(Alexandria, Va. – June 20, 2008) – The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) will honor ten outstanding professionals with the Distinguished Service Award (DSA), Leaders Award, or New Achievers Award during the Centennial Pacesetter Dinner on June 21 at the 99th Annual Conference & Expo at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Distinguished Service Award, AAFCS’ highest honor for outstanding personal and professional achievement, was first presented posthumously to Irma H. Gross in 1980. The DSA recognizes exemplary members of AAFCS for achievements in family and consumer sciences, outstanding contributions to the profession, and sustained leadership within AAFCS at both affiliate and national levels. Award winners are nominated by an AAFCS affiliate or other group of members. The nomination is reviewed and approved by the Association’s board of directors.
The AAFCS 2008 Distinguished Service Award recipients are:
Janett A. Gibbs
FCS International Volunteer, Retired Family Resource Management Specialist, and Former Home Economist and Home Economics Instructor The University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
C. Sue Miles
Retired Human Development Faculty and Administrator, Cornell and West Virginia Universities
Cooperative Extension President, WVAFCS
Vice President, Phi Upsilon Omicron Alumni
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Lynn B. White
Professor and Family Economics Specialist Emerita
Texas Cooperative Extension
The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS)
College Station, Texas
Established at the association’s 75th anniversary observance in 1984, the AAFCS Leaders Award honors family and consumer sciences professionals who have made significant contributions to the profession through their national leadership in AAFCS.
The AAFCS 2008 Leaders are:
Sue G. Byrd, CFCS
Professor
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, Tennessee
Karen M. Dickrell, CFCS
Professor of Family Development, Family Living Educator
University of Wisconsin Extension, Outagamie County
Appleton, Wisconsin
Pearl Hart, CFCS
Utah State Family & Consumer Sciences Education Specialist
Utah State Office of Education
Salt Lake City, Utah
Deborah J. Nelson, CFCS
Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher
Jefferson County R-1 Public Schools
Alameda High School
Lakewood, Colorado
Becky A. Newell, CFCS
Retired, Tippecanoe School Corp./Purdue University
Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana
Initiated in 1984, the AAFCS New Achievers Award recognizes emerging professionals who are demonstrating through their innovative programs or curricula the potential for making significant contributions in family and consumer sciences. Award recipients are professionals with three-to-five years of service in the field.
The AAFCS 2008 New Achievers are:
Marianne Lorensen
Visiting Leadership Program Coordinator
Department of Human and Community Development
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois
Arlene Welcher, CFCS
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
School District of McFarland
McFarland, Wisconsin
About AAFCS
Founded in 1909, the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is the only national not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides leadership and support to FCS students and professionals across multiple practice settings. FCS professionals help individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life. AAFCS’ 7,000 members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and other professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government. With national headquarters based in Alexandria, Va., AAFCS has 52 affiliates located across the United States and Puerto Rico.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Gwynn Mason at 703-706-4600, ext. 4621 or gmason@aafcs.org.