Distinguished SAS Educator Award
Winner: Michael J. Salé, DPS
Michael Salé is an Associate Professor of Management Information Systems at the Meehan School of Business at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. At Stonehill, Salé directs multiple programs, including the Master of Professional Studies in data analytics and the undergraduate management information systems programs. He has led the development of a data analytics curriculum for the college and spearheaded the establishment of a partnership between Stonehill College and SAS. This partnership, which includes a SAS Tier 3 Academic Specialization, has allowed hundreds of students to acquire the important data analytics skills that college graduates need to excel in every industry.
Before coming to Stonehill, Salé was a Senior Project Manager in the higher education software industry, where he led the implementation of enterprise-level administrative software at hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and overseas. Salé also runs a consulting firm that provides technology and data analytics project services to colleges and universities. He holds a doctorate in computing and information technology from Pace University.
Finalist: Aselia N. Urmanbetova, PhD
Aselia Urmanbetova is an Academic Professional in the School of Economics at Georgia Tech. Her primary goal as an educator is to ensure that students in her classes feel they can succeed and engage with economics course material in safe, equitable and fun ways. She uses multiple active learning modalities that emphasize skill acquisition, application of knowledge to today's policy landscape, and long-term retention. In addition to teaching, Urmanbetova heads student teaching and teaching assistant (TA) assignments for the School of Economics. She also manages and mentors all of the graduate student instructors, graduate TAs and over 30 undergraduate TAs.
Urmanbetova is also actively engaged in student life as the primary advisor to GT Economics Club and Georgia Tech's chapter of ODE, the international economics honor society. As a Yellow Jacket alumna, she enjoys getting to know her students in and outside class. She is an active service contributor to various initiatives focused on sustainability, equity, diversity, inclusion, mental health and the wellbeing of all stakeholders on college campuses. Her research areas include open education resources, active learning pedagogies, industry studies, environmental policy, economic development, and transportation economics. Outside of work, Urmanbetova pursues an active lifestyle as an avid yoga practitioner with 200 hours of yoga teacher training and a certified dance enthusiast.
