The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) has conferred its organization's prestigious Cindy Winter Award for 2011 on Erin Kostina-Ritchey. She is a Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University. 

The award is given in recognition of Cindy Winter, NCFR's Conference Director from 1964-2007. The award is given bi-annually and includes complimentary registration to the NCFR Conference, a plaque, and $500 to be used for travel expenses to attend the NCFR conference. The purpose of the award is to honor a student or new professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership/service in family studies, human ecology, human development, family science or related field.

Upon completing her undergraduate degrees at Oklahoma Baptist University Ms. Kostina-Ritchey worked for a non-profit as an education and social services coordinator/consultant in Central Asia for five years. She then received her M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in International Development and Public Policy in addition to receiving her graduate certificate in Women's Studies at Texas Tech.

Ms. Kostina-Ritchey has been an active member of NCFR since 2005 and was awarded full certification as a Certified Family Life Educator in 2007. In addition to presenting at NCFR's Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop and the Work Life Summit, she has co-authored 16 NCFR conference presentations. She has been active at the state level co-presenting a research and professional workshop at a state affiliate of NCFR-the Texas Council on Family Relations. In the past she has served a local affiliate for NCFR, the Tech Council on Family Relations, through coordinating various outreach/education programs.

Ms. Kostina-Ritchey served as the Student and New Professional representative for NCFR's International section and is active in its Eastern-European focus group.  In addition, she is a member of four other NCFR's sections, the Feminism and Family Studies section, the Family Policy section, the Ethnic Minorities section and Research & Theory section.  She has been an active volunteer at past conferences both onsite and in reviewing conference proposals. She expects to defend her dissertation next spring which focuses on identity in Mexican American women who are the first in their family to attend higher education. 

The National Council on Family Relations is the nation's premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of over 3500 family researchers, practitioners and educators.  For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, contact NCFR at 1-888-781-9331 or visit its website at www.ncfr.org .