Eight staff members named employees of distinction
On Wednesday, March 1, eight Emory staff members will be honored as
recipients
of the University's 11th annual Awards of Distinction. The program, which
honors employees who have made outstanding contributions of service to
Emory,
is open to all regular general staff and presidentially-approved
principals who
have worked at the University for at least a year. Each recipient will
receive
a certificate and U.S. savings bond from President Bill Chace during a
dinner
ceremony at Cox Hall.
Denise Brubaker
Administrative Assistant
Political Science
Last year was one of the busiest ever for Denise Brubaker. The political
science department released her from her regular duties for nine months
to
serve as secretary and administrator for the Presidential Search
Committee.
"Denise helped make a very demanding and momentous year a very enjoyable,
smooth-running and memorable one," said Gary Hauk, secretary of the
University.
Back in political science, Brubaker is considered invaluable. "For the
last
several years, Denise has been handling everything pertaining to our
graduate
program," said department chair Harvey Klehr. "She has created systems to
handle admissions, financial aid, registration and placement. She helps
make
new graduate students feel they are part of a community. . . She has a
wonderfully wicked sense of humor, does not get rattled, knows how to
puncture
pretentiousness and creates a sense of community among faculty, students
and
staff."
Faye Dill
Personal Assistant to former President Jimmy Carter
The Carter Center
"During the 13 years that Faye Dill has been personal assistant to
President
Carter, she has fulfilled her duties in an exemplary manner," said Kay
Hamner, associate director of The Carter Center. "Her personal qualities
of
discretion and remarkable judgment, along with her grasp of complex
issues,
have led many, from Carter Center management staff to fellows and members
of
the program staffs throughout the center, to rely upon her as a sounding
board
and to seek her good counsel and advice."
Juanita Kitchens
Admissions Office Manager
Oxford College
"I am not sure of another person who has been as flexible in working with
such
a variety of people and keeping as positive an outlook and
attitude," said
Oxford College Dean William Murdy of 30-year Oxford staff member Juanita
Kitchens. "Nita has revamped our student employment program in the office
to be
one of the most effective on campus, with well trained and dependable
student
workers. She has also been instrumental in successfully reorganizing the
office
to continue getting the work done when one of our positions became vacant
and
remained unfilled for over a year."
Stacy Marcone
Administrative Director, Department of Biostatistics
Rolllins School of Public Health
Marcone is responsible for supporting the financial and operations
aspects of
the Department of Biostatistics. According to Vicki Stover Hertzberg,
department chair and associate professor, "Stacy has created databases
for
tracking faculty/staff salary sources on a monthly basis (a real
necessity in a
department where five or six different sources may comprise the salary of
any
given individual), and is currently creating additional databases for
tracking
other income and expense information relevant to the department. Before
being
promoted to her present position last summer, Marcone was academic
services
coordinator for the department, organizing all aspects of academic
support
including the processes of student recruitment, applications, admissions,
matriculation, registration and graduation.
Drake Sammons
Trades Worker, Residence Life Housing Maintenance
Oxford College
Sammons is one of only two maintenance staff responsible for the
facilities and
maintenance operation of seven residence halls and 10 faculty/staff
houses at
Oxford. "Drake never complains and is always willing to help, taking the
initiative to get the work accomplished and keep others informed about
potential trouble areas," said Oxford Dean William Murdy. "Working in the
residence halls with 550 students representing a wide variety of styles,
needs
and backgrounds is quite a challenge. Drake is incredibly capable in this
setting. Students like him and find him responsive."
Sara Shaffer
Administrative Assistant
Chemistry Department
Sara Shaffer "has never forgotten her school-teacher roots; the students
are
definitely her children," said Mary Garcia, chemistry department business
manager. "She is a tremendous asset to the department community. In an
emergency, you can always count on service above and beyond the call of
duty
from her. . .She is the recurring theme in a department that rotates
chairs
every three to six years. She is the `salt of the earth,' not a rare
spice, but
things just would not `taste' quite the same without her." Shaffer
administers
the payroll process for all department staff and students and manages
several
special accounts, one of which is the Emerson Seminar Series, which
involves
making travel and hotel reservations for many distinguished guest
lecturers.
Cathy Jones-Smith
Program Development Specialist
Office of News and Information
Handling angry callers doesn't faze Cathy Jones-Smith, who serves as one
of
Emory's primary "front doors" by answering the main telephone line in
News
and Information. According to Director Jan Gleason, Smith responds to
callers
with "courtesy, aplomb and empathy." That's not always easy, said
Gleason, when
many callers are anxious parents, stressed out reporters or angry local
residents. "Cathy smoothes the ruffled feathers of callers who have been
bounced all over campus, and her extensive knowledge of Emory allows her
to
direct these calls or find answers to their questions." Smith also
oversees the
office's billing process and computer network and has served many campus
organizations in leadership positions.
Kathy Steed
Supervisor
Accounts Payable
Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer
"Kathy has created a real team effort in her department," said Vice
President
for Finance and Treasurer Frank Huff. "In an atmosphere where stress and
long
hours are commonplace, this is not an easy task. Her employees think the
world
of her and really enjoy their work. As a result, the quality of work in
Accounts Payable continues to increase." In addition, Steed takes
continuing
education courses at night, works on political campaigns and helps house
foreign exchange students. "She always goes the extra mile to do things
right,
sometimes working incredible hours to get the job done," said Huff.
"It is
not unusual for Kathy to work a 60-hour week to make sure people are paid
on
time or to meet a deadline."
--compiled by Dan Treadaway