Distinguished Awards

2025 Honorees

Faculty Awards 

The faculty listed have received this year’s Distinguished Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Professional Achievement, and Service. The awards, given annually since 2007, highlight exceptional faculty accomplishments. The honorees receive a $4,000 stipend for Excellence in Teaching awards, the Excellence in Service award and the Excellence in Professional Achievement award. 

Rama Ali Kased, ramak@sfsu.edu 
Excellence in Teaching (Tenured Faculty) 

Dr. Kased is the founding leader of the Metro College Success Program and plays a key role on Metro’s leadership council, guiding strategic planning for a program that now serves over 30% of incoming first-year students. Dr. Kased is cited as a “brilliant educator and a courageous leader” and her teaching effectiveness is consistently outstanding. Students frequently cite her clear instruction, thoughtful course design and extraordinary ability to foster a sense of belonging. Her pedagogy is grounded in social justice, community-building and academic rigor. The learning experiences she provides to students resonate deeply with their lived realities, as students often describe her courses as life changing. She empowers students to take their rightful place in shaping institutional decisions, cultivating meaningful collaborations between students and university leaders. 

Daniel Ciomek, dciomek@sfsu.edu 
Excellence in Teaching (Lecturer Faculty) 

Mr. Ciomek has been teaching at SF State since 2012 for large sections of Information Systems for Management in the College of Business. He is an effective instructor who excels at integrating technology and lifelong learning in large hybrid classes.  With a combined 500-600 students enrolled in his classes every semester, he has taught over 12000 students to date.  His teaching effectiveness consistently exceeds the department’s range.  Students often cited his course as one of the most well-organized courses they have experienced. The real-world content, combined with the use of various teaching strategies, effectively engages students in the classroom. Mr. Ciomek envisioned and instituted the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program on campus, and over 550 students have become certified in Microsoft Excel or Access since 2018.  

Anthony Pahnke, anthonypahnke@sfsu.edu 
Excellence in Professional Achievement (Tenured Faculty) 

Dr. Pahnke is a prolific scholar whose research interests focus on food security, farmer social movements and agricultural politics worldwide. He has published 5 books, 15 peer-reviewed articles, 39 policy editorials and numerous conference presentations. The unique contribution of Dr. Pahnke’s scholarship is practicing policy-engaged scholarship, making his research practically informed by regularly collaborating with food and farm justice movements in designing and disseminating his work. His longstanding commitment to promoting human dignity and empowerment for farmworkers who are voiceless and underrepresented in global politics safeguards the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of global farmers, including women, minorities, migrants, and children. His work has had a transformative impact on his students’ views on poverty, hunger, human security, politics, immigration and inequality.  

Jackson Wilson, wilsonj@sfsu.edu 
Excellence in Service (Tenured Faculty) 

Dr. Wilson’s services span a wide range of areas at several levels at SF State. His service contributions include department chair, Graduate Coordinator, RTP committee chair, membership in 8 other department committees, membership in 10 college committees and 22 campus/university committees, including online education committee, instructional continuity taskforce, university budget committee, SETE taskforce, Academic Policies Committee, Educational Policy Council, Vice Chair and Chair of the Academic Senate. He is also active in community services and organizations, including the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, the US Forest Service, the Bay Area Climbers Coalition, and the Bay Area Outdoor Education Evaluation. Dr. Wilson’s successful service efforts are evident in his ability to work with diverse populations on campus, in the community, and the profession, utilizing his interpersonal and analytical skills to engage with faculty, staff, and students. 

Faculty honorees archive

Staff Awards 

The staff listed have received this year’s Distinguished Staff Awards for Excellence in Service. The awards, given annually since 2019, highlight exceptional staff accomplishments. The honorees receive a $4,000 stipend for Excellence in Service award. 

Myla Adeva, mlm@sfsu.edu 
Excellence in Service (Staff) 

Ms. Myla Adeva coordinates the work of the Credential and Graduate Services for the entire Graduate College of Education and helps with ongoing updates on the Credentialing requirements. She has a deep and broad institutional knowledge of the GCOE, the University, credentialing at the CSU system-wide level and teaching credential regulations. Her extensive knowledge is invaluable and goes beyond multiple departments. She is a critical advocate and ally for students, staff and faculty, as well as a colleague and leader who fosters a culture of positivity, competence, safety and success.  She is a respected leader among the staff council. She collaborates with Department Chairs and Deans across campus, as well as with Admissions, Graduate Studies, Career Services and other units within the University. 

Staff honorees archive