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FNR Names 2024 Service Award Recipients

The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources honored five individuals for their outstanding service in 2024.

Dr. Zhao Ma received the William L. Hoover Exemplary Faculty Service Award. Liz Jackson was named asA headshot of Dr. Zhao Ma the Outstanding Administrative/Professional Staff Member. Jennifer Spitznagle was honored with the Outstanding Clerical/Service Staff Member Award. Anna Blackford and Julia Buchanan-Schwanke were tabbed as the Exemplary Graduate Student Service Award honorees.

Dr. Ma stepped into the Interim Department Head role in March 2024 while maintaining her teaching and research responsibilities.

She joined the Purdue faculty as an assistant professor in 2013 and was promoted to associate professor in 2016 and full professor in 2020. A professor of natural resource social science and the director of the Human Dimensions Lab, Dr. Ma’s research focuses on understanding how individuals and institutions make decisions with respect to natural resource management and environmental conservation in the context of social-ecological change.

Dr. Ma was named a University Faculty Scholar in 2020 and received the Research Excellence Award at from the American Association of Geographers Human Dimensions of Global Change (HDGC) Specialty Group in 2023. 

Dr. Ma was selected to participate in LEAD21, a leadership program for faculty and staff across the country in the land-grant system. She was also selected as a faculty fellow in the Faculty Leadership Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (FLAIR) Fellows Program in 2019.

Dr. Ma was honored in the spring of 2023 with the Purdue Agriculture Faculty Unsung Diversity Hero Award. She received the William L. Hoover Exemplary Faculty Service Award once before, back in 2017.  

Comments from those who nominated Dr. Ma for the Exemplary Service Award described her service as exceptional, above and beyond, tireless and selfless. Other statements included:

  • “Zhao stepped up without complaint and is working 24/7 on behalf of our department when we need it most, putting aside her own research and teaching to make sure the department stays strong. A genuine unselfish thing to do.”
  • “Taking on Interim Department Head was a big ask and Zhao has delivered with excellence”
  • “Dr. Ma has worked tirelessly on departmental structure and organization. She has solved ongoing issues and helped complete major projects that will provide long-term support to the whole department. She works into the early morning hours to support all of the faculty, staff, and students, while continuing to maintain her productive research program.”A headshot of Liz Jackson

Liz Jackson is the Engagement Specialist for the Hardwood Tree Improvement & Regeneration Center, Executive Director of the Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association, and the Executive Director of the Walnut Council. She is a two-time Purdue alumna, earning her bachelor’s degree in forestry in 1982 and her master’s in management in 1984.

Jackson has been in her current role in FNR since 2004. The goal of her programming is to provide resources and information useful to the land ownership objectives of woodland owners in Indiana, the Midwest and beyond. She also encourages landowners to seek professional assistance in managing their properties as needed and develops communications products and meetings for landowners to share the latest research and information.

In addition, Jackson is an editorial board member and contributor to The Indiana Woodland Steward, which earned the 2017 Gold Award for Newsletters, Series of Articles from the Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals.

Comments from those who nominated Jackson for the Outstanding Administrative/Professional Staff Member award noted:

  • “Liz has done an amazing job in developing much needed landowner relationships for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems across Indiana.”
  • “Her significant contributions often run in the background but make big impacts.”
  • “She has been and continues to be an important staff member for FNR. She needs to be acknowledged for her work in so many areas in FNR along with representing FNR throughout the years with our partners, stakeholders and extension.”Jennifer Spitznagle headshot

Jennifer Spitznagle is an account clerk in the College of Agriculture Business Office working directly with FNR. Spitznagle, who has been a part of FNR since 2005, was a steady force in the business office during transition times over the past year amidst staffing changes.

She has previously won the Outstanding Clerical/Service Staff Member Award twice, in 2011 and 2020. In 2024, she also received recognition as a Thumb’s Up Award recipient.

Comments from those who nominated Spitznagle described her as: patient, highly knowledgeable, a stabilizing force, a tireless provider of exceptional service, a mentor, someone who answers all questions gladly, supportive and dedicated to helping. Other statements included:

  • “Exceptional service during critical transition times”
  • “She has been a stabilizing force in the business office and deserves a great deal of thanks for her efforts and patience.”
  • “Jennifer has gone above and beyond in the department business office over the past year. She has been a bridge for us in the business office to ensure that things have continued to run as smoothly as possible. She is dedicated not only to the business office, but to the Forestry and Natural Resources department as a whole to ensure that it has continued to be successful over the last year.”
  • “The business office would not have functioned without Jennifer’s knowledge, guidance, experience and support.”

Anna Blackford is a master’s degree student studying the ecological effectiveness, cost-effectiveness andAnna Blackford headshot overall risk of invasive species control through federal assistance in the Great Lakes region. She is co-advised by Drs. Mike Jenkins, Jingjing Liang and Mo Zhou.   

In 2023-24, she acted as the president of the FNR Graduate Student Council for 2023-24. In this role, she communicated important departmental information to graduate students; coordinated graduate student activities from dinners to rafting, bowling and corn mazes; and represented the GSC at Purdue events. In addition, she assisted graduate students dealing with crises, led campus tours and advocated on behalf of FNR graduate students. She also helped classmates with field work for their research projects and with data analysis and coding.

Comments about Blackford noted:

  • “She did an amazing job reaching out to our students, leading and planning events and providing opportunities for the graduate students. The time she spent outside of work for this purpose cannot be understated and her positive attitude was contagious. She always advocates for he colleagues and provides leadership and mentorship to those who need it.”
  • As a friend and colleague, Anna was also always willing to help fellow graduate students with their fieldwork and study design. Another reason that Anna deserves this award is her advocacy for the well-being of our graduate students. She also advocated for graduate students at department meetings ensuring their voices were heard and questions addressed.
  • “Anna is a model that many grad students look up to and she helped create a cohesive grad community.”
  • “She made every effort as the President of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) to make students feel comfortable and get them involved to build a more welcoming community.”

Julia Buchanan-Schwanke, a 2018 wildlife alumna, is a current master’s degree student under Dr. AndrewJulia Buchanan-Schwanke in the field doing research DeWoody. Buchanan-Schwanke is currently working on a project aiming to use DNA to age wildlife.

Buchanan-Schwanke is an active member of the Purdue FNR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging committee. She has been one of the primary forces in maintaining the FNR Field Gear Closet, an initiative which offers new and gently used field gear to FNR students in order to break down the financial barriers of accessing field gear and to prevent the waste of gently used field gear that is no longer needed. 

She has served as the graduate student advisor for the Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society and also is a part of the local planning committee for the 2025 conference of the American Society of Mammalogists.

Comments about Buchanan-Schwanke highlighted her assistance in helping plan and boost attendance at numerous department functions, assistance to her fellow students and service to professional societies.

  • “Julia has made an impact with the DEIJB committee and specifically the FNR Gear closet. She has taken a log of personal time to arrange pickups and drop offs. She also organized a wish list on Amazon. In addition, Julia has supported her fellow grad students as a friend and mentor in research. She also has worked hard to make grad students feel included in the department.”
  • “She attends nearly all departmental events and helps where needed.”
  • “Julia is an excellent student and mentor to other students. She is very knowledgeable and always willing to step in and help others. She is an active member of the graduate committee. She always follows safety procedures and teaches her undergraduate workers to follow those procedures as well.”
  • “Julia is very involved in all aspects of the department and helping others. From small things like washing the towels for the grad student kitchen to large things like organizing a graduate student presence at departmental events.”

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