2017 UNO Young Alumni Achievement Award
The UNO Alumni Association issued Young Alumni Achievement Awards to Matthew J. Lee and Tara Stingley during the fourth annual UNO Alumni Night of Honor at the Thompson Alumni Center.
Sponsored by First Data Resources, Alumni Night of Honor celebrates achievements by members of the worldwide UNO alumni network, now numbering 107,000 living graduates. Established in 2014, Young Alumni Achievement Awards recognize outstanding career achievement, active community involvement or exceptional service to the university by graduates 40 or younger.
Matthew J. Lee
Matthew J. Lee is coordinator for Technology Integration and Digital Content at Westside Community Schools. His specialty is working with teachers to more effectively integrate technology into their classrooms. In 2013, he was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator, recognizing his efforts as a “pioneer to transform teaching and learning.”
Lee, 2017 president of the Nebraska Educational Technology Association, has presented on various technology integration topics at conferences and workshops throughout the United States, most recently for the International Society for Technology in Education Association. He also has presented at American Evaluation conferences.
Lee also coordinates the evaluation process for Westside’s strategic plan, working with UNO faculty, district personnel and community stakeholder groups. Prior to his current role, he was a teacher and social studies team leader at Westside High School. He taught U.S. history, economics and Future Problem Solving and initiated Westside’s first AP Economics program.
Lee received bachelor’s (2006) and master’s (2010) degrees in secondary education from UNO. He earned a doctorate in educational studies-instructional technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014.
Tara Stingley
Tara Stingley is an equity partner at the oldest existing law firm in Nebraska, Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather. She specializes in employment law and litigation and is the chair of Cline Williams’ Labor and Employment Law Section and its recruiting coordinator. She is the youngest lawyer and the first woman to serve on the firm’s governing executive committee.
Stingley is listed in several publications for her work in employment law, including Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA’s Leading Lawyers. Prior to joining Cline Williams, she completed a two-year judicial clerkship with Judge William Jay Riley on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Stingley is active in the community, serving as chair of the board of directors for Food Bank for the Heartland. She also is a member of the University of Nebraska’s Law College Alumni Council and President’s Advisory Council. She is a graduate of Leadership Omaha Class 33.
Stingley received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UNO in 2002, graduating summa cum laude through the university’s honors program. She also was a member of the honor society Mortar Board. She graduated from the Nebraska College of Law in 2005.