COLLEGE STATION—Samantha Huge (pronounced HUE-gee), a senior associate athletics director and the senior women's administrator (SWA) at Texas A&M, was recently named a 2016 Texas A&M ACE Award winner by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office for Diversity at Texas A&M University.
Huge was presented the staff honor for Women's Progress Award. In her two years on the College Station campus, Huge has been an integral part of the Athletics Department's management team and has overseen the department's policy development and implementation, provided leadership and support for the department's gender equity and diversity initiatives as well as serving as the sport administrator for six of the Aggie athletics teams.
A couple of comments from the nomination form describe the commitment of Huge—"Samantha takes the responsibilities to heart to encourage and promote the involvement of female administrators in meaningful ways in the decision-making process in intercollegiate athletics and does her best to ensure that all females within our department, both students and staff, feel that they have a voice and that what they say matters" and "Samantha works tirelessly to ensure that the voice and concern of every employee is heard and that the wellbeing and care for those around her is a priority."
Huge was recently named to Southeastern Conference Commissioner's Championships Working Group and has been a proponent of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA).
The Accountability, Climate and Equity (ACE) Awards, formerly known as the Diversity Awards, were renamed in 2016 in the spirit of the goals of the Texas A&M University Diversity Plan (http://diversity.tamu.edu/Diversity-Plan). As the Texas A&M Diversity Plan outlines, The Aggie family is diverse. The ACE Awards recognize the appreciation of our diversity, which involves an exploration of individual differences in a safe, positive, welcoming, and nurturing academic environment. The ACE Awards center the three overarching goals of the Diversity Plan: Accountability, Climate, and Equity, which are infused throughout the award categories and are considered criteria for nomination.
The ACE Awards acknowledge and honor students, faculty and staff in honor of their demonstrated commitment to the Texas A&M core value of RESPECT by promoting respectful treatment of others, affirming and encouraging individuals to take pride in their social and cultural identities, and including all in their definition of the "Aggie Family".  The Awards are sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Office for Diversity, Department of Multicultural Services, Department of Disability Services, Women's Resource Center, Aggie Allies, the Consensual Language, Education, Awareness, and Relationships Office and the Student Government Association Diversity Commission.
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2016 Award Winners
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Huge was presented the staff honor for Women's Progress Award. In her two years on the College Station campus, Huge has been an integral part of the Athletics Department's management team and has overseen the department's policy development and implementation, provided leadership and support for the department's gender equity and diversity initiatives as well as serving as the sport administrator for six of the Aggie athletics teams.
A couple of comments from the nomination form describe the commitment of Huge—"Samantha takes the responsibilities to heart to encourage and promote the involvement of female administrators in meaningful ways in the decision-making process in intercollegiate athletics and does her best to ensure that all females within our department, both students and staff, feel that they have a voice and that what they say matters" and "Samantha works tirelessly to ensure that the voice and concern of every employee is heard and that the wellbeing and care for those around her is a priority."
Huge was recently named to Southeastern Conference Commissioner's Championships Working Group and has been a proponent of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA).
The Accountability, Climate and Equity (ACE) Awards, formerly known as the Diversity Awards, were renamed in 2016 in the spirit of the goals of the Texas A&M University Diversity Plan (http://diversity.tamu.edu/Diversity-Plan). As the Texas A&M Diversity Plan outlines, The Aggie family is diverse. The ACE Awards recognize the appreciation of our diversity, which involves an exploration of individual differences in a safe, positive, welcoming, and nurturing academic environment. The ACE Awards center the three overarching goals of the Diversity Plan: Accountability, Climate, and Equity, which are infused throughout the award categories and are considered criteria for nomination.
The ACE Awards acknowledge and honor students, faculty and staff in honor of their demonstrated commitment to the Texas A&M core value of RESPECT by promoting respectful treatment of others, affirming and encouraging individuals to take pride in their social and cultural identities, and including all in their definition of the "Aggie Family".  The Awards are sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Office for Diversity, Department of Multicultural Services, Department of Disability Services, Women's Resource Center, Aggie Allies, the Consensual Language, Education, Awareness, and Relationships Office and the Student Government Association Diversity Commission.
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2016 Award Winners
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| Award: | Winner(s): |
|---|---|
| Diversity Service – Faculty Award | Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell |
| Diversity Service – Staff Award | Dr. Arthur Watson |
| Diversity Service – Student Award | Marisa Biondi |
| Diversity Service – Student Organization | Indian Graduate Student Association |
| Gary Gray Memorial Student Award | Kaitlyn Kellermeyer |
| Partners in Learning Award of Excellence | Dr. Cristine Heaps |
| Aggie Allies Rainbow Award | Dr. Vanita Reddy |
| Phyllis R. Frye Advocacy Award | Hilary Park |
| Women's Progress Award – Faculty | Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell |
| Women's Progress Award – Staff | Samantha Huge |
| Women's Progress Award – Student | Emily Parrish |
| Stand Up Award – Student | Julian Lopez |
| Stand Up Award – Student Organization | CARPOOL |