Marshburn is App State’s director of environmental health, safety and emergency management. He has made numerous improvements in campus safety since arriving in 2014 and has been “a tireless advocate for the student experience,” especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his nominators.

“He has shepherded Appalachian through a global crisis ... as he navigates federal, state and local guidelines. He also handles the small stuff, such as driving supplies to someone in need. There is no job too small or too big for him,” a nominator wrote.

In App State’s efforts to respond to COVID-19, Marshburn is also credited with:

• Working seven days a week for more than a year — in collaboration with local public health and the University of North Carolina System and in response to changing regulations and guidelines from national, state and local governments.
• Making sure students, faculty and staff had a safe living and learning environment on and off campus.
• Delivering meals and checking in on students in quarantine and working to transport these students to and from appointments.
• Managing all on-campus surveillance testing events and providing support and guidance to M.S. Student Health Service and Athletics’ testing operations. Through these events and departments, App State administered approximately 95% of all the COVID-19 tests in Watauga County from the start of the pandemic through spring 2021.
• Getting App State named a vaccination site by the state of North Carolina.

“Leadership manifests in many ways. With Jason it was a steady and relentless approach to assure that the university met the challenge head-on,” another nominator wrote. “Jason does all of this with a calm demeanor and a cheerful, can-do attitude,” a third nominator wrote.

Marshburn also mentors student interns in his office and serves as an adviser for Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.

Mueller is an advertising professor in the Department of Communication and collaborates with University Housing as Dogwood Hall’s faculty-in-residence. He also chairs the Active Living Residential Learning Community for students interested in wellness.

The active cyclist and former ultrarunner is described as compassionate and jovial, with a passion for advocating for students and building their resiliency.

“Tom truly and genuinely cares about the whole student. His goals and passions are to assist students in their transition to college life and prepare them for life after graduation. … He is solution-oriented and approaches situations from every possible angle to best support students and their learning in a cocurricular setting,” one nominator wrote.

“Leadership is not just about telling others what to do but it’s also about the inspiration of the people we serve. Dr. Mueller is a leader who inspires others to live a healthy-minded lifestyle,” a student nominator wrote, adding that time spent hiking with Mueller led him to create a healthy living social media page.

Mueller’s “team-based philosophy” has helped him build partnerships within University Housing. Even in the virtual learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mueller remained intentional in relating to students and building community through activities such as going to the local farmers market, hiking and participating in campus clean-ups, a nominator wrote.

“Dr. Mueller also understands the delicate balance between our personal and professional responsibilities because he lives that as well. Even though his schedule is demanding, he readily offers his support and insight to discuss how student life could be enhanced,” a nominator wrote.

Willoughby is a 2018 Plemmons Leadership Scholar majoring in communication, journalism with a minor in new media and digital cultures. The senior from Matthews is described as “an advocate and initiator — a leader who notices when there are others who are struggling or excluded, a leader who sees or hears about an issue and immediately starts thinking about how to address it,” according to her nominators.

Willoughby has made significant contributions to campus and her peers:

• As a first-year student serving in the Student Government Association, she saw her peers having health issues, gathered data from Student Health Service and created a campus campaign to inform students about healthy behaviors, flu prevention, campus resources and a flu shot clinic on campus.
• She has volunteered with Wellness and Prevention Services, engaged in voter mobilization and was selected to serve on the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board for Diversity Recruitment.
• As a student guide for Trailhead, she made personal connections with younger students and talked through with them their anxieties and fears about starting college.
• She also has been a reporter with The Appalachian student newspaper and an anchor for AppTV.

“Advocating for, supporting and amplifying stories from underrepresented students once they are on campus at Appalachian had been themes throughout Aiyana’s first few years on campus,” her nominators wrote. “She has proven to be a steady, solution-oriented leader willing to ask tough questions not only of others but also of herself.”