2021 Recipients
Region 1
Central New England
Paula Artesani
Malissa Norfolk
Region 2
Capitol Area Society (DC)
Rohini Ganjoo
Rohini has been involved in ASCLS and in the ASCLS-DC chapter. She is currently the secretary of the DC chapter and is playing a key role in planning our spring meeting. She is an excellent instructor and is the type of person that we want to honor for all of her hard work and encourage her to continue and expand her leadership roles.
Lisa Schwartz
Lisa has been very actively involved in the ASCLS-DC chapter. She has been instrumental in the planning of our spring meeting as the chair of the planning committee. She has identified the keynote and closing speakers and has been working with committee and board members with DC and the ASCLS-VA chapter on a joint meeting.
Pennsylvania
Joy Gould
Joy Gould has recently become highly involved in leadership at the chapter and state levels presenting at the annual student review meeting and arranging virtual CE events.
Dana Staranowski
Dana Staranowski has jumped into volunteering during her first year as a ASCLS Developing Professional, coordinating and finding speakers for the student review session and presiding as the ASCLS-PA liaison to the Developing Professional Forum.
Region 3
Florida
Jasmine Kendrick
Dedicated to FSCLS
Georgia
Leslie Cooper
Leslie continues to grow in leadership skills and involvement in our state society. She is a presenter at our annual symposium and continues to provide institutional sponsorship for our society functions.
North Carolina
William Anong
William is a key player and extremely active with NCSCLS
Kelsey Reschly
Kelsey is such as asset when planning events and conferences!
Bridget Ledford Waters
Bridget has really stepped up this year; it is much appreciated!
South Carolina
Krystin Dodge
Newly active society and is president-elect
April B. Orange
April has been instrumental in fundraising for the newly active society.
Region 4
Indiana
Geno Leser
Geno has recently stepped up in his interaction with the ASCLS-IN board and has been attending nearly all board meetings. He has brought great ideas to help with the activities of the board and is leading the work on a publication for the society’s web page. We are so thankful for his time in helping the board to succeed.
Barbara Spinda
Barb has been committed to attending nearly all board meetings this year and has been a great asset in helping to find speakers for our state meeting. We are thankful she has been dedicating her time to our board.
Michigan
Kathleen Hoag 
Christina Lim 
Allison Young
Region 5
Minnesota
Danielle Ashcroft
Danielle has shown some great skills and initiative in getting a Minnesota newsletter published. Minnesota hasn’t had a newsletter for a few years and Danielle did a wonderful job in creating and distributing this to all of our members. She did an outstanding job and the newsletter was beautiful!
North Dakota
Kelsey Lowe
Kelsey is new to our state and has really stepped in to help. She is currently on our Nominations Committee and will be secretary/treasurer next year. She has helped me when ever I needed a volunteer and is a great, hardworking person to work with. She will be a great person to receive this award and will help involve a part of our state that doesn’t have many members involved in ASCLS.
South Dakota
Chris Ousley
Chris helped with the set up, moderation, and technical pieces of the ASCLS-CLMA South Dakota Conference.
McKayla Wachlin
McKayla represented South Dakota as the ASCLS Developing Professional. She attended every meeting, wrote an article for our newsletter, and sent emails to program directors to encourage student involvement in ASCLS.
Belinda Yam
Belinda participated as the Ascending Professional for South Dakota. She worked during the evening hours limiting the number of meetings she could attend. However, she attended when she could and offered to participate in the ASCLS-CLMA South Dakota Spring Symposium.
Wisconsin
Kathryn Golab
Kathryn has become incredibly active recently with her position on the Wisconsin Board of Directors, role in planning the state virtual meeting, and her work on several other committees.
Hailey Westrick
Hailey Westrick is a strong advocate for the laboratory profession. After completing her bachelors in medical technology, she went on to pursue a masters in CLS through Rutgers. She has a passion for education and instills that drive in students who are looking to go towards the field. She has held a teaching position in upstate New York for blood bank classes and promoted our field throughout. She recently accepted a position as the medical technology program coordinator at St. Elizabeth Laboratory in Appleton, Wisconsin. To be such a bright young individual who has already achieved so much in the field of medical technology she should be recognized.
Region 6
Illinois
Diana De Avila
Diana has shown great interest in ASCLS and has been great in her new role as recording secretary in ASCLS-Illinois. She has also spearheaded education opportunities in planning for an alternative state meeting plan.
Kim Espejo
Kim has been an active ASCLS-Illinois member previously as the Ascending Professional chair and now in her new role as editor in chief of the ASCLS-Illinois newsletter.
Iowa
Susan McGuinty
Sue plays a substantial role in the Iowa society as our current treasurer. She has always been willing to step up to any duty given to her. Sue also has been a key piece in planning our annual state meetings over the past several years and has been actively involved in the scholarship committee. I thank her for all she does for ASCLS-Iowa!
Kansas
Dana Powell Baker
Dana was chosen as a Key to the Future for her dedication and service to our profession. Dana is an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is passionate about both our profession and educating future medical laboratory scientists and to that end, she has served on many committees and task forces promoting clinical lab sciences. Dana was named as a Voices Under 40 honoree by ASCLS in 2020. She also served as the first CLEC Steering Committee Chair in 2020. Currently, Dana serves as the chair-elect for the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals and as a representative-at-large for ASCLS-Kansas. She is actively engaged in the mentorship of emerging and experienced medical laboratory professionals.
Megan Neill
Megan was chosen as a Key to the Future because of the dedication and enthusiasm she brings to ASCLS-Kansas as a new MLS. Megan has been involved with ASCLS-Kansas since she became the Developing Professional/student representative in 2020 to our board. As a member of the board, Megan has attended all the leadership meetings and she has also been instrumental in planning and executing our Medical Laboratory Professionals Week Run event. Megan is passionate about the laboratory profession and appreciates our vital role in patient care. Most importantly, she wants to share this passion by being involved with ASCLS in recruiting and educational activities.
Heather Santaniello
Heather was chosen as a Key to the Future because of her passion for the promotion of our profession. Heather has been a member of ASCLS-Kansas since she was a student in 2018. She currently works in the blood bank at the University of Kansas Health System. Promoting the laboratory profession is a priority for Heather, and she serves as a very active member of ASCLS-Kansas Promotion of the Profession Committee. She designed a sticker, Proud to be a Medical Laboratory Scientist, that was sold as a fundraiser to other MLSs in the United States. This effort reached 34 different states and raised a considerable amount of money to support the activities of the PPC.
Nebraska
Kaci Flaherty
Kaci has been instrumental in helping with the virtual Nebraska Laboratory State Meeting. She has handled the engagement boxes and donated significant content. She has handled the engagement for the meeting. She has developed and hosting the scavenger hunt for the awards ceremony and is doing a pyramid game for the students in the medical laboratory programs. She has been a member for two years and has been a significant contributor. Ask her to help, and she is right there.
Angela Wilcoxson
Angie is a new member but a long time CLMA member. She has worked with me over the last two years on state meetings. We are co-chairs of the Nebraska Spring Laboratory Meeting 2021. She has been a Zoom super user and has handled all of the vendor sessions. She has secured most of the company sponsors and has helped me learn about registration. This virtual meeting would not have happened without her. She has worked tirelessly where ever she was needed. She is truly the key to our ASCLS-Nebraska future.
C.J. Woslager
C.J. is our Zoom Super User for the Nebraska State Laboratory Meeting. I am sure he did not realize how much work this would be but he has sacrificed personal time to get this project going. He has great IT skills and without him we would not have a virtual meeting. He has also done all the training for moderators and speakers, including tech checks.
Region 7
Arkansas
Krystal Yu
Texas
Stephanie Snow
Stephanie has become more active in the past three years and stepping up to fill the TACLS president-elect position that was open for one year. She will become TACLS President this May 2021. She was mentored as a student by the Texas State faculty to become an ASCLS member and asked to be mentored three years ago to become a part of the TACLS Board. During the pandemic she has created several ideal to stay in touch with our MLS professionals via our website and Facebook page. TACLS has a bright future with such a dedicated MLS professional. In her job as an industry representative, she promotes TACLS and the profession whenever she can.
Luis Gilberto Swink
Luis has been instrumental in updating the TACLS website and promoting TACLS via social platforms. Whenever we need something added or created to the website, he does it. We use our website for our Annual TACLS Meeting, and he assists with the transfer of funds and data to the Convention Committee. He will become the TACLS treasurer as of May 2021 and will continue as our TACLS web master. He is a valuable member of our state society.
Region 8
Colorado
Natalie Bernice
Natalie has served as our Ascending Professional this year and demonstrates great potential to contribute to ASCLS and our profession. She is helping as a student liaison and assisting with our annual spring meeting.
Idaho
Lisa Platter
Spring Convention chair; Nominations and Elections chair; maintaining and updating website; and many other things
Montana
Suzanne Hartrich
For trying new roles and responsibilities and doing great work on Awards and Scholarships
Jennifer Wolcott
For stepping up in numerous roles this year and for her work on Awards and Scholarships
Region 9
Oregon
Katrina Holcomb
Katrina has been our excellent Ascending Professional rep for ASCLS-OR 2020-21. She has also assisted with our scholarship submission and selection process, and has stepped up to become the director of scholarships starting next year.
Jason Rhoads
Jason has been our excellent Developing Professional rep for ASCLS-OR 2020-21. He has visited (virtually) the MLT/MLS programs in our state and represented student interests to the board, while learning more about ASCLS.
Region 10
California
David Banes
Stepped up to be both California and Region 10 Developing Professional rep; attended ELMC2; initiated task force for career outreach initiative for California lab programs. David has shown a passionate enthusiasm to fostering the next generation of scientists.
Hawaii
Kelie Augustine
Has volunteered to be one of the ASCLS-Hawaii website administrators, served on the task force and helped with the face mask project. Kelie is also running for president-elect this election.
Rebecca Kanenaka
The past two years, Rebecca has become an important member. She has served on the ASCLS-Hawaii Scholarship Committee, is currently serving as the treasurer, and is part of the task force.
Charmaine Kuehne
Charmaine has been an active member since she was a student. She served as Developing Professional representative for both locally and regionally. She is currently serving as ASCLS-Hawaii secretary and has served on the task force.
