The President’s Award of Distinction was created as a recognition program to reward staff members who have demonstrated outstanding achievements, service, leadership and dedication to Kent State in advancing the university’s strategic priorities and core values.
Full-time classified and unclassified employees at all campuses who have been employed by the university for a minimum of three years and are in good standing were eligible to be nominated. Staff members had to demonstrate exceptional performance in living the university’s core values and/or advancing one of the priorities of A Strategic Roadmap to a Distinctive Kent State.
President Todd Diacon recently notified the eight Kent State staff members that they are the 2026 recipients of the President’s Award of Distinction, out of nearly 200 nominations. The honor includes a $1,500 award.
Read more about the award and past recipients on the President’s Award of Distinction website.
The 2026 President’s Award of Distinction Honorees Are:
Matthew Blasiman, Academic Advisor I
Matthew Blasiman brings a rare combination of empathy and expertise to academic advising, consistently going beyond the expectations of his role to help students find their footing. Whether a student is uncertain about their major, struggling academically or questioning whether they belong in college at all, Blasiman meets them where they are — and helps them find a way forward.
His student-centered approach is defined by genuine investment in each individual's journey. He takes time to understand not only a student's academic goals, but also their personal challenges, strengths and aspirations. Through thoughtful, individualized guidance, Blasiman helps students identify majors and pathways that align with their abilities and lead to meaningful careers — directly supporting Kent State's commitment to student achievement and career readiness.
Blasiman is widely described by students as approachable, compassionate and deeply invested in their success. He is also a trusted resource for faculty, who rely on him when students need someone in their corner. His proactive outreach and consistent follow-through have helped students who were on the verge of leaving the university not only stay enrolled but also go on to thrive and graduate.
Stephanie Boyle, Business Officer, Athletics Business Office
In nearly 15 years of service to Kent State Athletics, Stephanie Boyle has become the steady operational force that keeps the Athletics Business Office running — processing payment requests with precision, onboarding vendors efficiently and providing every person she works with timely, accurate and compassionate support.
This year, Boyle played a critical leadership role during a period of transition, training new staff, clarifying procedures and creating resources that will continue to benefit the department long after her retirement. Her ability to translate complex financial processes into clear, accessible guidance has made her the trusted first call for colleagues seeking answers or a path forward.
What makes Boyle extraordinary extends beyond her technical skill. She treats every person — students, staff, coaches, administrators and vendors alike — with dignity and genuine care. She is the steady presence that keeps the office grounded, the colleague who remembers important moments and makes new staff feel welcome. Her legacy of service, integrity and institutional knowledge will strengthen Kent State Athletics for years to come.
Claudio Caponi, Equipment Operator, Facilities Management
On a cold, wet January afternoon, Claudio Caponi demonstrated the kind of quiet humanity that defines Kent State's core values. While traveling on Lincoln Street, Caponi noticed a traffic backup and quickly identified its cause: a man had fallen from his wheelchair into the road. Without hesitation, he stopped to help — working alongside a colleague and a bystander to safely get the man back into his chair and ensure he was unharmed before continuing on his way.
It was an unscripted moment of decency, the kind that goes unannounced and unrecognized in most workplaces. For Caponi, it was simply the right thing to do — and a clear reflection of the values Kent State asks all members of its community to live.
Bob Christy, Senior Coordinator, Photography, University Communications and Marketing
In 25 years as Kent State's senior photography coordinator, Bob Christy has served as the visual backbone of the university's communications — a witness to nearly every defining institutional moment across a quarter century. In 2025–2026, his contributions reached a new level of recognition.
Christy was named the 2025 recipient of the PhotoShelter/UPAA Grant, awarded by the University Photographers' Association of America at their national symposium. The nationally competitive honor recognizes exceptional achievement in university photography and brings direct prestige to Kent State, positioning the university as a leader in higher education visual communications.
He used the grant to launch a photography initiative documenting the recovery of bald eagle populations across Northeast Ohio — a region where the species was nearly eliminated by DDT in the 1970s — as well as the diverse wildlife inhabiting Kent State's own 1,000-acre campus. The project connects Kent State's storytelling to the broader community the university serves.
Beyond his own work, Christy mentors UCM photography interns and Kent State photography students with the patience and generosity that change careers. He earned his master's degree in journalism education specifically to become a better mentor — a choice that speaks directly to the dedication this award was created to honor. His influence has helped former students land positions at other universities, pursue graduate programs and reconnect with the institution in ways they never anticipated.
Nicolette Fenlock, Director II, Enrollment Management and Student Services, Geauga/Twinsburg Academic Campus
Since joining Kent State's Regional Campus system in 2024, Nicolette Fenlock has brought focused, student-first leadership to a two-site Enrollment Management and Student Services operation. She has worked to improve the systems her team relies on, restructuring appointment processes and helping to streamline orientation and onboarding for incoming Golden Flashes.
Fenlock leads with humility and care — for her students and for her staff. In a rapidly changing higher education environment, she has made it a priority to ensure her team feels heard and supported, while continuing to serve on university-wide committees working to improve both student and staff experiences across the Kent State system.
Colleagues describe Fenlock as the kind of leader the institution needs: kind, supportive and committed to getting the details right so that every student who walks through the door has the best possible start at Kent State.
Jason Forbes, Director, Broadcast and Facilities Engineering
With more than 24 years of service, Jason Forbes is the behind-the-scenes force that keeps Kent State's technology-driven experiences running — from Foundation and Board of Trustees meetings to commencement ceremonies, the Homecoming Parade livestream and major athletic events. His expertise spans the full range of the university's broadcast and facilities engineering needs, and his reliability is something colleagues across departments have come to count on without question.
In 2025–2026, Forbes led two significant projects that illustrate the breadth of his contribution. He oversaw the transformation of a former computer training space at the Center for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement into a fully functional video production studio, advising on equipment selection, lighting design and acoustic solutions to create a space that directly supports donor engagement and fundraising initiatives. He also elevated the production quality of the annual Homecoming Parade Livestream at its new Summit Street location, meeting each technical challenge with creativity and calm.
Forbes approaches every interaction with professionalism and a genuine desire to help others succeed. His colleagues describe him as a constant and reliable presence — someone who consistently asks how technology can be made better and more effective in service of the university's mission.
Sheri McMahon, Administrative Assistant, Department of English
The Department of English runs on a level of logistical complexity that would challenge any administrator: hundreds of full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty; teaching assistants; course assignments across multiple buildings; ongoing surveys, schedules and communications — all requiring precision, responsiveness and calm. Sheri McMahon handles all of it, and she handles it well.
McMahon is known across the department as approachable, efficient and exceptionally skilled at finding solutions. Faculty, staff and students alike describe her as a consistent, professional presence who makes the work of teaching and learning possible behind the scenes. Her ability to manage the full scope of departmental operations — without disruption, and with genuine care for the people she serves — reflects exactly the kind of dedication Kent State's core values are built to recognize.
Julie Paskiet, Associate Director, Career Exploration and Development
Julie Paskiet has fundamentally changed how Kent State delivers career education — not by doing more of the same, but by rethinking the model entirely. Under her leadership, Career Exploration and Development made a deliberate strategic shift away from individual appointments toward scalable, high-impact programming: group career education sessions, CED-led coursework and the Career Academy. The result was a 32% increase in unique students served in AY25 over AY24.
The Career Academy, one of Paskiet's most significant innovations, is a suite of more than 20 asynchronous career development modules housed in Canvas. Spanning topics from career exploration to job searching, the Academy gives faculty, advisors and supervisors flexible, embeddable content they can tailor to their students' needs — extending career education far beyond the walls of the career center.
The data behind her work is compelling. Retention among Exploratory students who took a career course in their first year was 14.2% higher than those who did not. Among first-generation Exploratory students, that figure jumped to 29.6%. Paskiet also led the adoption of a PowerApps CRM system that centralized campus interaction tracking across the department, reducing redundant outreach and providing actionable insights into long-term student engagement.
Her approach — data-informed, student-centered and built for scale — represents the kind of strategic thinking that advances both individual student success and the university's broader enrollment and retention goals.