MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 14 recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award, an annual honor given to faculty, staff, students, or community members to recognize their achievements in advancing equity and inclusion for people of color within the UW System as well as communities across the state.
This year is the 26th anniversary of the award through which more than 400 women of color have been recognized for their transformational work.
“The UW System is proud to recognize the tremendous achievements of this year’s award recipients,” said UW System Senior Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer Warren R. Anderson. “They are enhancing opportunities for our students and benefiting our communities through their leadership, scholarship, and outreach.”
Recipients will be formally recognized on November 4, 2021, in Madison at an awards ceremony and reception hosted by Anderson. The ceremony and reception will be held in conjunction with UW System’s presentation of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Awards for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People.
The 2021 Outstanding Women of Color in Education honorees are:
- Winnifred Bryant, Professor of Biology, Department Chair, UW-Eau Claire
- Renita Robinson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Prevea Health, selected by UW-Green Bay
- Monica Yang, Outreach Program Manager I, Multicultural Student Services, UW-La Crosse
- Sami Schalk, Associate Professor, Department of Gender & Women’s Studies, UW-Madison
- Brittany Ochoa-Nordstrum, Graduate Teaching Assistant, UW-Milwaukee
- Doris Johnson Browne, Counselor/Therapist, UW-Milwaukee
- Elisabeth Arguello, PreCollege Programs Coordinator, UW Oshkosh
- Giovanna Gutierrez, Outreach Program Manager and Assistant to the Dean, UW-Parkside
- Angela Yang, Interim Assistant Director, TRIO Student Support Services, UW-Platteville
- Natasha Rayne, Assistant Professor, Plant and Earth Science, UW-River Falls
- Kaia Fitzgerald, Student, UW-Stevens Point
- Wei Zheng, Professor and Program Director, Plastics Engineering Program, UW-Stout
- Salisa Hochstetler, Assistant Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, UW-Superior
- Ana Caballero Mengibar, Associate Director, Undergraduate Research Program, UW-Whitewater
UW institutions submit nominations for the award, which highlight each recipient’s contributions to improving the status and climate for women and people of color and to advancing the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
For more information about the award and past recipients, see wisconsin.edu/grants-awards/women-of-color/.
2021 Recipients
Download high-resolution photos of the 2021 recipients by clicking on the thumbnail images below.
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- Bryant
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- Robinson
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- M. Yang
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- Schalk
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- Ochoa-Nordstrum
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- Johnson Browne
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- Arguello
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- Gutierrez
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- A. Yang
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- Rayne
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- Fitzgerald
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- Zheng
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- Hochstetler
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- Caballero Mengibar
The University of Wisconsin System serves approximately 165,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree – with a median salary of more than $66,000. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System universities also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.