Regina Russo Hammel ’41 Recent Graduate Award
The Regina Russo Hammel ’41 Recent Graduate Award honors a recent graduate, not more than 10 years ago, who has exhibited professional achievement and/or contributions to community life and who had demonstrated loyalty to the University.
In 1999, The Regina Hammel ’41 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award was created by Gary and Laura Hammel Dicovitsky in honor of Mrs. Dicovitsky’s mother.
Nominate An Alum For This Award
2023 Award Winners
Nephthalee Edmond Tefera Pharm.D.'13
Nephthalee Edmond Tefera serves as the MedStar Harbor Hospital (MHH) pharmacy director. In this role, she oversees all pharmacy operations and leads a team where associates are respected, appreciated, and positioned for success. Nephthalee previously worked as a pharmacy supervisor and, before that, as a clinical pharmacist at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center.
Nephthalee aims to develop leaders from the inside out and push efforts forward regarding Health Equity and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. She was a founding co-chair for the Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) EDI steering committee, and currently serves as a board director for the organization. She also promotes wellbeing and resilience in the workplace as one of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) well-being and resilience ambassadors. Nephthalee’s commitment to championing leadership development led her to pursue an executive leadership coaching certification in 2020. With her experiences, expertise, and enthusiasm, she has coached professionals and learners to develop and harness their leadership power within Complementing her love for leadership coaching, Nephthalee also serves as a Health System preceptor to the neighboring school of pharmacies in the area.
Nephthalee holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Connecticut and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Notre Dame of Maryland University- she is a member of the inaugural 2013 class! She then completed her pharmacy general practice residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia. In addition, she is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and International Coaching Federation accredited leadership coach.
Micah Castelo '18
Micah Castelo, a proud alumna of Notre Dame of Maryland University, graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication Arts, along with a minor in Women’s Studies. She has maintained a strong connection to her alma mater as the alumnae editor of Damozel, Notre Dame’s literary magazine. Following her undergraduate studies, Micah achieved her Master of Arts in Magazine, Newspaper, and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University, where she also reported internationally from Canada, Israel, Palestine, and the Philippines. Today, Micah combines her passion for storytelling, research, and accessible technology as a content designer at Fearless, a Baltimore-based gov tech company.