Trinity Announces March and June 2024 McKinley Award Winners

Trinity University has relaunched the Helen Heare McKinley Employee Excellence Award and announces two winners for March and June 2024: Marcy Youngdahl, M.D., director for Integrated Counseling and Health Services; and Ryan Hodge, machine shop technician for the CSI Makerspace.

Dr. Marcy Youngdahl

March 2024 McKinley Award Winner

Dr. Youngdahl has been at Trinity since 2018, initially serving as a part-time physician in Health Services. But in 2020, she became the first Director for Integrated Counseling, Health, and Wellness in recognition of her exemplary leadership skills and her vision for how we might best serve students in a holistic, integrated manner. Youngdahl united Wellness Services with the Counseling and Health Services team, including reimagining the roles they all played as well as recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new team members.

Of course, 2020 was a year so many of our roles on campus dramatically changed. From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and until it was dissolved some 24 months later, Youngdahl served in a leadership role for the cross-functional team called the “Nerve Center.” She supported the onboarding of critical contract staff during this time, including nursing staff, staff in the temporary COVID-19 clinic, and expert epidemiologists. Her campus-wide communication, coordination, and expertise during this time period were none other than, as her colleagues stated, “Herculean.” Her contributions to the campus community during this time cannot be overstated.

Youngdahl is consistently advocating for financial and physical resources to improve the student experiences by advocating for additional resources and staffing for Wellness Services as well as updating the infrastructure and equipment in Health Services. Her “North star” continues to be bridging research, best practices in medicine, and a holistic approach to provide integrated and thoughtful care to the entire campus community.

Ryan Hodge

June 2024 McKinley Award Winner

Ryan Hodge has been at Trinity since 2018. His industrial and artistic fabrication experience, work ethic and strong desire to support student learning has made him one of the most valuable resources on campus. As the machine shop technician in the CSI Makerspace, he was hired to help change the culture of design/prototyping/fabrication from a transactional to a transformative and holistic approach. Instead of students giving their drawings to a technician to fabricate or outsourcing to a company to manufacture, they are instead provided with a high-impact educational experience to visualize a design from conception to fabrication—and Hodge has been pivotal in developing this culture. Upon starting his position, Hodge immediately took ownership of the shop, transforming it into a more open and inviting space for students. And over the years, he has made sure to stay current with the new fabrication equipment and software so that the makerspace can evolve as future technology becomes available. 

Hodge trains students, creates educational videos, and provides suggestions and strategies for design projects. He co-teaches engineering science courses and is the sole instructor for a course he developed entirely on his own to provide opportunities for students to learn and use some of the high-end fabrication equipment.

He continues to work toward his ultimate goal of the makerspace being decentralized and community driven. A nominator wrote, “Ryan emphasizes the value of peer-to-peer learning. He has been especially aware that representation of the student workers is important so others can see themselves in the space, making it less intimidating and students have a greater sense of belonging. Ryan is continually thinking of ways to lower barriers for students, especially in non-STEM fields, to access the space.”

The Helen Heare McKinley Employee Excellence Award aims to commend Trinity University staff members who demonstrate exemplary attitude, innovation, and work ethic while efficiently fulfilling their duties, thereby bringing credit to the institution and upholding its core principles. Former student Helen H. McKinley created the award. She attended Trinity University in 1940 at the Waxahachie campus and at the first school session at the San Antonio campus in 1941 prior to further college work at the University of Texas, Austin, and the University of Texas School of Medicine. She felt that she received an excellent education at Trinity University due in large part to those dedicated employees who were not members of the formal faculty, or of the student body. This award is primarily intended to recognize the employees who contribute so much to the success of Trinity University.

The award took a brief hiatus after 2020, but has been revived for 2024 and beyond. The University wishes to thank the committee that spearheaded this effort and saw its revitalization this year:

• Michelle Byrne

• Corrine Castillo

• Trey Dunn

• Stacey Lenderman

• Pat Ullmann

• Cynthia Uviedo