Montana, Rhode Island, Utah recognized
WASHINGTON – The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to announce recipients of the 2026 SHEEO Excellence Awards. The awards recognize the leadership, dedication, and innovation of exceptional SHEEOs, agency staff, and agencies at a time when state postsecondary policy is increasingly linked to student success, social mobility, and states’ workforce and economic prosperity.
- The Exceptional Leader Award recipient is Clayton Christian, Commissioner of Higher Education, Montana University System.
- The Exceptional Agency Award goes to the Utah System of Higher Education.
- The David L. Wright Memorial Award recipient is Andrea Spargo, Research Specialist, at the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner.
Reflecting on the SHEEO Excellence Awards, Dr. Robert Anderson, SHEEO President, said: “It is truly our pleasure to honor and recognize the commitment and resilience of our state higher education executive officers, their agencies, and the dedicated professionals who serve within them. The recipients of this year’s SHEEO Excellence Awards play a crucial role in shaping systems to better serve students and advance our nation’s postsecondary landscape.”
Exceptional Leader Award
The Exceptional Leader Award is presented to a current state higher education executive officer from a member agency who has shown exceptional leadership, a commitment to higher education, a contribution to the greater good, and service to the SHEEO association.
This year’s recipient of the Exceptional Leader Award, Clayton Christian, is the Commissioner of Higher Education, Montana University System. Clayton has helped lead the Montana University System to advance innovative initiatives in college access, research, workforce education, transfer pathways, dual enrollment, and performance funding. He provides strategic leadership for the Montana University System, serving more than 45,000 students through Montana’s 16 public colleges and universities.
Under Commissioner Christian’s leadership since 2012, state support for the Montana University System has nearly doubled, providing lasting investments in campus base budgets across the state. This continued growth in state investment reflects strong confidence in the Montana University System and its role in educating students, supporting communities, and advancing Montana’s workforce and economy.
Sponsored research across the System has more than doubled during Christian’s tenure, increasing from $192 million to $465 million in annual expenditures. During that period, Montana ranked sixth nationally in research growth. Contributing to that success was a landmark initiative championed by Commissioner Christian, when he successfully worked with the Legislature to establish the state’s first dedicated investment in university research—a $15 million appropriation that helped strengthen Montana’s research capacity and competitiveness.
Under Christian’s leadership, the Montana University System developed and implemented Montana 10, an evidence-based student success initiative designed to improve retention and degree completion. The program combines data-informed advising, strategies that promote academic momentum, efforts to reduce the cost of earning a degree, and intentional engagement in campus life. MT10 has become a national model for improving student outcomes through research-driven practice.
Annual participation in dual enrollment has grown fivefold during Christian’s time as Commissioner, and the state’s year-to-year retention rate increased from 72 percent to 79 percent. Clayton led the development of a nationally recognized ‘Grow Your Own’ teacher and nursing pathways, leveraging common course numbering, 2+2 partnerships, and distance education to allow more students to earn degrees while remaining in their home communities.
Commissioner Christian’s career is marked by humble leadership, innovation, and steady improvements to strengthen public confidence in higher education.
“Congratulations to Commissioner Christian on being recognized with the 2026 State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Exceptional Leader Award,” Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said. “As Montana’s Commissioner of Higher Education, Clay has been a partner in ensuring strong leadership at our colleges and universities to support the long-term success of students both in and out of the classroom. Thank you for your dedicated service and leadership.”
“Congratulations to Commissioner Christian on this outstanding achievement,” said Loren Bough, Chair of the Montana Board of Regents. “Clay has provided thoughtful, collaborative, and steady leadership that has strengthened the Montana University System and expanded opportunities for students across our state. We are grateful for his service and proud to see his work recognized with this well-deserved national honor.”
Exceptional Agency Award
The Exceptional Agency Award is presented to a member agency whose innovative actions, policies, or practices advanced student success in their state; which displayed exceptional governance practices; overcame exceptional challenges; or displayed other meritorious attributes. SHEEO has selected the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) as this year’s awardee.
Recent initiatives in Utah reflect USHE’s continued commitment to students, the state’s future workforce, and institutional stability.
Through a strategic system realignment, Utah’s board has committed to establishing a new framework for enhanced region-based integration and collaboration. By generating efficiencies and prioritizing higher education access and success for students, the new framework will ultimately help USHE operate as a more cohesive System. This initiative, which was codified in the Utah legislature this year, will strengthen coordination between institutions and create opportunities for more horizontal and vertical integration of USHE institutions.
A recent strategic reinvestment exercise, codified in 2025 created an opportunity for degree-granting institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education to reallocate 10% of their instructional line-item budget over a three-year period, with an emphasis on providing additional investment to programs or institutional needs based on innovation, workforce alignment, and strategic value to the state. As USHE enters year two of the strategic reinvestment exercise, many USHE institutions are ahead of statutory implementation timelines and targets, and their year two strategic reinvestment plans are expected to entail nearly $23 million in net reinvestment in instruction and research. In March 2026, the Board built off this framework to extend the strategic reinvestment initiative to USHE technical colleges.
The Utah System has prioritized the affordability and value of a USHE education by developing and executing a rigorous new tuition and fee-setting process over the last several years. Board leadership, the Commissioner’s Office, and institutional leaders have worked together to prioritize keeping costs manageable for students and families while continuing to foster access and excellence.
The Board and Commissioner’s Office have invested in strengthening relationships and proactively collaborating with partners in Utah’s executive branch and legislature. In January 2026, Utah’s political and educational leaders reaffirmed the state’s commitment to students, academic excellence, and public accountability by signing a historic joint resolution between the Board, Commissioner, USHE institutional presidents, the Utah Governor, Senate president, and House speaker.
Finally, Utah has implemented recent initiatives to reaffirm higher education’s crucial role in serving as a marketplace for ideas and open inquiry, protecting and fostering free speech and academic freedom, introducing students to a variety of viewpoints, and helping students hone the skills needed for civil dialogue.
It is these actions and initiatives that make Utah a fitting choice for the Exceptional Agency Award.
Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward reflected, “Our work is centered on helping Utah students achieve their potential while fostering a thriving state. That means building a system designed to cultivate centers of excellence, expand access, and ensure our colleges and universities create transformative value for students, employers, and communities. We believe higher education in Utah can achieve even greater things, and every step we take unlocks more of that promise for the people and places we serve.”
“Our country’s continued success depends on developing the talent, innovation, and workforce that will shape our future. I’m grateful for the leadership of USHE that made receiving this award possible and for their ongoing commitment to making higher education more accessible and valuable for every Utahn,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “Investing in higher education creates opportunities for individuals and families and helps keep Utah’s economy strong for generations to come. We are truly honored and proud that the Utah System of Higher Education is receiving this recognition.”
“Higher education has the power to transform lives and strengthen not just our own communities, but our country as a whole. We are honored to be recognized nationally for innovation in higher education system design and hope that our efforts inspire other institutions as they focus on expanding access, increasing value, and aligning education with workforce needs. We are building a stronger system that achieves greater success for students, families, and communities across Utah through our aligned and vibrant vision for higher education,” said Utah Board of Higher Education Chair Amanda Covington.
David L. Wright Memorial Award
The David L. Wright Memorial Award is named in honor of the late David Wright, an esteemed colleague and leader in state higher education who served in the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, and the Florida Governing Board. This award recognizes a current SHEEO agency staff member from a member agency who embodies the exceptional commitment, work ethic, and ethical practices of David Wright and who has made outstanding contributions to their agency. This year’s David L. Wright Memorial Award is presented to Andrea Spargo, Research Specialist, at the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner.
Spargo carries forward David Wright’s legacy with thoughtfulness and dedication — demonstrating the very qualities this award celebrates: ethical leadership, tireless work ethic, and a lasting impact on higher education policy.
Spargo is an educational researcher with more than 20 years of experience in data collection, management, and advanced analysis across K–12 and postsecondary systems. Her expertise in translating complex data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences has been invaluable to Rhode Island and to success in building cross-agency collaboration. Those who work with her consider her an asset to their teams, heralding her ability to apply thoughtful logic and analytic skills to vague and ill-defined projects, bringing order to chaos.
Among the many projects Spargo has led or developed are Rhode Island’s attainment dashboard, population profiles, and a now-popular annual report focused on key metrics related to education, workforce training, and earnings tailored to municipal audiences. She collaborated with the Department of Labor and Training to develop the first statewide talent pipeline analysis, aligning graduate output with workforce demand, and she serves as the data lead for Workforce Pell implementation. Spargo’s accomplishments span far beyond this short list – a testament to the work ethic and dedication she has shown throughout her time in Rhode Island.
Additional accomplishments include:
- Spargo co-authored the “Roadmap for Postsecondary Attainment in the Ocean State”, creating an annual benchmark for analyzing population characteristics, educational attainment, enrollment, completion, and affordability.
- She evaluated the institutional performances of Rhode Island’s three institutions of higher education in the areas of graduation/completion, workforce development, and mission-specific metrics and produced an annual report for each Institution of Higher Education as part of a performance funding assessment.
- She coordinates the annual private, non-degree school data collection, managing the data element template, and co-facilitating information sessions to ensure institutions understand what is being asked and why.
- Spargo is a key contributor to the Direct Admissions pilot, where she will use RILDS-prepared data to make eligibility determinations for RI’s rising seniors, placing her at the precise intersection of data infrastructure and student access.
- Launched the state’s inaugural college-going report, providing critical information about high school college-going patterns and information by student groups, sparking a multi-year campaign to address college-going challenges coming out of the pandemic.
“The David L. Wright Memorial Award honors someone whose commitment, work ethics, and ethical practice have made a lasting difference in the field of state higher education. Andrea Spargo is that person. She has spent more than a decade as a quiet pillar of Rhode Island’s higher education landscape, building data and research infrastructure that makes good policy possible, earning the trust of every partner she has worked with across RI’s Institutions of higher education, government, and business; doing it all with a spirit of service that is, simply, who she is. She has built a reputation that precedes her into every room she enters,” said Shannon Gilkey, Commissioner of Postsecondary Education, Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. “Because of Andrea’s influence on Rhode Island higher education, the state provides a more affordable, equitable, and impactful system of delivery that Rhode Islanders will continue to access for many years to come. Andrea personifies the importance of SHEEO offices across the country for the work she conducts, the way she conducts it, and the impact she has on our communities.
During the 2026 Annual Meeting on July 14, SHEEO also recognized outgoing Executive Committee Board Chair Ginger Ostro, Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, for her leadership and service to the SHEEO Executive Committee over the last year.
Learn more about SHEEO Excellence Awards, including past winners: https://sheeo.org/membership/sheeo-awards/