UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development recognizes the recipients of the 2020 Faculty and Staff Awards. These awards honor those who show outstanding achievement in leadership, research, and teaching initiatives.

• Christa Kreps, administrative support coordinator in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, received the Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award. This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a staff, clerical, or technical service employee of the college who “makes it easier for others to accomplish their objectives effectively and efficiently.” The award was endowed by Donald H. Ford, dean emeritus of the former College of Human Development, in honor of his wife Carol Clark Ford.

• Mary Dean Coleman Kelly, associate teaching professor of nutritional sciences, and G. Burch Wilkes, associate teaching professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, received the Evelyn R. Saubel Faculty Award. This award recognizes faculty members for service to students. Among its criteria are a commitment to human service; accessibility as an adviser; and a caring, professional style. The award was established in honor of Evelyn Saubel, a 1935 Penn State graduate in home economics, and longtime assistant to the dean in the former colleges of Home Economics and Human Development.

• Jennifer Meengs, instructor of nutritional sciences, received the Leadership in Outreach Scholarship Award. This award honors an individual who has made significant leadership contributions to the outreach mission of the college.

• Alyssa Gamaldo, associate professor of human development and family studies, received the Diversity Achievement Award. This award recognizes a person who demonstrates commitment to the value of diversity and has been instrumental in creating or facilitating a climate of inclusiveness in the college.

• Lynn Parker Klees, assistant teaching professor of nutritional sciences, received the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society Excellence in Teaching Award. This award honors a faculty member for excellence in teaching and contributions to the art of teaching. It is supported by an endowment from the HHD Alumni Society.

• B. Derrick Taff, assistant professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, received the Ann C. Crouter Early Career Faculty Award. This award recognizes outstanding faculty members in the college who exhibit academic excellence early in their careers. The award was endowed by the alumni and friends of HHD in honor of Ann C. Crouter, dean emeritus, for her service and dedication to the college.

• Xiang Gao, professor nutritional sciences, received the Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Achievement Award. This award recognizes research contributions occurring or culminating within the past several years. The award was endowed by Evan Pattishall, dean emeritus of the former College of Human Development, and his wife Helen Pattishall, a 1985 graduate in individual and family studies. Gao will present a special lecture in spring 2021.

• David Almeida, professor of human development and family studies, received the Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award. This award honors a senior faculty member who has made outstanding research contributions to the field across a major portion of his or her career. The award was endowed by Leo P. Russell, a 1941 graduate in engineering, in honor of his late wife Pauline Schmitt Russell, who graduated from Penn State in 1948 in home economics. Almeida will present a special lecture in fall 2021.