WSU Alumni Association honors standout faculty, staff members
OGDEN, Utah — This year’s Weber State University Dixon Awards will go to a respected professor of professional sales and a popular administrative specialist who also teaches Japanese.
Since 1970, the WSU Alumni Association has honored outstanding members of WSU’s faculty and staff with the annual award named in memory of President H. Aldous Dixon, who served as the school’s chief administrator from 1919 to 1920, and from 1937 to 1953.
Dixon Award recipients demonstrate careers of excellence and have gone above and beyond to support students. This year’s winners will be honored during a ceremony at 2 p.m. on March 23 in the Hurst Center’s Dumke Hall.
Blake Nielson
Alan E. Hall Endowed Professor, Department of Professional Sales
Blake Nielson is the Alan E. Hall Endowed Professor in the Department of Professional Sales at Weber State University and a recipient of the H. Aldous Dixon Award, one of the university’s highest honors recognizing sustained excellence in teaching, mentoring, scholarship, and service.
Nielson has built his career around one central mission: helping students persist, graduate, and secure meaningful careers. While serving as department chair, he waived all departmental course fees and replaced that funding through donor support so students would not face additional financial burdens. He strengthened scholarship opportunities, modernized learning environments, and expanded hands-on experiences that directly improve student success.
A defining feature of his leadership has been the intentional development of internal sales competitions as structured learning experiences. He created and expanded entry and account management competitions that allow students to apply selling frameworks in realistic, professionally judged scenarios throughout their academic journey. He organizes and leads these events in partnership with industry sponsors, ensuring students receive direct feedback from employers and meaningful exposure to career opportunities. He has also coached and prepared students for external regional and national competitions, helping them represent Weber State with confidence while building strong professional networks.
His research focuses on sales education, compensation equity, and experiential learning, and has been published in respected peer-reviewed journals. This work directly informs how he designs courses and student experiences.
Nielson earned a Ph.D. in business administration from Jackson State University, an MBA from Southern Utah University, and a B.S. in business administration from Utah Tech University. Prior to academia, he excelled in professional sales and leadership roles, bringing real-world experience into the classroom.
Above all, he is known for his deep commitment to students and his dedication to helping them overcome challenges, complete their degrees, and move into meaningful careers.
Kaori Takimura
Administrative specialist, Department of English Language & Literature
Adjunct instructor, Department of World Languages & Cultures
A native of Iwaki, Japan, Kaori Takimura serves as a bridge between cultures at WSU. With dual roles as an administrative specialist in the Department of English Language & Literature and an adjunct instructor in the Department of World Languages & Cultures, her professional life is a testament to her lifelong passion for education and language.
While she and her siblings prioritized working to earn a living over pursuing higher education after their mother exited a violent relationship, Takimura never abandoned her dream of academic study. After moving to Utah in 2004, she built a career as a freelance interpreter and translator, specializing in medical and simultaneous conference interpretation. Her desire to refine these skills led her to WSU as a nontraditional student, where she earned a B.A. in English literature with a minor in linguistics, followed by a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction.
As an educator, Takimura is known for her innovative curriculum that integrates environmental and food sustainability — values deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Her dedication to her students' professional futures culminated in a summer 2025 study abroad program. After a year of planning with a Japanese nonprofit, she led her students to Japan to volunteer for three days at the Fuji Rock Festival, providing them with invaluable experience and cultural immersion.
From her time working as an undergraduate student aide in the Learning English for Academic Purposes (LEAP) program, and throughout her years at WSU, Takimura has been an advocate for international and domestic students whose first language is not English, drawing from her own experiences to support their educational journeys. She also worked in WSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity before moving to the English department. Whether she’s dealing with administrative tasks, presenting linguistic research at regional conventions, or mentoring students in the classroom, her work is defined by empathy and excellence.
Beyond her professional achievements, Takimura is the proud single mother of two teenagers. She credits her success to the leadership and support of her colleagues in the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities, where she says working “has been a great experience and such joy.”
Jen Wright, Marketing & Communications
- Contact:
Rachel Badali, Public Relations Director
801-626-7948, rachelbadali@weber.edu