Denise Blum is the recipient of the LPL Staff Excellence Award for 2025 in the category of Administrative Staff. 

In her role as Research Program Administration Officer, Denise Blum does an exceptional job in managing the complex budgets for U of A flagship spacecraft missions, OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX. She brings to her role an unparalleled attention to detail, commitment to teamwork, and a proactive view to improving processes and workflows.

Denise is the subject matter expert for the required financial tracking and reporting required by NASA; she takes the initiative to identify opportunities for cost-savings while considering the needs and perspectives of mission partners and other key stakeholders and considerations. Mission operations run more smoothly because mission partners know they can rely on the precise detail and accuracy of her work.

Denise takes her role as a supervisor seriously and is committed to developing talent within the team. And she is also a team player in every sense, regularly volunteering to take on additional tasks and going “above and beyond,” often taking on responsibilities outside of her job description to ensure the success of the OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX missions and the cohesion of the mission teams.

Denise's colleagues describe her work is indispensable to the OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX teams. She is a true professional and a valued colleague who consistently demonstrates excellence in all that she does.