GOLD & Bold
The GOLD & Bold awards recognize the accomplishments of three outstanding young alumni every year. This year, we are recognizing Grant Helle, '19, Juana Hollingsworth, '16, and Sarah Huebner, '16 as the 2025 award recipients. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are all welcome!
Thursday, October 2
11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Behind Chats in Maucker Union
Bring your lunch and hear from the awardees how UNI helped them get started on their successful journeys and how they paved the way as young alumni. After the ceremony, please stay for a dessert reception. Registration for the event is encouraged, but not required.
2025 Awardees
Grant Helle, '19
Grant is 2019 graduate and a trailblazer in sustainability and public service. As director of the Milwaukee County Office of Sustainability—the youngest to hold such a role in Wisconsin—he has led groundbreaking efforts to combat climate change and advance equity. His leadership has resulted in Milwaukee County’s first Climate Action 2050 Plan, sustainable design standards for new construction, and tools to guide electrification and renewable energy initiatives, all reflecting his commitment to innovative, community-focused change.
Grant stays connected to UNI through guest lectures, mentorship, and hosting student groups, including welcoming over 70 students to Milwaukee for an in-depth look at sustainability in practice. He leads with humility and creativity, tackling some of the most complex challenges of our time while bringing others along with him. Known for his approachable and values-driven leadership, Grant exemplifies UNI’s mission to educate active, globally aware citizens who create lasting impact.
Juana Hollingsworth, '16, '17
Juana Hollingsworth is committed to equity and leadership in higher education. Since graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 2016, she has earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership. Her award-winning research centers the experiences of Black students at predominantly white institutions, and she has published nationally, presented at major academic conferences, and co-edited The Higher Education Green Book. Juana currently supports more than 140 students as an academic advisor at Johns Hopkins University and has received institutional honors such as the 2023 Diversity Recognition Award.
Juana’s connection to UNI runs deep. As a former staff member, she launched inclusive campus visit programs and advised student organizations such as the Black Student Union and Ethnic Student Promoters. As an alumna, she continues to give back through keynote speaking, panel participation, and leading alumni engagement efforts — most recently for the 50th Anniversary of UNI’s BSU. Juana lives UNI’s mission through mentorship, advocacy, and a lifelong commitment to educational access and community uplift.
Sarah Huebner, '16
Sarah Huebner is a 2016 graduate, where she earned her degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. Now a Wildlife Ecologist with the Smithsonian Institution, Sarah leads the creation of its first born-digital wildlife collection, built entirely from camera trap imagery. Based at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, she curates Smithsonian WILD—a free, open-access archive of expertly labeled wildlife images designed to support research, artificial intelligence development, and global conservation efforts.
Her work bridges science, technology, policy, and public engagement, making conservation data widely accessible and actionable. She draws on deep field experience, including studies of lions and elephants in South Africa, and a strong record of collaborative science. While earning her Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Minnesota, she co-founded Snapshot Safari, a camera trap network spanning six African countries, and helped launch the Labeled Image Library of Alexandria (LILA), a public image database supporting machine learning and species identification.
Across all of her work, Sarah is committed to building inclusive, data-rich tools that help people and wildlife thrive together. She remains actively connected to UNI through guest lectures, student engagement, and citizen science, living out the university’s mission by making science accessible, impactful, and inclusive.
Past GOLD & Bold award winners
Criteria
Award selections celebrate the unique and emerging contributions young alumni make in their communities and careers that have distinguished them as leaders at this stage of their lives. Consideration is also given to graduates who maintain a continued relationship with the University of Northern Iowa and pursue further development in their field. Help us lift up Panthers who represent UNI’s spirit and tradition of excellence. Nominate an alum who is GOLD & Bold!
Eligibility
- Nominees for 2025 must have earned their first degree from the University of Northern Iowa, at any degree level, between May 2015 and May 2025.
- Nominees should demonstrate significant achievements or contributions to their profession, community and/or the university and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with the University of Northern Iowa.
- Nominees must be able to attend the GOLD & Bold award presentation.
- Self-nominations are accepted.
Honorees will be notified by August 1, 2025 and recognized at the GOLD & Bold award presentation. Honorees are asked to give a 10-minute, TED Talk-style address to share their achievements and inspire a new generation of young leaders. Connecting Alumni to Students (CATS) will moderate a Q&A following the presentations.