Award is Ms. Julia A. Pomerenk, the Washington State University Registrar. Ms Pomerenk was nominated by 21 individuals who see in her the embodiment of the true leader who touches people’s lives in many ways. Julia has demonstrated her leadership by promoting, supporting, and sustaining a diverse community throughout her career at WSU. The AFW Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award is a particularly appropriate way to honor this truly exceptional woman.
Julia has distinguished herself both professionally and personally throughout her tenure at Washington State University. She has set herself apart as a leader, a mentor, a collaborator, and a woman committed to creating and sustaining a diverse community in every aspect of her life. Julia’s demonstrated commitment to advancing the role of women is evidenced by her laboring well above and beyond her expected job responsibilities. She has been at the forefront, locally and nationally, as a leader who works tirelessly to create and sustain a diverse and affirming academic community for all people. Her friends and colleagues know her absolute commitment to personally changing the world using the tools of the academy to engage a broader, more diverse group of individuals in leadership within higher education.