The James Leck Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of James Leck who was a mentor to many involved in international education and a colleague to many more.

Nominees for this award must have been an active member of NAFSA Region XI for at least five (5) years, and must have contributed to Region XI in a significant manner or completed a special service for the region.

The James Leck Distinguished Service Award includes a plaque and a monetary gift recommended at a level of $250 per recipient, with a maximum of two awards granted in any given year. In the event that the recipient is an employee of the federal government or can be seen to have a conflict of interest, no monetary award will be included.

The official presentation of the award will be made at the regional conference.

Past Recipients

  • 2023- Jodi Hanelt (Brandeis University)
  • 2022-Amanda Conolly (Lehigh University/ Boston University)
  • 2021- No recipients
  • 2020 - Sara Sanford (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) View Sara's nomination video
  • 2019 - Erin Gustafson (Yale University)
  • 2018 - Amy Whitish-Temple (Academic Programs International)
  • 2017 - Jamie Kendrioski (Babson College)
  • 2016 - Lynn Walters Rekhi (Broad Institute)
  • 2015 - Sora Friedman (SIT)
  • 2014 - Mihwa Lee (UConn), Caroline Gear (The International Language Institute of Massachusetts)
  • 2013 - Amy Daly Gardner (Clark University)
  • 2012 - Richard Iandoli (Iandoli and Desai, P.C.), Andrea Hogan (Quinnipiac University)
  • 2011 - Steve Hopkins (Cultural Insurance Services International), John Deziel (University of New Hampshire)
  • 2010 - Ken Reade (Dartmouth College), Dawn Sedutto (Southern New Hampshire U.)
  • 2008 - Robin V. Catmur (Dartmouth College)
  • 2007 - James Leck (Boston University), Sue Atkins (University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth)
  • 2005 - Daphne Durham (Suffolk University), Linda Drake Gobbo (SIT)
  • 2004 - Alice Thayer (retired, St. Michael's College), John Fleming, Darryl Zeigler (Bentley College)
  • 2003 - Carol Moran-Brown (Champlain College)
  • 2001- William Hoffa (Academic Consultants International), Parker Emerson (Harvard)
  • 2000 - Susan Mack (Brandeis U.), Alice Hance (Dartmouth College), Dominica Cipollone (Southern Maine U.)
  • 1999 - Kate Baty (MIT), Kathy Ford (UVM)
  • 1997 - Milena Levak (MIT), Danielle Guichard-Ashbrook (MIT)