BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Marsha Guenzler-Stevens ’78, will receive a Women of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education at the 26th annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL). Presented each year at the conference, the Women of Distinction Awards recognize female role models who have made powerful contributions to their professions and communities.
The Women of Distinction Award will add to a string of honors earned by Guenzler-Stevens, director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has not only been named one of the University’s Women of Influence (1995) as well as Woman of the Year (2009), but also received various awards for her contributions to the school’s diversity, public service and mentoring initiatives.
“This award is really about my work in advancing women,” said Guenzler-Stevens, who will join over 100 women leaders the Women of Distinction Award has honored since its establishment in 1985. “It’s about helping people find their voice and use their passion to advance their dreams and enhance the community.”
Guenzler-Stevens, who graduated from IWU in 1978 with a bachelor of arts degree in biology, serves on both IWU’s Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors and is currently President of the Alumni Board. A founding member of the Council for IWU Women, she continues to be active in the organization and attributes her passion for leadership and activism to the intimate classroom environment and inspiring faculty members she encountered during her undergraduate experience at IWU.