Shawna Lusk and Janeva Mosher receive 2026 Davis Awards

A lifelong volunteer and advocate for community involvement, and a graduating student whose passion is helping the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community overcome food anxiety are the recipients of this year’s Alfred L. Davis Distinguished Public Service Awards.

The awards will be given at 4 p.m. April 7 in University Gallery in Booth Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Shawna Lusk, senior associate director of student belonging for Campus Life, will receive the 2026 Four Presidents Distinguished Public Service Award for “exemplifying the spirit of sustained, impactful public service through her extensive leadership, grassroots involvement, and unwavering commitment to community benefit,” as was written on her nomination for the award.

Lusk said she’s always found ways to give back.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said. “I have the ability to make a difference for others, whatever that looks like. We all have the responsibility to care for the least among us.”

Prior to Lusk’s arrival at RIT in 2007, she founded the Dog Park Association of Greater Lafayette (Ind.), successfully raising more than $50,000 and securing land for a community dog park that remains active today. In addition, she served on the board of directors of Wolf Park, an education and conservation facility in Battle Ground, Ind.

“I love animals. I have multiple animals of my own,” she said. “They bring joy and comfort and add peace to our lives, and they are an incredibly powerful part of the ecosystem.”

From 2016 to 2024 she volunteered as a wish granter, enabling life-changing experiences for children with critical illnesses through her work with Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western New York.

Lusk is the founding president of the board of directors for Safe Way Homes of Greater Rochester, which supports safe housing for women, children, and men in crisis. She also serves as secretary on the board of directors for Connect and Breathe, a non-judgmental, after-abortion talk line.

Lusk said she was surprised to learn she was being recognized for her community service.

“I nearly fell off the chair. I was very shocked,” she said. “It feels very special to be recognized for the work I would be doing regardless of if I was recognized or not.”

And she’s pleased that she can help recognize the organizations she’s involved with, particularly Safe Way Homes and Connect and Breathe, which will share her $2,500 award.

Helping tackle food insecurity          

This year’s recipient of the Bruce R. James ’64 Distinguished Public Service Award is Janeva Mosher, of Danville, Calif., who plans to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in community development and inclusive leadership.

Mosher completed a social impact fellowship last fall with the Rochester Deaf Kitchen, based at Rochester School for the Deaf. When the fellowship ended, she was asked to work there as pantry manager, responsible for ordering food from food banks, and coordinating volunteers, delivery days, and tours.

“I enjoyed my fellowship, and I realized I really loved what I did and wanted to continue what I loved,” she said. “Each day is different.”

Mosher said she was aware of food insecurity others experienced as she grew up, but she never had been immersed in the topic until she joined Rochester Deaf Kitchen. More than 150 volunteers have distributed more than 500,000 pounds of food to more than 28,000 community members experiencing hunger with full communication access to American Sign Language.

“In the Deaf community, 42 percent will face food insecurity,” she said. “I had no idea.”.

Part of her work was to help run the pantry on the days it’s open and help run deliveries when the pantry gets items to stock their shelves.

“I have also helped recruit younger volunteers as part of my youth perspective goal and I have set up a social media team that has increased our online presence,” she said. “Not only am I helping out my community by addressing food insecurity, but I am also bringing in people to further push themselves to become more entwined with their community as well.”

Mosher originally opted for social psychology as her major but she switched three years ago. Her new major led her to learn about the Rochester Deaf Kitchen that was opening that fall. “I learned more about it and it seemed to be a fit, something that meshed well with me,” she said. “I have been really happy with this program ever since. It’s been great.”

Her goal is to help launch another Deaf pantry somewhere else in the country.

“While I don’t get paid for my fellowship, the experience and lessons I have gotten in return is priceless,” Mosher said. “I have learned so much that one can only learn from experience and this position has really shifted my perspective of the world.”

She’s donating her $1,000 from the award to the Rochester Deaf Kitchen.

Other than her work in the community, Mosher was on RIT’s cheerleading team for three years and was a member of the NTID Student Congress for two years. She enjoys reading, outdoor running, and skiing.

About the awards:

The Four Presidents Distinguished Public Service Award Fund was created in 2003 by RIT Vice President Emeritus Alfred L. Davis on the occasion of the 65th year of his association with RIT, to commemorate the dedication of the four RIT presidents - Mark Ellingson, Paul Miller, M. Richard Rose, and Albert Simone - with whom he worked, in their service to the Rochester community. The award also recognizes a current member of the faculty or staff who, through his/her public service, mirrors the lives of the four presidents, who have been not only outstanding professionals but also caring members of the community. In 2005 Davis established a companion student award to commemorate the outstanding service of RIT trustee Bruce R. James.

The Bruce R. James ’64 Distinguished Public Service Award commemorates the public service of Bruce James, chairman emeritus of the RIT Board of Trustees recognizes an RIT student for exemplary public service in the community with hopes other students will engage in public service.