L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

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Isom-Payne wins NACADA’s regional advising award

Shajuana Isom-Payne
Shajuana Isom-Payne

The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), the preeminent global network for academic advising, has named Shajuana Isom-Payne as the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Advocate for Academic Advising Award for Region 2. 

Isom-Payne, who has served as the assistant dean of student success at the Wilder School since 2018, was selected for her leadership in the implementation of significant counseling and structural changes in advising at the Wilder School. 

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized for my dedication to the advising community,” said Isom-Payne.

Under her leadership, the school's Student Services division has redoubled its commitment to integrating both the curricular and co-curricular aspects of public affairs education. Highlights of her tenure include the wholesale adoption of professional advising—100% of students are now seen by a dedicated advisor—expanded experiential offerings, and a proactive move toward more practices that better serve the Wilder School’s approximately 1,400 students, more than a third of whom are first-generation. 

“­I sincerely thank my colleagues and mentors for helping me reach a stage where I can proudly hold up this award as a mark of my achievement,” Isom-Payne said. “I also promise to get better at my work so that my fellow academic advisors will continue to be acknowledged and celebrated for their outstanding contributions to our students' success."

Isom-Payne will receive the award during the 2022 NACADA region conference which will be held March 2-7 in Norfolk, Va. Region 2 encompasses the Mid-Atlantic region: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

Established in 1983, the NACADA Global Awards Program for Academic Advising honors individuals and institutions making a significant impact on academic advising. The association has more than 13,000 members from the United States, including Puerto Rico, and Canada that participate in the program. 

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized for my dedication to the advising community,” —Shajuana Isom-Payne