PULLMAN, Wash. – Five staff members will receive 2015-16 President’s Employee Excellence Awards at the Celebrating Excellence Recognition Banquet on March 25, part of Washington State University’s annual Showcase celebration of faculty, staff and student achievement.
Make Showcase reservations and learn more about the week’s events at http://showcase.wsu.edu/schedule/.
The awards recognize civil service and administrative professional staff for outstanding contributions regarding work quality, efficiency, productivity, problem solving, work relations and community service.
The honorees are:
Kelly Beckman-Nigro, fiscal analyst in electrical engineering and computer science at WSU Pullman.
She consistently and accurately performs and juggles multiple job duties while finding innovative ways to improve office efficiency and ensure her department is in compliance in areas of employment and budget reconciliation. She sets priorities so she can collaborate with and assist faculty in an effective and timely manner.
She submitted 77 grants for faculty in 2015, resulting in more than $4 million in funding to the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture and to WSU. She helped create a fun recognition program in her office that encourages co-workers to thank those who assist them. It has enhanced communication, teamwork and employee morale.
Aaron Brumbaugh, interim manager of information technology (IT) at WSU Tri-Cities.
He is the campus “MacGyver” who leads his team to innovate with talent, attitude and few resources to create systems and customer service supporting “one of the best AMS (academic media services) environments at WSU for students, faculty and staff.” He has been instrumental in recommending and implementing many AMS, classroom and IT solutions.
He redesigned a control room so his technicians can monitor classes and react to IT problems as they occur. He designed and built podiums that make it easier for instructors to use computers in classrooms. He supports the campus Science Bowl and works with Habitat for Humanity, Little League and Parks and Recreation in the community.
Maria Victoria (Vicky) Dickson, (photo pending) custodian for housing and conference services at WSU Pullman.
In addition to keeping Honors Hall facilities spotlessly clean, she devotes attention to caring for the students, faculty and staff who live and work there. Her warmth and welcoming attitude have been an asset to Honors recruitment and a comfort to parents dropping off their children as new students. She trains new colleagues well and works harmoniously with them.
She takes the role of house mother for students in the Honors residence hall, bringing chicken soup or brewing tea when they are ill or welcoming them into her home during winter breaks when they cannot leave WSU. She has worked to make cleaning accommodations for a faculty member with life-threatening chemical allergies so that employee can continue to work productively.
Kim Holapa, associate vice president in the WSU Foundation at WSU Pullman.
She demonstrates a service orientation and get-it-done attitude and has an inclusive manner that enables her to lead employees, peers and supervisors toward thoughtful and meaningful discussion. She is a problem-solver, communicator and bridge builder. She builds community and camaraderie while assuring that the interests of WSU remain in the forefront.
After working in the office all week, she can be found in the football suites on Saturdays greeting WSU donors and supporters. She was crucial in planning and executing the celebration for completion of the $1 billion Campaign for WSU and the memorial for the late president, Elson S. Floyd. She participates in fundraising for public schools via the Pullman Education Foundation.
Coree Newman-Coronado, associate director of Residence Life at WSU Pullman.
Her supervision style challenges her staff while supporting them as they work together to find solutions to complex student and staff issues. She seeks to understand challenges and then create processes and programs that are intentional and influenced by data in order to find solutions. She is thoughtful and collaborative with her own team and with her many student-services partners.
She is responsible for her department’s assessment plan, which involves administering and analyzing data from thousands of students. She has represented WSU while presenting her research and work at national conferences. She is a calm, thoughtful mentor to residence hall directors and valued collaborator on programs like First-Year Focus and the Common Reading Selection Committee.