The Teresa Harris Guthrie Award is given annually to an outstanding student employee who has made a positive impact on the Division of Development & Alumni Relations at UGA through the demonstration of one or more DAR SIC’Em values: Servant Leadership, Innovation, and Commitment. The winner will receive a framed certificate and $500 cash prize funded by the Teresa Harris Guthrie Memorial Fund.

The award was established in memory of former DAR employee Teresa Harris Guthrie. Her smile, outgoing personality, and endless positive attitude made Teresa a joy and a comfort to be near. Her co-workers, family, and friends raised money to create this award in memory of her dedication and mentorship to the students who worked with her.

Danisha Walker exemplifies the values of a servant leader and is a true asset, not only the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations and Principal Gifts, but to several other units in Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) she has stepped in to serve throughout the past three years. She is a Georgia Commitment Scholar involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including the GCS Executive Board, the ALL Georgia leadership group, and the service sorority Xi Delta. She recently started her student teaching for her Early Childhood Education major in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. Working in DAR requires a student worker to manage many different individuals’ requests while completing regular workday assignments. Danisha does this without fail, and when a leadership meeting or student teaching responsibility overlaps with her work schedule, she willingly comes in on her days off to finish her work for the office.

Her thorough research has helped to assist our office in decisions regarding prospects, donors, and potential opportunities for engagement. Since the office move to One Press Place, Danisha has volunteered to work the front desk during lunch break, answering the phone and directing donors, prospects, and UGA staff where they need to go. She actively seeks out areas where she can help others. She has never complained about tasks or shifted the responsibility to someone else. Danisha approaches each task with a smile on her face and a friendly attitude.

A cheerleader in the office, Danisha periodically writes notes to team members, expressing gratitude and providing a word of encouragement. Her notes of appreciation to corporations and GCS donors have been an immense help as we strive to steward our prospects.

Not all of her work takes places between the four walls of the office as she regularly volunteers to assist the Corporate and Foundation Relations team campus events and donor gatherings – stepping above and beyond her regular duties to connect with other students and help them feel comfortable when meeting external audiences. She could easily say this is not within her scope of responsibilities; however, she happily accepts the opportunity to assist with fellow UGA students. Our office would not be the same without her and we are grateful to have a servant leader like Danisha on the team.

Any undergraduate student enrolled at UGA and employed by DAR is eligible. DAR supervisors submit nominations in response to a call issued each spring. The DAR Special Meetings and Training Team (SMATT) serves as the selection committee. Please note: graduate students including graduate assistantships, research or teaching assistants, as well as volunteers are not eligible. Students employed by schools, colleges, or units are not eligible.