Congratulations, 2023 Talon Award Honorees!

This week, we had the pleasure of recognizing Florida Atlantic’s most outstanding University leaders with the esteemed Talon Leadership Awards. As part of Homecoming 2023, the FAU Alumni Association and Student Government co-hosted the awards ceremony to honor those who provide great service and leadership in four categories: the Student Talon Award, the Faculty Talon Award, the Richard L. Schmidt Alumni Talon Award and the President’s Talon Award.

The Student Talon Award was presented to Kaylia Cooper, an undergraduate researcher in the Honors in Biological Sciences program within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Cooper is the founding director of the Medi-Futures FAU Virtual Shadowing Program, which helps students connect with various health professionals and enables them to learn from seasoned experts in their field.

The Faculty Talon Award was presented to Dr. Jennifer Caceres, FACP, senior associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of medicine in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Since 2014, Caceres has developed career advising programs to help medical students obtain successful match outcomes while supporting longitudinal mentoring and coaching programs for future physicians.

The Richard L. Schmidt Alumni Talon Award was presented to Debbie Levine, CFRE, ’93. Levine serves as executive director of the Boca Raton Police Foundation, an organization that provides resources to the Boca Raton Police Services Department to ensure officers can perform at their highest level and keep Boca Raton safe. Since graduating, Levine has consistently supported FAU Police through training activities and other important initiatives.

Finally, I had the distinct honor of presenting the President’s Talon Award to Ann Wood and her husband, the late John Wood. John and Ann are among Florida Atlantic’s most dedicated benefactors, providing multiple transformational gifts in support of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. In 2021, they established the Robert A. Wood FAU Medical Scholars Fund, which currently supports 50 medical students. In 2022, they expanded their impact with a historic $28 million scholarship gift in memory of their son, Robert A. Wood, with the aim to enable a debt-free medical education at FAU. In July, the Woods donated another $11.5 million to the Schmidt College of Medicine in support of amyloidosis research, placing their confidence in our ability to address this life-threatening disease through innovation and multi-discipline collaboration. It was my great pleasure to honor their extraordinary generosity and unparalleled impact with this prestigious award.

Congratulations to our 2023 Talon Leadership Award honorees. Your remarkable commitment to Florida Atlantic uplifts our entire community and we are proud to have you as part of the Owl family.