Staff Awards
Each year, the Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB) offers two staff awards of $500 each—one recognizing excellence in non-technical service and the other in technical service. The Excellence in Service Award honors staff members (admin, technician, researcher, post-doc) who have made significant contributions to the effective operation of the BCMB department through outstanding job performance.
A reception will be held at Calhoun’s on the River on May 7, 2026, and the award winners will be announced, and their name will be posted on the BCMB webpage following the event.
Faculty, staff, and graduate students in the BCMB department are invited to nominate eligible staff members from BCMB, CAS Financial Services, CASTech & AMIC. Nominations should consist of a letter describing the nominee’s qualifications and contributions that merit this recognition.
The nominations are due by midnight on Monday, April 6, 2026, and should be submitted to Jeremy Smith (jsmit199@utk.edu)
Please put “Staff Award” in the subject line.
Former awardees
| Year | Non-Technical | Technical |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kate Hanschke | Tom Dockendorff |
| 2024 | Brittany Evans | Daniel Tipton |
| 2023 | LaShel Stevens | Jaydeep Kolape |
| 2022 | Cheryl Hodge Chrissy Wills-Maples | Elena Ganusova |
| 2021 | Sherry Roberts | Logan Sims |
| 2020 | LaShel Brown | Jana Polson |
| 2019 | LaShel Brown | Ed Wright |
| 2018 | Lori Daniels | James Hodges |
| 2017 | Jana Polson | Gary Branson |
| 2016 | Lori Daniels | Ed Wright |
| 2015 | Roger Gray Cheryl Hodge | |
| 2014 | Sherry Roberts | Ben McFall |
| 2013 | Karen Fries | Joe May |
| 2012 | LaShel Brown | Andy Loy |
| 2011 | Amanda Luallen | John Dunlap |
| 2010 | Rachel Lewis | David Pratt |