Holmes Award Presented to Women in UK Nursing Areas

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 22, 2016) — Two University of Kentucky women who profoundly contribute to issues that affect women at the university and across the Commonwealth received the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award March 10 during a luncheon ceremony at the Hilary J. Boone Center on campus. Nicole Waite, staff, and Kristin Ashford, faculty, received the 2016 Holmes Award.

The award recognizes one female faculty member and one female staff member who promote growth and well-being of women at the university and across Kentucky. Created by the UK Women’s Forum, the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award has been among the most esteemed recognitions bestowed at UK and brings recognition for efforts that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Nicole Waite is an administrative support associate at UK HealthCare Nurse Recruitment. She is instrumental in assisting with scholarship programs and internships for nursing students. In the past three years Nicole has helped her team develop new hiring processes, which accelerated interviewing and resulted in record onboarding. She is also a board member and secretary for After The Storms Inc., a nonprofit organization helping victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Kristin Ashford is currently serving as the assistant dean of research at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, and is nationally known for her work in the field of perinatal tobacco use, immune response, and preterm birth research. She has been instrumental in the Kentucky Giving Infants and Families Tobacco-free Starts (GIFTS) program, a prenatal tobacco treatment program across Kentucky, which provides enhanced and supportive services for pregnant women who use tobacco.

Guest speakers at the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award Luncheon were the 2015 Holmes Award recipients Pamela Remer and Joanne Brown.

Nominees for the 2016 Holmes Award included 15 faculty members and eight staff members.

Faculty Nominees:

·         Elizabeth Arnold, College of Fine Arts, Vocal Music

·         Kristin Ashford, College of Nursing

·         Christia Brown, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology

·         Patricia Cook-Craig, College of Social Work

·         Renee Fatemi, College of Arts and Sciences, Physics and Astronomy

·         Lindsey Fay, College of Design, School of Interiors

·         Diane Follingstad, Center for Research on Violence Against Women

·         Jenna Goldsmith, College of Arts and Sciences, English

·         Laura Meints, College of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology

·         Jonell Pedescleaux, College of Education, Kinesiology and Health Promotion

·         Rebekah Radtke, College of Design, School of Interiors

·         Susan Smyth, Gill Heart Institute

·         Anita Superson, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Philosophy

·         Margaret Szabunio, Department of Radiology, Division of Women’s Radiology

·         Robin Vanderpool, College of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior

Staff Nominees:

·         Jane Andrus, School of Art and Visual Studies

·         Neomia Hagan Flores, Robinson Scholars Program – Undergraduate Education

·         Nancy Jennings, College of Nursing, UK’s Polk Dalton Clinic

·         Tracy Macaulay, College of Pharmacy

·         Shonta Phelps, Gatton College of Business and Economics

·         Ashley Rouster, Violence Intervention and Prevention Center

·         Nicole Waite, Nurse Recruitment

·         Marianne Young, Gatton College of Business and Economics

For a list of past winners, visit http://www.uky.edu/womensforum/sbhal.html.

Sarah Bennett Holmes, a distinguished former dean of women at UK, tirelessly championed the rights of women throughout her career. Widowed at a young age, Holmes raised four children while completing her own education. She then began a successful career at the university where she inspired young women to persevere in the face of hardship and pursue their career goals. Among her accomplishments, Holmes developed work programs for women during the Depression.

In her honor, the UK Women's Forum created the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award and since 1994 has been honoring women at UK who demonstrate the same principles as Holmes through their work and service.

The UK Women's Forum is an organization for all employees of the university faculty and staff. Its mission is to exert a leadership role in empowering, validating, informing, including and celebrating all women employed at UK by addressing challenges, communicating issues and recognizing successes within the context of the workplace.