2008 University Awards for Excellence Nominees

Each year, 18 university colleges and units select 47 employees to receive Awards for Excellence. Campus units submit their unit award recipients to the University Awards for Excellence selection committee, which determines the five university-level winners. The five university-level winners are submitted for consideration in the State Employees Awards for Excellence Program. Following is an alphabetical list of all 47 college and unit award winners along with biographical information from their nomination forms.

Karakahl Allen-Eckard

Training Coordinator, Department of Social Work and Center for Family and Community Engagement, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Kara truly warrants her title as training coordinator and more for the school-based child and family team project. This multi-school project, funded by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, is breaking new ground, and Kara is making sure that our work fits the contours of the schools and their communities so that students and their families will receive the support they need. She encourages strong connections with other partners, whether in state or county agencies, family and youth advocacy groups, or other universities, and figures out strategies to align practice, policy, and evaluation. She does all of this with high energy, astute strategies and firm reliability.

 

Felicia J. Baity

Assistant Director, African-American Student Affairs, Division of Student Affairs
In the three years that Felicia has worked with Multicultural Student Affairs, she has continuously gone beyond the scope of her job and expectations in demonstrating the Division's "Students First" motto. Her commitment to outstanding programs, reaching out to all students and enhancing programs and services through her time and talents has been invaluable to Multicultural Student Affairs and several other campus units and student organizations. Felicia works diligently with students on a daily basis to maintain and improve programs as well as individual student success. She truly demonstrates excellence in her service to students.

 

Lynne Barbour

Conference Coordinator, Division of Student Affairs
As conference coordinator for University Housing, Lynne has already had a tremendously positive impact on her division. She has spectacular customer service skills and works hard to resolve issues so that we do not lose clients and customers. During the four month time period where she was without a supervisor, Lynne showed unselfish devotion to duty, far and above normal requirements. Her accomplishments include: closing out summer billing and reports; updating Web sites, contracts, marketing pieces; and refreshing the guest rooms and updating the system for reservations and confirmations. Lynne has tremendous initiative and drive, and needs little supervision to carry out her responsibilities. She accomplished all of this with a smile, strong attention to detail, and exemplary customer service standards.

 

Robert Bell

Media Lab Technician II, Department of Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Robert was hired into the department to support students in the media production courses, to facilitate the faculty through recording of research presentation, and to provide technical aid with what are called "smart" teaching classrooms. Because of his expertise, his responsibilities have expanded significantly in his time here Robert now also manages the fairly large and complex Educational Technology Fee (ETF) fund allocations for the department. He demonstrates extraordinary creativity and an eagerness to go beyond the call of duty when it comes to departmental service. He simply wants to help others solve their problems, particularly their problems with technology, and he finds innovative ways of doing so.

 

Robin Carpenter

Student Services Assistant, Economic Graduate Program, College of Management
To describe Robin's service as "outstanding" grossly understates the matter. Recruiting, advising, record-keeping, preparing brochures, assigning assistantships and fellowships, managing budgets, assigning offices, scheduling, and proctoring exams...these actions only begin to touch the surface of her daily activities. Described as a dizzying complexity, the graduate school rules and deadlines for monitoring students' progress toward completion of four different graduate degrees are easily managed by Robin. She is able to manipulate several computer programs and is described as indispensable. The always-cheerful Robin works with on-going focused concentration, in an organized and efficient way. Her service far surpasses any normal expectation or work duties, and it would take a small army to replace her.

 

Joanna T. Carter

Executive Assistant, Human Resources, Office of Finance and Business
Joanna has been in her current position since November 2005 and quickly established herself as the "go to" person within the Human Resources Department. When co-workers were informed of the nomination, they immediately volunteered descriptions such as "Joanna is a quick study, organized, reliable and willing to help others... She readily accepts change and simply rolls with the punches. Most importantly she manages all of this with a good attitude and smile. Joanna's ability to bring order to a disheveled environment makes a huge impact on the HR team every day. Working with Joanna on a daily basis makes life so much better at NC State."

 

Shane Christian

Research Technician, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
How cool would it be to modify a surgical procedure for a goldfish with a sinking problem, and then listen to a feature about the fish on National Public Radio? Or, what about coordinating the daily operations and logistics for a turtle research team? And then there's working with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and the Karen Beasley sea turtle rescue, the N.C. aquariums, and other museums and organizations. These are just a few of the exciting ventures that Shane Christian embarks on daily. He has been described as the most organized, reliable, dedicated, unselfish and humble person his colleagues have ever worked with and seems to be a step ahead with his work.

 

Amy Circosta

Assistant Vice-Provost, Office of Equal Opportunity, Provost's Unit
The enhancements Amy has brought to the discrimination and harassment prevention activities of Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) have been significant. She drafted and instituted the regulation on discrimination and harassment prevention and response training. She has provided leadership for OEO's efforts to train more than 9,000 employees and supervisors, conducting much of the training herself. She conducts discrimination and harassment prevention workshops for businesses on Centennial Campus. Amy's job duties require that she investigate some sensitive aspects of university life. She handles this responsibility with diligence, tact and sensitivity. Her skill in handling complaints of harassment has helped to reduce the university's legal liability in this compliance area. Overall, the impact of Amy's outstanding service is felt across the university.

 

Retta Clemons

Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost, Provost's Unit
Retta Clemons' service to the university brings her in contact with countless people of the general public and the university community, and she never fails to represent NC State well. Retta has excellent skills that have served to get the Millennium Seminar series off to a successful start. Retta never waits to be asked to perform a task for Millennium. She assesses and anticipates needs and then brings the resources necessary to move forward.  Retta has been independently instrumental in creating an organizing structure that saved time and has standardized managerial processes allowing the Millennium Seminar series to build, grow and explore new frontiers. Her contributions are often invisible, but are essential in several areas of our success.

 

Janice Coats

Administrative Assistant, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Janice does an outstanding job managing all of the varied responsibilities in the business and marketing office. Her task is enormous, but the department runs smoothly mostly due to Janice's work ethic and efficiency. Janice accommodated a great personal challenge in 2007, but the students and program, due to her incomparable and unceasing work ethic, never faltered. Janice's colleagues describe her as a guiding light and tower of strength whose outstanding devotion and commitment to work set a positive atmosphere for all those who come in contact with her.

 

Jack Colby

Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Facilities Operations, Office of Finance and Business
Jack's commitment to sustainability is recognized nationally and he has contributed a great deal to NC State's Year of Energy. During the past year, Jack led the expansion of the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team that included students, faculty and staff. Their goal was to design and implement a more energy efficient campus by limiting operating costs. Jack led an innovative approach in responding to the regional water shortage. The outcome of his efforts is was NC State using 25 percent less water this year, than last year. Jack is also active with the climate committee that is devising a plan to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Anne Crews

Lab Manager, Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Anne regularly devotes far more time than one would or should expect, and her willingness to go beyond the norm by routinely working late hours and weekends is due to her dedication to the overall mission of the laboratory. Not only does Anne manage the daily lab operations, she supervises all student, associate and post-doc researchers. She makes contact with collaborators from NC State and beyond. Anne's dedication to the lab and it's staff has created an opportunity to advance the research goals of the lab while co-authoring 11 papers and abstracts published by the lab in the last two years.

 

Mike Dickerson

Director, Information & Accounting Systems, Office of Finance and Business
At Mike's desk you will find a picture frame with the word "perspective" sitting solely in the frame. The message reminds Mike of the importance of a person's perspective. Mike's perspective allows him to break down complex situations, identify the primary drivers and issues, and develop options for resolution. During the last few years, Mike has employed his perspective and people skills to improve systems, processes and relationships for the department. He has initiated a monthly Q & A session with campus customers; Mike spearheaded the development of new campus reports giving customers the ability to pull information for themselves and also helped implement new endowment software that benefited many.

 

John Dorner

Information Management Agent, Western District, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
John is one of four cooperative extension information management agents in the state and has provided strong visionary leadership in the area of computer technology during his more than 12 years in the position. His responsibilities include instruction and coordination for an educational program to enhance the IT skills of field staff in the 25 western counties. These include programs related to computer hardware, software and information management. John is committed to excellence with his profession and is usually one of the first in the office each morning and the last to leave every evening.  John is a leader in his profession and his community. John has also been involved with the Boy Scouts of America for nine years as assistant scoutmaster and scoutmaster. He used his computer skills and created TroopRecordBook.com and made this available to troops across the country. John is very committed to the extension mission and he fulfills his duties everyday in an exemplarily manner, has provided practical and useful applications and instruction.

 

Michelle Duggins

Executive Assistant, Constituency Development Programs, University Advancement
Michelle is an integral part of the college relations team. She consistently provides a level of service above and beyond normal requirements. No matter how insurmountable the challenge may seem at first, Michelle quietly and consistently rises to the occasion. Co-workers contribute Michelle's grace under pressure to that of her weekend hobby – jumping out of airplanes. Apparently, there's something about skydiving that allows her to maintain a cool head and gentle nature at all times. Michelle seems to have a natural enthusiasm and positive spirit that can turn someone's bad day into a good one. She also has a great respect for the education process and the university.

 

Brenda Forster

Administrative Support Specialist, Capital Project Management, Office of Finance and Business
Brenda is extremely dedicated to her job and goes above the call of duty. She is knowledgeable, helpful, creative, efficient, positive, loyal and friendly. She is quick to respond to work requests and ensure that the job gets done correctly. She is on call around the clock to help address and coordinate emergencies and urgent construction matters. During a recent reorganization, Brenda provided the stability and leadership her department needed. Her spirit is apparent when a co-worker had to deal with medical issues. Brenda took on the employee's paperwork so the employee could concentrate on getting healthy. Her spirit to give back also transcends into her home as she serves a foster parent for abused children through the state's foster care program.

 

Lee Fowler

Director of Athletics, Athletics Department, Chancellor's Unit
Lee oversees 550 student-athletes in 23 sports, 200 coaches and staff, and an annual budget of $42 million. He is a partnership builder with the administration, Wolfpack Club and others. Through his leadership, the department has set ticket sales and fundraising records, while completing a seven-year, $120 million building campaign to bring NC State's facilities up to par with the nation's top programs. Lee puts the student-athlete first and has enhanced academic support facilities and resources. He has earned great respect among his ACC and NCAA colleagues and is a strong, caring leader and a man of faith.

 

Joshua Gira

Technical Support Specialist, College of Natural Resources
Joshua Gira has served the College of Natural Resources (CNR) for more than six years as an IT support specialist. As CNR's only certified security testing specialist, he ensures the integrity of all CNR computers. In addition to fulfilling a range of needs for CNR faculty, staff, and graduate students, Gira works closely with IT professionals in other colleges and serves on the NC State software IT subcommittee. In 2006, he completed the NC State Pathways leadership development program and was selected to receive the Pathways achievement award, awarded to the participant who best demonstrates the leadership skills of the program. Gira also regularly volunteers at the Wake County Public Library.

 

Ann Hargis

Accounting Specialist, McKimmon Center for Extension & Continuing Education, Office of Extension, Engagement & Economic Development
Ann Hargis diligently juggles a broad range of responsibilities while maintaining an exceptional level of thoroughness and accuracy. She faces these challenges with an overall quality of service that has "raised the bar" to exceptional levels of performance for the staff and herself. She is a champion supporter of her peers, offers a gentle nature and a listening ear, and always seeks to resolve dilemmas to a "win-win" solution for everyone. Her value-added feedback directly contributes to the McKimmon Center's reputation for efficiency and effectiveness. She never hesitates to accept additional assignments, while still managing to meet all required deadlines. She is an employee that will give and give, not expecting anything in return.

 

Felicia Harris

Administrative Manager, Department of Statistics, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Felicia is responsible for the department's budget, making faculty and staff HR appointments, taking care of visitors, as well as numerous other tasks. Felicia is extremely organized, is a problem solver, and goes out of her way to ensure that tasks are done efficiently and correctly. Felicia sets high standards for herself and is always ahead of schedule. She has proven to work well with students, staff, faculty, and visitors consistently showing respect and providing needed information.

 

Ken Holland

Administrative Support Specialist, Office of Technology Administration, Research and Graduate Studies
Ken Holland's colleagues describe him as a "take-charge person" who completes tasks in a timely, concise manner, consistently improving office efficiency. Ken's devotion to his work, cordial and outgoing demeanor, accountability, and ability to tackle new challenges make him a cornerstone of NC State's intellectual property service organization. Ken developed the standard operating procedures required to meet federal reporting mandates bringing the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) into full compliance with the Bayh-Dole Act. Ken's dedication is unparalleled and transcends his commitment to NC State. He is an active member of Spring Valley Methodist Church and is a full-time caregiver for his disabled aunt.

 

Karen Horne

Director, Office of Information Technology
Karen is responsible for managing the changes to the business infrastructure. She has an outstanding knowledge of the overall university business environment and has cultivated many relationships with other business officers throughout the university. Innovation has been one key to Karen's success. As manager of the business services unit, she was able to look at business processes that had been unchanged for many years, and was able to make changes that improved the efficiency of the division and worked within the university's processes. Continual innovation is paramount to NC State's technical environment and Karen works to be innovative is all she does. She is effective, efficient and is a colleague who treats everyone with great respect and kindness.

 

Adrienne Jablonski

Assistant Director, MBA Program, College of Management
Adrienne has played a lead role in the continued growth of the College of Management's MBA program. A true agent for change and continued improvement, Adrienne has made a tremendous impact on moving a new and growing program forward during a critical time. She strives to add quality to the student process, by taking the lead on new-student orientation, keeping students in the know through a weekly newsletter, and coordinating and increasing number of events for students and alumni. She manages programs and events with extraordinary precision and grace under pressure to the point of flawless execution. Evidence of Adrienne's hard work and dedication will present itself in a new graduate degree program scheduled to launch this fall.

 

Shane Jarvis

Executive Assistant, Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science Department, College of Textiles
Shane is the innovative thinker who helps the textile engineering, chemistry and science (TECS) department run smoothly each day. Shane is highly organized, efficient, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and most willing to go out of her way in helping and solving problems. Dr. Keith Beck, department head in TECS says, "Shane is a wonderful asset to the department and the college. She manages to keep many balls in the air without dropping them and the tossing is well done with a quiet flair and a wonderful sense of humor. She handles multitasking exceptionally well, while always looking for ways to improve service to faculty and students. The office runs very smoothly, in part because of Shane's attention to detail, but also because of her smile, engaging personality, we-want-to-help manner, and strong work ethic."

 

Pamela Jordan-Carrington

Extension Secretary, Cooperative Extension- Durham County, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Pam was Durham County's unofficial 4-H agent from July 2007 through December 2007. Actually the time dates back to January 2007, which marks the time that the county extension director left and the official 4-H agent assumed the position of interim county extension director. Pam was the unofficial 4-H program assistant during this time. Pam's official title is county extension secretary. With a smile, caring attitude and an eye for quality services, Pam performed the duties associated with a 4-H agent. Along with these duties, she also provided secretarial support to two family and consumer science agents and two program assistants.

 

Rosemary King

Internal Auditor, Office of Internal Audit, Chancellor's Unit
Rosemary has worked in internal audit for eight of her 29 years at NC State. Hundreds across campus know her and her hallmark qualities: a ready smile, friendly nature, and desire to improve other's work lives. Rosemary is the internal audit liaison to the 101 County Extension Service (CES) offices, leading the audit team in audit work performed there. CES directors around the state look to her for advice on sound business practices and request her intervention in difficult situations. Rosemary's outstanding attitude and devotion to service also extends into volunteer activities in the university and broader local communities.

 

Peggy Beachum Longmire

Research Specialist, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
During Peggy's 35-year career as a laboratory technician and research specialist, she has made exemplary contributions to the Department of Soil Science far beyond the research programs to which she has been assigned. Peggy has also been an ambassador for the department, college and university. She gives freely of her time to visit public schools to engage young students in explaining what soil science is about and career opportunities that exist. Peggy also serves as a knowledgeable liaison between faculty, staff and graduate students.

 

Eddie Lovett

Technology Support Analyst, University Career Center, Division of Student Affairs
On a daily basis, Eddie displays his creativity, generosity and commitment that go above and beyond the scope of his professional position as the technology support analyst for the University Career Center. Eddie subscribes wholeheartedly to the "Students First" motto of the Division of Student Affairs. It is in the heart of everything he does. Whether he is creating a new pod cast, developing a new office logo, creating a new Web site that is ADA compliant, creating online tutorials, Eddie asks, "Will students benefit?" He demonstrates his commitment to NC State's attitude and practice of innovation in action in everything he does as he seeks out environments where he will be at the forefront of emerging technologies. It is the abundance of unique qualities and achievements that are highly valued that make Eddie worthy of this very special recognition.

 

Matthew Lyndon

Mass Spectrometry Laboratory Supervisor, Department of Chemistry, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Matt has generated numerous scientific and financial reports for faculty and staff, maintaining a high degree of personal integrity and high level of quality in his work. In the past Matt has worked diligently to keep out-dated instruments in working order while training new users and analyzing samples. These tasks were done in addition to the many other responsibilities he undertook. Matt was also a significant contributor to the planning and implementation of the renovation of the now state-of-the-art mass spectrometry facility. In the past eight years, Matt has demonstrated that he works well with students, faculty, and staff members, consistently showing dignity and respect.

 

Annette Maynard

Administrative Support Associate, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Annette Maynard has been with NC State for 28 years and has an unrelenting commitment and dedication to the people and operations of her department. She has provided assistance in developing course materials and understands her supervisor's priorities. Because of her long tenure, Annette has mastered the critical skill of adaptation and change, while maintaining a high level of performance. She always welcomes the challenge of learning new technology to help manage her duties and responsibilities. Annette is truly a tremendous asset to the department and the College of Engineering.

 

Roberta Miller-Haraway

Research Specialist, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Roberta has been a highly valued and loyal member in the Department of Soil Science for 28 years, serving in several technical roles during her tenure. During the past seven years, she has served as visual aids technician and pursued coursework to enhance her skill set by completing two rigorous IT certificate programs. Each person who steps into her office is greeted with humor, and guided with patience, care and experience. Roberta has also served on the board of directors of the NC Quilt Symposium for the past six years, and has volunteered for numerous projects, including distributing comfort quilts to Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

 

Wendy Moore

Administrative Support Specialist, Department of Zoology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Wendy provides support in the zoology department and is associated with the N.C. Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Since many of the zoology research projects are international in scope, Wendy has taken four consecutive semesters of Spanish at NC State and applies these language skills to international unit functions. Wendy maintains cordial, friendly, professional relationships with university faculty, administrators and staff. University support staff and administrative assistants at other cooperative units throughout the United States often call upon her to share her expertise. Wendy assumes additional responsibilities and performs each task with a team spirit, a bright outlook and a smile.

 

Francis P. (Russ) O'Dell

Director of Development, NC State Engineering Foundation, College of Engineering
Dr. Francis P. (Russ) O'Dell is one of the most loyal, dedicated and deeply committed alumni of NC State. Without a doubt, Russ' strong loyalty to NC State has directly translated into his extraordinary service and considerable personal philanthropy to his home department. In his position as director of development, Russ serves on the department's alumni advisory board. He schedules the meetings, prepares the agenda, and makes some of the presentations. Russ has been one of the most active and productive development officers in terms of interactions with alumni. These personal visits help connect the alumni back to the university and lead to their becoming more engaged and ultimately donating major gifts to support academic priorities.

 

Celen Pasalar

Extension Planning Specialist, Downtown Design Studio, College of Design
Celen Pasalar's expertise involves organizing and promoting design and planning projects for the benefit of urban and rural communities in North Carolina. Her research background is in school building design, their effects on human behavior and social interaction, urban and community design, affordable housing and children's environments. The College of Design's requests for help with community projects greatly enhance the academic experience and fulfill the college's mission to serve the community. Pasalar represents the college and university in the community with the highest standard of professionalism. Pasalar has also embarked on a leadership role in the development of a comprehensive plan for southeast Raleigh that involves ensuring improvement of environmental quality and maintenance of historical value in Raleigh.

 

Tony Pearson

Manager, Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications, Provost's Unit
Tony Pearson is the manager for the video communications services division of Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) and manages the daily operations of the distance education classrooms and video production services to various clients of the NC State community. The video classrooms have evolved into state of the art facilities, and along with that evolution has come many challenges. As the methods for teaching and learning via distance education have changed, Tony has been on top of the latest technologies to help make the video classrooms as efficient as possible, while maintaining high quality production values. Tony's nominator states that "Distance Education would not be the way that is today without Tony's perseverance, determination, and dedication."

 

Pradip Pramanik

Assistant Director, Proposal Development Unit, Research and Graduate Studies
Pradip Pramanik works with multidisciplinary faculty teams to plan, write, and package high-value research proposals in a way that blows away the competition. Pradip has elevated the art of research proposal development at NC State to a new level. His leadership has been key in the Engineering Research Center for Innovative Fibrous Systems, which has been ranked by the National Science Foundation in the top eight proposals in the nation - a feat not accomplished at NC State in eight years. In addition to his heavy job responsibilities, Pradip finds time for his true passion: serving children and families in economically disadvantaged communities.

 

Jen Riehle

Technology Support Specialist, Outreach, Communications & Consulting, Office of Information Technology
Jen Riehle's focus on customer service is second to none. She is enthusiastic, understanding, knowledgeable, ready to learn, and most importantly someone who cares. This year, Jen took on the roles of graphic designer and Web developer when the department had vacancies. She finished and supported Web projects already under contract, improved workflow processes and took the lead on other tasks as they arose. Jen has always been willing to work many extra hours to the job done for campus and Office of Information Technology.

 

Consuelo Rodriguez

Financial Manager, University Housing and Greek Life, Division of Student Affairs
Consuelo's dedication and love for NC State is unmatched. During the busiest time of the budget year, Consuelo took on the responsibilities of the associate director for finance while the position was vacant. Without her dedication to the university and her unit, the operation would not have been as successful. Her personal service to the university community is outstanding. Being from Columbia, she has passion for mentoring and helping other Hispanic employees and students and is often seen helping Hispanic employees with paperwork to get their sons and daughters into college. She displays consistent professionalism, an unselfish desire to pass knowledge on to others, a strong work ethic, and a desire to help all.

 

Elizabeth "Liz" Russell

Administrative Support Specialist, Laboratory Animal Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine
Liz knows all too well that nothing is constant but change. After a one-year tour of duty in Iraq, this Army Reserve major was welcomed back to her position to face challenging personnel and university policy changes. To quote her nominator, "It's hard to imagine getting along without her." Liz's is evidenced by her devotion to making sure the laboratory animal resources business office runs smoothly including managing two budgets totaling approximately $1.8 million. Her devotion to seeing personnel actions from start to finish is a result of her strength in human resources management. Recently, Liz did an outstanding job of implementing the new banding system, which included filing several successful appeals.

 

Lisa Schabenberger

Program Coordinator, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources
Lisa Schabenberger has been a program coordinator for approximately three years and has brought creativity, innovation and organizational abilities to a variety of responsibilities. She has had a key role in the development of the new forestry and environmental resources Web site, serves as coordinator between the undergraduate and graduate coordinators, and college level communications and IT teams. She has developed an alumni newsletter as well as the display board representing the department at conferences and meetings. In addition to her varied departmental activities, Schabenberger has also served her alma mater, Virginia Tech by serving on the board of the alumni association and organizing alumni events in the Triangle area.

 

Jason Simon

Executive Director, Creative Services, University Advancement
Jason has been instrumental in bringing out the best in those he supervises. He has earned their respect and loyalty and has inspired each to capitalize on their individual strengths while giving them firm yet fair guidance. His unselfishness and devotion to his responsibilities, his staff and the university are evidenced in his steadfast and consistent pursuit and delivery of excellence. Because of his non-wavering stance of producing only the best work possible, the publications, videos and other creative work produced by Creative Services have significantly increased in quality, quantity and demand. Without Jason's attention, leadership and eagerness to assume responsibilities out of the realm of his standard duties, the university would not have the outstanding and acclaimed Web site that it currently has.

 

Bethany V. Smith

Assistant Director, Learning Technologies, College of Education
Bethany demonstrates her commitment to excellence in all facets of her work. Perhaps her most obvious contribution is her work to modify the new college Web site. She exhibited great leadership by being able to forge consensus on the design. In addition to her technical skills, Bethany displays a true ability to work with others as she conducts training sessions on a wide range of topics and makes sure she offers courses on the newest technologies like MOODLE, social networking and Web tools. Bethany has made a great contribution to the professional well being of many students, faculty, and staff.

 

George Smith

Facilities Mechanical Engineer, HVAC Controls Shop- Facilities Operations, Office of Finance and Business
George leads the newly formed Controls Shop and is instrumental in the maintenance and efficient operation of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at the university. On a daily basis, employees come to George to discuss system operations as he provides them the insight they were seeking. He's so reliable that some refer to him as "George-apedia". He recently had to deal with correcting a negative building pressurization issue. It was a complex problem, but he developed a revised sequence of operations, reprogrammed the control system and implemented the change. His efforts reduced the energy expense by $137,000 a year. George truly demonstrates his value to his team on a daily basis.

 

Joe Sutton

Technology Support Analyst, Industrial Extension Service, College of Engineering
Joe Sutton is responsible for taking care of laptop and desktop computers for the entire staff at the Industrial Extension Service. His duties include maintaining all extension service computers and central site servers while ensuring that each device has the latest software. Joe often receives notes and positive feedback from customers regarding his expertise and willingness to resolve computer-related issues. In addition to being an NC State employee, Joe is also a chief warrant officer with the U.S. Army Reserve and is currently serving in Mosul, Iraq. He has been in Iraq since September 2007 and is making a major sacrifice putting his life on the line so we can continue to have our freedom here at home.

 

Tih-Yuan Wang

Technology Support Analyst, Information Technology Lab, College of Design
Known by his colleagues only as "Wang," Tih-Yuan Wang is responsible for all Windows and Mac support for the College of Design faculty and staff. With a keen ability to deal patiently with a broad variety of issues on multiple platforms, Wang provides expertise with tenacity and knowledge. He remains current and well informed on software and hardware technology necessary to support the multitude of design disciplines in the college. Wang's support of faculty and staff is exemplary and through his initiative and guidance, and he has improved the overall level of support provided by the lab. Wang shows patience and good humor, responds quickly and rigorously tackles difficult problems with a positive spirit. He takes time to explain technical issues and upgrades in laymen terms. When it's necessary to enter the depths of technology, Wang is able to proceed with knowledge and professionalism. He is known to handle every person who comes to him as if he or she were his sole concern.

 

Linda Warrick

Administrative Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
In the areas of outstanding service and of human relations, "excellence" is the appropriate word to describe Linda's work, her attitude, her contributions to the environment where faculty, staff and students gather and work, and her overall performance. Linda requires little supervision. She is an eager, take-charge worker who performs at the highest level.  Her pleasant personality creates an environment in the department head's office that is welcoming and inviting to faculty, staff, students and visitors. Linda is a facilitator, organizer and arranger of a diverse variety of activities within the life of the department.

 

Jim Watson

Associate Director, Textiles Extension Education for Economic Development, College of Textiles
Dr. Watson brings more than 30 years of textile industrial experience and 15 years of NC State textiles extension experience to his position as the co-director of Textiles Extension Education for Economic Development (TexED). Jim is responsible for management and technical development of new and existing textile short courses, in-plant programs, AATCC textile technician certification programs, conferences, workshops, and seminars for various departments within the College of Textiles. He is also responsible for managing the textile technology labs, and he delights in helping every customer, from a young person interested in textiles to a seasoned company representative needing advice.  Dr. Tim Clapp, director of TexED says, "Jim is truly outstanding in knowledge, industrial experience, interacting with the community, and dedicated customer-service. Jim exemplifies the core value of customer service in the College of Textiles' TexED center."