Dec. 6, 2024
La Toya Stevens, a communications director at the University of Missouri, was recently recognized for her work promoting Mizzou’s STEM Cubs program.
Stevens won the 2024 Circle of Excellence Award for Storytelling and the Best of District VI Award for Storytelling bestowed by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
STEM Cubs is a free program that connects elementary school students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Last year, Stevens led marketing efforts that included digital media, social media, display ads and print media — efforts that helped significantly boost student and volunteer participation.
“This was a well-executed multifaced campaign,” the judges wrote. “We liked that the video content was a mix of produced and user-based content. Additionally, the increase in STEM Cub volunteers was a great and true testament that their strategy worked.”
Every year, CASE celebrates the best work in educational advancement in the Mid-America region, recognizing communicators for superior accomplishments and professional contributions. In 2024, teams from 600 institutions in 28 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,223 entries for the CASE Circle of Excellence Award. The 93 award categories span all advancement disciplines, including magazines and publications, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, special events, marketing, leadership, video and more. Award entries were considered for global recognition and regional or district recognition.
In notifying Stevens of the Best of District VI award, CASE officials praised her extraordinary work, saying “your creative and innovative ideas will serve as inspiration for countless others in the months and years ahead.”
