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This spring, the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center named six people in the ������Ƶ community as recipients of its annual awards.

�ճ����Margaret��Cuninggim��Women’s Center Leadership Award��honors an undergraduate or graduate student who��demonstrates��leadership in activities that contribute to the achievements,��interests��and goals of women or that promote gender equity. This year, two students were recognized with this award.��

��������ⲹ���ѴǴDZ�������������, Class of 2027, with majors in molecular and cellular biology and medicine, health, and society and a minor in South Asian culture, is the first Leadership Award recipient. She has worked with campus organizations like Active Minds and Embrace, and Moolamalla has made a particular impact as a resident adviser. In this role, she “has led programming and mentorship for 45 female residents annually, creating intentional spaces where women can openly discuss academic pressure, mental health, relationships and belonging.” According to her nominator, Moolamalla’s leadership “operates at multiple levels: interpersonal, organizational and structural. She does not simply participate in conversations about gender equity; she builds programs, partnerships and systems that challenge stigma, increase access and empower women with knowledge and community.” By modeling leadership that is “grounded in accountability and empowerment,” Moolamalla “directly challenges cultural narratives that encourage women to endure stress silently, replacing them with systems of visible support.”

The second Leadership Award recipient is��Magdalen Asbury, Class of 2027, a student in the��master of science��in��nurse-midwifery program at ������Ƶ School of Nursing, where she serves as a��volunteer birth��doula, a placental health researcher, and nursing co-director of the Shade Tree Early Pregnancy Program Clinic. As one of her nominators explains, Asbury “possesses an innate capacity to connect with patients at the bedside—a skill that cannot be taught and is increasingly rare among emerging clinicians.”��Through her leadership roles in STEPP and her volunteer work as a doula, Asbury actively addresses health care disparities and ensures that vulnerable populations receive compassionate, comprehensive care. One of her nominators explains that Asbury was “instrumental in strengthening STEPP’s partnership with a local diaper bank, expanding tangible support for new mothers navigating financial hardship.” Another letter of support describes Asbury’s patient advocacy as a doula,��stating��that, because of her leadership, “we are working to better define the doula’s role in emergency care and revisiting training for VUMC labor and delivery nurses on trauma-informed care in emergencies.”

�ճ����Mentoring Award honors a member of the ������Ƶ University community who fosters the professional and intellectual development of ������Ƶ women.��This year,��three��people are being recognized.

�ճ����first recipient of the Mentoring Award is��Xiu Cravens, professor of the practice of leadership,��policy��and organizations at Peabody College. One of her nominators writes that Cravens is “deeply committed to cultivating an environment of intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and academic rigor.” This supporter explains that Cravens’ “insightful feedback, attention to detail and unwavering support were instrumental in refining my research and analytical skills,��ultimately leading��to the successful completion” of a project as well as to “my current professional career.” Another nominator notes Cravens’ “profound understanding of the diverse realities her students navigate—particularly women balancing professional ambitions, academic rigor and family responsibilities.” According to this nominator, “What distinguishes Dr. Cravens is her ability to recognize when students need encouragement as much as instruction.” Another supporter remarked on the “warmth and care” Cravens extends to her students, “especially to international students.”

Andrea Locke, assistant professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering, is the second recipient of the Mentoring Award. Her nominator writes of Locke’s ongoing investment in mentoring Ph.D. students, undergraduates and even��a high school student. One letter of support describes Locke’s mentorship as “relational, continuous and rooted in a sincere desire to see women succeed not only academically, but as confident leaders who contribute meaningfully to their disciplines and communities.” Another supporter, recalling her own misunderstanding of a statistical analysis technique, remarked that Locke “calmly welcomed [her] into her office” and taught her about the method she misunderstood. As this student states: “Dr. Locke has consistently created an environment where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures. As a woman in engineering, I have often felt pressure to prove that I belong in technical spaces. Dr. Locke actively counters that narrative. She reinforces that I am capable, that I deserve to be in the room, and that my ideas have value.”

The third recipient of the Mentoring Award is��Brenda McKenzie, associate professor of the practice of leadership,��policy��and organizations. Her nominator writes that McKenzie mentors students and junior colleagues in “‘big moments’—job searches, interview preparation, thesis defenses, career transitions, promotions—yet is equally��attentive to the small moments, the quiet and often invisible day-to-day work of support,��encouragement��and empowerment.” One recommender speaks about the way McKenzie invited her to co-present at conferences and co-author book chapters. Another recommender��describes how McKenzie included her on a project: “Brenda took the time to teach me advanced qualitative theory development, share her expertise, and push me further in my education simply because she cared.”��Another supporter describes McKenzie’s “rare ability to push her students to think outside the confines of their preconceived futures, challenging us to envision broader, more ambitious roles for ourselves within the landscape of higher education.”

�ճ����Mary Jane��Werthan��Award is presented annually to someone who has contributed significantly to the advancement of women at ������Ƶ University. The award honors three qualities characteristic of the first recipient for whom it is named: vision,��persistence��and extraordinary skill in interpersonal and institutional relations.

This year’s recipient of the Mary Jane��Werthan��Award is��Michelle Bukowski,��program manager at the ������Ƶ Institute for Surgery and Engineering. A recommender highlights��Bukowski’s “remarkable leadership,��dedication��and unwavering commitment to empowering��women in STEM.” After��seeing the need for a women’s group in VISE, Bukowski��“took the initiative years ago to start the Women of VISE, a group that fosters the success and fellowship of women in the institute”; in addition, she created “a framework where the women of the institution could lead their own community.” A supporter explains that Bukowski “has gone above and beyond the scope of her role to promote the advancement of women across our institution and has continuously identified areas for growth and taken action to improve our community.” One of her recommenders notes how, during an event, Bukowski went “out of her way to make students like myself feel seen, welcomed and supported,” speaking “to each participant personally, introducing people with common interests, checking in on new researchers, and celebrating the successes of the women present.” Through her work��establishing��Women of VISE, Bukowski has shown that “the advancement of women at ������Ƶ, on a systematic level, requires effort from those within and also around the community.”��

Award recipients��were��recognized at a lunch on��Monday, April��20.��

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