Stevens wins Megan Gaffney award

Kristen Stevens, an instructor in the Department of Communication at Western Washington University, was recognized by the Northwest Forensic Conference with the Megan Gaffney award at a tournament in January.

This award is named to honor a community member who had contributed significantly to the inclusion of others, and in her passing the family wished, along with the support of the conference, to recognize others who go above and beyond to make debate a space where everyone can feel like they belong.

Stevens has been particularly active in the region's equity project and also serves as an outstanding role model as a young coach. She also has been a significant factor in raising the conference's awareness on issues of inclusion.

The first year of the award, Gaffney was recognized posthumously to kick off the annual presentation. Stevens is the second person to receive the award since its inception.

She is in her third year of coaching for Western and in her first year of teaching the COMM 235 class as a non-tenure-track faculty member.