This year’s Rachel Hutzel Prevention Partner Award was presented to Rebecca Baurdy Young, Director of the Office of Student Wellness at Miami University. 

Awardees are recognized for increasing engagement in one or more community sectors and expanding community-based prevention. The award winner has helped advance the PF! mission through collaboration and advocacy.

Rebecca Young has over twenty-five years of experience working with safe and supportive learning environments. She has served as the director of Miami University's Office of Student Wellness for the past fifteen years.

Rebecca and her team at Miami University have worked to address an increase in students experiencing loneliness, stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. They recognize that students facing these challenges often see one-on-one counseling as the only option, and resources for behavioral health were limited. Rebecca championed prevention efforts. She understood that creating programs and opportunities to help students learn coping skills, emotional wellness, and positive mental health hygiene could provide them with access to resources and support sooner.

Under Rebecca’s leadership, workshops and events focused on mental wellness are a regular part of the student experience at Miami. She has worked to strengthen mental health services by identifying the places and situations where students are more likely to utilize and connect with resources, learn new skills, and support their peers. She has been a committed, passionate advocate for mental wellness in higher education.

Additionally, Rebecca serves as the representative for Miami University to the Prevention Advocacy and Policy Coalition for Butler County. She serves as a member and in leadership roles on the Coalition for a Healthy Community, Oxford Area. She is a grant mentor for the Ohio Wellness Campus Collaborative and a member of The Hope Cooperative