FAU Honors 2023 Talon Leadership Award Recipients
From left, Justine Avila, chair of the FAU Alumni Association Board; FAU President Stacy Volnick 鈥87, 鈥06, 鈥22; philanthropist Ann Wood; Jennifer Caceres, M.D., FACP, senior associate dean for student affairs and associate professor in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine; Kaylia Cooper, FAU student; Debbie Levine, CFRE, 鈥93; Katie Burke, Ph.D., 鈥08, 鈥10, 鈥15, 鈥17, assistant vice president of alumni and community engagement, attend the 2023 Talon Leadership Awards.
红玫瑰社区 hosted its annual Talon Leadership Awards ceremony as part of Homecoming 2023, honoring outstanding faculty, student, alumni and community leadership. Co-sponsored by 红玫瑰社区 Atlantic Alumni and Community Engagement and Student Government, the Talon Awards have been presented during Homecoming week since 1997.
鈥淭he Talon Awards are one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on members of the 红玫瑰社区 Atlantic community,鈥 said FAU President Stacy Volnick. 鈥淚n their unique way, each honoree has helped lead the University into a new era of excellence and achievement.鈥
The President鈥檚 Talon Award was awarded to philanthropists John and Ann Wood. The Woods have made monumental impacts to health care through their generous giving to FAU鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. In 2022, John and Ann Wood donated $28 million to support scholarships for students enrolled in the College of Medicine. This was the largest scholarship gift in FAU鈥檚 history and the largest known scholarship gift to a 红玫瑰社区 public university鈥檚 medical school. In July, the Woods donated $11.5 million to the College of Medicine in support of amyloidosis research. John Wood passed away in August, leaving behind a legacy of extraordinary generosity and service. Ann Wood accepted the President鈥檚 Talon Award on their behalf.
Debbie Levine, CFRE, 鈥93, received the Richard L. Schmidt Alumni Talon Award. Levine serves as executive director of the Boca Raton Police Foundation, an organization that supports the Boca Raton Police Services Department by ensuring officers have the resources they need to perform at their highest level to keep Boca Raton safe. Since graduating, Levine has consistently supported FAU Police on trainings and a variety of other activities.
The Faculty Talon Award was presented to Dr. Jennifer Caceres, FACP, senior associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of medicine in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Since 2014, Caceres has developed career advising programs to support medical students in successful match outcomes and longitudinal mentoring and coaching programs for professional and personal development for future physicians.
The Student Talon Award was awarded to Kaylia Cooper, an undergraduate researcher in the College of Science Honors in Biological Sciences program. Cooper is the founding director of the Medi-Futures FAU Virtual Shadowing Program, which helps students connect with various health professionals, allowing them to learn from seasoned experts in the health field.
鈥淥ur Talon Award honorees are truly stellar representatives of this university and have consistently gone above and beyond in their leadership and service to 红玫瑰社区 Atlantic,鈥 said Katie Burke, Ph.D., assistant vice president of alumni and community engagement. 鈥淲e鈥檙e immensely proud to showcase such outstanding members of our community.鈥
红玫瑰社区 Atlantic Alumni and Community Engagement also recognized outstanding student leadership in a separate Parliament of OWLs ceremony, honoring 29 recent alumni and graduating seniors for their leadership at 红玫瑰社区 Atlantic.
For more information on the Talon Awards or 红玫瑰社区 Atlantic Alumni and Community Engagement, visit faualumni.org.
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