CTL Staff Selected for 2026 OPA Director’s Distinguished Advocacy and Service Award

The Center for Teaching and Learning is proud to celebrate two of our colleagues, Denise Leonard, Associate Director for GSPD Programs, and Lisa Kuehne, Assistant Director for GSPD Programs, who have been named recipients of the 2026 Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) Director’s Distinguished Advocacy and Service Award.

This award recognizes partners whose leadership and advocacy meaningfully strengthen the postdoctoral experience at WashU; Denise and Lisa exemplify this commitment in every aspect of their work.

Since the launch of CTL’s collaboration with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs in 2022, Denise and Lisa have played a transformative role in supporting postdoctoral scholars as educators, mentors, and emerging leaders. Through innovative programming, they have helped postdocs build expertise across areas such as instructional design, improvisation in teaching, leadership, mentoring, and academic job preparation. Their contributions extend beyond workshops to include service as facilitators, panelists, and selection committee members for OPA initiatives.

Their work is set apart not only its rigor, but its care. Denise and Lisa consistently create learning environments that are both intellectually challenging and genuinely welcoming spaces where postdocs can expand their skillsets while also growing in confidence and professional identity. Participants frequently share how CTL programs have helped them connect prior experiences to their teaching, strengthen their materials for the academic job market, and reimagine their potential as educators and leaders.

Through their dedication to equitable, student-centered educational development, Denise and Lisa have helped shape a stronger, more supported postdoctoral community at WashU.

Please join us in congratulating Denise and Lisa on this well-deserved recognition and in celebrating the continued impact of their work!