Natural Resources Sciences and Management (NRSM) alumna Dr. Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis was recently inducted as a Fellow into The Academy of Leisure Sciences (TALS). The honor is given to outstanding teachers, leaders, administrators, practitioners, or researchers in the field of leisure who advance the mission of TALS to investigate and promote the value and fundamental aspects of leisure. Forest Resources Professor Dr. Ingrid Schneider, who served as Dr. Stanis' MS and PhD advisor, presented her the award at the 2026 TALS Conference last week.
Seventeen years after earning her PhD at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Wilhelm Stanis serves as professor, associate director, and director of undergraduate studies in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. In becoming a TALS Fellow, she joins a special group of U of M alumni who share that honor, including Drs. Ingrid Schneider, Dan Williams, Lynn Anderson, Leo McAvoy, Karla Henderson, Deborah Bialescki, and Dan Dustin.
Dr. Wilhelm Stanis was nominated for this award due to her career-long focus on training the next generation of leisure professionals and conducting research to inform practice, says Dr. Schneider. "Her contributions have systematically advanced the theoretical, empirical, and practical foundations of leisure science, establishing her as a recognized leader whose work will shape the field for decades to come."