Marly LeSene Receives 2025 Community and Culture Award

Marly LeSene has dedicated much of her career to bringing people together across roles and departments and building a strong sense of community and belonging at Stanford. This year, she was honored with the Community and Culture Award through the School of Engineering’s annual Staff Awards. Winners are nominated by their peers and leadership and recognized at an annual event recognizing staff service milestones hosted by School of Engineering Dean Jennifer Widom.

Marly’s nominators describe her as an authentic and insightful leader dedicated to “amplifying others’ voices, celebrating excellence, expanding access, and creating spaces where people feel supported and connected.” The Community and Culture Award recognizes outstanding efforts to cultivate a vibrant campus culture and positive work environment where faculty, staff, students, and postdocs feel respected and valued.

As Program Director for Communications and Initiatives at Stanford Bioengineering, Marly reflects on the award and the importance of building and sustaining community at Stanford.

As Program Director of Stanford Bioengineering’s Community Engagement Taskforce, what’s one initiative you’re especially proud of, and why?

If I had to point to one thing, it would be the successful overhaul and re-launch of the Community Engagement Taskforce itself. We’re witnessing an evolution of community engagement practices across organizations and in the world around us.  BioE has managed to stay rooted in the work it takes to build a community where people feel they truly belong. I see that reflected in the events students want to help make happen, in the programs faculty take the time to lead, and in the extra effort our staff give to support this work — not just within BioE, but across our home schools of Engineering and Medicine and throughout the university. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this department.

What does receiving Stanford Engineering’s Community and Culture Award mean to you?

I’m humbled to be this year’s recipient. For me, awards like this are the result of many people contributing in different ways over time toward something others can experience and recognize. I may be the one receiving it, but it’s the staff, faculty, and students I work with every day who help enliven and strengthen our community — and I get to uplift that work with this award. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity and the recognition.

What advice would you give to others who want to build stronger communities in their own departments?

Don’t do it alone! Reach out to people, participate in events, programs, and groups offered here in Engineering and Medicine, and across the Stanford community. Community engagement is a moving target, so you’ve got to get in there and dance with it — it doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.

Looking ahead, what’s one change you hope to see in campus culture?

I wouldn’t frame it as a cultural change I’d like to see, so much as a renewed commitment to supporting the groups and events that have made Stanford’s culture and community thrive. In challenging financial moments, it’s easy to lose sight of what motivates people to give their best or go a little further. That drive comes from a strong sense of purpose and belonging — and investing in that pays itself back.