The Office for Public Engagement is pleased to announce that Director for Public Engagement Initiatives Amber Cameron received the University of Minnesota's 2026 President's Award for Outstanding Service. This honor is presented annually to active and retired faculty and staff who have gone above and beyond their regular duties to provide exceptional service to our campuses, colleges, and departments. Twelve University of Minnesota faculty and staff members earned the recognition this year.
"Amber’s career represents sustained, visionary, and institution-shaping service of the highest order," said Laurie Van Egeren, Vice Provost for Public Engagement. "For more than two decades—14 of those years in service to the University of Minnesota system—she has dedicated her professional life to institutionalizing supports for reciprocal, equitable relationships between universities and communities. Through her leadership, public engagement at the University of Minnesota has become more strategic, more embedded, and more impactful. Her work has fundamentally shaped how public engagement is understood, practiced, assessed, and celebrated across the University of Minnesota and well beyond."