Carlie Tartakov

"Citing thousands of people touched by her multicultural education programs and her sustained mentoring of new residents who might otherwise feel isolated when moving to a predominantly white community, Carlie Tartakov received the city of Ames' 2003 Humanitarian Award.

"In Ames, Tartakov co-founded and co-developed the Kuumba Multicultural School, an after-school program for elementary students that encourages cultural understanding. Although the program is no longer used in Ames, Tartakov's curriculum is now used in schools in California and South Africa.

"She has served on the ISU Board of Education Equity Advisory Board, Iowa's Human Relations Association, the Ames/ISU YWCA, the boards for Big Table Books and Worldly Goods and is a founding member of the Alliance for Global Justice.

Tartakov said she is committed to promoting understanding between people of all races, religions, genders and cultures."