Lori Cawthorne was honored with the Creating the Dream Award at the 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr., Luncheon.

Cawthorne, assistant director of Human Resources, was nominated by her friend and colleague Judy Benson, director of the McNair Scholars program, in recognition of her generous gift of time as an instructor, club adviser and mentor to students. Her efforts are made quite apart from her HR responsibilities.

She has served on the President’s Commission on the Status of AHANA Faculty, Staff, and Students; has planned yearly events for AHANA faculty and staff; welcomes new AHANA students and their families to the University; and has volunteered to play in the student vs. staff basketball game.

"She is in constant contact with the Office of Diversity Services, to see how she can help out or how we can collaborate on ways to make the Suffolk experience more inclusive for all faculty, staff, and students," said Diversity Services Director Jacinda Felix, who presented the annual award along with President David J. Sargent. "She is a strong supporter of our office and gets to as many of our sponsored activities as possible, going above and beyond by staying late or coming in weekends for events and meetings."

"Lori is a kind, dedicated, caring individual who always looks to make Suffolk a better place for all members of the community and she always strives to reach out to her fellow AHANA community members," said Felix.