At NAFSA's 1988 annual conference, Lilian von Klemperer herself was the very first recipient of the Lily von Klemperer Award. Lily was founder of the education abroad profession during the mid-twentieth century and for years continued to be a true mainstay for the growing numbers of professionals in that new field. The inspiration, guidance, and training that she provided to all in education abroad is impossible to overestimate.
It was understood in 1988 that the award would eventually be presented by the Education Abroad Knowledge Community (EAKC) in Lily's name at NAFSA annual conferences to worthy education abroad professionals who are seen still to have years to devote to the profession. The "LvK" Award seeks to recognize people who, like Lily, have "brought other [education abroad professionals] along" in the field and who maintain the highest standards of professional ethics while sharing their skills, knowledge, and expertise with all colleagues.
Recent Recipients
Virginia Military Institute
2023 Academy Chair
Todd Lee Goen is Director of International Programs and Senior International Officer at Virginia Military Institute where he oversees education abroad, international student and scholar support services, and strategic planning for campus internationalization. Prior to VMI, Goen held full-time...
Academic Programs International (API)
Chelsea Kindred, MFA, is senior director of co-curricular learning, engagement, and assessment at Academic Programs International (API) where she develops and manages curriculum design and digital learning environments, including the API Learning and Engagement digital badge program, to engage...
University of Dayton
Heather Schieman is the assistant director of education abroad at the University of Dayton (UD). She started her professional career in 2012 after four years of intermittent on site international work. During her time at UD she spearheaded the development of both a robust professional, and student...
All Past Recipients
Listed below are the past recipients of the LvK award with their professional affiliations at the time of the award presentation.
- 2022 Todd Lee Goen, Virginia Military Institute
- 2021 Chelsea Kindred, Academic Programs International (API)
- 2020 Heather Schieman, University of Dayton
- 2019 Angela Manginelli, AIFS
- 2018 Zachary Frieders, University of California, Davis
- 2017 Mandy Reinig, Virginia Wesleyan University
- 2016 Christina Breakell, Williams College
- 2015 BJ Titus, University of Minnesota
- 2014 Mark Lenhart, CET Academic Programs
- 2013 Levi Brautigan, Villanova University
- 2012 David Wick, San Francisco State University
- 2011 Brad Stepan, Denmark Institute for Study Abroad
- 2010 Natalie Mello, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- 2009 Cori Filson, Skidmore College
- 2008 Joël A. Gallegos, University of North Carolina-Charlotte
- 2007 Lance Kenney, Villanova University
- 2006 Martha Johnson, University of Minnesota
- 2005 Steven Seaworth, Butler University
- 2004 Stephen Ferst, Rutgers University
- 2003 Randall Martin Simon, Fraser University, Canada
- 2002 Art Neisberg, University of Cincinnati
- 2000 Nancy Ericksen, Trinity University
- 1999 Cindy Chalou, Michigan State University
- 1998 Susan Thompson, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- 1997 Anji Yucas, University of Pittsburgh
- 1996 Ned Quigley, Boston University
- 1995 Margery Ganz, Spelman College
- 1995 Mickey Slind, University of Idaho
- 1994 Jim Gehlhar, University of Tennessee
- 1993 Steve Cooper, Louisiana State University
- 1991 Nancy Stubbs, University of Colorado
Recognition of Award Recipients
Award Recipient Benefits:
- The recipient of this Award will be announced by the Education Abroad Knowledge Community leadership in conjunction with the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo
- Commemorative Plaque is given to award recipient
- An opportunity to write a blog post for NAFSA
- Invitation to review EA conference proposals for the following year’s Annual Conference
Criteria for Selecting Nominees
Any member of NAFSA who has been professionally active in the field of education abroad between five and 15 years is eligible to be nominated. People serving in elected positions on the education abroad team, however, are ineligible for nomination throughout their actual terms of office, and former SECUSSA and education abroad chairs remain permanently ineligible.
- The primary nominator must be a *current* member of NAFSA. The nominee is not required to be a current NAFSA member.
- The nominee should have between 5 and 15 years of experience in the field of education abroad.
- The nomination should provide strong evidence that nominee has volunteered their time to the field by developing resources, presenting at conferences, and/or serving in NAFSA or other volunteer leadership roles.
- The nomination should describe how nominee has gone above and beyond the normal duties of their position to provide mentorship to multiple young professionals and has helped “bring other professionals along” in the spirit of Lily von Klemperer.
- The nomination should be supported by two additional letters of support, each from a NAFSA member, that highlight the nominee’s contributions to the field and/or describe the nominee’s mentorship of others.
Disclaimer: Current members of the NAFSA Board of Directors, NAFSA staff, and the KC award selection group are not eligible for consideration. EA KC chairs remain permanently ineligible for the LvK Award.
Selection Information
Nominations are reviewed by the Education Abroad Awards Task Force and its recommendation is sent to the chair of the Education Abroad Knowledge Community for approval.
Please contact the EA team if you have any further questions.
