Sierra Judy and Syressa Lewis
Student Unions and Activities
Nominated by: Erik Dussault
Value Demonstrated by Employees: Collaboration
I want to thank Sierra and Syressa for leading the implementation of our new student engagement platform and thoughtfully reevaluating our efforts around student engagement over the past many weeks, and into the future. I appreciate the leadership they continuously show in encouraging our staff to think differently about students' needs and our role in providing programs, services and a system that recognizes and meets those needs.
Mark Luna
Recreation and Wellness
Nominated by: Luke Day
Value Demonstrated by Employee: Resiliency
Mark was designated as essential staff for RecWell to assist in preparing Les Bolstad for the May 1 reopening. For two weeks, Mark stepped outside of his expertise to assist the golf course staff in any way needed, working through bad weather and tough jobs to help ensure the facilities would be safe and enjoyable for guests. As the golf course solidified their own staff, he returned to the Recreation & Wellness Center where he has been working enthusiastically on special projects. Mark's knowledge, flexibility, and positive attitude has been invaluable to RecWell as we work in an uncertain environment to best prepare our facilities.
Nate Pate
Recreation and Wellness
Nominated by: Luke Day
Value Demonstrated by Employee: Resiliency
Nate was designated as essential staff for RecWell to support the buildings in the event of an emergency. Ahead of the golf course reopening, Nate reported to Les Bolstad to assist in any way possible. For two weeks, Nate stepped outside of his expertise to assist the golf course staff in any way needed, working through bad weather and tough jobs to help ensure the facilities would be safe and enjoyable for guests. As the golf course solidified their own staff, he returned to the Recreation & Wellness Center where he has been working diligently on special projects. Nate's expertise, ownership and do-anything attitude has proven to be essential to RecWell as we work in an uncertain environment to best prepare our facilities.
Sean Smallwood
Student Governance
Nominated by: Erik Dussault
Value Demonstrated by Employee: Accountability
Sean has worked tirelessly to help the Student Government groups maintain a strong relationship with the University and Student Affairs specifically. I personally owe Sean alot for setting us up well with many systems we can rely on for the future to work with in partnership with our student leaders to continuously improve things for ALL students.
Student Academic Success Services Graduate Instructors
Student Academic Success Services (SASS)
Nominated by: Jenny Steiner
Value Demonstrated by Employees: Student Centeredness
The SASS team successfully moved about 300 students online for classes and continued to support students through academic coaching via Zoom. Instructors shared an increase in 1:1 meetings with students enrolled in their classes and instructors worked hard to provide equitable solutions to students around technology and coursework assignments. I am proud of my team!
Laura Wiesner
Student Affairs, Student Life
Nominated by: Melanie Buford
Value Demonstrated by Employee: Advocacy
Laura Wiesner is a quiet and passionate advocate of her colleagues, the instructors she supports and the students she teaches. Laura holds herself to high standards, constantly searching for ways to be of service to her team and to the community. She pays careful attention to the needs and contributions of her students and our staff, noting and reflecting back each person's talents and eccentricities. When opportunities arise to offer feedback, praise or appreciation, she seizes the moment, often surprising us all with her quick humor and depth of insight. As one example, Laura volunteered to gather gifts and letters from our staff team to share with the student workers graduating from our program this spring. She baked cookies to include with the gifts, and delivered them to students' houses while maintaining a strict commitment to social distancing. The care and thought put into these gifts was not lost on our students, though as always, Laura drew no special attention to her efforts. Laura's presence is a gift to our team.
Kathy Yang
Boynton Health
Nominated by: Jennifer Krzmarzick, Ann Laros, Jill Wooldridge
Value Demonstrated by Employee: Collaboration
Kathy Yang is the patient assistance supervisor at Boynton. She is tireless. She is collaborative. She is creative. Our workflows since the onset of COVID-19 change daily and Kathy is inventive; proposing solutions, offering the assistance of herself and her team to make care of patients and curbside testing for COVID infections seamless. She's a calm, dedicated presence among the craziness. We have wanted to recognize her earlier. Thank you Kathy for all that you do for us as your partners in this and for our patients. We are all very appreciative!