Jacy Farkas Awarded Prestigious Peter Likins Inclusive Excellence Award for Staff

Jacy Farkas, MA, training director for the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, was awarded the Peter Likins Inclusive Excellence Award for Staff from the Initiatives for Organizational Inclusion. This prestigious award honors those who have significantly contributed to enhancing the University of Arizona by creating a diverse and inclusive community.

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Farkas was nominated by the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Julie Armin, PhD, assistant professor, a colleague and mentor to Farkas.

“In all that she does, Ms. Farkas is committed to institutionalizing diversity and inclusiveness; recruiting, retaining, and training diverse staff and students; and facilitating diverse perspectives and intergroup collaboration on campus,” said Dr. Armin. “Furthermore, she is connected to national initiatives to increase diversity in the disability field, which informs her work locally, and she engages in ongoing training about inclusiveness and diversity, particularly in reference to intersectional identities and disability.”

“I am humbled by my colleague’s surprise nomination and the committee’s selection,” Farkas said. “It is an incredible honor to be among the staff who have received this award.”

Farkas joined the Sonoran Center in 2007 and became its training director in 2018, overseeing the center’s interdisciplinary pre-service preparation, and continuing and community education programs. She also engages in community-based program development, research and evaluation addressing the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities, particularly those who age out of foster care. She is a doctoral candidate in family studies and human development at the Norton School of Family & Consumer Sciences.

The award comes with a professional development stipend.