Sixteen faculty members from Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs division have been named as recipients of the 2026 Excellence in Teaching awards, a recognition that celebrates exemplary effort and extraordinary student impact.
Excellence in Teaching award winners exemplify the highest possible standards of performance through their commitment to teaching and supporting students, employing innovative teaching methods, and providing other enhancements to the student experience. Additionally, three faculty members were recognized for Distinguished Professional Achievement.
A list of honorees follows:
Center for Data Analytics, Policy, and Government
The Center for Data Analytics, Policy, and Government recognized Kandyce Sawyer.
Sawyer is recognized for her outstanding dedication to her students, highlighted by a comprehensive restructuring of the Nonprofit Management capstone, and for her ongoing commitment to enhancing the overall student experience.
Communication
The MA in Communication program recognized Steven Grant.
Since joining the Communication program in 2022, Grant has earned consistent praise for his dedication to student learning and his contributions to the faculty community. Students describe him as respectful, inclusive, and insightful. His course evaluations frequently highlight his engaging and impactful teaching style, but even more telling are the unsolicited comments from students expressing deep gratitude for his time and personal attention. Beyond the classroom, Grant has regularly stepped into the role of faculty mentor, supporting the development of dynamic curriculum and helping colleagues acclimate to new courses or program updates. The Communication program is deeply grateful for his efforts, and this award is a small but meaningful token of his immense, positive impact.
Cultural Heritage Management
The MA in Cultural Heritage Management and MA in Museum Studies programs recognized Alex Kron.
The award goes to a Museums and Heritage adjunct faculty member who the students feel has most strongly impacted their learning over the past academic year and is committed to teaching and the field of museums and heritage. Students comments regarding Kron highlighted her ability to make difficult content accessible in meaningful ways.
Data Analytics and Policy
The MS in Data Analytics and Policy program recognized Holly Brasher.
A long-time instructor in the program, Brasher’s teaching in distinguished by the rich individual feedback she gives to students and her dedication to keeping her courses at the cutting edge of the field. With experience teaching across our curriculum, she continuously demonstrates her dedication to supporting students’ professional and academic development.
Energy Policy and Climate
The MS in Energy Policy and Climate program recognized Marcus Sarofim.
The students greatly appreciate Sarofim’s deep, practical knowledge of climate policy, rooted in his hands-on experience at the EPA, which brought real-world context and credibility to the classroom. His clear, well-structured lectures and willingness to connect policy theory with applied practice made complex topics accessible and engaging, and his thoughtful feedback helped students sharpen their analytical skills. Sarofim’s teaching exemplifies the highest standards of the EPC program, and his commitment to student learning and professional insight has made a lasting impact.
Environmental Sciences and Policy
The MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy program recognized Glenn Patterson.
Patterson has demonstrated considerable adaptability as an educator, successfully translating an inherently field-based course into a rigorous and accessible online learning experience for students who are unable to participate in person. His presence in the Environmental Sciences and Policy program reflects a commitment to instruction that is at once scientifically exacting and responsive to the diverse needs of today’s emerging environmental professionals. He brings an exceptional depth of expertise to his courses, Field Methods in Stream and Water Quality Assessment, grounded in a distinguished academic formation and an extensive career at the highest levels of applied hydrology. Over the course of a 30-year tenure with the U.S. Geological Survey, Patterson conducted consequential work across a broad spectrum of aquatic and hydrological domains, including water quality assessment, watershed science, drinking water systems, lakes, estuaries, and geomorphology and a breadth of professional experience that lends his instruction a rare practical authority.
Film and Media
The MA in Film and Media program recognized Marly Hernández Cortés.
Hernández Cortés, assistant director of the Film and Media program, is the kind of teacher and colleague who quickly becomes indispensable. Her devotion to her students, passion for cinema and thoughtful lesson planning are core to who she is and what she brings to the classroom. Hernández Cortés is a tireless advocate for her students, their well-being and their growth as young filmmakers and, even more so, as people. She is lauded as an incredible collaborator whose vision is instrumental in tending and growing the program.
Geographic Information Systems
The MS in Geographic Information Systems program recognized Mark Washington.
Washington exemplifies the caliber of practitioner-scholar that elevates graduate GIS education from technical instruction to transformative professional preparation. As Director of Information Technology at Johns Hopkins University, Washington serves as the chief architect of the university’s enterprise Geographic Information System, supporting major stakeholders across design and construction, engineering, sustainability, utilities, and real estate. His implementation of the Esri geodatabase provides the operational backbone for facilities management across one of the nation’s preeminent research institutions. Prior to Johns Hopkins, he led facilities IT initiatives at Princeton University, where he launched their Facilities GIS in 2006, and developed emergency response mobile mapping solutions that speak to both his technical ingenuity and his commitment to practical application. A dedicated educator with more than seven years of adjunct teaching experience, Washington brings to the classroom not only deep technical expertise, but the hard-won wisdom of a career spent building the very systems that modern institutions depend upon. He is recognized with great distinction.
Global Security Studies
The MA in Global Security Studies program recognized Oliver Fritz.
Faculty colleagues and students nominated Fritz for his innovative learning opportunities that connect classroom theory to current real-world challenges. He provides consistent, detailed, and timely feedback to his students and is currently revising a core course that will examine the changing energy and environmental security dynamics in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Intelligence Analysis
The MS in Intelligence Analysis program recognized Jack O’Connor.
Over the course of the 2025-2026 academic year, O’Connor has stood out in his commitment to teaching and academic excellence. He has taught three sections of the introduction course, The Art and Practice of Intelligence and two sections of the demanding capstone course, in which he closely advised 17 students on their final research papers. O’Connor always provided his students with detailed and constructive feedback on their writing assignments. Particularly for his capstone students, he guided them expertly through several stages in their projects, enabling them all to submit well-researched and sharply written papers. With the growth of the program, the task of advising many capstone projects has become more challenging. His willingness to provide his wisdom and expertise to this capstone course has been greatly appreciated and has improved the Intelligence Analysis program and the students’ capstone experience.
Nonprofit Management
The MA in Nonprofit Management program recognized Linda Kiltz.
Kiltz is a long-time faculty member and is being recognized for her teaching contribution to the program’s core classes. This past year, she took on the task of designing a new core class, HR & Volunteer Management, giving students the opportunity to learn and engage in planning for staff and volunteer recruitment in the nonprofit sector. Through her dedication to the program, she has helped to make the program’s curriculum stronger and supported students in their learning of a critical aspect of nonprofit management.
Organizational Leadership
The MS in Organizational Leadership program recognized Carimanda Cephas.
Cephas is honored for her exceptional commitment to student development and academic excellence. As the designer and instructor of the Risk and Resilience Leadership course, she brings a deep integration of academic rigor and real-world expertise, drawing on her leadership experience across the U.S. federal government and her role at NASA. Students and colleagues alike commend her for setting high standards while providing thoughtful, actionable feedback that challenges students to grow as reflective and capable leaders. Her teaching bridges theory and practice in meaningful ways, equipping students to navigate uncertainty, respond to complex crises, and lead with clarity and purpose. Beyond the classroom, Cephas’s work exemplifies the integration of strategic communication, systems thinking, and organizational readiness, advancing the program’s commitment to preparing leaders who can address dynamic challenges with both intellectual depth and practical effectiveness.
Public Management
The MA in Public Management program recognized Corbin Evans.
Evans has been a member of the Public Management faculty for two years. In that short time, he has proven to be a highly effective and thoughtful instructor who challenges and guides his students in their quest to become experts in the fields of public policy and public administration.
Science Writing
The MA in Science Writing program recognized Andy Carstens.
As a graduate of the MA in Science Writing program where he now teaches, Carstens draws on deep knowledge of journalism and science communication – and understands how to support students as they seek to maximize their time at JHU. In their nominations, students consistently praised Carstens’ willingness to go the extra mile for students, helping them prepare for pitching editors and other opportunities outside the classroom. They also expressed gratitude for his clear communication and reassuring demeanor. “In a world of chaos, he has this incredibly thoughtful manner and organized way of doing things,” one student wrote. “His teaching style calms my nervous system.”
Writing
The MA in Writing program recognized C. Sender and Susan Muaddi-Darraj.
Sender was singled out by students for creating and moderating a fun, respectful learning environment where students internalize fiction writing techniques by writing and revising their own work as well as offering supportive feedback for fellow writers. “She really listens, exhibits patience and humor, and clearly communicates a sense that she wants you to get the best out of your story/writing. The reading assignments are compelling, spark discussion, and her passion for ‘what works’ is contagious,” one student shared.
Nominations flew in for Muaddi Darraj, with students praising her for the time she spent writing detailed comments about their work or explaining the efficacy of a passage in their thesis projects. One student shared, “She brings so much to her teaching, including a very meaningful combination of real-world advice and deep creative insight. Ultimately, what I’d say stands out the most about her teaching is that she genuinely cares — and it shows in the time she takes.” Another said, “Her helpful tips and advice were always beneficial and served me well. As my thesis advisor, she also gave me the confidence I needed during a time that is overwhelming for most students.” A third noted, “She embodies everything a University professor ought to be.”
Distinguished Professional Achievement
The MA in Science Writing program presented Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson and Brian Simpson with the award for Distinguished Professional Achievement. In “When the Money Goes Away,” a project funded by the Pulitzer Center, these two faculty members worked with news organizations like National Public Radio and Global Health Now to tell the stories of the excruciating decisions faced by health care providers and medical professionals in the wake of drastic cuts to U.S. foreign aid. But their reporting didn’t just highlight the human toll; it also showed institutions and their leaders forging creative solutions in situations of dire need. In the resulting pieces, the urgency of public health reporting — and science writing more broadly — has rarely been more apparent.
The MA in Writing program also presented an award for Distinguished Professional Achievement to Elise Levine.
Students cite the respectful and supportive culture Levine creates in the classroom with one student writing, “She set the example of kindness and rigor, proving they were possible simultaneously.” She brings that same understanding to the characters in her short stories, and demands that same intellectual rigor in her own writing. Levine’s sixth book, Big of You came out in October. Her personal essays and poetry have appeared in several publications, including Ploughshares, The Gettysburg Review, Blackbird, and Best Canadian Stories. Emily Donaldson, writing for The Globe and Mail said, “Reading the still criminally underappreciated Levine is a visceral experience that seems to demand engagement of all one’s senses.”