The Office of Administration congratulates its associate vice chancellor and associate vice president, Emily A. Messa, for winning the Dr. Wright L. Lassiter, Jr. Legacy Award at the C3X 2020 Virtual Annual Conference & Expo.
NACAS offers a Legacy Award in the name of one of the founders and the first president of NACAS, Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr., in recognition of his extraordinary and outstanding service to NACAS, the institutions he served, and the many professionals he taught and mentored. The award honors an auxiliary/ancillary services professional or business partner member who demonstrates Dr. Lassiter's leadership qualities and his commitment to volunteerism and community service.
“I am delighted to receive this scholarship to attend C3X as it is more important than ever that we stay connected to the key issues in auxiliary services to help support our home institutions,” Messa said. “I am honored to be recognized for my service to NACAS, our beloved association, and my institution. I am so proud of the work we get to do every day as auxiliary services professionals.”
Messa’s leadership within the Office of Administration has resulted in advancing an extraordinary number of key functions on behalf of the University of Houston (UH). For example, her efforts in sustainability earned the University of Houston recurring GOLD rankings by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). As chair of the UH System-wide Public Art Committee, Messa developed a strategic set of initiatives that, together, have comprehensively amplified a previously understated asset of the UH system.
Messa has also invested in the success of students through a deep commitment to the Higher Education program. She generously teaches regularly in both Masters and Ph.D. programs and has served as a member of several dissertation committees. Outside of the classroom, Messa has also supported the continued and expanding partnership between the higher education program and her division to provide assistantship and internship opportunities for students.