Rile receives 2017 Dreamer Award

Lisa Rile, assistant director of financial affairs and recipient of the 2017 Dreamer Award. (Purdue University photo/Mark Simons) Download image

Lisa Rile, assistant director of financial affairs at Purdue, has received the 2017 Dreamer Award for her efforts to make Purdue a diverse and inclusive university.

The ceremony was part of Purdue's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration Tuesday (Jan. 17) with speaker Harry Belafonte.

The Dreamer Award, established in 2004, is given annually to an individual or organization within the Purdue community whose contributions embody King's vision of service to others and furthers the University's commitment to diversity.

"Lisa demonstrates passion and a sustained energy around helping others 'think intensively and to think critically' about diversity and inclusion at work and in our daily lives," said Carolyn Johnson, director of the Diversity Resource Office.

Rile took her current position at Purdue in 2011 and continues to bring passion and intelligence to her work, according to nomination materials for the award.

"Day in and day out, Lisa invites others to think about issues of race, personality, work style, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic level, educational attainment, and experience," Johnson said.