Professor of Spanish, Italian and Linguistics and University Scholar of the University of Louisville, and former Vice-President (2010-2011), President (2012-2014), and current Past President (2015-2017) of the American Association of Teachers of Italian has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award for College and Universities for 2018. 

Nuessel has published 16 single-authored manuscripts along with numerous articles, book chapters, and book reviews. In addition to his scholarly contributions, Frank Nuessel has educated generations of undergraduates, graduates, and teachers of Italian, particularly though his leadership as the first Chief AP Reader for the Italian language and culture examination. Under his leadership, the AATI went through a variety of updates including branding and the creation of a mission and vision statement. He organized and executed numerous AATI@ACTFL conferences along with the AATI@Strasbourg Conference.