2025 Winners
2025 Titan Excellence Award Winners
Trish Campbell
Exhibition Coordinator
Department of Public Service
Trish Campbell is Cal State Fullerton alum who has shown remarkable devotion to academic, professional, and artistic excellence. They share their knowledge with countless students through training and mentoring, whether as a supervisor or by providing guidance for graduate program applications. Their scope of work is just as impactful, having arranged 150 exhibitions and 43 book displays across our Pollak Library, the Anthropology Teaching Museum, the OC Agricultural & Nikkei (Nee-kay) Heritage Museum, and Heritage House. They are a champion of inclusion and accessibility, mentoring Anthropology graduate students and assisting them with their own exhibits on ethnicity, diversity, and gender. This Titan has curated 30 exhibitions of their own, many of which touch on themes of accessibility and inclusivity, upholding our university’s commitment to belonging.
George Garcia
Supervising Electrician
Electric Shop Department
George Garcia has an unwavering commitment to our university and its community, exemplifying the qualities of an outstanding Titan. Their dedication, expertise, and willingness to go above and beyond have made a profound impact on our campus. Never was this more apparent than their heroic exploits to rescue last year’s College of Business and Economics commencement ceremony from a power failure. The entire ceremony ground to a halt. This Titan was called to action - and even though they were off work at home - they immediately returned to campus to troubleshoot and resolve the issue. George’s efficiency, expertise, and composure under pressure, quickly restored power to the ceremony, ensuring that graduating students and their families could celebrate. This Titan’s deep knowledge of campus operations, technical skills, and exceptional service saved the day, and is just one of many reasons why they are a Titan Excellence Award winner.
George Garcia was selected by the President as one of two Titan of the Year Honorees.
Sandy Quintero
Presidential Assistant
Office of the President
Sandy Quintero has been a pillar of consistency, excellence, and dedication at Cal State Fullerton for 16 years, serving under 6 university presidents with unshakable commitment. Their service in the Office of the President provides a crucial bridge of continuity, to ensure the University runs smoothly, fosters inclusivity, and prioritizes student success. Sandy’s thoughtful approach ensures that every decision made at the highest levels of leadership reflects the varied needs of our campus community. They align their work to be student-centered and actively ensure the President’s engagements amplify diverse voices, celebrate cultural milestones, and foster inclusivity for all across campus, helping to ensure all Titans are seen, heard, and valued. Perhaps most of all, this person has built strong connections across divisions, developing a reputation for care and collaboration amongst faculty, staff, and students. Sandy is a wellspring of institutional expertise, and their guidance is relied upon by many on our campus.
Sandy Quintero was selected by the President as one of two Titan of the Year Honorees.
2025 SchoolsFirst Excellence in Education Award for Staff
Meghan Paradiso-Alva
Associate Director
Scholarships Office
Meghan Paradiso-Alva's visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to enhancing the financial support of students, have been instrumental in transforming the scholarship landscape at Cal State Fullerton. They have made remarkable strides in increasing scholarship support for Titans and have improved the efficiency and accessibility of our scholarship process. Thanks to this person’s initiatives, scholarship processing has been reduced to four weeks or LESS. They have created numerous scholarship outreach opportunities, empowering our students to access vital financial resources, aligning with our strategic goal of fostering student success.
2025 SchoolsFirst Excellence in Education Award for Faculty
Shelli Wynants
Lecturer
Department of Child and
Adolescent Studies
Shelli Wynants is described by their students and colleagues alike as deeply caring and supportive. They consistently offer students personalized feedback and proactive outreach, never failing to foster an inclusive and comfortable learning environment. This Titan actively shares their knowledge and expertise through faculty workshops, highlighting equity-minded pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, and promoting designs and structures that enhance student success in online formats. Their courses demonstrate a dedication to student success, each undergoing multiple iterations of assignment directions, content delivery, and interactive activities to reach and engage students.
2025 Teamwork and Collaboration Award
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Team
Pictured above:
- Jessica Barco, financial aid
- Monica Coloso, financial aid
- Brian Johnson, financial aid
- Joe Luzzi, IT enterprise resource planning
- Kellye MacLeod, financial aid
- Nick Valdivia, financial aid
- Pamela White, IT enterprise resource planning
Not Pictured:
- Evan Nguyen, financial aid
- Ramesh Purohit, IT enterprise resource planning
- Hien Thu Tran, IT - ERP operating system and database
This team stretches across two university divisions and exemplifies unparalleled teamwork and collaboration. Over the course of 12 months, these individuals simplified the FAFSA process, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to collaboration while working tirelessly to ensure financial aid was awarded to students in a timely fashion. Their collaborative efforts streamlined processes, set a new standard for interdepartmental cooperation, and developed innovative solutions, such as estimated awards for continuing students. The impact of their work has been profound; over 40,000 students benefited from financial aid awards, and the team’s efforts have been lauded by students and faculty alike. Their teamwork has enhanced support services and burnished the University’s reputation as a leader in student financial services, reinforcing our institution’s commitment to student success.
Total Wellness Team
Pictured above:
- Alisha Brown, Total Wellness
- Contessa Mata, Total Wellness
- Griselda Marquez, Total Wellness
- Delta Williams, Total Wellness
Not Pictured:
- Melissa Gonzáles, Total Wellness
- Alexandra Keyes, Total Wellness
- Ivan Sierra, Total Wellness
This next team’s work is especially impactful to our employees. They work tirelessly to uphold our campus pillars of wellness, promoting healthy lifestyles and offering comprehensive support to ensure the well-being of our faculty and staff. They are known across campus for their depth of knowledge and expertise and for organizing memorable events to uplift our community. Last year’s Wellness Day is a perfect example; it featured lectures on every aspect of wellness, included healthy activities, and was enormously well-received. Event feedback indicated that attendees craved more, and this team sprang to action, quickly organizing a follow-up Self-Care event, which saw an additional 237% increase in attendance. They are hard at work organizing the second Annual Wellness Day, which is scheduled for April 29. This illustrates their continued advocacy for employee wellness opportunities and the value of self-care in the workplace. Like a good partner, this team is always there to support our employees, both in sickness and in health, making themselves available for those in need and fostering a culture of well-being and resilience. They collaborate with employees from their first orientation all the way through to retirement and beyond. It is not an exaggeration to say they put the “team” in “teamwork.”
2025 Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Award Winners
Black Barbie Planning Team
Pictured above:
- Dr. Kata Bono, child and adolescent studies
- Dr. Guadalupe Diaz Lara, child and adolescent studies
- Dr. Janna Kim, child and adolescent studies
- Dr. Joyce Lin-Yoshida, child and adolescent studies
- Dr. Karlena Ochoa, child and adolescent studies
- Diana Robles, child and adolescent studies
- Dr. Amirah Saffir, child and adolescent studies
Not Pictured:
- Dr. Nathalie Carrick, child and adolescent studies
- Alma Julissa Gonzalez, college of health and human development
Elaine Dixon
Student Employment Advisor
Human Resources and Inclusive Excellence
Elaine Dixon is a dedicated Cal State Fullerton employee with over 30 years of incredible service and a legacy of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our campus community. Known as an unwavering champion for student success and a strong advocate for staff, this employee embodies our university’s values. Their involvement with our campus Commission on Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, supports our university’s strategic planning and ensures campus initiatives remain focused on equity, inclusion, and social justice. This person is frequently seen at our campus cultural events; whether it’s volunteering at Lavender Fest or events supporting Black student success, they always remain a reliable partner and faithful ally. In their current role, they enhance student learning, ensuring our student assistants gain valuable workplace skills and graduate equipped to catalyze change.
