Pace receives lifetime achievement award

For only the third time, Grand Valley’s Women’s Commission presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to a campus pioneer who advocates for the rights of women on campus.

Diana Pace, associate dean of students, received the award March 12 during the annual Celebrating Women Awards in the Kirkhof Center. Previous awards were given to Mary Seeger and Cynthia Mader.

Theresa Rowland, Women’s Commission co-chair, introduced Pace to the audience and called her “a courageous voice on campus for inclusion and equity.”

“She has given voice to important equity issues with a passion, and during her work in the Dean of Students office has strengthened co-curricular activities,” Rowland said.

Pace joined Grand Valley in 1976 as a psychologist. She has served as director of the Counseling and Career Development Center from 1985 until moving into her current role in 2003. In the Dean of Students Office, she helped establish a mediation and conflict resolution program.

“One of the things I love most about Grand Valley is the women here,” Pace said. “Sometimes you are in a leadership role, sometimes it’s a supporting role, but either way you always know you have moral support.”

The commission also presented the Maxine Swanson Award to Colette Seguin Beighley, director of the LGBT Resource Center; the Women’s Impact Award to Mitzi Loving Johnson, Movement Science secretary; and the Unsung Hero Award to Kate Harmon, associate director of athletic and recreation facilities.

The Women’s Center presented Outstanding Student Awards to Rachel Gladstone, V’Lecea Hunter, Danielle Meirow, Sherri Slater and Dmitri Westbrook. Meirow also received the Jean Enright Scholarship from Women and Gender Studies and the Women’s Center.

Positive Black Women gave scholarships to Lisa Snider, Christon Stewart, Tiara Parks, Emny DeLeon, Jamillya Hardley, Deqa Elmi and Khadijah Johnson.