College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Faculty & Staff

LaQuan Mack, DeShae Dillard, Olivia Spagnuolo, Ph.D., Ingrid Aguayo Fuentealba, Ph.D., and Rebecca Wetzel will be honored as the 2026 CANR You Belong Here Champion Award recipients during the CANR Faculty and Staff Awards reception on May 6.

The CANR Office of Culture, Access and Belonging established the You Belong Here Champion Award to recognize members of the CANR community who foster an inclusive, accessible and supportive environment. Honorees embody CANR values by promoting a culture in which all community members feel valued, supported and inspired to achieve shared and individual goals.

You Belong Here Champions help maintain a welcoming and inclusive culture for all who learn, work and teach in CANR, MSU Extension and AgBioResearch.

The 2026 You Belong Here Champion Award recipients are:

• You Belong Here Undergraduate Student Award: LaQuan Mack, Construction Management
• You Belong Here Graduate Student Award: DeShae Dillard, Department of Entomology
• You Belong Here Postdoctoral Scholar Award: Olivia Spagnuolo, Ph.D., Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
• You Belong Here Faculty Award: Ingrid Aguayo Fuentealba, Ph.D., Department of Forestry
• You Belong Here Staff Award: Rebecca “Becca” Wetzel, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

You Belong Here Undergraduate Student Award

LaQuan Mack
LaQuan Mack is an undergraduate student in construction management in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University and is enrolled in a 4+1 program working toward a master’s degree in construction management. Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, Mack serves as the president and founder of Diverse Leaders in Construction and as a student representative on the school’s Culture, Access and Belonging Committee. He is also the student president of the Michigan State Black Alumni Association. Through his academic pursuits, leadership roles and industry experience with Clark Construction Company, Mack demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion, mentorship and advancing equity within the built environment.

You Belong Here Graduate Student Award

DeShae Dillard
DeShae Dillard is a graduate student in the Department of Entomology whose research focuses on using insect community diversity to better understand ecosystem function and the services or disservices insects provide. Working in the laboratories of Hannah Burrack and Doug Landis, Dillard studies how integrating conservation habitat into agroecosystems can support sustainable agricultural and natural resource management. Drawing on his own experiences, he is committed to helping ensure that mentees feel seen, supported and confident that they belong within entomology and related fields.

You Belong Here Postdoctoral Scholar Award

Olivia Spagnuolo, Ph.D.
Olivia Spagnuolo is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife whose work advances methods in spatial ecology and applies those approaches to understanding wildlife behavior in multifunctional landscapes. Her research includes evaluating patterns of feral swine space use and behavior and the implications for mitigating the spread of foot-and-mouth disease among wild and domestic ungulates. Spagnuolo is deeply committed to mentorship, collaboration, teaching and outreach, with a focus on supporting early-career scientists from diverse backgrounds.

You Belong Here Faculty Award

Ingrid Aguayo Fuentealba, Ph.D.
Ingrid Aguayo Fuentealba is a faculty member in the Department of Forestry with expertise in forest entomology, insect behavior and chemical ecology. Her work has included research, education and public engagement across academic institutions and government agencies. Aguayo Fuentealba has also led community-focused educational initiatives, including management of a $2.5 million federally funded High School Equivalency Program that served migrant and seasonal farmworkers through GED preparation and pathways to continued education. She recently joined the Department of Forestry and looks forward to supporting the education and development of future foresters.

You Belong Here Staff Award

Rebecca “Becca” Wetzel
Rebecca “Becca” Wetzel serves as a unit human resources administrator and chair’s assistant for the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. An alumna of the department, she returned to MSU in a staff role with her work grounded in personal experience as a Fisheries and Wildlife graduate and a deep appreciation for the student experience. In her current position, Wetzel supports faculty and staff success while fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment. She is passionate about empowering students and helping prepare the next generation of conservationists as they navigate their academic and professional journeys.