The annual Keelhauler Recognition Awards program at Cal Maritime is designed to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work and performance of employees who consistently motivate, inspire, lead, educate, and succeed, individually or as a team.

2021 Keelhauler Recognition Awards

Mission Achievement Awards

  • Academic Excellence: Julie Simons
  • Cadet Experience: Bets McNie and Heather Hutchinson
  • Organizational Excellence: Cecilia Santos and Cody Lewis
  • Partnerships and Outreach: Jennifer Sonne
  • DEI: Aparna Sinha

Team Impact Awards

  • Cal Maritime Police Department
  • Health and Safety Taskforce
  • University Advisors

Inspiring Leadership Awards

  • Dinesh Pinisetty
  • Marie Hernandez

Faculty Awards

  • Outstanding Teaching Award: Tamara Burback
  • Outstanding Service Award: Dinesh Pinisetty

President’s Super Star Award

  • Michael Lam

About the Awards

There are three broad performances areas or categories for the Keelhauler Recognition Awards:

Mission Achievement Award

The Mission Achievement Award recognizes the outstanding performance of those individuals or teams whose work and efforts directly advanced the goals and objectives of the current strategic plan --- thereby contributing the advancement of the Academy's mission.

One award will be given for each of the five (5) campus strategic campus goals.

  1. Academic Excellence
  2. Cadet Experience
  3. Organizational Excellence
  4. Global Reach and Impact
  5. Diversity, Equity, and  Inclusion

Team Impact Award

The Team Impact Award recognizes the outstanding collaboration and performance of a cross-functional team that went above and beyond normal service and scope, whose work sustained our mission and led to a better, stronger campus community.

Additional criteria may include the following:

  • ✓ Demonstrated a commitment to diversity and contributed to improve student success.
  • ✓ Demonstrated exceptional communication and collaboration, campus-wide.
  • ✓ Contributed to the overall health, safety, and work environment of the campus community.
  • ✓ Demonstrated organizational innovation and ingenuity that led to greater efficiency and/or technological advancement.

Inspiring Leadership Award

The Inspiring Leadership Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of an employee who, through their work and engagement with others, consistently exemplifies excellence in leadership, embodies our core values, and inspires the very best in all of us.

Cal Maritime's Core Values:

  • Dedication
  • Honor
  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Responsibility
  • Trust

 

Eligibility Requirements

In addition to meeting the specific award criteria and submission deadlines, award recipients must be a current, full-time employee, in good standing, and have twelve or more consecutive months of service.

(Members of the President's Cabinet are not eligible.)

Nomination Process

Employees may submit their nominees for one or more of the awards via Survey Monkey and must include the following:

  • First and last name(s) of the employee/team.
  • Department and/or division they represent.
  • First and last name of the nominator.
  • Statement (300 words or less) that describes the work and/or accomplishments of the past year and why the employee/team should receive this award.

(Please be as detailed as possible, providing specific examples whenever possible.)

Selection Process

All nominations submitted via SurveyMonkey will be reviewed by a small advisory committee made up of staff and faculty, chaired by the Human Capital Manager. The advisory committee will select finalists and then make a recommendation to the President’s Cabinet for approval. Committee members are required to maintain confidentiality throughout the process and only consider information provided on the nomination form.

 

Previous Awards

2020 Keelhauler Recognition Award Recipients

We are so proud of our 2020 Keelhauler Recognition Award recipients. Your hard work during these challenging times deserves special recognition.

Inspiring Leadership Award

  • Graham Benton

Presidential Super Star Award

  • Bob Brown

Mission Achievement Award

  • Academic Excellence: Pat Harper
  • Student Learning: Tamara Burback
  • Global Maritime Profession: Samuel Pearson III
  • Organizational Learning: Khaoi Mady
  • Partnerships: Ashley Feigel
  • Campus Community: Andrea Schneider

Team Impact Award

  • Leadership: Academic Senate Executive Committee
    Dinesh Pinisetty, Keir Moorhead, Sarah Senk, Cynthia Trevisan, Steve Browne, Frank Yip, Christine Isakson, Elizabeth McNie, William Tsai, Margo Hanson, & Matthew Fairbanks

  • Campus Engagement: Health and Safety Task Force
    Graham Benton, Danielle Pelczarski, Elizabeth McNie, Rebecca Miller, Heather Hutchinson, Kristen Tener, David Taliaferro, Malinda Balfour, Franz Lozano, Michael Martin, Donny Gordon, Audun Aaberg, Ruby Grover, Eric Cooper, Jennifer Hembree, Jennifer Sonne, Karen Yoder, Lindsay Long, Julie Chisholm, Andrew Bowling, Ali Moradmand, Connor Crutchfield, & Shannon Stel

Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to Cal Maritime!