For some of them, it’s the chance to make a difference for a student. For others, it’s knowing the benefits package ensures a secure retirement. And some say it’s just about having a job where coworkers feel like family. 

The motivations of the University of Oregon’s longest-serving employees for staying with the institution are as diverse as this population. But the group has one thing in common: their commitment to the UO over decades and decades has shaped the university and earned them the utmost esteem of leadership. 

“I’ve always loved my job—it felt like I was making a difference,” said Jen Strong, an academic programs manager in the College of Arts and Sciences who has long helped guide students down the right academic path. “I’ll retire in this job.” 

Strong, who recently reached 20 years of service, was among the longest-tenured classified employees and officers of administration recognized with a celebratory brunch Jan. 16 in the Erb Memorial Union Redwood Auditorium.

Against a backdrop of à la carte breakfast from University Catering and a student jazz combo, Human Resources Learning and Development celebrated 76 employees who marked 20 or more years of service in 2024 (The program recognizes milestone anniversaries in five-year increments.) 

The years of service milestone reflects “your commitment, passion and unwavering dedication to the success of the University of Oregon,” Chief Human Resources Officer Mark Schmelz told the group. “You’ve mentored others, you’ve led teams both formally and informally, you’ve helped create a workplace that is strong, dynamic and forward-looking and you’ve set a standard of excellence that motivates everyone around you to strive for more.” 

Schmelz recognized the honorees for growing both personally and professionally—a benefit echoed by honoree Debbie Anders, an administrative assistant in University Advancement’s Office of Gift Planning. Over the years, Anders said, she’s sharpened both her knowledge of estate planning and how donors use their estate plans to benefit the UO and also people skills such as communication, through her work with colleagues and, she added, “our amazing donors.” 

“I’m very grateful for this job,” Anders said, “and the opportunity to grow as people as well as employees.” 

Likewise, David Flock, a mechanic with EMU Facilities, said he’s benefitted from his department’s support of professional development. For example, his department covered the cost of trainings on EMU equipment including a ductless heating system. 

With 20 years of service, Flock said he never met a problem he wouldn’t tackle and that the trainings improved his work. “The more a challenge it is to fix something,” he said, “the better I like it.” 

Building Superintendent Chad Wells, who attended the brunch with Flock, said reliability has been a defining characteristic of Flock’s over the 15 years the two have worked together. “He has a memory like a steel trap,” Wells said. “He is very knowledgeable and a great person to learn from.” 

The 2024 honorees include custodians and locksmiths, a police sergeant and a pharmacist, analysts, managers, programmers and even a director of Aquatic Animal Care Services—Tim Mason, with 35 years of service. 

As brunch attendees lined up for a photo holding inflated-balloon numerals denoting their years of service, they sorted through mostly the shiny-gold 2s and 5s and 0s, for 20 or 25 years of service. But there was one in their midst who laid claim to a 4: David Valdenegro, who, at 40 years of service, was something of an elder statesman at the brunch. 

Valdenegro started at the UO in 1984 and for 10 years worked nights as a custodian, a perfect fit for this family man as it meant he and his wife could share kid-watching duties and avoid the cost of daycare. He’s worked primarily in event services over the years and today Valdenegro is a lead setup coordinator in the EMU. He oversees eight students and room setups that include furnishings, deep cleanings, audio/video equipment and more. 

Valdenegro’s standing as a Tier 1 member of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System is unquestionably one of the reasons he’s devoted his life to the university—the benefit promises him security in retirement, he said. But it’s not the only reason. 

Over the years, his bosses have played a big part in his decision to stay at the UO: Valdenegro has experienced a shift to inclusivity, such that the input of support staff and laborers now carries real weight with leadership. He remembers distinctly the difference it made to him—and his back—when the department started replacing heavy-metal furnishings with easy-to-lift lightweight tables and chairs. 

Looking back on four decades, Valdenegro said it’s the evolution in his job that has made the years fly by. 

“I’ve had so much more input—it made everything better,” he said. “The older you get, the faster it goes.” 

—By Matt Cooper, University Communications

—Top photo: Among 2024 honorees, EMU lead setup coordinator David Valdenegro notched the mark for most years of service—40, during which he’s seen a move to garner more input from support staff in decision making.
—Second photo: “Collaborative”: that’s how honoree Jen Strong (left) and supervisor Shelley Elliott, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, describe their working relationship.
—Third photo: EMU mechanic David Flock, who celebrated 20 years of service, values the culture of the facilities team: “Everybody likes to work with everyone. It’s a family.”