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Lebold Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
NAFSA: Association of International Educators recently honored Carol Lebold, former interim director of education abroad, with the George Commenator Award. This lifetime achievement award for NAFSA’s Region XI (New England) recognizes members “whose professional life was dedicated to the field of international education, and who provided extensive service to the regional and national NAFSA community.”
Lebold recently retired from the International Programs Office after more than thirty years. She was nominated for the award by Kalpen Trivedi, associate provost for international programs. “I’m absolutely delighted that Carol Lebold has been chosen to receive this year’s George Commenator Award. She’s truly deserving of this lifetime achievement award for her long career of service to international education regionally, nationally, and globally,” Trivedi says. “Her commitment to fostering peace, justice, and equity through international exchange has been humbling to witness, and she inspires us all to be better practitioners and educators every day.”
She received the award at the closing ceremony of NAFSA Region XI’s Annual Conference on October 29th, 2020. Colleagues praised Lebold’s dedication to international education and her passion for working with students in videos shared at the event. “I really can’t imagine anybody who has earned this and provided as much service to the community (as Carol),” said Ken Reade, director of international student and scholar services at the International Programs Office.
“(Carol’s) contributions to UMass and the world of international programs are invaluable. She’s been a champion for (the communities of color at UMass) giving access to those who otherwise didn’t think they had access to international programs,” said Sidonio Ferreira, special assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life.
“(Carol has) been the best mentor. I couldn’t have asked for anyone more kind, giving, and knowledgeable to teach me so much about international education, who I am as a person, and what kind of advisor I want to be,” added AJ LeBlanc, education abroad advising center coordinator.
NAFSA is the world's largest professional association dedicated to international education. With over 10,000 members, NAFSA strives to increase awareness of and support for the contributions of international education and exchange in higher education, government, and the community, believing that citizens with international experience and global awareness are crucial to U.S. leadership, competitiveness, and security. NAFSA’s IEL KC, under the aegis of the NAFSA Board of Directors, supports senior international officers and campus internationalization leaders who provide the vision and build commitment for comprehensive internationalization. To that end, the IEL KC coordinates the delivery of a comprehensive set of resources, sessions, workshops and networking opportunities for senior campus leaders.