Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) recently hosted its fifth annual Scholarships and Awards Banquet, “A Night of Inspiration,” to celebrate 53 colleagues who applied for and were awarded scholarships and awards in support of their educational goals, advancing their careers and helping improve the health of our region. Recipients are chosen by NAH’s scholarships and awards committee, comprised of clinical colleagues, non-clinical colleagues, past scholarship recipients, a board member, community members and donors.
Scholarships and awards are available for both clinical and non-clinical colleagues who are pursuing education, professional development and/or paying student loans.
In partnership with the NAH Office of Philanthropy, generous donors and corporate partners collectively provided over $148,000 in funds to support the program this year. The event’s presenting sponsor was Swire Coca-Cola of Flagstaff.
2026 Dawn Carmel Tebelak Memorial Scholarship
Sedona resident and former PGA pro Larry Tebelak lost his beloved daughter Dawn Carmel to Crohn’s and colitis disease on Sept. 10, 2021. Tebelak established an endowment in her memory to show the gratitude he and his family feel toward NAH for the compassionate care and kindness Dawn experienced during her final days. The Tebelak family, alongside NAH’s Office of Philanthropy, hosts the Dawn Carmel Tebelak Memorial Golf Tournament every October in Sedona to support the scholarship.
The scholarship is open to any eligible NAH staff member who is a student. There is a preference to award individuals who serve in Verde Valley Medical Center’s (VVMC) Medical-Surgical Inpatient Care Unit or Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The following four recipients each received $2,000:
- April Beltran: Patient Care Technician at VVMC. April is completing her associate degree in nursing with a long-term goal of completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and working as a pediatric nurse.
- Donnie Buss: Registered Nurse at VVMC ICU. Donnie has worked at NAH since 2014. In 2019, Donnie graduated with her Associate Degree in Nursing. Donnie has been accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Yavapai College and has a long-term goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner.
- Jill Hernandez: Registered Nurse on the Telemetry Unit at VVMC. Jill has been with NAH for 12 years. Jill is working toward obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Yavapai College.
- Alyssa Ozuna: Patient Care Technician at VVMC. Alyssa has worked at NAH for over 11 years. Alyssa is enrolled at Yavapai College, pursuing her goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
Atiemo Family Health Care Award:
- Baili Watt: Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) Behavioral Health (BH) Inpatient, Medical Office Assistant
- Emily Thomas: FMC Renal Dialysis, Registered Nurse (RN)
Balouch Family Scholarship:
- Victoria Mata: FMC Labor, Delivery and Postpartum, Obstetrics Technician (OB)
Bill and Debbie Johnson Health Care Award:
- Christina Villas: VVMC Radiology, RN
- Chrissy Cobban: VVMC & Sedona Medical Center (SMC) Emergency Department (ED), RN Clinical Manager
Boren Family Health Care Scholarship:
- Julio Quezada: FMC BH Inpatient, Nurse Resident
Charles D. Garrison Nursing Scholarship:
- Kelley Maynard: VVMC Family Practice, RN Care Manager
- Sarah Forrest: VVMC Clinical Support Services, RN
- Nicole Nelson: FMC & VVMC EntireCare, Acute Care Therapy Manager
Cheney Family Health Care Scholarship:
- Andrea Ormsby: FMC, Lead Pharmacy Technician
- Autumn Hamud: VVMC, ED Technician
Christensen Nursing Scholarship:
- Christopher Richardson: FMC BH Inpatient, RN
- Nicholas Londeree: FMC, Nurse Education Specialist
Dean Taylor Health Care Award:
- Joel Yuen: FMC Spiritual Care Services, Chaplain
Desert Financial Credit Union Health Care Scholarship:
- Deidre Swan: Cardiovascular Institute, Lead Medical Assistant
- Tyler Cohrt: Guardian Air, Flight Paramedic
Dorothy and Ken Lamm Health Care Award:
- Corrine Zech: FMC 3 South, RN
Embracing Health Equity Scholarship:
- Jillian Denny: FMC Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU), Patient Care Technician (PCT)
Findlay Toyota Health Care Award:
- Michael Caulkins: FMC Med-Surg Humphreys, RN
- Hannah Herrmann: Children’s Health Center, Speech Pathologist
- Samantha Meinke: SMC Radiation Oncology, RN
Graham Family Respiratory Award:
- Brian Murphy: FMC, Lead Respiratory Therapist
Lorents Family Health Care Award:
- Koral Malcom: VVMC & SMC, Patient Access Representative
Marjorie and Samuel McClanahan Nursing Scholarship:
- Melanie Rice: FMC Preop Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, PCT
Marr Family Scholarship:
- Robert Sellers: FMC Flex Pool, PCT
Mary M. Byrd Nursing Award:
- Tori Ainsworth: FMC ED, RN
Mary’s Nursing Award:
- Chyna-Mae Sablan: FMC BH Inpatient, RN
Meyer Family Nursing Scholarship:
- Shannon Flores: VVMC & SMC, BH Technician
- Isis Forney: VVMC Tele 2 West, Charge RN
Paul Weston First Responder Award:
- Jenny Johnson: Guardian Air, Flight Paramedic
R&D Venture Nursing Award:
- Taylor Minks: FMC Pediatrics, PCT
Robert and Alice Gagnaire Nursing Award:
- Holly Zeitler: FMC Operating Room (OR), Lead Specialty RN
Roger and Mary Hostetler Health Care Scholarship:
- Richelle Speilman: FMC CVICU, Clinical Manager
- Katherine Novotny: FMC Labor, Delivery and Postpartum, RN
Rosie’s FMC Labor & Delivery/SCN Award:
- Joanna Murphy: FMC Special Care Nursery, Charge RN
Sally Day “Bunny” Hanson Memorial Award:
- Kristal Young: VVMC Radiology, Multi-Modality Technologist
Simon Memorial Scholarship:
- Daniel Peck: FMC, Senior Accreditation & Regulatory Readiness Specialist
Swire Coca-Cola USA, Flagstaff, AZ Health Care Scholarship:
- Qeturah McIntyre: FMC Medical ICU, PCT
The Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation Health Care Scholarship:
- Leanna Begaye: NAH Orthopedic Surgery Center, OR scrub technician
- Jamie Tuitasi: FMC Labor, Delivery and Postpartum, OB Technician
- Charmaine Benallie: VVMC, Clinical Informatics 2
- Samantha Arviso: FMC 3 South, PCT
- Aaron Flournoy: VVMC, Cath Lab Supervisor
- Angel Curley: FMC, Community Care Coach
The Kushner Family Health Care Award:
- Lishia Hayes: FMC, Respiratory Care Practitioner/ Registered Respiratory Therapist
- Alexa Spielman: FMC BH Inpatient, Lead Mental Health Technician
The Mike Loven Family Health Care Scholarship:
- Jake Stein: Communications, Content Writing Specialist
UMR Award:
- Angela Peters: FMC Kendrick, Clinical Manager
Zachary Stamile Memorial Award:
- Alfredo Rodriguez: FMC BH Inpatient, RN