2024 Atkins Awards Nominees
Congratulations to all of our 2024 Atkins Award nominees!
Lauren Bass
Classification: Classified
Position: Assistant Athletic Director for Budget and Internal Operations
Department: Athletics
Nominated by: Alexandra Covington
Lauren is one of the hardest working people in our entire department. She takes on so much responsibility for our department and is always willing to help others. She goes out of her way often and is the most valuable member of our department. She handles so many different things and I know she does not get the appropriate amount of thanks and praise. She has taken on more responsibility this year as the new Director of the Tennis Center but she still helps myself and others with our budgets and other financial tasks that we as coaches are responsible for. I cannot thank Lauren enough for all she has done for me as well as our entire department.
Nominated by: Mark Link
Lauren is the backbone of the Athletics Department, ensuring continued support throughout the purchasing of equipment, navigation of state policies, or ensuring coaches sign off on their finance cards timely. She also acts as the “Department Mom” ensuring food for staff meetings, constantly asking about peers family’s, and is always willing to lend a helping hand no matter how much she has going on. She goes above and beyond the responsibilities assigned to her, and does so with a humble grace that embodies what it means to be a caring member of our UMW Community.
Jennifer Buist
Classification: Classified
Position: Office Manager
Department: Modern Languages & Literature
Nominated by: Ana Chichester
Jennifer Buist has made the biggest difference in the way our department runs since she has been here than anyone can imagine. She is never too busy to answer a question or pop into our offices to help with a technology issue. No request that we make goes unanswered. Not only that but she seeks work by reminding us that she can do certain things more efficiently and correctly (such as travel requests!). She is also the heart and soul of our department, and is always ready to offer a personal touch when one is needed. She is most deserving of this award.
Nominated by: Antonia Delgado-Poust
Jennifer is such an asset to our department. She always goes above and beyond for her colleagues, cleaning up our proverbial messes, helping us in numerous ways with our courses, extracurricular activities, and travel/reimbursements, and she brings a light, friendly, and joyful energy to the department. She is a positive force in the department and sets an example of diligence, care, and generosity of spirit. When it looked like I might not be reimbursed for a conference overseas, due to my own negligence, she did everything within her power to help me receive the money that I had hoped to get. From printing multiple documents at a moment’s notice for any one of us who might be scrambling before class to helping us to plan an elaborate cultural event on campus to handling many of our financial matters, Jennifer is a truly exceptional colleague and not only are we lucky to have her, but we (or at least I know that I) would be lost without her.
Nominated by: Brooke Di Laura
I would like to nominate Jennifer Buist. I honestly don’t know how she does it. It would be complicated enough to be office manager for our 21-person Department (Modern Languages and Literatures) alone, but she is also the office manager for 15 people in Communication & Digital Studies. The fact that she was asked to take on a second, large department is alone testament to the appreciation of and confidence in her abilities that others hold. Literally as I write this, I received an email from Jennifer asking if I had ever received a book I had ordered in July in preparation for my new class. The fact that it hadn’t arrived was somewhere on my radar, but I hadn’t gotten around to following through with her on that. But Jennifer remembered, with 35 other people to take care of. And I use that term intentionally because Jennifer never complains or acts put upon, but instead does everything with a smile and attends every Department meeting (and takes minutes!) when she doesn’t have to. The role of Department secretary is but one example of things that we used to do ourselves that she has taken on, including Chrome River submissions and room and testing reservations as well. She has also created new roles for the office manager position, regularly monitoring our social media presence, tracking our alumni to try to increase engagement, and encouraging us to make our physical space more inviting. Jennifer even contacts us, unsolicited, when she thinks the Department aid might be able to help us with projects we are working on. Jennifer makes us all look good, and we really couldn’t do it without her.
Nominated by: Marcel Rotter
Jennifer Buist is, in the true spirit of Larry Atkins, the one person in the department we could not do without. She anticipates the needs of the faculty and the chair and has supplies and budgets ready long before they are needed. Not only does she fulfill all her duties with excellence, she goes further than expected:
Her talent for graphic design helps the department to present itself in a good light in times of dwindling enrollment numbers. She is flexible with her schedule and administered, at least three times a semester the foreign language placement test that goes beyond her scheduled work hours. Jennifer has an ear for everyone – needy students, exhausted faculty, confused exchange students, she has a good word for everyone and helps wherever she can.
Jennifer truly deserves this award as she is not only doing all this for the MDLL department, but also the CDGS department that is in a different building.
Sam Cahill
Classification: Classified
Position: Assistant Director of Marketing/Social Media
Department: University Communications
Nominated by: Emily Burke
Sam Cahill is the kind of person who inspires those around her to be better, do more and show up authentically. Sam is always willing to help others, and her contagious energy, joy and personality makes everything she touches better. She is an incredible mentor to the students who work in her office, a selfless and gracious colleague and an amazing friend. Her commitment to her work brings her many late nights, early mornings and busy weekends—but you will always see Sam with a smile on her face and a big camera around her neck. Seeing Sam connect with students easily and create meaningful content that will reach far and wide is a perfect testament to all the best things UMW can offer.
It’s an honor to nominate Sam for the Atkins Award, and I can think of few people more deserving to be acknowledged for the gigantic impact they make on UMW students, faculty, staff, families and supporters, prospective students and the perception of UMW across the state and nation. The UMW brand as it stands does not have the same amount of sparkle without Sam Cahill.
There is so much to be grateful for with Sam, and I can only feel pride when I see her work and know that my alma mater that is so dear to me is in such good hands. Lucky me, lucky us!
Nominated by: Amy Jessee
Sam Cahill shines in her work here at UMW often by shining a spotlight on others. In her two years at UMW, she has amplified our reach on social media, with new content such as Mic Talks and regular “takeovers” by students and alumni, along with a LinkedIn presence that didn’t exist before. She inspires individuals, student groups and departments to share their stories and Mary Washington experiences. She also co-leads the University Communications video project, employing up to 10 student interns each semester. They learn directly from her professionalism and expertise in social media, photography and video. She’s quick to step behind the camera when departments need new portraits or a campus event must be captured quickly, and she’s a driving force in the overall marketing strategy and brand awareness campaigns for the University. She convenes the social media managers group to share ideas and partner on projects. She’s always looking for ways to share events and opportunities, big and small, from the Monday roundup to Mary Wash Day and Commencement.
Sam’s dedication to her work is matched by her genuine care and support of her colleagues. She never misses a birthday or significant milestone, is the first to recognize major accomplishments, and is always willing to lend a hand, offer guidance and share her expertise. A former teacher, she still inspires others to learn new things or take on a challenge.
In short, Sam is all about singing the praises of others through social media, and she is an unsung hero of campus through the many ways she promotes us.
Peter Catlin
Classification: A/P Faculty
Position: Research and Instruction Library
Department: Simpson Library
Nominated by: Julia DeLancey
Peter is the reference library for our program and has also done numerous research workshops for students in my classes, from FSEMs to 300+-level courses. The workshops are always remarkably clear, very positive, invitational, and assure that students understand that they can do research, how to do it, and how to get help. He continuously improves them and regularly seeks and gives feedback on how things are working. One-on-one meetings also consistently help students to do better. He also communicates beautifully with our program about new resources, seeking to make things better for us and our students. A great pleasure to work with.
Nominated by: Amy Filiatreau
I am pleased to nominate Peter Catlin, Research and Instruction Librarian at Simpson Library, for the Larry Atkins Award.
Peter has worked in his role in our Library Research and Instruction Department faithfully and diligently for 14 years. He is a well-known and respected leader on campus. He is very caring and he always presents as authentic, honest, and fair-minded. As the new University Librarian who has been here just over a year, I have particularly appreciated Peter’s support and assistance as I got used to my new role. He always has had my corner, and his optimism is infectious.
Peter has dealt with a great deal of staff turnover in recent years, and he has been willing and able to help, guide, and mentor new employees throughout the library. He truly demonstrates a desire to get to know his colleagues as people as well as professionals. Along with the department head, Paul Boger, Peter has worked to create a very cohesive team.
Peter has the most intensive workload in library instruction. His departments and their respective students require a lot of specialized support with their research projects, as documented by our statistics. These efforts require a significant amount of time and energy to complete. Peter’s found the balance at handling the workload and keeping a positive energy throughout the grind of the long semester. Peter has established his presence among his academic departments. The faculty see him as a supportive and effective liaison. Peter also loves working with students, and sees all interactions with them as a learning experience, both for them and for him. He is a welcoming presence for all.
Peter volunteers for extra work – for example, he was a lead contact on a project that brought us free digitized versions of the Mutual Assurance property insurance policies which will be a crucial help to our Historic Preservation Department as well as other historians interested in this region. He serves as a Faculty Honor Advisor, advises for UMW’s Humanities and Social Science Journal Columns, and is always willing to step up for extra committee work, shifts that need staffing, and more.
Peter is always asking insightful questions about how best to utilize our limited resources for the betterment of our community. In the fall of 2023, the librarians had to make hard decisions about cutting journals and databases due to inflation and budgetary limitations. The group was able to identify efficiencies in our holdings that allowed us to readjust database priorities, and acquire two new databases. During the process, Peter represented the needs of his academic departments while realistically balancing the necessities of the library’s budget.
Peter represents Simpson Library with great professionalism and care, and he is definitely deserving of being recognized for all of his hard work!
Dee Chasten
Classification: Classified
Position: Office Manager, GHRC Coordinator
Department: Simpson Library
Nominated by: Amy Filiatreau
With great pleasure I nominate Dee Chasten for this award. Dee is the office manager for Simpson Library, but she is much more than that. She is a tenacious advocate for our department, our employees, and our students. She does so much more than is in her job description! She came in on a Sunday to help put a colleague’s cubical together, as just one example. She checks email and messages after hours constantly, even if I chide her not to. She works with the Budget Office, Facilities, IT, Finance, Campus Police, Procurement, HR, vendors and other third parties and more, and hardly ever forgets anything or makes a single mistake. Everyone knows they can count on her, even when our building’s falling down and driving her crazy. She serves on the USC and is widely trusted and respected across campus.
I started as the new University Librarian in August 2023, and I simply could not have had a better partner to help me learn the ropes. I cannot thank her enough for being so great to me.
In addition to going absolutely above and beyond every day, Dee is also a student here at UMW, working her tail off to get her degree while also being a strong, loving single mom. She inspires me daily.
Dee has also been volunteering at the Gwen Hale Resource Center all year (along with many other Simpson employees), as well as our food pantry in the library. She just cares about getting our students what they need to have a meal, as she’s been that food insecure person herself – this empathy she has is crucially important and one of the things I love about her. She, Dr. Leslie Martin and I applied for and received an Alumni Impact Grant of $4,000 this year to fund food purchases for the Center.
And now this fall, with support from the Provost, at long last, Dee is going to be the first-ever paid UMW employee to be the Hale Center coordinator, taking the mantle from the amazing Dr. Martin who selflessly ran the Center for so long. Dee is absolutely running with this: before she’s even been paid, she’s meeting with our COAR volunteers and Americorps VISTA member, meeting with the FBurg Food Bank and Giant Foods, managing the Center’s Amazon Business account, creating new volunteer activities, improving and streamlining processes, all working to purchase and deliver food and donations for our students. She’s going to be transformational in this role, and her work would make Gwen Hale proud. I can tell she loves this work already.
The Atkins Award is for unsung heroes who go above and beyond: Dee Chasten is this employee. She’s a fantastic employee and human being, she is whip-smart, and she makes Simpson library folks smile and laugh every day. I couldn’t do without her!
Connie HuyleBroeck
Classification: Classified
Position: Building Attendant Lead
Department: Facilities
Nominated by: Anna Hollrah
Connie is one of our exceptional UMW Building Attendants and works tirelessly to ensure that Lee Hall and other buildings our campus are kept immaculately clean. Her exceptional work ethic and attention to the small details have always impressed me.
Connie has a keen eye for detail and does not leave anything undone. Her meticulous observation and unfailing awareness allow her to identify when something needs extra attention, and she gives it the care it deserves. She helps keep everything running smoothly and ensures that our building is presentable for our visitors and students who come through every day. Even though we may not see Connie (unless we come in before 7:00 am), her presence is definitely felt through our pristine bathrooms, spotless windows, and immaculate doormats.
Connie takes the time out of her day to find out how you are doing and is one of the friendliest people I know. She always has a smile on her face and a happy greeting for all of us in Lee Hall. She is truly one of our best and most dedicated behind-the-scenes heroes who make UMW a better and cleaner place. She is very considerate and caring in looking out for the daily needs for our staff in Student Services on the 2nd floor of Lee Hall and we greatly appreciate her extraordinary care of us.
Kasey Morello
Classification: Classified
Position: Honors Program Coordinator
Department: Honors Program
Nominated by: Kelli Slunt
I am honored to nominate Kasey Morello for the Larry Atkins Award. Kasey embodies the attributes celebrated by this award, including those exemplified by its namesake. As the Honors Program Coordinator and Office Manager for the Center for Community Engagement, Kasey expertly balances the demands of two pivotal offices central to the core mission of UMW. Her role requires not only meeting high expectations but also infusing energy, innovation, and creativity into the programs she supports. We are incredibly fortunate to have her as a valued staff and team member.
Kasey is an exceptional office manager who consistently goes above and beyond with every task with dedication and efficiency. Her exceptional organizational skills enable her to efficiently navigate the demands of both offices while adhering to the regulations and constraints set by the Commonwealth, particularly in purchasing and procurement. At a recent BUG meeting, I was impressed by Kasey’s proactive inquiries to thoroughly understand the recent regulatory changes, despite the additional workload they entail. Her commitment to staying informed and ensuring compliance demonstrates her dedication and exceptional attention to detail.
More importantly, Kasey brings fresh ideas, creativity, and energy to our program. This summer, Kasey and I were the sole planners for the Honors City as Text early arrival program. She skillfully expanded opportunities for our scholars, forged new partnerships with community organizations, and introduced innovative service projects. These service projects not only benefited our local community but also introduced incoming Honors scholars to the Center for Community Engagement and potential future partners for their Honors Service Learning course. This is just one example of how Kasey goes above and beyond to support and enhance programming for our students.
Kasey’s attention to detail is instrumental in maintaining the academic records and progress of our students as they complete the Honors Program requirements. Many of these requirements must be tracked in-house, as they are not tied to an academic course and cannot be programmed into systems like Banner. As the number of Honors Scholars continues to rise, Kasey ensures that our students are on track to earn University Honors. She also communicates professionally with our scholars, offering assistance and guidance as needed. Additionally, Kasey makes a concerted effort to know and remember the scholars’ preferred names and pronouns, fostering an inclusive environment for nearly 400 students. This demonstrates her dedication to UMW students and her passion for her job.
I highly recommend Kasey for the Larry Atkins Award. She is an unsung hero whose support and behind-the-scenes work are integral to the success of the Honors Program.
Shannon Petska
Classification: Wage
Position: Exhibition Coordinator
Department: UMW Galleries
Nominated by: Tracy Stonestreet
Shannon Petska is the definition of going above and beyond for one’s position. She is incredibly knowledgeable, resourceful, and hard-working, applying each of these skills to the service of our galleries, artists, and students. As exhibition coordinator, Shannon manages the exhibition and care of the university’s art collection, project manages the exhibitions in our two on-campus galleries, organizes the student monitor program, and keeps our interns on task and productive. Whether installing an internationally acclaimed exhibition at the galleries or pieces from our collection in the student health center, Shannon does so with a high attention to detail and efficiency. She is dedicated to excellence in all that she does for the university, and is the first to offer practical solutions to seemingly complex problems. Her organization and project management are unmatched, and her cheerfulness is contagious. To know Shannon is to know she gets things done – we could not do all that we do without her tireless commitment and enthusiasm.
Patricia Sarkuti
Classification: Classified
Position: Transfer Credit Coordinator/VA School Certifying Official
Department: Registrar
Nominated by: Ryan Hastings
I want to nominate Ms. Patricia Sarkuti for the Larry Atkins Staff Award under the Classified employee category. If anyone in the Registrar’s office typifies the true spirit of this award, it is Patricia. She truly is an unsung hero, and we definitely would not be able to function without her daily contributions. Her dedication to UMW is on display every day; with over 15 years of service to UMW, she is always the first person in the office in the morning and the last one to leave at the end of the day, and she often takes her work home with her to assist students over the weekend. Patricia works in two vital roles in her daily duties with the Registrar: she serves as the Transfer Credit Coordinator and as a Veterans Affairs (VA) School Certifying Official (SCO), and it is the latter that I would like to address in my nomination letter.
As a UMW SCO, Patricia plays a pivotal role in the lives of our student veterans. She certifies all of our BA and BS students using the CH 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and the CH 35 Dependent Education Assistance benefit, which is approximately 200 plus students. She actively stays up to date on her VA SCO training requirements and keeps herself informed of all policy or procedural changes made by the VA that will affect our students. She has always had a close personal relationship with our student veteran community and their families, and she makes herself available to solve any problems that they may encounter while using their VA benefits at UMW. If she does not have an immediate answer to a problem or question, she is relentless in finding the information requested.
On a personal note, from 2015 to 2016, when I was a student veteran at UMW, Patricia served as my VA SCO. She always took my phone calls and helped me make the challenging transition from military life to college life. She has a sympathetic ear and became someone I could lean on when I struggled emotionally and socially. Patricia consistently demonstrates an upbeat attitude and welcoming demeanor, which makes her someone who is easy to talk to and confide in. Now, as a staff member, I honestly could not ask for a better partner to work with every day in service to our student veterans.
Nominated by: Anna Hollrah
Patricia is an exceptionally dedicated and hardworking individual who consistently goes above and beyond to help provide support whenever it is needed for her team. Her beautiful smile, unwavering willingness to assist others, coupled with her positive demeanor, makes her a valuable asset in both positive and challenging situations.
Patricia has been on the front line at UMW for over 15 years and her work is instrumental in onboarding transfer and first-year students. As such she is at the center of the interface between Academic Services, Admissions, and the Registrar’s Office. Patricia adeptly guides our students through the complexities of AP, IB, CLEP, or Military credit to name a few as well as those with existing Associate Degrees, and patiently addresses their questions and concerns. Dr. April Wynn mentioned that “her day-to-day tasks are not the most glamorous, but she is always on hand to take a phone call, dig into a knotty problem and globally think through situations and eventualities in a manner to serve our students daily. Without her attention to detail and hard work, the successful hand off of students from Admissions to the classroom would not be possible”.
Academic advisors often see transfer credits on a student’s transcript or degree evaluation; however, what we do not see is the hours of work Patricia puts in to get us to that point. Dr. Wes Hillyard described her as someone “who is always ready to pitch in to support our students, colleagues, and community. She is readily available to collaborate with colleagues to review questions and concerns raised by students and does an exceptional job documenting each evaluation in order to help us respond to those concerns quickly”.
Dr. Gary Richards mentioned that he has “remained in awe of how Patricia combines professional work with a consistently pleasant, upbeat personality. The work she does processing transfer credits and updating Banner profiles is among the most crucial at the University. She does this detail-oriented labor efficiently and effectively, and transfer students whom I advise repeatedly express their appreciation that Patricia accomplishes concrete things to assist them, relays correct and useful information, and is attentive to every one of the hundreds of emails she receives.”
Additionally, Patricia devotes substantial time to ensuring the accuracy of paperwork for students using veteran benefits. She will work tirelessly, even on weekends, at the beginning of the semesters to certify paperwork, making sure that everything is validate correctly for students who are active duty, veterans, or dependents, demonstrating commitment to supporting students throughout their academic journey. Dr. Dan Hubbard mentioned that “there is no faculty or staff member who cares more about the well-being of our students and even with her incredible overload, Patricia is always upbeat and brings a joyous energy to all that she does.” We could not accomplish what we do without Patricia and she is an incredible person who sets a great example for all of us and truly is an unsung hero in the Registrar and Academic Services offices!
Lauren Slater
Classification: Classified
Position: Director of Operations
Department: University Events and Conferences
Nominated by: Shawn Ryder
I am happy to nominate Lauren Slater for this award because I feel that she exceeds all of the requirements necessary to receive it.
Lauren is phenomenal at making quick decisions about last minute adjustments before events. These adjustments often require Lauren to work with several people at once. She is always able to accommodate guests with their requests and makes sure that every event is set and ready on time. Not once have I seen her unable to do her job flawlessly.
In addition to her ability to make quick last minute decisions Lauren is always attentive and shows genuine interest when working with clients. Her ability to plan and organize events is exceptional and she always shows the highest level of professionalism.
Furthermore, Lauren always takes the time to help her team with any needs or problems that we may face during the day. She provides us with a happy, inclusive and comfortable work environment and we all know that she is willing able to help us any time we need it.
In summary, Lauren Slater an ideal candidate for this award. She is always friendly and smiling no matter who she is speaking to and she does whatever it takes to keep her team and her clients happy. Her work ethic is second to none.
Rosemarie Staggs
Classification: Classified
Position: Office Manager
Department: Psychological Science
Nominated by: Marcus Leppanen
It is with great pleasure that I am nominating Rosemarie Staggs for the USC Larry Atkins Staff Award. Rosemarie has been the Office Manager for the Department of Psychological Science for about the last 6-7 years. While I have only been here since 2020, my work has already been significantly impacted by Rosemarie’s. Rosemarie does everything expected of her in a highly efficient manner. While that may seem like an expectation, it is particularly impressive given the wide range of tasks she is expected to do. She handles scheduling rooms for faculty and students, works with the chair to handle budgetary issues, orders materials needed by faculty, and supervises student aides among other tasks. Any time I ask her for help she is quick to respond and efficiently helps me accomplish my goals. Rosemarie is always happy to go above and beyond her normal duties to be helpful. For example, there have been multiple occasions where I have had to be off-campus but my research students have needed access to a lab. Rosemarie has always been willing to volunteer her help to make sure my students had access to the space. As the faculty advisor for Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, I frequently need to reserve space for events and to make sure that food is delivered to those events. Rosemarie not only helps me make sure I get the spaces I need, but will bring those events up in conversation to make sure that I do not need anything done before I even ask her for help. Sometimes it feels like she is my co-advisor! I am also able to say that Rosemarie is a pleasure to work with. She easily meets the requirement for this award to go “above and beyond while wearing a smile on her face”. We talk about gardening, football, pets, and family. She is a core contributor to this department even if she is not a faculty member. I believe Rosemarie truly deserves this award because my job (and those of my colleagues) would be harder and less fun without her working here.
Nominated by: Miriam Liss
As the chair of the department of Psychological Science, I would be lost without Rosemarie. She is constantly reaching out to check in with what I need. She reminds me of deadlines and works collaboratively tasks. She is an absolute godsend when it comes to scheduling. She magically finds a way to accommodate everyone’s needs and fits them in the rooms where they need to go. This is often a huge balancing act as we need to negotiate 12 faculty schedules.
She is a kind supervisor of our student aids and has worked closely with the social media student aid to find and promote all of the great things our department does.
She is an absolute wiz when it comes to purchasing, keeping track of the budget and helping faculty with travel reimbursements. She has a fantastic can-do attitude when organizing travel and helping faculty do their requests for overnight travel and get reimbursed. She goes above and beyond in all ways – for example when we wanted to find a bus that would take us to our statewide conference, she researched a wide variety of bus companies in order to find the best deal. She consistently fills out the Chrome River travel requests correctly, using the correct FOAPs and making sure faculty are promptly and appropriately reimbursed for travel.
Rosemarie has a can do attitude about anything. Whether it is investigating the source of the mysterious beeping noises, getting a work order done to have art work hung, or creating and putting fliers all around Mercer to advertise events, she takes on tasks and gets them done!
Rosemarie brings her smiling face to work and shows a real interest in the life and well being of the members of the faculty. She makes our department feel like home.
Leah Schweitzer
Classification: Administrative Faculty
Position: Director of the Writing and Speaking Center
Department: Speaking and Writing Center
Nominated by: Miriam Liss
Although Leah is relatively new to UMW she has done an extraordinary job transforming the Speaking and Writing Center. She has developed 19 workshops that faculty can request for their classes. Each of these workshops are exceptionally high quality (I have had several in my classes) and focus on valuable skills that are essential for our students. The quality of the training she gives her student staff is extremely high. They do not just give prepared lectures to cover material but tailor each presentation to the specific needs of the classroom. Leah also rehearses each presentation with her students so that they are smoothly done and the student presenters feel confident. These workshops are gaining increasing popularity. This fall over 90 workshops are scheduled, often several in a day. This indicates that professors have realized how quality these workshops are and how valuable the skills are to students.
Leah has also led workshops designed for faculty. These workshops have completely transformed how I have taught my classes. In particular, she led a workshop on scaffolding which completely changed how I gave my FSEM assignments. She also led a faculty workshop on feedback which changed how I give feedback and how I talk about that feedback in class.
Leah has done an exceptional job training her tutors. She now requires all tutors to be trained in both writing and speaking and spends a great deal of time mentoring them so that they are prepared both to lead workshops and to tutor individual students. She has helped them frame the skills she teaches them as valuable workplace skills that are transferable in job settings. She has helped students get professional jobs after graduation and she has worked with them on their confidence, speaking skills and professional behavior. Students working and the Speaking and Writing Center come away with an incredible set of skills, both in communication and in professionalism.
Finally, in addition to supporting faculty, developing high quality instruction for workshops, and mentoring her tutors, she supports a huge number of students who come to the Speaking and Writing center for individual tutoring. Communication skills are one of the most vital skills that we give our students. Leah’s work is absolutely central to realizing this aspect of our mission.
Nominated by: April Wynn
Leah has been a valuable member of the FYE team. Not only does she support the development of stellar workshops for FY students, but she has work tirelessly to provide professional development workshops to faculty. She has teamed up with the SI Committee, the Library and the First Year Experience to offer workshops on critical reading and integrating writing and speaking instruction in both low stakes and high stake manners.
Leah goes above and beyond in reaching out to other areas to partner, in her support of students and faculty and when she brings her considerable background to make a positive impact on the teaching at UMW. One example is her way of talking about responding to feedback as a genre – which was incorporated in a number of FSEM courses this fall.
Each and every day she strategically works to develop her peer consultants, understanding that she will need to develop them as people as well as learners. This is hard and draining work, but she does so with a positive attitude and with the dedication to make a positive impact even when difficult.
She has inspired me to teach better, to challenge my assumptions about teaching, assessment and providing feedback. UMW is better due to her work!
Laura Temple
Classification: Classified
Position: Accounts Payable Specialist
Department: Accounts Payable
Nominated by: Julia DeLancey
Laura truly goes above and beyond in her work as Accounts Payable Specialist. My main contact with her has been in connection with Chrome River. What stands out so clearly is her patience, her clear communication, and her willingness to help–sometimes even setting aside a current task to help a flustered fellow worker. These things, as well as her lightness of touch in communicating, make such a positive difference.
Alicia Tisdale
Classification: Classified
Position: Assistant Director of Financial Aid
Department: Financial Aid
Nominated by: Carson Berrier
Alicia is *the* class-act… a true hero of our building… the GOAT… period. She’s the one our Admissions team runs to when we need a kind, compassionate, and honest answer regarding the financial aid process for our students and families. Without fail, she is always ready to take the hardest phone calls our division receives. Each time you talk to her, she emphasizes the importance of the greater team, that she is a part of a greater whole, a part that couldn’t function without the others. Willing to sit down to educate me and my peers about military benefits so we can better serve our students and families. Always a smiling face despite what life (and the federal government) has thrown at her this past year. She leaps at the opportunity to learn and collaborate, despite the busy-ness of her office, and for that, UMW is a better place. I’m honored to nominate Alicia for this award! In my eyes, there’s no one more deserving.
Ryland Willis
Classification: Administrative Faculty
Position: Web Content Specialist
Department: University Communications
Nominated by: Amy Jessee
Ryland Willis consistently goes above and beyond in his role, often working behind the scenes to ensure the success of various projects and initiatives online. As the new website rolled out over a year ago, he implemented a project management system to establish team goals and track page counts. He collaborates effectively with colleagues from across campus, with quick responses to web requests and meeting opportunities to envision ways to enhance the user experience and envision the website for each area.
One of Ryland’s most notable achievements is the migration of 35 department websites this summer, and along with the web team, he’s worked on more than 2,000 pages in the past year. His work goes beyond the website pages, though, as he’s also responsible for training web editors to manage their pages. It’s this in-person connection that has made the difference in advancing UMW’s web presence and user experience. Ryland approaches each page and project with a positive attitude and a goal to help others.
Paula Zero
Classification: Classified
Position: Executive Office Manager
Department: Office of the President
Nominated by: Lauren Slater
As I read the qualities of an Atkins Award Winner the name Paula Zero comes to mind immediately. Paula lends a helping hand whenever possible, I know this to be true for her teammates and across the University. Paula answers questions thoroughly, professionally, and quickly, she is extremely organized and always kind. I am always glad when I get to work with Paula, she has a smile on her face and asks me how I’m doing every time I see her. She is genuine and I know that she truly cares about the work she is doing and the people she is working with. I know Paula to go above and beyond in all tasks she is working on, she makes sure that I have every detail I need and every question answered. It is a pleasure working with Paula and I always look forward to events we get to work on together.