The mark of a university can be found in its people.
That was the message from Jamie Moffitt, vice president of Finance and Administration, at a recent reception honoring this year’s outstanding employees.
The 2013 recipients of the Outstanding Employee awards were recognized April 11 at the university’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. The program was created to acknowledge excellent employees, with faculty and staff nominating colleagues, co-workers and supervisors who have made outstanding contributions in the past year.
The criteria for classified staff includes special achievement for improving operations; performance that exceeds job requirements; overcoming unusual difficulties on a particular project or exemplary handling of an emergency situation; and high‑quality performance.
For officers of administration, criteria include building community; showing effective leadership; and promoting the university’s mission.
Moffitt, standing in for President Michael Gottfredson, congratulated the award winners.
The winning officers of administration are Rebekah Hanley and Ken Kato.
Hanley moved into the role of assistant dean of the School of Law’s Career Services at a time when the school needed an especially dedicated leader.
“She inherited a department at a time when law-related jobs had become extremely hard to find and students were not motivated or inspired to step into the center,” said Karen Logvin, director of Work/Life Resources. “It is a job very few people would have assumed in this challenging economic climate, yet Rebekah approached her new role with a positive attitude and an unrelenting work ethic.”
Ken Kato, associate director of the InfoGraphics Lab in the Department of Geography, was credited for an enthusiastic approach in using advanced techniques in information technology to support communities.
“Ken led the development of the highly successful UOregon iPhone and Android apps design,” Logvin said. “These applications have had an incredible reach, with more than 100,000 downloads since the first version was launched just a few short years ago.”
Kato was also instrumental in creating the website “Impact Oregon,” which communicates through interactive maps and graphics the economic importance of the UO to the local area and the state, Logvin said.
Classified staff winners are Jacob Bartruff, Richelle Chambers Krotts and Sabrina Leathers.
Bartruff, a spatial analyst programmer in the InfoGraphics Lab, was recognized for leadership after the team lost a member with high-level programming skills.
“Jacob immediately stepped into the absent role, assuming its leadership responsibilities, not only preventing the lab from losing ground on its current project but actually accelerating its development,” Logvin said.
Krotts, an academic program assistant in the College of Education, has administrative responsibility for UOTeach, home to the college’s teacher licensure and master’s program in teaching.
“She is the face of UOTeach, the first point of contact for the 150-plus annual applicants, newly entering students and visiting faculty,” Logvin said. “With each of these constituents, she is unfailingly professional, organized, kind, cheerful and patient.”
Leathers began work last summer as the receptionist and administrative assistant on the faculty support team at the Knight Law Center.
She developed an internal supply ordering system, instituted a monthly faculty email hub announcing changes and updates, volunteered to work with her supervisor to build a database of articles to support employee professional development and improved student training evaluation processes and materials.
“In addition, she has led the office to implement purchasing practices in compliance with sustainability guidelines with the ultimate goal of gaining LEED gold certification status,” Logvin said.
- by Aria Seligmann, UO Office of Strategic Communications