The AATSP Robert
G. Mead, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award is given to an AATSP member in
recognition of outstanding leadership within in the profession as a whole and
of scholarly contributions to the profession.

The 2016 recipient of the Robert G. Mead Distinguished Leadership Award is Eduardo Zayas-Bazán; Professor Emeritus; East Tennessee State University; Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dr. Eduardo
Zayas-Bazán is a distinguished scholar and educator with an extensive and
exemplary record of leadership. He has been a devoted member of the AATSP since
first joining in 1965. Through the years he has held numerous leadership
positions within the Association including member of the Executive Council from
1986-1988 and President of the AATSP in 1985. He also served as chair of several AATSP
committees and as a member of the Editorial Board of Hispania from 1994-1998. In addtion, Eduardo has served in
leadership positions in other language-related organizations.
Eduardo Zayas-Bazán has
published numerous articles, book chapters, and educational materials on
diverse topics. He has authored or co-authored some twenty books including one
historical novel. He is widely known for his highly acclaimed college-level
Spanish textbooks ¡Arriba! and
Conexiones that have aided countless
teachers and reached large numbers of students learning Spanish throughout the
United States.
Eduardo also has had
extrarodinary success as a teacher and study-abroad leader. A former student
who met Eduardo during a study-abroad experience in Spain stated that, "It
goes without saying that on that trip, Eduardo was inspirational in changing my
life’s course and influential in my continuing to study Spanish and become a
Spanish teacher.”
Since Eduardo’s
arrival in the United States, he has been a leader in many Cuban-American
events and organizations including serving as President of the National
Association of Cuban American Educators. A colleage explained that "Dr.
Zayas-Bazán embodies the spirit of the Cuban-American community in Miami and
even in the United States.”
In summary, Eduardo is
a gifted, compassionate, student-centered leader whose talents have served
AATSP, teachers and students of Spanish and the larger profession for more than
fifty years.
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