Ryan Calabretta-Sajder, assistant professor and section head for Italian at the University of Arkansas, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the American Association of Teachers of Italian's Distinguished Service Award for the college/university level.

A member of the American Association of Teachers of Italian for 13 years, Calabretta-Sajder has been involved in nearly every aspect and activity of the organization. He has held two elected positions and chaired three committees in addition to serving in the often all-encompassing and indispensable role of director of communications since 2014. Calabretta-Sajder has also been a central figure in the planning of AATI's international conferences for the past seven years.