Anisha Campbell and Dorothea O'Toole received University of Maryland President’s Distinguished Service Awards at the Faculty and Staff Convocation on September 8, 2026, for their exemplary contributions to the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS). Campbell is associate director of Terrapin Teachers, and O'Toole is director of building services and facilities for the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (CBMG).
The President’s Distinguished Service Award was established in 1996 to honor university staff who have served the university for at least 10 years and have demonstrated exceptional leadership and performance. Recipients of the award have a record of exemplary performance and distinctive contributions to the operation of an administrative, academic, research or service unit on campus. They have clearly demonstrated initiative to improve university programs or campus activities and have shown commitment to the campus community as a whole.
Anisha Campbell
As Maryland continues to face a significant K-12 teacher shortage, Campbell is helping to lead UMD’s efforts to fill those gaps, especially for STEM educators.
Since 2014, she has served as associate director of Terrapin Teachers, a collaboration between CMNS and the College of Education. She has recruited more than 1,200 students across four colleges to take an introductory teaching course, and over 100 have graduated as certified secondary STEM teachers.
Campbell “embodies the qualities of an exceptional leader and collaborator. Her dedication to the students she serves, her team and the future of STEM education is visionary and unwavering,” says Shared Master Teacher Steve Karig, a high school biology teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools.
She drives every aspect of the program, from building relationships with school districts to broadening recruitment efforts on and off campus to reach historically underrepresented students and minimize barriers to completing teacher certification. She has secured major grants and spearheaded the creation of the shared master teacher and part-time paid internship positions as well as a program to support new teachers.
Her contributions “have expanded well beyond her original role, driving program growth through creative process improvements, innovative initiatives and mentorship,” says the Terrapin Teachers team. For UMD students, she is a constant source of support. She not only hires tutors, connects students with scholarships and financial aid, and helps them manage the challenges of bureaucracy, but also brings in snacks and creates community.
“Before I committed to the university, she took the time to speak with me one on one about the program. Her warmth and enthusiasm for the program immediately inspired me to join,” says Zoe Chabria ’26. “Dr. Campbell has created an inclusive space for students, including myself, and has made a big university feel like a tight-knit community.
Dorothea O’Toole
Overseeing the operations of nearly 200,000 square feet of research, teaching and administrative space is a daunting task. O’Toole has demonstrated over five decades that she has the knowledge, doggedness and attention to detail to make the job look easy.
O’Toole joined UMD in 1977 as an office clerk in Fleet Services and steadily moved up in Facilities Management before moving in 2007 to the Department of Veterinary Medicine, where she oversaw its physical plant activities. Since 2011, she has managed day-to-day work in the Bioscience Research Building and the Microbiology Building, supervising infrastructure maintenance, serving as lead on renovations and special projects, negotiating service contracts and acting as laboratory compliance officer, among other responsibilities.
“It is rare to find a staff member for which all of their colleagues, both staff and faculty, constantly say, ‘What did we ever do before that person was here?’ and ‘What in the world are we going to do if they ever leave?’” says Kevin McIver, professor and department chair. “I can declare with absolute certainty that Dorothea O’Toole is exactly that integral person for CBMG.”
While working full time, O’Toole earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a project management certificate from what is now the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a master’s degree in law, homeland security and crisis management from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
“Her knowledge of facility operations is extensive, and her approach to her spaces, systems and projects is characterized by a rare level of initiative, thorough oversight and genuine ownership,” says Jason Lurie, facilities manager for animal research facilities and new construction. “The explicit and tacit knowledge I have gained from Dorothea over the years is substantial. She is, quite simply, an irreplaceable asset.”
