Angie Tinker wins the prestigious Megan Gaffney Award

On Saturday, January 27th, the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) honored Angie Tinker, Forensics Forum Assistant at Pacific Lutheran University, with the Megan Gaffney Award. The announcement was made by NFC president, Brent Northup at the Scheller Invitational, held at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Megan Gaffney was a debater at the University of Oregon where she worked to make collegiate forensics more inclusive, welcoming, and supportive. The Megan Gaffney award is meant to celebrate Megan’s legacy and recognize students and educators for their efforts to make their community more inclusive, especially for women.

Justin Eckstein, PLU Director of Forensics, in his nomination letter, wrote: “I have known Angie for five years and I am confident that she embodies the spirit of the Megan Gaffney award. As a coach, she’s a leader that models gender inclusivity, as an administrator, she serves as an equity officer at a number of tournaments, and, as a citizen of the debate community, she creates institutions that promote gender equity.”

Tinker is only the third recipient of the Megan Gaffney award in the past 5 years; the last recipient before Tinker was named in 2015. The award was presented by the Northwest Forensics Conference, which includes several colleges and universities in northern California and Utah, and all of the colleges and universities in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Tinker will receive an engraved award to commemorate her achievement.

While announcing the award, Brent Northrup stated, “Angie is an inspiration to all of us in the region. She doesn’t just talk the talk on gender inclusivity, but she actively promotes equity by sponsoring events dedicated to inclusivity and by reaching out and supporting individuals across our region. She’s universally respected and admired.”