Alumni Awards

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice proudly highlights our alumni award winners since 2019.

Alumni Scholar Award is bestowed for outstanding scholarly contributions to the discipline of criminology and criminal justice by a person who has received the M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at ASU.

In the Spring of 2021, this award was re-named the Dr. John R. Hepburn Alumni Scholar Award in honor of Emeritus Professor John Hepburn for his contributions to the University as Vice Provost of Academic Personnel, Dean of the College of Human Services and Director in the School of Justice Studies. John was instrumental in the development of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice on the West Campus and its subsequent move to the Downtown Campus.

Spring 2024

Associate Professor Kimberly Kaiser ('16), University of Mississippi was nominated by several CCJ Faculty members because of her outstanding record in teaching and mentoring, research and service. Her research focus is in three substantive areas: (1) legal socialization with an emphasis on the influence of procedural justice; (2) decision-making within the domains of the judiciary and prosecution; and (3) the complexities of prison reentry. She has chaired multiple master's theses and mentored many more students servicing as Director of the graduate program at Ole Miss where she helped to design, implement and run the doctoral program. Her nomination notes, "not only is she a dedicated and talented scholar with an impressive publication record that contributes to both criminological theory and criminal justice policy, but she also generously invests her time teaching, mentoring, and managing a graduate program."

Spring 2023

Natalie Todak, Ph.D. (2017) was nominated by Dr. Michael White. Todak is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Natalie has become one of the leading young police scholars in the field and is a nationally recognized expert in multiple areas of policing, including women in policing, de-escalation, and police body-worn cameras. She has published 35 articles to date, with many of those articles in the top journals in the field (e.g., Criminology, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Criminology and Public Policy). She has also published in the top policing journals, including Police Quarterly, Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, and Policing: An International Journal. Notably, she is first or sole author on nearly half of those articles. Natalie has also published 10 book chapters, numerous agency reports, and she recently guest-edited a special issue of Police Quarterly. Natalie’s work in the area of women in policing is especially important. She has published numerous articles on the topic, and she is part of a national effort to increase the presence and impact of women in policing through the “30 by 30 Initiative”.

Spring 2022

Janne Gaub, Ph.D. (2015) was nominated by Dr. Michael White and Dr. Danielle Wallace. Dr. Gaub is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. As an Assistant Professor at East Carolina University, she won the Faculty Excellence Award in 2018. She is an expert on police body-worn cameras and specialty units, publishing in both academic and practitioner-focused outlets. Dr. Gaub engages in student mentoring at multiple levels, and currently serves as Vice Chair for the American Society of Criminology Division of Policing and an editorial board member for Police Practice & Research. Dr. White said, “Janne has far extended her expertise and research beyond the initial mentorship she received at ASU. She is an accomplished scholar, and she is a tremendous asset to my body-worn camera training and technical assistance team that works with the Bureau of Justice Assistance.”  Professor Gaub commended, “It is an honor and a privilege to receive this award. The experience and training I received at ASU, first as a master’s student and then as a doctoral student, set me on a course for success.”

Spring 2021 

Dr. David Pyrooz, Ph.D. (2012), Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder, was nominated by Foundation Professor Emeritus Scott Decker. Decker noted that Pyrooz’s accomplishments span scholarship, teaching and the practice of criminal justice. He has written in public forums including the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. His research has been recognized by the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and he is successful in external funding. “David is clearly already an outstanding scholar and has made foundational contributions in our understanding of prisons, gangs, youth and families at risk, and extremists. A hallmark throughout his career has been to expand and diversify the pool of new Ph.D. candidates in an area that is growing rapidly. For all of these accomplishments, he is most deserving of this award,” said Decker. In response to receiving the award, Professor Pyrooz noted, “This award means a lot to me because the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice has meant so much to me. When I think about my four years at ASU, I think about a commitment to excellence. That not only applies to research, teaching, and service, but most importantly to being a good colleague who is committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars”.

Dr. Jillian Turanovic, Ph.D. (2015) was nominated by Professor Kristy Holtfreter, who focused on Turanovic’s established national reputation as a respected scholar doing cutting-edge research on the causes and consequences of victimization, tests of criminological theory, and the effects of incarceration. Publishing in top-tier scholarly journals and securing competitive grant funding for her research, Dr. Turanovic's record of accomplishments is truly impressive. Holtfreter also noted that Turanovic received early tenure and promotion in a program that is consistently ranked among the best doctoral-granting programs in the United States. “Jill’s reputation and dedication as an outstanding mentor is what really impresses me. She creates supporting environments that actively engage students and encourages critical thinking. I believe she is among the most impressive scholars of her generation.” Turanovic, an Associate Professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University said, “I am incredibly honored to receive the Alumni Scholar Award. I received such high-quality education and mentorship during my time at ASU for which I am forever grateful. The opportunities to participate in research, teach classes, and collaborate with faculty on publications helped to put me on a successful career path. I am especially thankful to Kristy Holtfreter for nominating me, as well as to Mike Reisig, Kevin Wright, and Jacob Young for their support. I hope to continue making ASU CCJ proud, and sincerely thank the faculty and fellow students who helped me along the way.”

Spring 2020

Eryn Nicole O’Neal, Ph.D. (2016) has compiled an outstanding record of research and scholarship. Eryn’s research and scholarship focuses on issues related to sexual assault and sexual assault victimization—especially sexual assault case processing decisions, intimate partner sexual assault, resistance strategies, help-seeking behavior, and motivations for false reports. In all of her work, she adopts a feminist perspective using state-of-the-art qualitative and quantitative methods to answer theoretically informed research questions. She interprets her findings using a trans-disciplinary lens that reflects her grounding in theoretical criminology, women’s and feminist studies, criminal justice policies and practices, political science and psychology. Eryn was nominated by Regents Professor Cassia Spohn, who said, “this body of work points to a rising star in our profession and I look forward to watching Eryn’s career progress.”

Spring 2019

Scott Wolfe, Ph.D. (2012), Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, is heavily engaged in research with state and federal agencies associated with police reform. Honing his research chops at ASU, Scott moved quickly to produce useful research evidence around the “Ferguson Effect.” This work figured prominently in public policy debates relating to policing and crime. As noted by his nominator Ed Maguire, “To help inform policy is the mark of a genuine public scholar. Wolfe is a public scholar who is engaged with the community at multiple levels. I see in him a bright, industrious and very promising young scholar.”

Early Career Excellence Award is issued for demonstrating notable early-career accomplishments that indicate future success for contributions to the fields of criminology and criminal justice through research, practice, or policy.

Spring 2024

Raven Simonds, Ph.D. (2022), Senior Research Analyst for the New York City Criminal Justice Agency (CJA), was nominated by Dr. Jacob Young who focused on her contributions to research, practice and policy. Her practice work with the CJA evaluates and shapes pretrial practices as she works collaboratively with agencies who provide direct services to people impacted by the criminal legal system. Her policy work is addressing initiatives aimed at systemic issues within the criminal justice system in the effort to better understand non-traditional victims of crime—those who have been harmed by the system itself. Dr. Simonds unwavering commitment to research, practice and policy will lead to a long and strong practitioner career. 

Spring 2023

Chantal Fahmy, Ph.D. (2018) was nominated by Emeriti Professor, Scott Decker. Fahmy is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Texas-San Antonio (USTA) in the College of Health, Community and Policy. She also serves as a member of the Brain Health Consortium at UTSA and as an External Fellow with the Health Criminology Research Consortium at St. Louis University. The Division of Sentencing and Corrections of the American Society of Criminology named her their Outstanding Young Scholar in 2022. Broadly, Dr. Fahmy’s research emphasizes the roles of different types of health (e.g., physical, mental, and social health) and various health-related behaviors on criminal justice antecedents and outcomes. Her current and future research is centered on the nexus between holistic health outcomes and institutional corrections and prisoner reentry. Dr. Fahmy approaches her scholarship in a collaborative fashion and engages with interdisciplinary others whose prior work influences her own. She has published 24 articles in refereed journals and her work appears in journals such as Preventive Medicine, BMC Public Health, Health Education, Environment and Behavior, Journal of Environmental Research, Sociological Methods and Research, Public Health, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences and Social Science and Medicine.

Spring 2022

Matthew Larson (Ph.D. (2013)), Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Wayne State University, was nominated by Dr. Gary Sweeten. Sweeten noted that Larson has written extensively on romantic relationships in the life-course focusing on the effects of romantic relationship dissolution on crime and predictors of intimate partner violence. As part of his service work, Matt co-founded JUST POETRY, an annual event that brings together criminal justice employees, children of incarcerated parents, crime victims and others for a poetry/spoken word event thematically focused on justice. Sweeten said, “Matt has demonstrated excellence in research, innovative and community-embedded education, and community engaged service. He represents the best of what our school values.” In response to receiving the award, Professor Larson noted, “I’m beyond honored to receive this award, and am forever grateful for the invaluable mentorship I received from Gary, Danielle, Cassia, Chuck, and others during my four years in Phoenix. The School of Criminology & Criminal Justice is a special place that continues to generate some of the most important work in the field. I’m humbled to be an alum and receive this recognition.”

Spring 2021

Brooks Louton, Ph.D. (2016). At the time of nomination, Dr. Louton headed the Strategic Planning Analysis and Research Center (SPARC) at the Tempe Police Department. SPARC is focused on long-term data analysis including strategic and administrative crime analysis as well as traditional police planning and research work. Dr. Danielle Wallace said, “Brooks worked for me as a post-doctoral researcher on one of the most difficult projects I have ever experienced. She demonstrated not only intellectual but professional prowess which benefited the client and the project immensely. I nominated Brooks because I strongly believe that in the coming years, she stands to be one of the most pivotal practitioners in Arizona”. In receiving the award, Dr. Louton said, “I'm honored to receive this award, and deeply grateful for the support I received as a graduate student at Arizona State University. I look forward to continuing to serve my community using the education I received. Thank you.” Brooks is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor for the School.

Spring 2020

Police Lieutenant Leonard Redhorse III (M.A., 2016) of the Navajo Nation Police Department (NPD) was recognized for his significant contributions to the NPD large vision that focuses on improving services and vetting strategies for justice program deliveries. Among other accomplishments, Lieutenant Redhorse developed the first community listening session for NPD. The sessions created a platform for the NPD to speak universally about criminal justice topics to the Navajo Nation community. This was the first process to incorporate community expectations into planning processes. This effort has improved community relations and has been positively received by the Navajo Nation community. Equally impressive were Lt. Redhorse’s work around NPD’s fleet program, body camera program, and E 9-1-1 pilot. In his nomination of Lt. Redhorse, Deputy Chief of Police, Daryl Noon said, “he has advocated for an increased involvement by criminology and criminal justice academic programs for assessing First Nation police programs.”

Spring 2019

Allyson Roy is steeped in Sun Devil pride, having received both her undergraduate (2012) and graduate degree (M.S., 2014) from ASU. She was immediately hired as a crime analyst with the Tempe Police Department. Allyson used her knowledge of ASU and the Tempe police department to make connections, which helped the School receive grant funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures) for work on the Tempe police department’s body worn camera program. In 2016, Allyson became a sworn officer of the Tempe PD. Her nominator, Mike White, said, “Allyson epitomizes what it means to be a 21st century cop: educated, mature, empathetic, data savvy, a strong communicator, and an excellent problem solver”.  You can look for Allyson on the television show LIVE PD “Women on Patrol” https://www.tvinsider.com/691162/live-pd-women-on-patrol-premiere/.

Spring 2019

Brian Issitt (M.A., 2006), Lieutenant in the Phoenix Police Department, was recognized for his exemplary performance and contributions to policing, receiving more than 45 commendations in his career and being named Supervisor of the Year for the department in 2014. He was, not surprisingly, promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant in the time between his nomination and the awards ceremony (and was later promoted to Commander). Lieutenant Issitt was honored in particular for his contributions to the Phoenix Police Department intelligence officer program and his support of the collaboration between the School and Phoenix PD on this project. Brian was nominated by Dr. Cody Telep, who noted that then Sgt. Issitt “worked tirelessly to ensure the program’s success, eventually getting approval for a citywide expansion. He also was incredibly supportive of the evaluation efforts, helping us with data requests and data collection. His dedication to data collection is best evidenced by his attending patrol briefings basically around the clock in the Mountain View precinct to help increase our officer survey response rate. He really cares about research!”

 

Dr. Marie Griffin Distinguished Alumni Award is bestowed for having made significant contributions to the advancement of criminology and criminal justice through distinguished leadership achievements as a practitioner in one of the justice professions.

Spring 2024

Director of the North Carolina Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Standards Division,                 J. Jeffrey Smythe, was nominated by Dr. Joe Schafer for this distinguished practitioner award. Jeff oversees pre-service and in-service training for over 30,000 police and corrections personnel from across the state, as well as the credentialing of some 18,000 civilian and sworn instructors. He helped create state-level accreditation program and helped redesign and expand the pre-service training academy for all new North Carolina police officers, growing that academy experience by almost six weeks of additional training. Dr. Schafer who nominated Director Smythe noted, "What repeatedly strikes me about Jeff is his insistence on holding police organizations and personnel to a higher standard of accountability, professionalism and fair/impartial service to those they serve. 

Spring 2023

Kennesha Jackson, M.A. (2012) was nominated by Dr. Kate Fox. Ms. Jackson recently served nine years as the State Victims’ Rights Administrator (SVRA) at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and, as a member of the management team, presented the National Crime Victims’ Rights Award by the United States Department of Justice. As the SVRA, she directed the administration and monitoring of the Victims’ Rights Fund awarded to criminal justice agencies at all levels of government and oversaw uniformity of victim opt-in forms distributed by law enforcement agencies and county attorney offices. In this role, she also served on the AGO Victims’ Rights Advisory Committee and led statewide workgroups to address victims' rights issues through evaluation of legislation and implementation of victims’ rights statutes. She started her career as a victim advocate at the Attorney General’s Office where she gained ample exposure to victims’ rights by monitoring criminal cases through her direct involvement with case management in both the pre- and post-conviction phases. In addition to the AGO committee, she serves on the Arizona Coalition of Victim Services, Arizona State Agencies Coordinating Team, Maricopa County Branch NAACP Board Member and the Maricopa County Branch NAACP Political Action Committee. She has received the following awards and honors: Arizona Attorney General’s Office Criminal Division Outstanding Team Award, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Division Leadership in Action Award and the United States Department of Justice, Crime Victims’ Rights Award.

 

Spring 2022 – no nominations received

Spring 2021

Rodger Benefiel, Ph.D. (2015), Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice at Bloomsburg University, has 24 years of experience working in federal corrections. He has worked at nine different federal prisons, including being one of the first officers at the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, and serving as a lieutenant at three different prisons, including the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also a chief correctional supervisor (captain) at the federal prisons in El Reno, OK, and Phoenix prior to becoming an associate warden at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego and at the Federal Correctional Complex in Tucson. His award was presented by Regents Professor Cassia Spohn, who said, “Dr. Benefiel’s long and distinguished career in corrections makes him an ideal candidate for this award.” On receiving news of the award, Professor Benefiel said, “I am honored to receive this award. Arizona State took a chance on a practitioner who wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge in corrections and helped transform me into an academic with expanding interests in punishment, the courts, and social justice issues. I cannot thank the faculty at ASU enough - I have a fulfilling career and am impacting lives, including going back to prison as an educator. Thank you very, very much.”

Spring 2020

Ben Henry, Deputy Director, Director of the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC). Ben is an alum who has had a major impact on public safety, and throughout his time in law enforcement, he has been a strong advocate for research and has looked for ways to partner with ASU students and faculty. Local law enforcement benefited from Ben’s 26 years of experience in almost every Phoenix Police Department division and bureau, during which time he has received numerous honors including the Distinguished Service Award and the Chief’s Unit Award. He also served as Chief Deputy of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office before transitioning into his previous role of Deputy Director at AZPOST. Ben was nominated by Dr. Cody Telep who noted, “much of the success of several research grants can be attributed to Ben laying the groundwork, and the ongoing partnership with ASU is a testament to Ben’s belief in the value of research for police agencies.”

Spring 2019

Randall Snyder (M.A., 2014), at the time of the award Detective in the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigations Bureau, Internet Crimes Against Children unit, was recognized for his significant contributions to the advancement of criminology and criminal justice through distinguished leadership achievements. Among other awards, Detective Snyder has received a Special Commendation from the US Attorney General’s Office. He has been directly responsible for the capture of domestic and international child exploitation offenders, rescuing many children from the hands of abusers. As noted by one of his former supervisors, “but for Snyder’s efforts these children would still be in the hands of their abusers.”

Spring 2016

Greg Fizer (M.A., 2014), Assistant Warden of Programs at the CoreCivic Red Rock facility, has over 40 years of correctional experience, and is the inaugural recipient of the Marie Griffin Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Dr. Fizer has a lifelong commitment to learning. He earned his bachelors in criminal justice and psychology in 1981, his masters in criminal justice in 2014, and his Ed.D. in Leadership and Innovation in 2019. Greg is an incredible asset to ASU and to academia. He has made significant contributions at the local (for our ASU students), state (through his innovative programming at ADCRR and CoreCivic), and national (through his work through NIJ) levels. The Arizona Department of Corrections named Greg “Warden of the Year” in 2015. He has served our country and was honorably discharged from the Air Force. He has been a member of the ASC and ACJS, as well as many other organizations including Vice-President of the Arizona Probation, Parole, and Correctional Association. Many ASU students at all levels have been inspired and have learned from Dr. Greg Fizer.