Employee Services
Applause Award Recipients 2005
A - E | F
- J | K - O | P - T |
U - Z
(Recipients listed by first name)
Alan Snyder, Facilities: On
behalf of all of us here in Admissions and Records, I would like to
thank and commend Alan Snyder for the beautiful job he did constructing
our new security door. He built exactly what we asked for and the end
result even exceeded our expectations. Great job, Alan! I would also
like to thank the following people for their work on this project. They
not only helped to make the door very functional and look great, but
they also made sure that the work was done in a timely manner, which
we really appreciate! Thank you to Kevin Martin, Paul Lange, Kevin Dahlstedt,
Dustin Mollo, Harvey Delorm and Rich Marker. You guys are the best!!
-Nominated by Vicki Johnson, Administrative Coordinator
Bill Pfeffer, IT, AIS Analyst Programmer: Bill has
done a fantastic job of stepping up to the plate and assuming primary
responsibility for the security of our PS HRSA database. He's quickly
learned and accepted this new job while doing all of the other assignments
required of him. Thank you Bill for taking on this extremely important
role while maintaining a positive and professional attitude and handling
all of your other very important responsibilities!
- Nominated by Edna Nakamoto, Sr. Director, Human Services
Bo Owens, Assistant Athletic Trainer: Bo Owens deserves
a giant round of applause for creating a system that has ironed out
the confusion of seeing so many patients for their sports physicals
here at the Student Health Center. Up to now this has been such a hectic
ordeal. Bo approached this with a lot of thought, patience and a sense
of humor. We appreciate you Bo for making our jobs here easier!
- Nominated by Karyn Lobley, Clinical Support Student Health Center
B. Scott Brown, Equipment Operator: I would like to
thank Scott for his hard work on restoring the practice fields. He worked
tirelessly on getting these back into shape for our kinesiology courses,
athletic practices and student use.
- Nominated by Jessica Way, Conference, Events and Catering
B. Scott Brown, Equipment Operator: Scott worked on
the irrigation damages from the Eagles concert continuously. He handles
his equipment operations as well. He repaired the main lines, replaced
many damaged swing joints leading to the heads and set all of the sprinklers
to grade. He ran the large roller to help level the field, aerated and
assisted filling low spots with soil. He helped seed and spread topdressing
over the entire field. Scott went out of his way to fix each issue and
try to bring the field back to playable condition.
- Nominated by Samuel Youney, Director of Landscaping
Cathy Stuckey, Communication Studies, Department Coordinator:
Cathy Stuckey has helped me, our department, and SSU students in countless
ways. She consistently assists others making the job seem easy when
clearly it is not. She provides endless support offering expertise on
detail after detail. Her cheerfulness is a great comfort and I would
not enjoy SSU life as much without her wonderful insights and hard work!
-Nominated by Elizabeth Burch, Associate Professor, Communications
Cindy Chong, Mark Utarid, Armagh Ocegura and Facilities Services: At the conclusion of the Service Awards ceremony on November 16, Employee Relations was left with 8 large boxes containing chairs awarded to 35-year service award recipients who were unable to attend the ceremony. An urgent call went out to Cindy Chong to see if a truck and driver was available to transport us and the chairs to several campus locations. Not only did Cindy respond quickly, but she dispatched two of the nicest and most accommodating employees we have met. Mark and Armagh arrived with smiles and winning attitudes. They not only saved us the work of trying to get the chairs around individually, they told us to relax and let them do all the delivering themselves. After a busy morning, that kind of customer service was the best thing that could have happened to us. Thanks again to Cindy, Mark, and Armagh!!
-Nominated by Employee Relations and Compliance Services
Connie Lewsadder, School of Social Sciences, Assistant to the
Dean: Connie Lewsadder deserves the highest praise and a standing
ovation! She has helped in more ways than can be counted and always
does so with a smile and a positive attitude. It is so rare to find
someone like Connie because she is always so happy to help me problem-solve.
She relishes all the challenges to understanding the various aspects
of form handling and reimbursement I present to her and always has a
cheerful word when asked for help. She is a true partner in my work.
Connie always has a "can do" attitude. Because of Connie,
I can concentrate on the educational and academic activities of the
Center for the Study of the Holocaust.
-Nominated by Myrna Goodman, Director, Center for the Study of the
Holocaust and Genocide
Connie Lewsadder, School of Social Sciences, Assistant to the
Dean: Connie is one of the most well-rounded co-workers I have
ever worked with. She is multi-talented and her repertoire includes
not only the myriad of high-level administrative skills, but wonderful
personal attributes as well. She is extremely bright, artistic, diplomatic,
honest, straightforward and merry. I do not know of another person on
this campus who I would rather work with. She always adds color to any
room and her smile is contagious. More than anything else, Connie is
the epitome of integrity. She is a role model for all workers in the
world.
-Nominated by Sandra Feldman, Program Coordinator, Liberal Studies
Ukiah
Connie Lewsadder, School of Social Sciences, Assistant to the
Dean: Connie is always friendly and helpful. In particular,
she extends the effort to attend to the kind of details that just make
the day more special...the stickers on the CDC agendas really do make
a difference! The baked goods and other gestures of kindness that are
unexpected and just make one stop and smile for a minute in the middle
of a busy day. She was also really helpful and attentive when our administrative
coordinator was out for an extended period of time.
-Nominated by Maureen Buckley, Chair, Counseling Department
Connie Lewsadder, School of Social Sciences, Assistant to the
Dean: Connie is extremely helpful. She shows initiative and
dedication by constantly and consistently operating with a pro-active
approach. Furthermore, Connie is always effective at reducing friction
and confusion during those inevitable difficult or problematic situations.
She clarifies and focuses on the relevant aspects. In addition, she
is extremely professional while always remaining personable, especially
when having to be particularly discreet with issues of confidentiality
or interpersonal conflict.
-Nominated by Richard Senghas, Chair, Anthropology Department
Customer Services Staff: I wanted to recognize the wonderful customer service provided by our very own stellar Customer Services Staff. No matter what issues or service is required all the ladies in the office, front line, support staff and management, continue to impress and at times awe me with their professional calm, cool, and collected attitude. Due to the high level of confidentiality of many issues that have been resolved, I would like to generally recognize their entire body of work. Any time anybody has any questions, any fees or payments, registration questions and/or problems, and any issues or challenges with all aspects of University Life, these Customer Service Queens rise to the occasion. I have worked in customer service in a variety of intense environments, yet I have never worked with this advanced level of excellence. Thank you for inspiring me to be excited about my job every day I enter 1000 Salazar.
Diana Carll, Food Services: Diana is yet another of an amazing crew that not only supports, but develops Charlie Brown's Cafe and TOAST. Customers at TOAST know about one of dining services best kept secrets, but it's time those of you who don't frequent the shack learn of Diana. Diana is one of the most calm, funny, genuinely nice people I've ever had the pleasure to meet, and to have her to work with makes me more willing to come in and do my part each day. Diana makes more money per square foot than any other venue on campus - but we like her anyway! Diana runs TOAST, and I am proud to be able to support her in any way I am able. Thank you Diana, thank you.-Nominated by - Tracy Ramsdell-Ray, Operations Mgr., Charlie Brown's Cafe & TOAST
Dolores Bainter, Administrative Coordinator, Modern Languages & Literatures: Upon the departure of Kelly Mackura from the office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities, Dolores Bainter took on all of Kelly's duties related to the Arts & Humanities Research & Creative Works Forum, including arranging rooms and organizing equipment for talks, often at the last minute. She has gone far beyond the call of duty in her patience with last minute requests and has even lugged equipment into place and helped set it up when necessary. The Forum couldn't have happened this semester without her, and I would like to thank her for all of her help!
-Nominated by
- Suzanne Toczyski, Chair, Modern Languages and Literature
Dolores Bainter, Administrative Coord., Modern Languages, and
Barbara Moore, IT Specialist: I would like to nominate Dolores
Bainter and Barbara Moore for this Applause! award for their hard work
and collaboration on a Modern Languages and Literatures Alumni Survey.
Their efforts will allow the department to receive invaluable information
from 40 years of ML&L alumni. While Barbara was in charge of the
technical aspects, Dolores worked hand in hand with her on design aspects
and spent hours putting together eye-catching postcards to contact our
grads. The final version, currently being implemented, is a beautiful
piece of work. Our thanks to both of you!
-Nominated by Suzanne Toczyski, Chair, Modern Languages and Literature
Doug Bishop, Custodial Supervisor, Facilities Services: The custodial crew work on campus while most of us are home asleep. For this reason, it is challenging to communicate effectively at times. However, this is not true when communicating with Doug Bishop. The first time I needed to communicate with Doug he was so responsive that he stayed late in order to discuss the issue in person, enabling us to come up with a solution in a short amount of time. Recently there was an unfortunate miscommunication with a student and, once Doug became aware of it, he not only explained to the student "what and why" it happened but also took her advice and enacted a policy to thwart similar problems in the future. He and his staff went way beyond the call of duty so this student did not suffer a loss due to the miscommunication. Doug is a thoughtful and caring person, and an exceptional asset to SSU. I hope you get to meet Doug eventually, but you'll need to be on campus in the wee hours in order to do so!
Henry Amaral, Facilities; Steve Anderson, Physics and Astronomy; Ron Bartholomew, Center for Performing Arts; Bill Bayley, IT; Geri Beam, Friend of SSU; John Connole, Center for Performing Arts; George Ellington, Police & Parking Services; Dave Fichera, IT; Ken Fichera, Friend of SSU; Tracy Goodman, Customer Services; Kent Hayden, Library Systems; Colleen Hendon, Financial Services; Nate Johnson, Police & Parking Services; Rick Minervini (Jake), Friend of SSU; Steven Nank (Elwood), General Services; Lori O'Hara, Customer Services; Liam Robertson, SSU Music Student; Gregg Sheehan, Financial Services; Jerry Uhlig, Student Union; Bob Williams, Student Union; Brian Wilson, Music: To all the organizers and performers of Halloween Party 2005 - WHAT A SHOW! You managed to grab our attention from the very start with that outrageous police motorcycle entry, and then hold our attention with a steady parade of original songs and acts and contest judging, all the way to the final delight of witnessing the band about to be arrested by our very own police! Who knew we had so many hams in our midst? Clearly, a lot of people put in a lot of time and effort to create and coordinate this special show, and I want to express my appreciation for that. It was a huge success! Thanks for going beyond the call of duty to entertain us!-Nominated by - Edna Nakamoto, Senior Director, Human Services
Henry Amaral, Barry Blackburn, Alisandra Brewer, Ray Brown, Scott Brown, Chris Colebank, Tom Daly, Craig Dawson, Harvey DeLorm, Dave Dougherty, Eric Eisenhart, Nancee Fox, Steve Francisco, Mike Gaal, Steve Gould, Michael Hagen, Lesley Hunton, Nate Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Clarence Jones, Susan Kashack, Scott Lance, Nancy Lyons, Tony Machado, Neil MacKenzie, Rich Marker, Robin Marshall, Shelley Martin, Judy Mefferd, John Mentz, Linda Mikowicz, Dustin Mollo, Kamen Nikolov, Jim Noonan, Maggy Nunes, Kevin Otten, George Petru, Roseann Richard, Jaime Rivas, Bernie Rodriguez, Mary Rogers, Floyd Ross, Sam Scalise, Pat Seda, Jim Silva, Larry Stone, Jim Swan, Lee Swicegood, Ron Titus, Nic Werner, Bob Worth: There were dozens of employees who took time from their holiday break to help the University recover from the devastating flood that hit campus on Dec. 31. These employees worked tirelessly and selflessly throughout the day and nights following the floods that swamped not only SSU, but the North Bay and other areas. Despite the very best efforts of all, almost $1 million in damage was sustained by the University, primarily in the Information Technology area. Every effort has been made by managers to identify those who contributed to the campus recovery. We apologize for any missed names. The work of all employees involved in this campus emergency is sincerely appreciated.
Holly Galbraith, Dining Services, FSW1- Lead: Holly is the right hand of Charlie Brown's Cafe, and she straight-up rocks! Holly works every day to improve the quality of service not only to our customers, but to the students we employ as well. Holly holds firm to the high standards of quality to which the Charley Brown Cafe subscribes, while being an empathetic leader. Holly is always so rock solid in her performance, that she inspires me to dig deeper, rise higher and try to go further than ever before in development and sales. I don't kid myself, without Holly, CBC would not be what it is today. Thank you Hollyanna, thank you.
-Nominated by
- Tracy Ramsdell-Ray, Manager, Charley Brown's Cafe
Jack Ritchie, Library Assistant:
A standing ovation for Jack Ritchie! Jack makes my use of the
Schulz Library productive and relatively effortless. As my contact person
with the E-Reserve system, Jack always helps me make certain that my
use of the resource is efficient. A natural teacher, he explains all
aspects of the library's systems in a calm and understandable manner.
Jack is a gentle, literate helper. This round of applause is a thank
you to Jack for all the consistently friendly help he has given me over
the years.
-Nominated by Myrna Goodman, Sociology
Jack Ritchie, University Library: When I show visitors
around the campus, I always make the University Library one of my first
stops. To impress these people, I like to have them see the Automated
Retrieval System in action but I can't do that without an experienced
Library staffer. I've made it my habit to look for Jack Ritchie to gives
the ARS tour. He always finds a way to make himself available, even
if I walk in with the visitors and ask him on the spot. Jack's tours
are entertaining and informative and our visitors never fail to leave
impressed. So, thanks Jack for understanding how important it is to
give our guests this important look at the outstanding University Library
and ARS.
-Nominated by Susan Kashack, University Affairs
Jaime Russell, Human Resources Generalist, Human Services: Conducting a successful recruiting campaign for graveyard shift custodians can be an exhausting, very time-consuming process to locate just the right candidates for our open positions. Jaime has worked tirelessly on supporting our needs in this area for the past year and has really gone the extra mile to assist in scheduling candidates for early morning interviews. She sacrificed her own personal sleep to arrive as early as 6:30 a.m. to meet and interview prospective employees. She is a very valuable asset to the University and a strong partner for supervisors to have when going through the recruitment process!
- Nominated by Doug Bishop, Custodial Supervisor, Facilities Services
Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator: Jean Wasp
has been a great resource for Seawolf Shops as the store endeavors to
become more visible within the campus community. Jean has made NewsBytes
a very rewarding outreach experience for the store with her positive
can-do attitude in making our announcements reach out to everyone. She
has gladly given advice as needed and also volunteered suggestions to
make our events stronger and better publicized. And most of all, when
things don't go as we had hoped, she is right there telling us not to
give up and to keep trying. The Seawolf Shops APPLAUDS Jean Wasp!
-Nominated by Ken Brown, Manager; Marcia Harrigan, Marketing Coordinator,
Seawolf Shops
John Muller, University Library Assistant: John is
a marvelous person to have in charge of the Library's media center.
He has an encyclopedic knowledge of film - documentaries as well as
feature films. John is always cheerful and often helps make the impossible
happen. I use videos and DVDs in the Holocaust Lecture Series and this
semester he was able to steer me to a new DVD copy of an ancient 16mm
film that is a perfect introduction for students to the subject matter.
This is small thanks to John for his wonderful attention to the needs
of Library patrons!
-Nominated by Myrna Goodman, Professor, Sociology
Joshua Schultz, Program Development Manager, Research &
Sponsored Programs: In rushing to meet the deadline for a multi-campus
collaborative National Science Foundation proposal, Josh went far beyond
his call of duty to assist me in finalizing and submitting my proposal.
Josh helped to develop details of the budget, tracked down signatures,
and coordinated our proposal with other campuses. His efforts were key
in the success of my grant proposal submission.
-Nominated by Lynn Stauffer, Professor, Computer Science Department
Julie Greathouse, Everett Painter, Takashi Abiko, Tyler Miller,
Allen Davenport and Jennifer Beck, Residential Life Coordinators: I
have worked in residential life for eight years here at SSU. I have
never seen the quality of work better in terms of our Residential Life
Coordinators and the role they play on campus. From roommate conflicts,
to coordinating campus and residential community programs, to teaching
classes, to providing limits and education to our residents regarding
the plethora of issues that 18 - 21 years old can find themselves in,
to working with parents, student staff, faculty etc., the RLCs have
literally touched thousands of students lives. The weeks prior to Spring
Break have been incredibly difficult in terms of students challenging
the guidelines of our community, a wide variety of emotional issues
that are dealt with in some very self- destructive manners, and random
emergencies such as a recent fire in one of the student suites. The
RLCs have been professional, have worked tirelessly to provide our students
with support and challenge, and have almost literally worked around
the clock to ensure that the rights, responsibilities and safety of
ALL of our residents are taken into consideration. I have never been
more proud of a staff as I am this year!
-Nominated by Mo Phillips, Residential Life Coordinator
Karen Hatton, Human Resources Assistant, Employee Services: Karen Hatton enhances the quality of life at SSU by kindness, which is a quality I find essential in the workplace. Here is a specific example: About once a week, I receive a phone call or visitor who wants to speak personally with Karen. They consistently say to me things like, "I just want to thank her personally. She was so helpful when I called (or visited) before." I think that I am the only one who really gets to see these moments of gratitude and I am happy that I do get to see them. For potential applicants, Karen frequently "makes their day." And watching that happen makes my day, too. A little bit of kindness can go a long way, and Karen is very generous with kindness.
-Nominated by - Betsy Ward, Human Services Assistant
Kamen Nikolov, Center for Performing Arts, Production Coordinator: Kamen Nikolov continually goes above and beyond the call of duty for all of us here at CPA, Music and Theatre Arts. For the past month my co-worker, the Administrative Coordinator for Music, has been away from the office due to a family illness. During this time Kamen has come to my rescue whenever I have had to deal with any questions related to the music program. Whether it's sound and technical assistance for guest artists, or rental of a harpsichord, or even opening classrooms for faculty, he performs each task with efficiency and grace. His genuine concern for his co-workers and willingness to do whatever is needed to solve the problem make him indispensible to all of us. I can't imagine anyone more deserving of applause.
-Nominated by - Shelley Martin, Administrative Analyst Specialist, Theatre Arts
Kamen goes above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. I think he's supposed to deal with the unenviable task of scheduling events in the Center For Performing Arts, but he assists students in finding answers to their many, varied questions, assists visitors to the department in directing them to the right person, assists faculty and staff in ANY possible way . In short, he is indispensible! He also has a smile on his face, and a seemingly bottomless pit of good humor! He never ever takes out his frustrations (does he have any??) on anyone. What a marvel. We cannot do without Kamen anymore! Ask anyone of the office staff in the CPA. They adore him!
-Nominated by
- Yvonne Wormer, Staff Accompanist, CPA
Katherine McCormick, Extended
Education Analyst: Katie is the room scheduler with Extended
Education for our Psychology Masters Programs. Our programs have special
needs that most programs do not. She is always willing and able to accommodate
our needs and changes that we almost always have. She is a pleasure
to work with particulary during the trying times of scheduling rooms
when the type of rooms we need are very hard to come by.
-Nominated by Karen Fischer, Graduate Administrative Coordinator
Kathleen Piro, Office Administrator, Political Science: Kathleen
has consistently (for years!) gone beyond the call of duty to help faculty
and students in the Political Science/History/Anthropology Departments.
Her expertise in information technology saves the illiterate in this
field and her patience is ever so obvious when the office is filled
with desperate faculty and students all asking for something at the
same time. She truly deserves this recognition!
-Nominated by Robert McNamara, Professor Political Science
Kris Montgomery, Women's Resource Center Coordinator: I want to recognize the excellent work performed by Kris Montgomery during the entire calendar year of 2004 when she assumed the role of Interim Coordinator of Student Discipline. Kris was extremely professional and conscientious as she handled many challenging student discipline cases with skill and grace despite her lack of formal training in judicial affairs. She improved the student discipline protocols and record keeping systems while developing strong working relationships with various campus departments. Kris also recommended significant improvements to the Cheating and Plagiarism Policy and initiated an SSU Philosophy Statement Regarding Alcohol and Drugs. In summary, the University is indebted to Kris Montgomery for her extraordinary efforts "beyond the call of duty", and I know that she is pleased to return to her ongoing assignments in the Women's Resource Center and the Office of Campus Life.
Laurel Holmstrom, Academic Senate Analyst and Carolyn Epple,
Professor of Anthropology: We would like to give a huge round
of applause to Laurel Holmstrom and Carolyn Epple for their outstanding
work and leadership in creating the first SSU Queer Studies Student
Research Conference, held June 23-24. This event brought exceptional
student scholars from all over the nation to our campus, and also brought
our staff, students, faculty and the local community together to discuss
these important topics. Their dedication to this project, and to the
visibility of the Lesbian-Gay-BiSexual-Transgender-Queer-InterSexual
community, is exceptional. Thank you, Laurel and Carolyn!
-Nominated by LGBTQIS Resource Development Coalition and Safe Zone
Programs
Martin Longoria, Police and Parking Services: Community
Service Specialist Martin Longoria spends much of his time patrolling
the residential community watching for safety hazards and suspicious
people. He also unlocks doors for residents who have forgotten their
keys. When emergencies arise on campus, he guides fire equipment and
ambulances to their destinations, helps with the crowd and is eager
to assist drivers with vehicle jumpstarts and lockouts.
- Nominated by John Mentz, Sergeant, Police Services
Matt Flores, Academic Records Specialist, Admissions and Records:
Matt Flores who works in Admissions and Records unequivocally deserves
an Applause Award. I have been handling some university business matters
for a student overseas and this includes forms needed for graduation.
I had never met Matt. But from the moment I approached him with this
situation, he displayed a caring, sensitive and willing attitude every
step of the way which made my task much easier. Matt is exactly the
type of employee Sonoma State University is fortunate to have and one
that represents Admissions and Records well. Matt Flores is the epitome
of customer service and an employee with a heart.
- Nominated by Connie Lewsadder, Assistant to the Dean,
School of Social Sciences
Meryl Montalto, Human Services: A huge round of applause
goes to Meryl Montalto of Employee Services, who regularly goes beyond
the call of duty using her exceptional PeopleSoft and database management
skills to make recommendations to improve work flow efficiency. She
proactively created on her own two specialized checklists for the Employee
Relations team, which will reduce workload in two programs, as well
as providing a central location for the information that can be easily
accessed. She is a great asset to Human Services and deserves recognition
for her out-of-the box thinking and ingenuity! Thank you Meryl for all
you do. It is greatly appreciated!
- Terilynn Bench, Employee Relations Rep /ADA Coordinator
Mira Aceves, GeoTeam Consultant: I lost my power supply
for my laptop and had to reorder from Dell and they said it would be
10 days!!! Mira kindly found a friend who loaned me one until I got
mine. I would have been without my computer for that time period without
her help. Now, THAT is customer service, which is the hallmark of what
we do in Development and when it comes our way, it is SO appreciated.
-Nominated by Robin Draper, Development Officer
Mira Aceves, Pablo Romero, Geo Team: These two get
my high five and then some! During a two day crisis of finding all of
our desktop files gone, they quickly came to our rescue. Without our
computers, we are rendered helpless and they fixed the problem right
away with a smile and a sense of humor. Knowing they were under so much
pressure from a lot of people, they remained so patient and helpful
with all of our needs. The Health Center can't thank you enough!
-Nominated by Karyn Lobley, Clinical Support, Student Health Center
Mike Kiraly, Administrative Manager, University Library: Sometimes,
you hear about quiet, unsung heroes who go above and beyond the call
of duty. Mike Kiraly is one such individual. I recently learned that
twice a year, Mike and a small crew of individuals do a top to bottom
cleaning of the entire library. His motivation is simple - provide a
nice safe and clean place for the patrons and employees without adding
an additional burden on the custodians. Often people talk about the
things that should be done. This is an example of someone coming up
with a great idea and doing it even though it's not glamorous and is
really hard work. Thank you Mike!
-Nominated by Edna Nakamoto, Senior Director, Human Services
Modesto Llanes, Media Circulation Coordinator, Information Technology: Very recently, Mo saved the campus from a major computer, network and phone outage with quick action. During one morning's heavy rain, the drain just outside the hallway to the Data Center, PBX room and NOC got clogged and water was starting to flow into the hallway. Mo jumped into a giant knee-deep puddle and kicked the debris out of the way, allowing the drain to flow again. He got totally soaked in the process, but without his quick actions going far beyond the call of duty, we would have had a massive outage within minutes. (That water was rising fast!).
-Nominated by Eric Eisenhart; Unix/Linux Systems Administrator
Monica Flores, Director of Student Services, School of Education, Credentials: I applaud this person because she is not only a loyal friend and colleague, but she goes beyond her call of duty to help students at all levels. But what is even more important, Monica cares and advocates for all students to preserve their roots and identity which is so vital to succeed in any society. The daughter of migrant parents, Monica graduated from Stanford and was a high school teacher before becoming a key person with BECA (Bilingual Enrichment Career Advancement). Currently she is a key person in the School of Education credential program as director of student services. When I learned that Monica, along with her Mom Graciela, spends every Saturday training students from Geyserville in the traditional dances from Mexico, I thought this was an awesome gesture and commitment given that she has a very demanding job. The Geyserville dancers performed at the Day of the Dead in the downtown Santa Rosa event, and recently, at the Teacher Diversity Project event at Cali Calmecac Charter School in Windsor. These young people see her not only as their dance teacher but as the Latina role model they want to become. Thanks Monica! You are awesome beyond words!
-Nominated by Ellie Galvez-Hard, Teacher Diversity Project, School of Education
Nels Worden, Chemistry - Stockroom Chemist: I would like to applaud and thank Nels Worden in the Chemistry Department for helping to solve the "white board problem" on campus. I have been teaching this semester in Carson 68 and the white boards were badly smudged and almost unusable. Nels dropped everything and came over from the modular laboratories to work his chemical magic on cleaning the white boards. He also provided a spray solution and towels to keep the boards clean. Going even further, Nels contacted the manufacturer of the white boards about steps we can take to keep all white boards on campus (and in the renovated Darwin Hall) clean in the future. Nels is spreading the word around campus about the proper pens, use of clean erasers, and periodic cleaning with cleaning fluids to assist everyone who uses white boards in their teaching. Thank you Nels!
-Nominated by - Matt James, Chair Geology Dept.
Perce Smith, American Multicultural Studies, Administrative Assistant - We are a department with more than 75 majors and four full-time faculty members. Perce Smith coordinates all the departmental business in a courteous and prompt manner. She is kind to the students and faculty who rely upon her for help. Without her, our office would be chaotic and disorganized. Although she has battled health problems this year, Perce has still managed to do a top-notch job and make all of our lives easier. For this, I feel she deserves an Applause Award from the SSU community.
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Nominated by - Michael Ezra, Assistant Professor of American Multicultural Studies
Shelley Martin, Theatre Arts, Admin. Coordinator -While I was gone from my job for 5 weeks attending to the care of my mother, Shelley took over all the responsiblities of my job on top of the busy overwhelming department she handles. I want to graciously thank her and all her helpers for all the work they performed while I was gone. I cannot thank her enough for her support. Thank you, Shelley.
- Nominated by -
Mary Rogers, Administrative Coordinator, Music Dept.
Terilynn Bench, Employee Relations
and Compliance: Because of limited mobility problems over the
past few years, I've needed help getting around campus from time to
time. Terilynn has assisted me at every perilous turn in the road! Just
this past week she cheerfully made a special trip to the scooter shed
to find a key I had dropped. Every time I ask for help, she works to
facilitate a solution to my problem whether it be finding a key or moving
a special chair to a different classroom. My thanks to Terilynn for
all her help! I would be lost without her help!
-Nomiated by Myrna Goodman, Chair, Sociology Department
Tracy Navas, Business and Economics: Tracy did an
outstanding job of organizing b-schoold events. She has gone the extra
mile in working to make events a real success!
-Nominated by Robert Girling, Professor of Business
Veronica Duarte, Teacher Diversity Project: Veronica Duarte is an exemplary employee and team player. She is always willing to help and do her work, often going beyond the call of duty. Because she represents what the Teacher Diversity Project is all about, she is able to communicate and relate well to all the students who come from similar cultural backgrounds. The fact that she is a bilingual elementary teacher, and has a degree in Spanish, allows her to bring the academic support needed behind the pursuit of a teaching degree.
- Nominated by Ellie Galvez-Hard, Teacher Diversity Project, Director
Victoria Chavez, Cook I, Dining Services: Victoria is another of the really amazing people with whom I have the distinct honor of working. Victoria is the person responsible for creating all the food for the Charlie Brown Cafe, and she is outstanding at her job. I remember when "VV" moved into production for CBC, and was most unsure about her skill set. Now, VV is part of the team which has become synonymous with quality food and service as well as maintaining commitment to our vision and values. The only thing that Victoria has lost in the past two years is her desire to question her talents. Victoria arrives for her shift most days at 2:30 a.m. to begin preparing the food for the day's needs. Victoria's beans and rice recipes are brought to us from her own home as are the good intentions with which she creates all of our dishes. Without Victoria, much of this side of campus would either go hungry, or go elsewhere. Again, I know how fortunate I am to have another amazing team member on the CBC/TOAST team. Gracias mi amiga, gracis.
-Nominated by
- Tracy Ramsdell-Ray, Ops. Mgr., CBC/TOAST
Will Sykes, Information Technology, IT Consultant: Although
Will's efforts were not directly visible to most of the campus, it was
due to his diligence and efforts, along with his technical skills, that
we were able to diagnose the problems with our recent effort to migrate
our Windows Domain to a new domain.
Will was responsible for not only coming up with the cause of the problem
but he also developed the initial solutions which we used to get people
back up and running.
-Nominated by Robin Marshall, Director of User and Workstation Services
