BOONE, N.C. — Six faculty and staff members in Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business have earned Sywassink Awards for Excellence, which honor teaching, research and service, as well as the spirit of the college.

The Sywassink Awards and the annual Day of Excellence dinner and program, during which the awards are conferred, are made possible by a contribution from G.A. Sywassink — an honorary App State alumnus, a past chair of the university’s Board of Trustees and the college’s Business Advisory Council, and a previous member of the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors.

The 2024 winners:

• Dr. David Marlett received the Sywassink Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• Dr. Dennis Guignet received the Sywassink Award for Excellence in Research.
• Dr. Jim Westerman received the Sywassink Award for Excellence in Service and the Spirit of Walker Award for faculty.
• Chris Taylor received the Sywassink Special Faculty Award.
• Katharine Stone received the Sywassink Outstanding Staff Award.
• Sabrina Cheves received the Spirit of Walker Award for staff.

“So many in the Walker College of Business have been positively impacted by the Sywassink family,” said Walker College Dean Sandra Vannoy. “Through their support, we are able to celebrate excellence each year and recognize outstanding accomplishments in our college.”

Members of the Sywassink family — G.A. and his wife, Shirley, along with their son, Chris, and his wife, Julie — were in attendance at this year’s Day of Excellence, held in the Parkway Ballroom of App State’s Plemmons Student Union in May. The event was emceed by Vannoy.

Winners received a monetary prize, a glass trophy and a bronze medallion featuring the university’s seal.

Read on to learn more about this year’s winners.

Teaching Award — Dr. David Marlett

Marlett is App State’s Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) Professor of Insurance in the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance and managing director of the university’s Brantley Risk and Insurance Center. He joined App State’s faculty in 2003, and his teaching centers on risk management, international insurance markets, insurance company operations and life and health insurance. Marlett is also heavily involved in providing students with experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom.

“David is an incredible educator and a tireless advocate on behalf of his students in the classroom … and displays a dedication to his students’ success outside the classroom that is unparalleled among his peers,” said a nominator.

Marlett regularly leads student groups on domestic and international trips, helping them attend professional events and seminars, gain valuable industry experience and network with future employers. He also advises App State’s chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, an international collegiate organization for students interested in careers in insurance, risk management and actuarial science.

“Due to David’s diligent efforts in forming industry connections, countless Appalachian State University alumni are now employed as risk management and insurance professionals throughout the world,” said another of Marlett’s nominators.

Marlett earned the Sywassink Award for Excellence in Service in 2016. Previously, Marlett taught at Illinois Wesleyan and Old Dominion universities, and he has served as an instructor for the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc. and American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters. Marlett earned bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in risk management and insurance from Florida State University.

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Research Award — Dr. Dennis Guignet

Guignet, associate professor in the Department of Economics, joined App State’s faculty in 2018, after spending seven years as an economist at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.

Guignet’s research focuses on environmental economics, as well as the value of environmental and natural resources that don’t have traditional market prices. His research has helped quantify the cost of hazardous waste when not properly treated, chemical accidents, health problems associated with air pollution and the damages from sea level rise caused by climate change.

At App State, Guignet has produced 16 peer-reviewed publications and has been published in top environmental and resource economics journals. A nominator shared that six of Guignet’s journal articles have been published since 2023, showing a high level of sustained productivity.

Guignet is a two-time recipient of the Dean’s Club Research Prize, illustrating the quality of his research and its importance to the mission of the college. He is the first faculty member to win the top prize twice, in 2020 and 2023.

Guignet has secured external funding for his research, including a National Science Foundation grant, and he holds a faculty research fellowship through Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a federally funded research institution. He is also active in student research collaborations.

Guignet earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental and renewable resource economics from The Pennsylvania State University and his master’s and Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Maryland.

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Service Award and Spirit of Walker Award for faculty — Dr. Jim Westerman

A member of the faculty in App State’s Department of Management since 2005, Westerman holds the college’s James E. Holshouser Distinguished Professorship in Ethics and leads the college’s Sustainability Steering Committee.

Westerman has represented the Department of Management as a member of App State’s Faculty Senate, having recently chaired the senate’s Athletics and Budget Committees. Additionally, he has served on the Faculty Hickory Campus Task Force and the university’s Tuition and Fee Advisory Board.

He is also a member of the UNC System Faculty Assembly, representing App State, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington and North Carolina A&T on the Faculty Assembly Executive Committee. Westerman is an ex-officio member of the UNC Board of Governors Budget Committee.

“Jim is a highly engaged, creative problem-solver who makes differences for faculty without compensation or recognition,” said a nominator. “He has served with honor and integrity and made a huge difference behind the scenes for all faculty in the UNC System.”

In addition to the Sywassink Award for Excellence in Service, Westerman received the Sywassink Spirit of Walker Award, which recognizes one faculty member and one staff member who most exemplify Walker College core values and bring positive, significant recognition to the college and university.

Westerman is a two-time past recipient of a Sywassink Award, having won in 2009 for research and in 2012 for teaching.

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Special Faculty Award — Chris Taylor

Taylor is App State’s cybersecurity program coordinator and a practitioner-in-residence in the Department of Computer Information Systems.

Taylor joined App State’s faculty in 2011 and holds professional designations as an Ethical Hacker and Security Professional, along with Security Analyst Certifications, which contribute to his students’ classroom experiences. He also brings experience as a former network operations manager and consultant for Quadrant Information Security.

Taylor has been instrumental in the development of the cybersecurity curriculum at App State, including the cybersecurity concentration that began in fall 2021, the cybersecurity minor that began in fall 2022 and the B.S. in cybersecurity that will begin this fall.

Taylor, who holds graduate faculty status, has helped develop a number of graduate courses, including Data Management, which received Quality Matters certification. He also worked closely with representatives from companies such as Grant Thornton, Wells Fargo and Ally Bank to develop a course in Audit Analytics, which provides students the core concepts that industry demands related to IT auditing and analytics.

Taylor is a member of the university’s Academic Technologies Governance Committee, co-advisor to the Appalachian Information Technology Professionals Club and serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of Information Systems Applied Research.

Taylor is an App State alumnus, having received his MBA in 2011 and a business analytics certificate in 2017. He earned the Sywassink Award for non-tenure track faculty in 2013.

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Outstanding Staff Award — Katharine Stone

Stone is assistant director of academic advising in the Walker College of Business, a role through which she navigates the nuances of curricula, policies and procedures to the benefit of business students. She joined the advising staff in 2013.

“Katharine is a true advocate for students,” said a nominator. “She brings out the best in them and keeps them moving in the right direction with a humble consistency that demonstrates rare dedication and care.”

Stone’s colleagues describe her as an optimist, solution finder and communicator.

“Katharine models unselfish devotion and strength of character daily,” said another nominator. “She cares deeply about the success of others and the success of the advising center, collectively.”

Stone holds a Bachelor of Arts in sustainable development and a Master of Science in academic advising from Kansas State University.

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Spirit of Walker Award for staff — Sabrina Cheves

Cheves is the facilities specialist in the Walker College of Business. Cheves joined the staff at App State in 2008, having previously served as operations manager for Cornerstone Designs, a challenge course design, construction and repair service.

She manages daily operations in Peacock Hall and serves as an administrative assistant in the Walker College Dean’s Office. Cheves also serves as the college’s liaison to App State’s building services and emergency management units.

“Sabrina is a quiet force behind the scenes making things run smoothly,” said a nominator. “She is quick to help faculty, staff and students whenever there is a need.”

Her nominators collectively noted that Cheves possesses a wide breadth of experience and skills that contribute to the college, including writing and editing, handiwork and photography. Additionally, Cheves’ nominators noted her relationship-building skills and inclusive personality.

“Sabrina builds relationships on behalf of the Walker College with everyone she meets in her work, and she earns the respect of others with her honesty, integrity and efficiency,” said another nominator.

Cheves earned bachelor’s degrees in education and English from the University of Georgia and the University of Montana, respectively.

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About the Walker College of Business

The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact their communities, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling more than 4,000 undergraduates in 11 majors, Walker College has the highest enrollment of full-time undergraduate students in the University of North Carolina System, and more than 250 graduate students are enrolled in the college’s three master’s programs. App State’s Walker College is accredited by AACSB International — the premier global accrediting body for business schools. Learn more at https://business.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.