Outstanding staff of 2023-24 saluted

From academic advising for student-athletes to coordination of events at SDSU Imperial Valley, San Diego State University staff and administrators demonstrated their dedication to students, fellow employees and the university community in 2023-24.

Six individuals and a team of five were recognized with the Presidential Staff Excellence Awards as part of an annual honor for outstanding contributions and efforts over the previous academic year. In addition, the fourth annual Staff Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Chris Lindmark, assistant vice president, donor relations and special events.

Staff members were nominated by their colleagues in seven categories: auxiliary support, community service, innovation and creativity, manager of the year, staff-to-staff mentoring, service to the university and team effort. The lifetime achievement award is for employees with at least 15 years of service to SDSU. Awardees receive a statuette and honorarium along with recognition during the All-University Convocation on Aug. 22. 

The recipients were honored on Aug. 19 in an evening reception with SDSU President Adela de la Torre at University House.

“Each recipient tonight has gone above and beyond in supporting our mission, purpose and vision as a university,”  de la Torre said in remarks prepared for the reception. “I am very fortunate to work with them and with all of the incredibly talented, dedicated staff at SDSU. I believe we’re at a high point in the university’s 127-year history, and our staff continues to play a vital role in all we have achieved together.”

Staff Lifetime Achievement
Chris Lindmark

Lindmark’s career at SDSU began in 2005 as a development coordinator; she has been assistant vice president of donor relations and special events since November 2022.

The special events team she leads is responsible for commencement and convocation ceremonies, dedications, Discover SDSU, several donor recognition events including the Evening Celebrating Philanthropy, and presidential receptions, among other activities. The group nominating her for this award praised her for events that are “extraordinary, marked by dramatic staging and effects, genuine stories of student success and impeccable attention to detail.”

Lindmark is described as “a driving force” in The Campaign for SDSU, which raised $815 million upon its completion in 2017 and led planning for its final Celebration Gala.

She also led planning for the inauguration of de la Torre in April 2019 and, during the pandemic, SDSU’s virtual commencement ceremony and a “drive-in theater”-style groundbreaking at SDSU Mission Valley. She also led the early planning for SDSU’s 125th anniversary celebration in 2022.

This year’s Presidential Staff Excellence Award recipients are:

Team Effort
Jessica Chang, Rachel Hart, Lott Hill, Jennifer Imazeki and Conor McLaughlin

The staff of the Center for Inclusive Excellence created 2½ years ago as part of the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, collaborated with the Center for Human Resources to include equity-minded capacity and inclusive practices in onboarding programs. It expanded resources for employees to access professional development and help meet the DEI goals of SDSU’s strategic plan.

Staff-to-Staff Mentoring
Megan Taormina

Taormina works with the athletics department academic support staff as athlete eligibility coordinator and NCAA certifying officer. She provides training and advising to the staff regarding intricate NCAA rules for athletes and assists academic advisors with degree planning to ensure all student-athletes meet Progress Towards Degree requirements. She is praised for her “humble, personable, learning-centric approach.” 

Community Service
Susana Lopez

Lopez, academic support/student affairs coordinator at SDSU Imperial Valley, has been called “the heart and soul” of her department. She is a contact point for all Student Affairs staff, where she helps coordinate campus events and generate campus newsletters. She attends most student-oriented campus events and is co-advisor of the student group Planned Parenthood Generation Action.

Service to the University
Natalie Roper

As chief administrative support coordinator for the psychology department, Roper handles the budget, processes personnel appointments, manages the office, supports the chair, implements the class schedule, and “can be counted on to complete tasks and duties promptly and accurately,” the department chair said. She is known for approaching her job with enthusiasm and a professional and positive "can do" attitude.

Auxiliary Support
Luis Topete

Topete has impacted countless student lives as director of the MESA College Prep Program for the San Diego region (housed within the SDSU Research Foundation) which seeks to inspire K-12 students from underrepresented communities to select STEM majors. Among multiple nominations for Topete, one said: “He is not afraid of challenges, works hard to meet the needs of students, staff and teachers, and sets high standards for himself and his team.”

Innovation & Creativity
Gregory Elliott

Elliott is a director in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, managing an array of advanced equipment. It includes a High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer, and donated and salvaged equipment that required skilled work to be operational. He improved undergraduate lab courses with additional instruments and is developing a High Throughput Experimentation facility for SDSU.

Manager of the Year
Stephanie Anderson

As University Registrar, part of Enrollment Services, Anderson had an integral role in the conversion to the my.SDSU online portal. She is known for articulate and thought-out communication to department staff, and for leading with “grace, resilience, patience, and unwavering support,” as one nominee put it. Another said: “Stephanie has shown exceptional leadership skills and unwavering dedication to our team's success and well-being.”