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Elsa Favila Travel AwardElsa Favila

Elsa Favila
WPSA Associate Director, 1985-2023

After 38 years of working for the Western Political Science Association, Elsa Favila officially retired on October 1, 2022. It is hard to put in words all the things she meant to the association and to those who have been involved with it.

On the work side, Elsa handled an incredible range of responsibilities, including organizing the annual conference, working with conference hotel staff and exhibitors, setting up special events at the conference and at the APSA meeting, overseeing the association’s databases and webpages, maintaining our financial and membership records, paying our bills, preparing our taxes, and much more. Her institutional knowledge was incredibly helpful for running the association.

But what is more important is what she meant on the personal side to the association. She is the one that members would go to if they were having problems, whether it was missing the deadline for paper proposals, making requests for when a panel is organized, or arriving at the conference without a wallet or a hotel reservation. She was the one that sent out and answered WPSA emails, and worked at the conference registration desk, answered questions and helped participants with problems. Association members and conference participants were at the heart of Elsa’s love for the association, and she always went out of her way to make sure that things went.

When Elsa retired, the WPSA newsletter said that Elsa was going to be missed. She was. The associated divided up her job and hired several people to handle the tasks that she handled alone. But she was particularly missed because of the joy she brought to the association.

Born in Saucillo, Chihuahua, Elsa studied at California State University, Sacramento, and then became a CSUS employee, working in several positions over the years, including as the secretary of the Political Science Department, overseeing the scheduling of class for the university, and working in the president's office. Elsa became involved with the WPSA when Elizabeth ("Betty") Moulds became the association's top administrator in 1985, helping Betty in WPSA work. In 2001, the association formally appointed Elsa as Associate Director. Her husband, Bob, was a familiar presence at the annual conference, helping the association in an unofficial capacity.

On October 22, 2022, the WPSA Executive Council voted unanimously to name the WPSA travel award after Elsa in recognition of her long and dedicated service to the association.