Sparks Awarded National Association of College Stores’ Highest Honor

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque executive recognized for commitment to campus store industry

OBERLIN, OH, March 9, 2017 – Melanie Sparks, CCR, executive director, institutional support services, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, was honored with the Order of the NACS Eagle Award at CAMEX 201 7 in Salt Lake City, UT. Produced by the National Association of College Stores (NACS), CAMEX is the largest educational and trade-show event in the campus retail industry.

The Order of the NACS Eagle is the highest honor bestowed by NACS. It honors select individuals who have gone above and beyond in service to NACS and the campus store industry. Sparks is the 15th person to receive the award since it was introduced in 1991.

Sparks has served on numerous NACS committees and councils, presented at various campus store conferences, and served on the NACS Board of Trustees, including as the 2008-09 president. She is an avid volunteer for the NACS Foundation, the charitable subsidiary of NACS, serving as a board member and its 2015-16 president.

She also has been an active member and served as president of both the Rocky Mountain Skyline Bookstore Association and the Southwest College Bookstore Association.

“Melanie is more than an accomplished professional. She stands apart as a best-in-class leader, a pioneer, and a person of the highest integrity. In short, she is an ‘eagle,’ said Richard McDaniel, retired, Cornell Campus Store, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, NACS past president and 2013 recipient of the Order of the NACS Eagle Award.

EDITOR’S NOTE: CCR, Certified Collegiate Retailer, is an earned professional designation awarded by NACS.

About The National Association of College Stores

The National Association of College Stores (NACS), headquartered in Oberlin, OH, is the professional trade association of the $10 billion campus store industry. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. The association represents all campus stores, which include nearly 4,000 campuses in the U.S. and Canada, and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores.