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”