For over 20 years, Jean Marie Abraham has prepared students for careers in healthcare delivery, health policy, and health services research through her innovative teaching, mentorship, and academic leadership roles. An award-winning instructor, she emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving skill development using a ‘theory-driven, practice-enabled’ approach to learning. As an academic leader, Dr. Abraham advances educational excellence through faculty development, curricular innovation, and efforts to enhance the student experience.

Teresa Toguchi Swartz is a Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies. Her scholarship focuses on families, race and racism, social support, and well-being. A longtime leader in diversity and program development, Swartz has taught and mentored thousands of University of Minnesota students. She creates learning experiences that are student-centered, inclusive, engaging, and dynamic, inspiring her students to think critically about our most pressing social problems and to creatively imagine possibilities for positive social change.

Jeanine Weekes Schroer teaches philosophy at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her research, teaching, and advocacy on issues in race and racism, on belonging and inclusivity, and justice and equity support her students, colleagues, and the institution as a whole to contribute meaningfully to nuanced discussions of complex social issues and work toward a more just community. Furthermore, she manages to do so with grace, empathy and good humor.

As Research Labs Director and a teacher of Organic Chemistry, Venugopal Mukku is committed to integrating interdisciplinary undergraduate research into teaching, advancing undergraduate research across the Crookston campus, and enhancing his students' international experiences. He developed Crookston’s Center for Collaborative Research, enabling the development of new interdisciplinary courses. He advises in the Health Sciences program and contributes to campus diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.

Carter Meland takes teaching seriously but does so with good humor, striving through his example to convey the transformative power of American Indian Studies to students as they grapple with thorny questions of cultural diversity and climate facing them as citizens of the 21st century. His teaching foregrounds thinking as a creative act and challenges students to engage in the process of decolonizing their experience by generating written and video narratives of their own creation.

Victor Lai is a dedicated chemical engineering faculty member who is passionate about fostering student success through innovative teaching and personalized mentoring. His commitment is evident in his classroom interactions, curriculum design, undergraduate research mentoring, and contributions to the engineering education community. He is a driving force behind biomedical engineering and biotechnology initiatives at UMD, inspiring students interested in these fields.

Brian Gibbens is an exceptionally enthusiastic educator. As Director of the Foundations of Biology courses, he shapes the cornerstone of CBS curriculum. Brian prioritizes equity in teaching, research, and curriculum design, creating learning environments where all students can succeed. His passion, effectiveness, and humor contribute to stellar SRT scores and multiple teaching awards. Brian’s mentorship of instructors has transformed teaching and curriculum while his student advising has significantly improved student opportunities, outcomes, and performance.

Mark Collier has revitalized the Philosophy program at UMN-Morris through innovative teaching and program development. He created a Socratic AI tutor for his “Ethics and Artificial Intelligence” course and launched career-focused sub-plans that doubled major enrollment. A dedicated mentor, he involves students in award-winning research projects. As organizer of the Midwest Philosophy Colloquium, he has advanced equity and diversity by addressing critical issues like implicit bias, structural racism, and underrepresented voices in philosophy.

Paul Bates is a skilled, versatile, and dedicated science educator. Throughout his career he has made thoughtful innovations in his courses that demonstrate his commitment to student learning. His efforts have been central to shaping the curriculum in the Department of Biology and in elevating the quality of teaching at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Samira Azarin has shown dedication to the undergraduate student experience as a teacher, advisor, and Director of Undergraduate Studies for chemical engineering. She has innovated throughout the chemical engineering curriculum to maintain rigor while improving student outcomes, including through multi-institutional educational research initiatives. In addition, she has prioritized inclusivity in climate and teaching practices both within her own department and the College of Science and Engineering as a member of the Dean’s Inclusivity Council.