Austin Community College District (ACC) proudly recognizes the exceptional faculty and staff selected as recipients of the 2026 Teaching & Leadership Excellence Awards. Each year, the ACC Chancellor and Board of Trustees honor individuals whose sustained commitment to teaching, leadership, and service advances student success and strengthens our institution.
The 2026 ACC Teaching & Leadership Excellence Awards Celebration will take place on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Colleagues across the District are invited to join in recognizing this year’s honorees. A livestream of the celebration will be available via the Awards Celebration web page as the event approaches.
In the meantime, help us celebrate the awardees by visiting our dedicated Padlet to share your words of encouragement and support!
Queen Samantha Ackers College Values Award
This award honors the enduring legacy of Queen Samantha Ackers, a beloved member of our ACC community whose light, leadership, and laughter touched countless lives. Queen embodied our College values—Courage, Compassion, Joy, and Yes—with every interaction. Whether through her work in the Theory of Change, as a Joy Ambassador, or simply in the way she uplifted others, Queen led with purpose and heart. This award recognizes individuals who carry forward her spirit by showing up with bravery, care, positivity, and a bold commitment to saying “yes” to inclusion, connection, and transformation.
- Nina Almasy, Associate Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences
- Angelica Cancino de Sandoval, Senior Director, Basic Needs System and Advocacy
- Laurie Dillon, Department Chair, Professional Nursing
- Wayne Johnson, Evening and Weekend Specialist, Campus Management
- Maze, Job Skills and Readiness Coordinator, Student Affairs Strategy and Transformation
- Matthew Olson, Farm Manager, Agricultural Sciences
- Sarah Porter, Adjunct Faculty, Student Development
- April Seabourn, Regional Coordinator, Student Life
- Marci Shrull, Workforce Projects Coordinator, Continuing Education
- Jordan Sommerville, Coordinator, Upward Bound
Leadership Awards
ACC celebrates outstanding Staff who demonstrate strong leadership and who have gone above and beyond the duties listed in their job description for the ACC community.
Administrator of the Year: Ana Rummer, Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs Strategy and Transformation
Classified Employee of the Year: Manal Mahmoud, Micro-Credentials and Badging Coordinator, Office of Curriculum Management
Faculty Leader of the Year: Anne-Marie Thomas, Honors Program and Faculty Associate Dean, Composition and Literary Studies
Professional-Technical Employee of the Year: Alejandra Polcik, Manager, Student Success Programs
Teaching Excellence Awards
The ACC Teaching Excellence Awards honor one full-time and one adjunct faculty member who promote special learning opportunities, student interaction, depth and breadth of knowledge in a subject area, and innovation.
Top Teaching Excellence Award
- Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr., Faculty, Government and Humanities
- Blake Hardy, Adjunct Faculty, Emergency Med Services Professions
NISOD Teaching Excellence
- Jason English, Adjunct Faculty, English
- Bryan Hudson, Faculty, Biology
- Silke Morin, Faculty, Biology
- David Reeves, Adjunct Faculty, Dental Hygiene
- David Rice, Faculty, English
- Amber Sarker, Faculty, Student Development
- Kate Thompson, Adjunct Faculty, Social Work
- Jonathan Young, Adjunct Faculty, Drama
DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty honors nursing faculty who inspire their students to remember that nursing is more than tasks and technology. The DAISY nurse faculty is one who ensures that both the art and science of nursing are brought to every patient experience. This award celebrates nursing faculty for their inspirational influence on the nurses of today and tomorrow.
- Julie Kent, Faculty, Professional Nursing
eFaculty of the Year Award
This award recognizes an outstanding ACC faculty member who has creatively utilized appropriate internet-based technologies to teach online and/or hybrid courses at ACC. The recipient must have designed and taught one or more online or hybrid courses with an imaginative approach, well-designed course materials, instructional strategies, and a demonstrated rapport with the course participants.
- Alex Watkins, Faculty, Technical Communications
Piper Professor Nominee Award
The Piper Professor Nominee Award is a statewide award that recognizes outstanding full-time faculty in the teaching profession.
- Courtney Mlinar, Faculty, Library Services
NISOD Excellence Awards
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) has emphasized the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education.
- Jason English, Adjunct Faculty, English
- Bryan Hudson, Faculty, Biology
- Julie Kent, Faculty, Professional Nursing
- Manal Mahmoud, Micro-Credentials and Badging Coordinator, Office of Curriculum Management
- Silke Morin, Faculty, Biology
- Alejandra Polcik, Manager, Student Success Programs
- David Reeves, Adjunct Faculty, Dental Hygiene
- David Rice, Faculty, English
- Amber Sarker, Faculty, Student Development
- Kate Thompson, Adjunct Faculty, Social Work
- Alex Watkins, Faculty, Technical Communications
- Jonathan Young, Adjunct Faculty, Drama
League Excellence Awards
In recognition of the long tradition of excellence in community college teaching and leadership, the League Excellence Awards (formerly Roueche Award) celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff.
- Nina Almasy, Associate Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences
- Angelica Cancino de Sandoval, Senior Director, Basic Needs System and Advocacy
- Laurie Dillon, Department Chair, Professional Nursing
- Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr., Faculty, Government and Humanities
- Blake Hardy, Adjunct Faculty, Emergency Med Services Professions
- Wayne Johnson, Evening and Weekend Specialist, Campus Management
- Maze, Job Skills and Readiness Coordinator, Student Affairs Strategy and Transformation
- Courtney Mlinar, Faculty, Library Services
- Matthew Olson, Farm Manager, Agricultural Sciences
- Sarah Porter, Adjunct Faculty, Student Development
- Ana Rummer, Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs Strategy and Transformation
- April Seabourn, Regional Coordinator, Student Life
- Marci Shrull, Workforce Projects Coordinator, Continuing Education
- Jordan Sommerville, Coordinator, Upward Bound
- Anne-Marie Thomas, Honors Program and Faculty Associate Dean, Composition and Literary Studies
ACC extends sincere congratulations to each of the 2026 award recipients. Their leadership, scholarship, and service reflect the very best of our College community and inspire continued excellence across the District.
To access event details, view the livestream (which will be added closer to the event), or learn more about the 2026 ACC Annual Awards Celebration, please visit the Awards Celebration web page.
For questions, contact the Office of Faculty Development at [email protected].