This year's PACME honorees are committed to the success of the VCU community

By Amelia Heymann

Tomika Ferguson, Ph.D., associate dean of student affairs and community engagement and an assistant professor of educational leadership in the School of Education, is the 2026 recipient of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Riese-Melton Award, which recognizes contributions that advance cross-cultural relations. The announcement was made April 13 at the ceremony for the annual Presidential Awards for Community Multicultural Enrichment.

“I just want to say to someone who talks a lot, and who doesn't seek any recognition for [their] work, I am extremely humbled, and I'm grateful to have a community to be at ease with,” Ferguson said.

The PACME program recognizes VCU individuals and groups for making significant contributions to promote civility, build community, establish cross-cultural initiatives, advocate equity and nurture a welcoming environment. Ferguson is among five PACME honorees this year, and the Riese-Melton Award is the program’s capstone honor.

Christopher Brooks, Ph.D., a professor in the School of World Studies, part of the College of Humanities and Sciences, opened the ceremony by saying it is important to provide opportunities for everyone in a community to reach their full potential, and that the work the awardees were doing was making that possible at VCU.

“These awards highlight their work to build community, make everyone feel welcome and included, and to support the success of our students, colleagues, patients and many communities we serve,” Brooks said.

Here are the 2026 PACME honorees:

John Jones: Faculty Award

Jones, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, part of the College of Humanities and Sciences. Sheryl Garland, chief of health impact for VCU Health, nominated Jones because of his work addressing food policies and systems.

In 2021, Jones partnered with colleagues across several VCU schools and programs to launch the Little Ram Pantry model. Today, the program provides access to students experiencing food insecurity across the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. He also led VCU’s successful submission for Virginia Department of Environmental Quality funding to launch a food rescue and composting program.

Jones said he grew up food insecure and continued to be throughout much of his higher education. Being able to do work to combat hunger and empower students is "completing the circle” for him.

“The work that we're celebrating here is because of the transdisciplinary nature of my position and what the hiring committee saw when they recruited my position,” he said. “I encourage you all to consider that this is an example of the potential impact that transdisciplinary research can achieve.”

Ashley Shoell-Gonzales: Staff Award

Shoell-Gonzales is the program service coordinator for the VCU Ryan White Program, which provides wrap-around services to people living with HIV who are patients of the VCU Health infectious disease clinic.

Melissa Tran, program manager, said Shoell-Gonzales’s work in the field of HIV makes a difference in the lives of countless individuals and families in Virginia.

Shoell-Gonzales’ nomination noted one of her most significant contributions is the development of a hub for the Ryan White Program. The dashboard includes not only health-related information about clients but also social factors in easy-to-read icons. When a program case manager opens the dashboard, they can quickly assess the needs of the client.

“She invests her personal time and energy to ensure that our clients feel welcome, respected and empowered to navigate the campus, their medical care and their social needs,” said Danielle Qureshi, director of the Ryan White Program, in her nomination.

Aarushi Khanna: Tristan Sloane Student Award

Khanna is a bachelor’s degree student in the VCU School of Nursing. In her nomination, Leslie Lantz, a clinical instructor with the School of Nursing, said Khanna spearheaded support for Virginia legislation that expanded mandatory menstrual health education for grades 4-8. Khanna is now helping create the new curriculum with the Virginia Department of Education and also helps run the organization Sincerely, People with Periods, which is an advocacy initiative on menstrual equity topics.

Lantz wrote that Khanna embodies the values of VCU, including through her role as a patient care technician at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“Her passion for patient-centric care and her efforts to build a more inclusive, welcoming society make her an exemplary candidate for this recognition,” Lantz wrote.

Khanna also created a documentary on period poverty and co-founded a student film initiative addressing critical social justice issues.

Khanna said she strives to keep community at the core of her work.

“I'm honored to stand among those who turn advocacy into action,” she said.

Tomika Ferguson and Cristina Stanciu: Academic and Administrative Award

Ferguson and Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., shared the Academic and Administrative Award.

Stanciu is the director of the Humanities Research Center and a professor in the Department of English within the College of Humanities and Sciences. Shawn Utsey, a professor in the Department of Psychology and a previous PACME award winner, nominated Stanciu for her work with the VCU Humanities Research Center.

Since Stanciu assumed the directorship of the center in 2020, Utsey said she has created interdisciplinary humanities labs, the Indigenous Initiative and the universitywide On Native Ground framework, among other efforts.

“Her leadership embodies the spirit and purpose of PACME: advancing inclusive excellence, strengthening community and nurturing an environment where all members of the university can thrive,” Utsey said in his nomination.

Ferguson was nominated by Sean Carlin, administrative coordinator and building manager for the Office of Research and Faculty Development. He said Ferguson not only singlehandedly created the school’s student affairs department but also made sure it has flourished, while building community and partnerships between the School of Education and the rest of VCU.

Ferguson said her life of serving others was rooted in her faith community and began in a small town in Appomattox County, Virginia. As a product of a rural community, she learned early that the community needs that are most prevalent are usually unseen.

“I strive to live out this love in every aspect of my existence,” Ferguson said. “To me, loving others means a steadfast commitment to inclusion and equity in all facets of my life.”

The Riese-Melton Award was named after Walter J. Riese, M.D., who served as a professor of neurology and psychiatry in the School of Medicine, and Herman Melton, who worked at the medical center for more than 50 years. Riese fled Nazi Germany during World War II and championed the rights of African American employees at VCU. Melton was a scientist and inventor who worked at VCU for more than 55 years, assisting Riese and many others. Melton’s granddaughters, Loren Melton Glasper and Laura Wesley, attended the ceremony with family members to present the award.

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., thanked Melton’s family for attending, saying their presence was a reminder that the university's mission is multigenerational.

“We're not just an institution – we are a community,” Rao said. “There is no institution without people, and we're delighted that you can continue to bring your humanity to our institute … And you need to know that this is an institution in so many ways that is very boldly built on the shoulders of giants like your grandfather.”