Emerging Leader
The AWHE Emerging Leader Award will be presented annually to a woman in higher education in Arizona whose potential to achieve is evident. You may nominate yourself or someone else. The nominee must hold a position in a higher education institution and demonstrate a commitment to higher education, promise of future leadership at their institution, and commitment to AWHE’s goals and purpose.
2025 Winner
Jessica (Jessi) Discua
2025 AWHE Emerging Leader
Jessica has been a dedicated member of Gateway Community College since 2017, serving as an Instructor Senior for the EMT department. With over 20 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services (EMS)—10 as an EMT and 10 as a Paramedic—she has spent the last decade inspiring the next generation of EMS professionals through teaching and leadership. Her work reflects a deep commitment to fostering inclusive, collaborative, and student-centered learning environments.
Among her many accomplishments, she spearheaded Gateway’s first-ever EMS/Fire Career and Educational Fair, which drew over 100 attendees and 23 employers. Now in its second year, the event has expanded to include law enforcement, exemplifying her vision for continuous growth and excellence. She is also the author of the Kaplan Publishing EMT Focus Prep for the National Registry study guide, contributing to its success from the 5th edition through its current iteration.
In addition to her leadership, Jessi has developed curricula tailored especially for high school students, incorporating essential life skills like personal finance, resume writing, and interview preparation. These efforts ensure a strong foundation for students entering the EMT program in their dual-enrollment program. She holds dual national-level EMS educator certifications, is an American Heart Association Basic and Advanced Life Support Instructor, and has taught and worked in EMS in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and even onboard Princess Cruises as a Maritime Paramedic.
A graduate of the Linda B. Rosenthal Women’s Mentor Program through Maricopa Community College, Jessi completed an intensive nine-month leadership and mentorship program in 2023–2024. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration, building on her associate degree in Paramedicine. She has also given guest speaking sessions at her college’s Employee Learning Day internal conferences on using Canva’s AI generation tools as well as a data-driven idea to help score students objectively when using medical scenarios.
Driven by a passion for education and service, Jessi strives to create a welcoming and empowering environment for all her students. Her personal mission—to instill a love for the EMS profession and support the growth of every student who walks into her classroom—is a testament to her leadership and dedication to higher education, and she is humbled to receive an award like this, a first of its kind for her.
Past Honorees
2024 Winner
Dr. Nika Gueci
2024 AWHE Emerging Leader
Dr. Nika Gueci is a born and bred New Yorker who moved to the desert to advance Arizona State University’s Charter of inclusion and belonging. She is the inaugural Executive Director of ASU’s Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience, created as an institutional-priority initiative to build human capacity through an innovative whole-person approach. Here, she furthers individual and community resilience through translational research, customized curriculum and leadership trainings. Nika has presented over 1k speeches, workshops, and events; and has been invited to speak on media sources such as AZ3TV, NPR, ASU News, and keynote at national conferences. She serves as co-chair of the Mental Well-Being Committee, Arizona Department of Health Services and leads a state-wide strategy to reduce loneliness and social isolation.
In 2023, she was a Senior Fellow at ASU’s Learning Enterprise as venture design lead on Personal Development Solutions, created for learners to realize and develop their full potential as thriving human beings.
Nika has been recognized as one of the top 50 women leaders of Arizona. She is a registered yoga teacher and ardent advocate for animal rights. She serves on the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association Wellness Task Force and fosters dogs. She holds an EdD in leadership and innovation from Arizona State University, MA in communication from New Mexico State University and a BA in Russian from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Dr. Ashley K. Randall
2023 AWHE Emerging Leader
Dr. Ashley K. Randall is an Associate Professor, Honors Faculty, and Senior Global Futures Scientist, at Arizona State University (ASU). She earned her BS in Psychology from Indiana University – Bloomington, her MS in Psychology from North Dakota State University, and her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona. Dr. Randall’s area of expertise is in how couples cope with stress in the context of their relationship, with a particular focus on elevating the voices of traditionally underrepresented couples. She has presented and published internationally on these topics. Dr. Randall is President-Elect of ASU’s Faculty Women’s Association and Editor-in-Chief of Personal Relationships, the flagship journal of the International Association for Relationship Research, among other service roles she holds. A Fulbright Alumna (Switzerland, 2007) and Specialist (Indonesia, 2023) she is dedicated to international educational exchange, which is evidenced by her Fellow status in the American Psychological Association’s Division 52 (International Psychology). Dr. Randall would like to dedicate this award to her mother, Ellen Karay Randall, who always instilled in her the value of education.
Nilsa Casas
2022 AWHE Emerging Leader
Nilsa Casas is a Fiscal Manager at GateWay Community College. She has
worked for the Maricopa Colleges for about two decades. Her hands-on experience
and understanding of the diverse students is what sets Nilsa aside from the rest and
assured her continued success in Business Services. Nilsa puts student success first and makes sure to take care of needs, to keep students enrolled, retained, and engaged.
Dr. Celeste Atkins
2021 AWHE Emerging Leader
Dr. Atkins serves as an Instructional Designer for Digital Learning where she combines her sociological training and over a decade of teaching at the college level to support online course design. She earned her BA in sociology at California State University San Bernardino with an emphasis on race and gender. She completed her MA in sociology at the University of Southern California. Dr. Atkins earned her doctorate at University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education. Her doctoral research is focused on how sociology faculty from traditionally marginalized backgrounds teach about privilege and inequality. She successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on March 29th, 2021.
Before joining the Digital Learning team, Dr. Atkins taught sociology full-time at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona and was awarded the Pacific Sociological Association’s Early Career Award for Innovation in Teaching Sociology. Her interest in curriculum design and digital learning was sparked in her two years as the graduate assistant for UA’s Office of Instruction and Assessment. Since beginning her doctoral program, she contributed to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning with an original approach to teaching Introduction to Sociology and has published her dissertation research in two different texts. She is honored to be a 2020-21 recipient of the Dr. Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship and the 2020 Hans. O Mauksch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Sociology recipient.
In her free time, Dr. Atkins is a dedicated mother to her wonderful daughter, Cheyenne. She also enjoys crocheting, photography, music, game nights with friends, and dreaming up amazing birthday parties for her daughter each year.
2019 – Mary Venezia, M.A.
Mary Venezia currently serves as Director of Enrollment Initiatives and Special Events at University of Arizona. A first-generation college student, Ms. Venezia earned her undergraduate degree from NAU and a master’s degree in higher education from UA. She has worked in wide-ranging areas at UA including university housing, academic advising, and TriO and she has earned national recognition, as well as the University of Arizona Staff Excellence Award. She embodies a consistent commitment to higher education, support for women and underrepresented populations, and the mission of AWHE, writ large.