Staff Awards 2021

Awards

• Regents’ Award for Superior Service
• Provost’s Outstanding Academic Advisor Award
• Provost’s Outstanding Academic Advising Administrator Award
• Provost’s Outstanding New Academic Advisor Award
• Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award
• Katie Pursley Superior Performance Award
• Waintroob/Myers Superior Performance Award
• E. Neal Stone Superior Performance Award
• George Lynn Cross Superior Performance Award
• Distinguished Performance Awards
• SGA Outstanding Staff Award

Norman Campus Years of Service

• 40 years
• 35 years
• 30 years
• 25 years
• 20 years
• 15 years
• 10 years
  

Norman Campus Staff Retiree List 2021

• Retiree List
  

Margaret “Maggie” Pool, R.N. 

Maggie Pool, Assistant Director of Clinical Services, OU Health Services on Norman campus, has coordinated many services at the university in addition to providing operational support at OU Health Services. She is largely responsible for planning annual influenza vaccination clinics for thousands of OU students, staff and faculty, and recently has been instrumental in planning COVID-related activities such as testing of students, coordination with the Cleveland County Health Department, and implementation of vaccinations through the Goddard Clinic. Pool also has been a volunteer at large-scale vaccination clinics at the OU Health Sciences Center campus in Oklahoma City. She consistently demonstrates superior job performance and is an especially outstanding representative for the university in her community roles.

Return

Wendy Walker

Wendy Walker, an academic advisor in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, was selected to receive the Provost’s Outstanding Academic Advisor Award because of the high level of caring and concerns she exhibits toward her advisees as well as colleagues, faculty and others.

Walker joined the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education Advising Office in August 2012 as a receptionist, and within a year moved into the role of academic advisor. Now in her seventh year as an advisor, she has garnered praise from students and colleagues alike for her willingness to meet with students whenever they need her, including evenings, weekends and holidays. If a student is in crisis for any reason, academic or other, she intervenes on their behalf and alerts necessary university personnel and then works to ensure the student is referred to the proper resources and offices, while maintaining close communications.

Walker’s actions and demeanor exemplify the National Academic Advising Association’s core values of caring, commitment, empowerment, inclusivity, integrity, professionalism and respect. She is truly committed to the inclusive culture within the college, making sure that all of the students feel comfortable participating in all events and activities.

Walker also serves as the college’s liaison with its Fine Arts Music Education students and with the Education Abroad Office. As coordinator of the college’s Global Education Program, she strives to increase summer immersion and semester programs for education students and current teachers. She also assists in the recruitment of international students and has worked with the college’s executive director of development on many projects, including fundraising efforts for St. Monica's School in Uganda. She also was cited for volunteering for a myriad of college and campus events involving alumni, donors, recruitment, prospective students, families, faculty and staff.

Return

Elizabeth Nunley

In being selected for the Provost’s Outstanding Academic Advising Administrator Award, Elizabeth Nunley, senior academic counselor in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and a 16-year member of the OU staff, was described as one of the most valued employees in the college.

Nunley’s primary responsibilities are the administration and oversight of academic advising issues and student records in the college’s five schools; she also assists in the formulation of student policies in the college. Her other duties include providing support for faculty in the interpretation of current procedures and curricula for students and reviewing and processing course changes and schedule updates. In addition, she is responsible for the training and oversight of approximately 40 faculty advisors and coordinating advising and recruitment events.

As advisor, she assists students in dance and music with forms, petitions, advising, senior graduation checks, academic performance contracts and graduation clearances. “Due to the number and complexity of the college’s degree programs spanning five schools, her value cannot be overstated. Due to her commitment to support processes Elizabeth has put in place, our probation rate is enviably under 2%,” said College of Fine Arts Dean Mary Margaret Holt in her letter of nomination.

Holt also praised Nunley for assuming all advising-related duties in the college “with calm confidence, efficiency and highly effective organizational skills” when a senior staff member retired and a replacement could be hired – and then repeated the same eight months later when that advisor left OU for a position at another university.

Return

Natalie Dickson

In only one and a half years, this year’s recipient of the Provost’s Outstanding New Academic Advisor Award—Natalie Dickson, an academic counseling professional 1 in the College of Arts and Sciences—has reached the pinnacle of the academic advising profession and displays mastery in a number of areas, said an advising colleague in his nomination letter. 

“We have been fortunate within the College of Arts and Sciences to have a number of excellent academic advisors, but I can think of nobody who has made such a positive impact as quickly as Natalie,” Ryan Peters, Director of Academic Services for the OU College of Arts and Sciences, said. “First and foremost, an advisor should be assessed based on their primary role advising students. Natalie jumped right into her role as an advisor and displayed excellence on all levels. …More importantly, Natalie advises in a way that provides an individualized and intentional experience for each of her students. Natalie strikes a perfect balance of empowering her students to make informed decisions in their academic journey while advocating for them to the highest degree when the situation calls for it.”

Dickson was praised by colleagues for her dedication to the role of academic advising as a profession and to continuing professional development.  She is active in both college- and campus-level advising associations, and she was elected to a leadership role in the Provost's Advisory Committee on Academic Advising beginning in the fall 2020 semester. Dickson has also engaged in professional development through involvement in the Life Coaching program that the university has launched to implement an academic coaching model on campus. In addition, she is concurrently working with the Provost's Advisory Committee on Academic Advising toward a doctorate in sociology. She is using this opportunity to further develop her advising skills and to work on a research project evaluating transfer students and their success at OU.

Colleagues also cited Dickson for her outstanding leadership skills within the college advising office and in the broader advising community, and as an instructor in the Gateway course for freshman students—and for her willingness to volunteer to take on extra work as needed.

Return

Andrea Flores, Office of Budget & Financial Planning

“In an era of budget reductions, a global pandemic and major system changes on campus, Andrea has been a foundational pillar to her colleagues across the campus,” wrote Kim Goodman, director of administration and finance in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, in her letter of nomination for Andrea Flores, an administrator III in the Budget Office. “Issues that have impacted everyone across the campus and caused large degrees of stress have been eased to the degree possible by the above and beyond attitude that Andrea always displays. Andrea continually exceeds expectations in managing relationships of financial employees across the campus, by taking the time to meet, share examples and talk through changes and challenges that have presented themselves over this past year.”

Flores was further praised by her colleagues for her high level of professionalism and ability to handle even crisis situations in a calm, respectful manner, as well as for her broad institutional knowledge of budgets and finance, which she willingly shares with all her colleagues across campus.

“Her impact and ability to remain positive during a time that has been challenging in more ways than we can all fathom has been instrumental in keeping financial employees across campus moving forward in navigating the new system and re-thinking how we look at budgets, expenses and tracking information,” Goodman said. “Andrea's stewardship of university resources spills beyond just the budget office. Her attention to detail and her manner of approach, help guide us all to be more attentive to our budgets and resources.”

Return

Heather Todd, College of Arts and Sciences

Heather Todd’s impact on the College of Arts and Sciences since she became executive director of operations two and a half years ago was described by colleagues as “transformative.” In his letter of nomination, Arts and Sciences Dean David Wrobel wrote, “I can say, with no trace of exaggeration, that the college would not be in the strong position it is currently in with respect to our financial stability and effective processes, and the functionality of our staffing operations, without Heather’s expert leadership.”

He cited several core facets to Todd’s success in her position, including her dedication and hard work. Wrobel writes: “… she invests enormous time, effort, energy and care into every one of the myriad tasks she is responsible for, from creating budget shells and working with chairs and directors and VIPs, to addressing the unit staffing needs and staff training and professional development needs of the college and unit-level staffing. Heather is so wonderfully responsive to the needs of every constituency of our college, and also serves as a resource for her counterparts in other colleges and on the HSC and Tulsa campuses.”

The dean further praised Todd for her empathetic and supportive nature in dealing with the needs of the college’s staff, faculty and students. “For example,” he wrote, “she carefully considers the implications of new policies and software/accounting systems for our staff, is admirably proactive in taking the lead in familiarizing herself with these new policies and systems, and in providing training for staff.” He cited the thorough revamping of the PeopleSoft system as an excellent case in point. Todd takes the lead, on a university-wide level, in gaining the necessary expertise that enables her to provide vital training and support within the college.

Todd also was cited for her communication skills – via Zoom, email and (in the post-pandemic world) in-person meetings with chairs and directors, groups of staff, associate deans, executive leaders, and others – and for her mediation skills. “Her position involves, on a daily basis, careful mediation between parties and the implementation of policies that are not always met with patience, enthusiasm or understanding by everyone in our units. She does this work brilliantly,” Wrobel wrote. “Because of this, I have included Heather in more and more meetings and processes where difficult decisions need to be made and conveyed. The wind-down of the OU Confucius Institute, and maintenance of the OU East Asia Institute together serves as one excellent example. The other prime example, of course, is the COVID-19 crisis. Heather Todd’s management of our operations during this pandemic has inspired confidence across the college. Heather’s work ethic, strategic thinking, empathy, professionalism, attention to detail, and communication skills have been on permanent display since last March as we worked though staffing operations and all other needs of our units and how to meet them remotely. The efficiency and effectiveness with which Arts and Sciences has navigated COVID owes an enormous amount to Heather’s leadership and stewardship.”

Return

Billie Wages, Office of University Advancement

Billie Wages, assistant director for donor operations with President’s Associates, is the recipient of this year’s Katie Pursley Superior Performance Award from the Organizational Staff Council.

“By any measure, Billie is a tremendous asset to the Office of Advancement, and her work with the President's Associates has been invaluable in building and maintaining relationships with colleagues, alumni, donors and friends, especially over the recent past,” Dave Hail wrote in his letter of support. “While in a state of consistent evolution and change in program and department leadership, Billie has been steadfast in continuing the good work that has typified her entire career at OU,” he added. “As a valued colleague and team member, she has exemplified the kind of character it takes to be successful.”

Hail further praised Wages for consistently maintaining “a high level of professionalism and amiability in all that she does and embodies the kind of person that our university community can be proud to call colleague.”

Return

Bryce Kunkel, Office of Admissions and Recruitment

Bryce Kunkel, a technology specialist on the Enrollment Management Marketing and Communication team, is the recipient of this year’s Waintroob/Myers Superior Performance Award from the Information Staff Association.

“What struck me most while working with Bryce is his ability to shift his perspective and think through problems as the end-user,” Associate Provost Aaron Biggs wrote in his letter of support. “Bryce never hesitates to help when asked, and his grace and friendly nature have been noted by many.”

In another letter of support, Chris Kennedy, director of strategic technology for Enrollment Management, commended Kunkel’s work synchronizing scholarship award information between campus systems, allowing for streamlined communication with prospective students. He wrote: “Although Bryce’s work is not perhaps as visible to students as other more front and center interactions may be … Bryce is offering essential help as Enrollment Management seeks to keep the level of communication consistent between what a student encounters while they are being recruited to OU and then while they are students on campus.”

Danielle Dunn, director of Enrollment Management Communications, commended Kunkel for his work on several innovative OU applications, including the Connect Portal and the OU Bound portal. She wrote: “Without Bryce, students and families wouldn’t have had a chance to get their questions answered in a virtual environment or the opportunity to connect with OU during the pandemic.”

Return

Kasie T. Crall, Enrollment Services and Academic Records

Kasie Crall, assistant registrar, is the recipient of this year’s E. Neal Stone Superior Performance Award from the Administrative Staff Council.

Crall, an OU alumna, holds a distinguished athletic record. After graduation, she used her experiences to help student-athletes. Annette Moran, director of student services in the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, wrote in her support letter: “The way she handled the coaches, the care and concern for her students, and the trust they placed in her was incredible. The way she was accurate in her work and always volunteered to help her students and colleagues was just something Kasie did naturally.

“She goes above and beyond, helping over the weekend if we have an emergency type situation, or if I need a GPA rolled to help with a student transcript issue,” she added. “The level of customer service she gives to everyone all over campus is unmatched. … No matter what the role or what team she works in, she excels and provides such a high quality of work and customer service.”

Brady Newville, director of compliance for the Athletics Department, wrote in his letter of support that “we are incredibly lucky to have a constant like Kasie as part of our team; especially during times of difficulty like COVID-19, as Kasie has taken on additional responsibilities, including assisting in tracking student-athletes utilizing the season of competition or eligibility extension waivers and revised Academic Progress Rate reporting requirements, and hasn't skipped a beat.”

Crall maintains a busy schedule, pursuing a graduate degree in adult and higher education as well as raising twin sons and contributing to local charity projects.

Return

Terri Stubblefield, World Literature Today

Terri Stubblefield, programs and development director for World Literature Today, is the recipient of this year’s George Lynn Cross Superior Performance Award from the Hourly Employee Council.

Stubblefield has been with World Literature Today for 20 years, performing a variety of critical support functions. In his support letter, Rob Vollmar, book reviews editor for WLT, commended Stubblefield for the mentoring and support she provides to their student interns, writing: “She has a genuine interest in student well-being and advocates regularly on behalf of students to make sure that they have access to the resources they need to be successful. Insofar that WLT operates as a humanities lab for promising students, Terri always goes the extra mile to make sure that it is a warm and welcoming place in which students look forward to spending their time while developing their skills and capacities.”

Vollmar also wrote about Stubblefield’s role in helping WLT cope with pandemic-related challenges, noting: “Like every unit, WLT has faced unique challenges during this pandemic year. While we have all coped with the eccentricities of publishing a magazine remotely, Terri’s duties to organize the annual Neustadt Lit Festival, our major outward-facing event, were made infinitely more complex by the rapid transition to an online format. She took a leading role in conceptualizing how the festival might work in this format for which we had no precedent as well as fulfilling her regular obligations of working with scholars, writers and stakeholders to make certain everyone’s needs were being met.”

Return

Gary Bates, College of Arts and Sciences

In Gary Bates’ nomination, it’s stated that his “approach to IT support is professional, personable, highly effective and efficient.” With only four staff members in his supervision, he addresses customer service needs for 2,250 faculty, graduate research and teaching assistants, and staff members.

Bates, director of technology for the College of Arts and Sciences, “is known for having a smile on his face as he approaches faculty, staff and students with a courteous demeanor, emphasizing his pleasant personality and unparalleled computer and software expertise,” wrote Michael Bemben, chair of the Department of Health and Exercise Science, College of Arts and Sciences.

Associate History Professor Shmuel Shepkaru said, “Gary is always available to assist. When I had issues with my computer, he even came to my house to fix it. He also provided extra hardware for my class presentation. With all the computer issues I have had, I would be lost without him. I cannot praise him enough.”

“Gary’s selfless devotion to meeting the needs of our quite massive community will be at the very top of the list of examples of how adversity made us a stronger community,” said David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Return

Diana Fitzpatrick, Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost

Diana Fitzpatrick, manager, Academic Personnel Records, has served the University of Oklahoma for over 29 years.

Beth Gatewood, executive director of finance and operations, stated that “Diana is, and has for many years, been the ‘go-to’ person within the Provost Office,” adding, “This past year, in a very unprecedented time, Diana routinely went above and beyond on a daily basis.”

Kim Goodman, director of administration and finance in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, said: “Diana continually exceeds expectations in managing relationships of the academic units across the campus, by taking the time to meet, share, inform and talk through changes and challenges that have presented themselves over this past year.” Goodman also said that Fitzpatrick’s “impact and ability to remain positive during a time that has been challenging in more ways than we can all fathom has been instrumental.”

Stewart Berkinshaw, associate vice president for budget and finance, shared that he is very impressed with Fitzpatrick’s ability to “respond to department needs, sometimes before the department even realizes there is a need.” 

Fitzpatrick is an active voice in the indigenous community and is involved with her church.

Return

Kim Freeman, Shared Business Services Center, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

“Kim has been instrumental in the development of the Shared Business Service Center and establishing best practices for HR matters for the constituents that they provide services for,” said Freeman’s colleague Kim Goodman, director of administration and finance in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education.

In July 2019, Kim Freeman was promoted to Payroll/HR team manager in SBSC. A former colleague wrote: “While I am sorry to no longer work with Kim on a daily basis, her hand remains visible and is clearly reflected in the quality and accuracy of the work of her staff. Kim continually goes well beyond the basics and maintains an empathetic ‘can do’ and cheerful attitude that exemplifies a true commitment to customer care, teamwork and superior performance – a standard that is readily apparent in the people she has trained and supervises.”

“The position Kim is in is not glamorous, and many times this position is doing a lot of work behind the scenes that no one even knows about,” wrote Emily Pierce, administrator II in the center. “She doesn’t often get to hear the praise she deserves from our departments, even though she is working so diligently to ensure each employee with the departments we support is getting paid correctly and timely. Kim’s job is stressful, and she takes on all the weight of the responsibility of each of her team members. She makes herself available for them at all times and bends over backwards to help them be successful.”

A colleague summed it up thus: “I know I can be successful in all I do at the university, because I have the privilege to work with Kim. The departments and colleges we assist, my fellow team members and SBSC are better because we have Kim.”

Return

Emilie Gordon, Graduate College

“Emilie is the technology coordinator in the Graduate College, but her impact goes well beyond that title,” said Gregg Garn, senior associate provost of online education, in his letter of nomination. “There are many back-end pieces and work that I am sure Emilie must do to make everything possible and she does it all with a quick turnaround that is high quality.”

Pivotal to Gordon’s approach is innovation, improvement and communication. Colleagues describe her as a good listener who is able to take the needs of others and find workable solutions, and when new projects arise, can manage them with skill, insight and creativity.

“She truly cares about her colleagues, whether those coworkers are her team in Graduate Admissions, the Graduate College or the graduate faculty and staff within the academic units. She is responsive to the needs of her associates,” said Amy Shaw, director of Graduate Admissions, in her letter of recommendation.

“Emile is the epitome of what a Staff Merit award recipient should be,” Shaw added. “She is knowledgeable, innovative, flexible, dedicated and, above all, a remarkable asset to the Graduate College and the University of Oklahoma.” 

Return

Tina Henderson, Center for Independent and Distance Learning

Tina Henderson, managerial associate I at the Center for Independent and Distance Learning, was described as the “epitome of what world-class customer service looks like” by Randall Doerneman, director of Campus Affiliated Program. “She is intrinsically motivated and routinely goes above and beyond to meet the needs of our faculty and students. It is not often enough that we get to recognize great personnel. Tina is most deserving and has my highest recommendation for this award.”

Doerneman noted that some of the center’s faculty worked with instructional designers to change their exams to project-based evaluations, but many others wanted to continue to use their existing exams. To assist these instructors, he said, Henderson quickly became a Zoom expert, began proctoring individuals via Zoom, and quickly learned how to use breakout rooms to proctor several students at one time. The pandemic forced Henderson’s two hourly testing center employees to work from home, but unreliable home connectivity only allowed them to minimally assist with Zoom proctoring so, from March 16 to Dec. 31, 2020, Henderson personally Zoom-proctored 763 students.

Johnnie-Margaret McConnell, assistant dean of student success at OU Extended Campus, added: “Tina was also instrumental in coordinating her staff's safe return in July, followed by reconfiguring the testing center with campus COVID classroom regulators. Thanks to her leadership and persistence, our testing center offered uninterrupted service throughout 2020. Tina's fortitude and positive approach throughout the past year is unmatched.”

Return

Sherri Isbell, Printing, Mailing, and Document Production Services

“I have worked with and worked for Sherri for 16 years and have always found her dependable, efficient and with an unfailingly work ethic. In fact, her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our university is to be admired,” said Matt Cooper, a technical projects management specialist I in Printing, Mailing and Document Services.

Vice President Eric Conrad described Isbell’s work throughout the pandemic as “critical to the ongoing operations at the Health Sciences Center, Norman and Tulsa campuses. The immediate need for signage and PPE was essential for the reopening and the safety of the students, faculty and staff,” he explained.

“I have been in management positions for over 40 years and I have never, ever worked with someone as dedicated to their job as Sherri,” said Printing, Mailing and Document Services director John A. Sarantakos. “Her work has always been exemplery and to the highest standard. A benchmark level of good would not stand up to her rigoris standards. As managers, we look for rising stars. Work ethic, the willingness to go the extra mile, attitude, understanding of our mission, are just a few of the attributes Sherri possesses. Her loyalty to the university is unquestioned. As a graduate and a 30-plus-year employee, she could be the poster child for what OU considers ‘family.’”

“Sherri without a question has been the go-to person for anything and everything COVID-19 related. All the new protocols and procedures she has implemented has truly helped us to operate in a safer environment. It seems like every week there are new plans she implements from the university or she herself has come up with on her own to keep us safe,” said colleague Robbie Robbins.

Return

Michelle Johnson, World Literature Today

When Michelle Johnson assumed her job as managing and culture editor (administrator II) at World Literature Today, she replaced an individual who had created and held the position for 30 years; procedures and goals had remained unchanged for at least 20 years.

Daniel Simon, WLT assistant director and editor-in-chief, tasked Johnson with reinventing the job from the ground up, which among a myriad of other things, entailed bringing in new technology to contact publishers and writers. She quickly doubled the number of commissioned essays and pieces of literature submitted for each issue, he notes. She also enhanced the magazine’s success by working closely with the editorial staff to smooth out procedural difficulties and keep people, including WLT’s many student interns (many of whom she also mentors), working well together.

Simon also credits Johnson with revolutionizing WLT’s outreach by establishing ongoing correspondence with the magazine’s many existing contributors and ensuring that the new stream of acquisitions they were receiving were being streamed on several social media platforms.

In the last year, Johnson is credited with doing “pioneering work” to bring international culture to WLT’s pages, to attract more readers to WLT by covering world culture beyond literature in areas like art, music, theater, dance and general performance. This is the kind of initiative that would generally require a whole staff to accomplish, and Johnson accomplished it almost single-handedly.

Johnson’s commitment to giving back to her community is extensive. An attorney, she worked with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) earlier in her WLT career. She continues to give generously of her time, talent and resources to several other causes, especially those serving children and animals, and has personally adopted and rescued countless dogs and cats.

Return

Tami Kinsey, Economics

Economics professor Gregory Burge praised Tami Kinsey, managerial associate I in the Department of Economics, for her longtime distinguished performance at the university.

“In serving at OU for 16 years, I have interacted with many gifted faculty, staff and administrators,” he wrote. “Among these, Tami stands out in several positive ways. Tami is extremely knowledgeable regarding university policies and procedures, highly competent and has a winning personality. I have warmly joked with her that she is not allowed to retire, since I have no idea what our department would do without her. She is irreplaceable!”

Economics professor Cynthia Rogers wrote: “Tami is by far the epitome of how a staff member can make vital and long-lasting contributions to the mission of this great institution and to faculty and student success. As a humble, generous and attentive colleague to faculty and staff members, she has been helping our department evolve for 33 years. Tami’s commitment, contributions and dedicated service make her extremely deserving of this award.” 

Additionally, assistant professor of economics Jonathan McFadden stated: “Tami is a friendly, dedicated individual and an exemplar of staff professionalism at OU. Her knowledge of department, college and university policies is excellent, and when she doesn’t know an answer about a procedure or policy, she always knows who to turn to for the answer. Her response time to phone calls, emails and tasks is ‘lightning quick’ – all done with kindness and generosity. It would not be an understatement to say that Tami is the glue that keeps the department together.”

Outside OU, Kinsey is involved in Norman's senior community.

Return

Amanda Marsh, Office of Admissions and Recruitment

Amanda Marsh, admissions and recruitment specialist I in Admissions and Recruitment, was nominated for this award by a peer who spoke of her innate talents and abilities.

“Amanda lends her talents to Enrollment Management communications constantly by reviewing publications as well as website text before it is published. Additionally, she serves on the Veterans Affinity committee, ensuring that we provide accurate information to veterans and their families,” the colleague said.

Additionally, her nominator stated: “She has not only increased OU’s presence in that region, but she has singlehandedly created a pipeline for OU in California that cannot go unnoticed. In a non-pandemic year, Amanda spends weeks on the road visiting countless high schools, and during this challenging year she has spent several nights a week on Zoom with students. Her hard work has paid off! Before Amanda began working in California, just over 200 students applied to OU from the state; this year, over 900 students have submitted an application to our institution – a 400% increase!”

Marsh is an active member of the Regional Admissions Counselors of California organization. She currently serves on their executive board as the professional development chair, with responsibility for all of the trainings offered to a group of over 100 individuals. Additionally, she is an active Navy wife, planning several fundraisers and other events throughout the year to support members of the Navy and their spouses.

Return

Ron D. McCarty, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

Ron McCarty serves as an IT specialist II in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education. “In this role, Ron supports the mission and work of the college in myriad ways and is an indispensable member of our team,” said Interim Dean Stacy Reeder, adding that she has witnessed the impact of his dedication and service to the college through support of the dean’s work, as well as his work that interfaces with students, faculty and staff, through the years.

“Ron’s potential for success is certain because he gives his mind and heart to every task at hand. His combination of intelligence, selflessness, generosity, creativity and perseverance, to name just a few traits, are reasons that I recommend Ron for the Staff Merit award,” said Aiyana Henry, associate dean of instructional leadership and academic curriculum.

Gregg Garn, senior associate provost of online education, noted that multiple faculty and staff have said that the Rainbolt College would not be as great a place to work and learn without Ron.

“His forward thinking has saved us time and resources and kept the college’s operations flowing smoothly especially during this pandemic,” commented Kim Goodman, administrator II in the college.

Return

Hayden Pelley, College of Law

Katheleen Guzman, interim dean of the College of Law, called Hayden Pelley, OU Law’s IT administrator, as “instrumental in leading our audiovisual and networking technology efforts through the pandemic.”

She adds: “Indeed, his perspicacity had already placed us in an excellent position heading into last spring, as he has been careful throughout to modernize our classrooms and event spaces in ways that facilitated our transition to alternate teaching modalities. With Mr. Pelley’s guidance, we have incorporated recording and videoconferencing capabilities into all of our classrooms. He transformed two spaces that we’d rented at the OCCE into Zoom-enabled classrooms integrating student microphones and remote recording using our Panopto system; he brought online two new ‘flipped’ classrooms and assisted with repurposing two event spaces (the Bell Courtroom and the Sneed Lounge) into hybrid-capable capacity. Because of Mr. Pelley’s hard work and knowledge – often deployed late into the night or over weekends – we were able to offer our students a greater number of in-person classes and offer our faculty a higher quality and more effective teaching experience.“

Pelley’s ability to navigate the systems to go from in-person classes to online instruction to a hybrid model was deemed instrumental in ensuring that the OU College of Law is fully able to educate the next generation of attorneys.

Return

Kathi Robinette, Financial Aid Services

“I have worked with Kathi for years, but the first time I saw what she could really accomplish is when she became the functional lead for the Banner Student System,” wrote Brad Burnett, associate vice president of financial services for the Division of Enrollment Management. “Kathi built the current system for Financial Aid and, due to the logical business progression of the university, her team had to go-live at the beginning of a new aid year. If she missed her go-live, an entire year would have been lost. Kathi led with poise and confidence, even though what she was doing had never been done before at OU. She made solid business process decisions based on her in-depth knowledge of current financial aid processes. She trusted her instincts and her team, allowing them to step up and provide subject matter expertise. Her Financial Aid go-live was on time and on-budget, setting the tone and the standard for the rest of the project.”

He added: “Kathi is constantly monitoring the Financial Aid systems and looking for ways to make it better and more efficient. Over the years, she has facilitated the awarding of billions of dollars in aid to help students pay for college. She has written hundreds of reports, completed dozens of surveys and is the University of Oklahoma representative with the Department of Education from data security perspective. Kathi agreed to be the Financial Aid representative on the Ozone Change Request Committee, one of the most important and impactful committees on campus. Even though the name of the committee has changed over the years, Kathi has built up a trust and respect with her fellow committee members.  Together they are in the process of taking OU to ‘the next level’ of student system technology.”

Return

Lauren Schueler, Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center

Lauren Schueler is the director of N.E.W. Leadership and civic engagement at the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center. She coordinates the N.E.W. (National Education for Women’s) Leadership program that seeks to address the historical under-representation of women in politics and public service, as well as civic engagement more broadly on campus. 

Schueler exercises exemplary professionalism and dedication as the head of Women’s Leadership Initiative Programs. This position requires finding speakers, actively fundraising and recruiting attendees from across the state – all activities in which logistics are key. 

Schueler’s steadfast dedication has placed OU as a national leader for civic engagement. Under her direction, OU is now on the list of Top Schools for Student Voting, and the university consistently wins the statewide voter registration contest. 

Schueler serves as the university’s liaison with Harvard University’s National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement, the Oklahoma Campus Compact, the Students Learn Student Vote Coalition, and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

Return

Dana Traylor, Office of Admissions and Recruitment

Since 2007, Dana Traylor has been the epitome of an ideal OU employee: hard-working, loyal, honest and professional in every way. In August 2019, the Administration and Compliance Department of Enrollment Management was formed, and Traylor became the sole Office of Admissions and Recruitment budget and payroll expert. It was said that her calm, steady demeanor is to be credited for smoothing the emotional and stressful transition for several of her coworkers. 

One contributor said: “An office and team can only run smoothly when the ‘behind the scenes’ is streamlined, coordinated and organized. Those three adjectives perfectly describe Dana. She continually strives to make our team better through sharing policies that apply to OAR, assisting with the travel and Concur requests, and tirelessly keeping up with the day-to-day minutia of administration management.”

“Dana is passionate about fulfilling the mission of the A&C Team (to provide support to EM operations through collaboration, consistency and efficiency) and intentional about protecting OAR’s assets,” said another contributor.

One of the nine respected members of the OU Behavior Intervention Team, Traylor attends weekly meeting serving as the BIT scribe. In her voluntary role as a BIT team member, she provides support to OU faculty, staff, administration and students and responds to reports of disruptive or troubling behavior. This is an extremely challenging and stressful job, but colleagues note that Traylor handles it with compassion, honesty, trustworthiness and insightfulness.

Return

Crissy Young, Gender and Equality Center

“The work we do in the Gender + Equality Center is critical and sometimes incredibly emotionally taxing; Crissy’s role means that she is often the first person a student or staff member in crisis or need may interact with,” wrote Amber May, GEC administrator. “She could be the first face a victim may interact with as they make their way to an OU Advocate meeting; she may be the person walking a trans student through the name change process; she could even be the person answering the phone in the middle of the night guiding a volunteer OU Advocate through a new case. Her joy, optimism and steadfast nature make her remarkably good at this challenging work.”

“I have had the honor of working at the University of Oklahoma for the past 14 years, and I have rarely met a staff member so universally beloved as Crissy Young,” added Gender + Equality Center director Erin Simpson. “She is a joy to work with and a constant source of strength for our office. She is everything that we hope staff members at OU will be: dedicated, hopeful, joy-filled and committed to making our university a better home for all students, faculty and staff.”

In addition to her administrative duties, Young serves as an OU Advocate as well as an after-hours coordinator for the OU Advocate program. This work comes from the Gender + Equality Center but is not required in her role. Instead it is something she believes deeply in and is committed to. She is a well-known figure in the School of Drama, where she occasionally teaches an elocution class, and serves as a supportive and endearing figure to many students.

Return

Quy Nguyen, Division of Student Affairs

Quy Nguyen, director of the Center for Student Life in the Division of Student Affairs, was recognized for his caring, charismatic, goal-oriented and kind nature, as well as for his efforts to ensure that every student feels at home at the university. In his nomination letter, SGA president Tavana Farzaneh observed: “As students, we are so lucky and eternally grateful to have Quy Nguyen to guide us through our challenges, opportunities and experiences.”

Return