USU Recognizes 2026 Community Engagement Champions

LOGAN — Utah State University recognized individuals and organizations for their outstanding community contributions during the 12th Annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on April 13 at the Taggart Student Center Sunburst Lounge.

USU President Brad Mortensen presented the USU Presidential Awards for Community Engagement honoring faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners who exemplify mutually beneficial partnerships between USU and the greater community.

“These awards recognize the very best of USU- people and programs that embody our land-grant mission and drive positive change in both student outcomes and community well-being,” Mortensen said.

2025 USU Presidential Awards for Community Engagement Recipients

Community-Engaged Faculty Award: Jayne Gold

Jayne Gold is an assistant professor of theatre education and theatre arts who bridges rigorous scholarship with community-engaged theatre practice. Through partnerships with local schools, care facilities and organizations like the Cache Valley Senior Center, Gold’s work exemplifies how academic expertise can foster creativity and social wellbeing beyond the university.

Community-Engaged Staff Award: Christopher Phillips

Christopher Phillips currently serves as the associate director of WebAIM. Throughout his tenure at USU, he has been a tireless advocate for students with disabilities through the creation and improvement of inclusive and accessible learning experiences. Whether developing websites, coordinating accessible content development or authoring scholarly articles that advance digital accessibility, Phillips exemplifies what it means to be a conscientious public servant.

Community-Engaged Student Award: Jessica Allen

A junior in environmental planning, Jessica Allen is acknowledged for her outstanding leadership in sustainability and community engagement, including the USU Sustainability Council, the STARS sustainability report, Alternative Breaks, Peace Corps Prep, and Christensen Community-Engaged Scholars. In these roles, Allen brings people together, fosters meaningful engagement and works to create lasting, positive impacts within her community.

Community-Engaged Alumnus Award: Nathan Justis

Nathan Justis is recognized for his visionary leadership in teacher professional learning and development. Drawing on his doctoral work and international study in Singapore, Justis founded Utah LEARNS and the USU Collaboratory for Innovation in Teaching and Leadership, building a statewide network that empowers educators, strengthens retention and ultimately improves outcomes for Utah students. Nate is the principal of Edith Bowen Laboratory School and a former teacher.

Committed Community Partner Award:

The No More a Stranger Foundation, or NOMAS, is being recognized for its impactful partnership with Utah State University’s Legal Translation and Interpreting program and its strong commitment to civic engagement, language access and community justice. Through its legal clinic and close collaboration with students, NOMAS expands equitable legal services for immigrant communities while providing hands-on, justice-centered training that strengthens both student learning and community impact.

Ivory Prize for Excellence in Community Engagement

Awarded to Nelson Achuo

The Ivory Prize for Excellence in Community Engagement, funded by the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation, recognizes extraordinary student accomplishments in community engagement. The prize provides a $2,000 scholarship for the recipient and an additional $10,000 to be invested in a program or effort developed and implemented by the recipient.

This year, the Ivory Prize was awarded to Nelson Achuo, who is pursuing an information systems degree with an emphasis in web development. While working full-time and being a full-time student, Achuo also volunteers as a driver with the Cache County Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program.

As a volunteer, Achuo delivers food to community members who are homebound in some way. In addition to delivering a hot, healthy meal, these volunteers provide a personal check-in that ensures the safety and well-being of senior community members.

While volunteering, Achuo observed that the Meals on Wheels program could benefit from an upgrade to the paper- and clipboard-based delivery process currently in use. For the Ivory Prize, Achuo proposed the development of the MOWgo app, which will collect real-time information about each delivery and smooth out multiple-stop navigation for delivery drivers.

Development of the MOWgo app will leverage the resources of the faculty, staff and students associated with the USU Analytics Solutions Center, not just during the development phase, but in the future as well. The app will be released as open source under a nonprofit-friendly license, creating positive impact in other communities.

The annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony also included a variety of other honors. Faculty Fellows in Community Engagement were announced, and students were recognized for Christensen Community-Engaged Scholars, Peace Corps Prep, COSAS Student Leadership, and Outstanding Service.

More information on the USU Center for Community Engagement can be found at usu.edu/communityengagement.