Celebrating Excellence: The 2025 AASECT Awards Ceremony

View the Recorded Ceremony of The 2025 AASECT Annual Awards

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the virtual awards ceremony on May 23!

2025 Award Winners

Media & Communications


Social Media / Live Web Series Award 
Tanginika S. Cuascud, PhD

Podcast Award
Soft Landing, hosted by Rafaella Smith-Fiallo, LCSW, CSE, CTT and Eric Jones, MSW

Advocacy & Inclusion


Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Shemeka Thorpe, PhD

Humanitarian Award
Rahim Thawer, MSW

Book Awards


General Audience:

Gender Magic by Rae McDaniel, MEd, LCPC, CST

Children Under 18:

  • Older Children: The Every Body Book of Consent by Rachel Simon, LCSW
  • Younger Children: All About Penises / All About Vulvas & Vaginas by Dorian Solot and Marshall Mille

Sexuality Professionals:
Disorder vs Desire: Deviating from Society’s Perception of Sexual Deviance by Alecia Rodriguez, PhD, LMFT, LPC, CST

Emerging & Professional Excellence


Distinguished Service to AASECT Award

Chris Fariello PhD, MA, LMFT, CST, CSE, CST-S

AASECT Award for Emergent Professional
Mystkue Woods, M.ED

Professional Standard of Excellence Award
Bianca I. Laureano PhD, MA, CSE, CSE-S

Sexuality Educator Award
Markie L. C. Twist PhD, MA, MEd, LMFT, LMHC, CSE, CSE-S, RegCOSRT

Award for Integrative Approaches to Sex Therapy
Damon Constantinides MSW, PhD, CST

Annual Conference Awards

Schiller Award Winner
Nomi Ostrander, PhD, MPH, LICSW, CST
Presentation: “Sexual Debut Among Transgender Individuals”


Student Presentation Award

Olivia McLeod, MS & Kate Merkle, LCSW, MPH, RDN, PAT
Presentation: “Getting Spontaneous: An Introduction to Psychodrama and Sociometry for Sex Therapy”