Northeastern’s 2025 Staff Excellence awards honors people across the global network
Winning individual staffers and teams represented the Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, Toronto, Silicon Valley, Miami, Vancouver, Portland and Arlington campuses.
Staff talent and dedication were on display during the 2025 Staff Excellence virtual awards ceremony, where eight winners in four new categories received kudos from colleagues.
The Thursday ceremony included participants from across Northeastern University’s 13 global campuses.
“From those joining us pre-lunch on our West Coast campuses, to our colleagues generously giving us your evening in London and everyone in between, thank you for making this event a priority,” says Mika Morikawa-Zhou, the learning and employee engagement associate for the university’s Human Resources department.
Over an hour and a half, colleagues shared stories of individual staff and teams that excelled in four new award categories: “Innovation Across the Network,” “Driver of Community and Belonging,” “Model Mentor and Coach” and “Dream Team.”
From an unprecedented 160 nominations, winning individual staffers and teams represented the Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, Toronto, Silicon Valley, Miami, Vancouver, Portland and Arlington campuses.
The new categories were designed to reflect “the excellence of Northeastern now,” says Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Michele Grazulis, who delivered opening remarks for the ceremony.
“I believe we are different from all other higher ed institutions, and our staff recognition should reflect that,” Grazulis says. “These individuals and teams have gone above and beyond as champions of our communities, advancing and supporting our university’s mission in extraordinary ways. You have set remarkably high standards and we are grateful for the impact you continue to make everyday across Northeastern. Your work matters, your dedication inspires and your commitment to our shared mission makes all the difference.”
Winners were selected by peer review teams after being nominated by colleagues. Many were honored for the ways their work led to change across the university system and surrounding communities. Teams were singled out for working seamlessly with other campuses. A full list of awards and winners can be found here.