In 2017, the College Board of Visitors began an annual award to recognize outstanding academic leadership by faculty of the Undergraduate College. The overwhelming response to this award has led the College Board of Visitors to expand their financial support and to announce the establishment of the College Board of Visitors Staff Leadership Award in 2020.

These awards recognize that leadership is a valued practice and confirms that faculty and staff leaders can be effective agents of change on behalf of the institution, students, and colleagues. These leaders are committed to our institutional vision and an abiding commitment to academic excellence, diversity and inclusion, workplace innovation, and commitment to students and the Wake Forest community. The faculty and staff awards are funded by the College Board of Visitors. Nominations for both awards are due to Sandy Kokkonos (kokkonsm@wfu.edu) by May 12.

Nomination guidelines for the faculty award:

  • The award is limited to permanent faculty (tenure track and teaching professors) working in the Undergraduate College. However, it is not limited to persons in formal leadership positions like department chair and program director.
  • Examples of academic leadership experiences to be considered for the award include, but are not limited to, faculty/shared governance, program development, fostering collaboration between or among departments or schools, and/or marshaling contributions by a department or colleagues in achieving one or more goals of the College
  • Letters of nomination should detail, with clear examples, how the nominee embodies the role of an outstanding academic leader at Wake Forest.
  • A copy of the nominee’s CV should be submitted with the nomination letter.
  • Past recipients of the award are ineligible, but all other nominees may be re-submitted in subsequent years.

Nomination guidelines for the staff award:

  • The award is limited to full-time staff working in the Undergraduate College. However, it is not limited to persons in formal leadership positions.
  • Examples of staff leadership experiences to be considered for the award include, but are not limited to program development, fostering collaboration between or among departments or schools, and/or marshaling contributions by a department or colleagues in achieving one or more goals of the College.
  • Letters of nomination should detail with clear examples how the nominee embodies the role of an outstanding staff leader at Wake Forest.

The 2023 winner of the CBOV Faculty Leadership Award

Dr. Olga Pierrakos
Professor of Engineering


The 2023 winner of the CBOV Staff Leadership Award

Kim Wieters
Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration


Award for Faculty Leadership Winners

Academic YearWinnerDepartment
2023-2024Olga PierrakosEngineering
2022-2023Rob ErhardtStatistics
2021-2022Katy HarrigerPolitics & International Affairs
2020-2021Mark WelkerChemistry
2019-2020Jay FordStudy of Religions
2018-2019Sarah RaynorMathematics & Statistics
2017-2018Keith BoninPhysics

Award for Staff Leadership Winners

Academic YearWinnerDepartment
2023-2024Kim WietersFinance and Administration, Office of the Dean of the College
2022-2023Jackie SheridanDirector, Wake Forest Scholars
2021-2022Marcus WrightChemistry
2020-2021Sheila LockhartStudy of Religions