Lesniak receives Chancellor’s Cornerstone Award

Mimi Lesniak has been honored as the Chancellor’s Cornerstone Award winner for 2022. Lesniak is the assistant to the director of the Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning and the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center within the International Arctic Research Center.

The Chancellor’s Cornerstone Award recognizes UAF staff for sustained outstanding contributions toward accomplishing and enhancing the UAF mission and strategic plan.

Lesniak has served at IARC for the last 13 years. She works with a wide variety of audiences in the UA community ranging from students, staff and faculty to local legislators. In the process, she embraces UAF’s mission, being “a wholehearted advocate for our research and our roles in our institute and in UAF as a whole.”

Lesniak believes in the importance of IARC’s efforts. She helped organize community outreach events to showcase work to diverse audiences, including leaders, children, and underserved populations. She is truly an ambassador for UAF.

In addition to her position duties, other projects Lesniak has taken a lead on include the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week and Arctic Observing Summit, which had over 1,000 conference participants. Lesniak also openly and actively advocates in support of UAF’s diversity, equity and inclusivity efforts. She serves as a co-lead for the IARC DEI Working Group, where she organized land acknowledgement training. Mimi distinguishes herself not just by doing her job well, but by taking on additional voluntary tasks such as communications and outreach in the IARC research group.

This work is mirrored in her commitment to students in the Student Support Services office, where she “ensures that our students from often disadvantaged backgrounds feel welcome in our space, and helps to break down barriers as best as she is able.”

In the nomination packet for Lesniak, one of her supporters states “Mimi’s commitment and positivity is genuine and egalitarian; she is as quick to welcome a new student as she is to assist a professor. She is quick to compliment others on their successes, and to genuinely celebrate the progress of our research. She carries this same positivity into the broader community, representing UAF with clarity, expertise, and pride.”

Lesniak will receive her award at the longevity and Cornerstone awards ceremony during the 2022 Staff Recognition and Development Day on May 5. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and will be livestreamed at media.uaf.edu.