Katie Carnaghi
Position: Assistant Athletic Trainer
Department: Athletics

Bethany Druvenga
Position: Head Athletic Trainer
Department: Athletics

Angie Kemp
Position: Interim Head of Special Collections & University Archives
Department: Simpson Library

Michael Middleton
Position: Assistant Director of Student Activities
Department: SAE

Michael Middleton is the embodiment of everything that the Larry Atkins Award stands for. I had the privilege to work with him when he was a graduate assistant in our office seven years ago, and even as a para-professional, his work ethic, professionalism, and empathy blew me away. Fast forward several years later, and UMW was so lucky to have him return to our campus as the Assistant Director of SAE.

Over the last few years that Michael has worked at UMW as a professional staff member, he has supported countless students through event planning, club management, and their general concerns about school and life. He has been willing to take on additional tasks like becoming a SPCC card holder for our office, has served on many search committees for a number of different departments over the last year and a half, and does everything he can to support our office as well as many campus partners. Michael has a great way of finding the perfect balance of being positive and approachable, while still keeping it real and down-to-earth. I think he not only sets an aspirational example for all UMW employees as a staff member, but an all-around great human being.

 Year after year, Clint goes above and beyond working diligently to represent our student athletes and coaches. He spends countless evenings and weekends often understaffed and always finds a way to maintain a high standard. He is motivated to give our student athletes the best coverage possible when it comes to social media and the upkeep of our athletics home page. He stays involved in all aspects and puts his best foot forward in getting to know the student athletes as well. Clint works tirelessly to ensure that every sport is marketed on game days giving them the best representation when it comes to the sport of their choosing. Without Clint, our student athletes would not have the best Division III experience possible.
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Nomination #2

Clint is one of the hardest workers I know. He has dedicated his time to the UMW student athlete experience. He works countless hours and continues to give 100%.

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Nomination #3

Clint has served as the Asst. AD for Communications and Sports Information for coming up on 30 years. He has proved to be an integral part of the athletics department, finding and training personnel to do the scorers table for all our sports, providing access to live streaming of events, write ups after competitions, and photography, among so many other duties that go unseen. He is truly a one man band, responsible for the publicity of our 23 teams on his own, while overseeing many UMW students who help him out. The publicity he raises of our athletic teams continues to raise awareness of UMW to the region and nation, enticing students to learn more about what UMW has to offer. He has given UMW students avenues to pursue commentating on sporting events, leading to a better experience on the live stream; as well as giving them opportunities to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to work in a collegiate athletic department. As a behind the scenes member of the athletics department, much of what he does goes unnoticed, he is selfless and humble in what he does and I fully believe that he would be the most deserving person for this award. Thank you.

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Nomination #4

I have had the pleasure to know Clint Often for the better part of the last 20 years as both a student-athlete at the University of Mary Washington and as one of his colleagues in the athletic department .

During my time as a student-athlete, I saw only the surface of what Clint did for me and my teammates and our coaches. Each year would start with headshots and biographies for me and the other 500+ student-athletes. He’d assemble nearly 1000 pages of print media guides highlighting the successes, stories, and upcoming seasons of each of the Eagles’ 20+ sports teams. But the real work you’d see was his presence at almost every home sporting event. Running scoreboards, timing systems, announcing and stating countless games, and then writing about each of those events to capture the excitement that has always existed within each of Mary Washington’s athletic programs.

Clint would often be the only other staff member in the building when the swim team would be practicing at the pre-dawn hours, and he’d also be the last person leaving the building after whichever team was finishing its night game. Both of those things are still true.

Clint has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into making the experiences of our student-athletes the best they could be for those students, and for the broader UMW community. Athletics is often on the front porch of an institution like Mary Washington. One of the few departments and areas of the campus that is traveling regionally and nationally on a constant basis to other universities and colleges and showcases what a special place we are with incredible student-athletes. Clint always made sure UMW’s front porch was shining and highlighting how special Mary Washington is.

Having returned to Mary Washington five years ago as the head coach of the swim team, I see even more of what Clint does to continue to provide that first-rate service and experience to our student-athletes, university, and the community. He works Monday-Sunday many weeks during the academic year and sometimes will go weeks at a time without a break in his schedule as fall overlaps with winter seasons, and winter seasons overlap with spring. He works this grueling schedule, but you’d never know it because he always does so with a smile, a positive attitude, and a joke.

Clint Often is synonymous with athletics at Mary Washington and is as much a staple of our department as any of the sports we sponsor. His work is often unnoticed, but never unappreciated by those who see it day in and day out. Anyone who has observed and witnessed the time, energy, effort, and sacrifice he gives to our campus community knows how lucky we are to have Clint Often on our team. If Clint Often isn’t Deserving of the Larry Atkins Staff Award, I don’t know who is. He truly is someone we couldn’t do without, and without him, it couldn’t be done.”

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Nomination #5

Clint has served in his role as SID for decades. However, the demands of his role have expanded exponentially with the growth of social media, webcasting, and online marketing. This is in addition to his primary functions of being the single point of contact for external media, managing the website, writing press releases, statistician, PA announcer, archivist, and supervisor to part-time/volunteer/student workers. He must organize and execute these tasks being completed for multiple sports, many times occurring at the same time. His ability to do so is confounding

Clint embodies the attributes of a team player, never finding an excuse, but finding a way to pull off the seemingly impossible. We quite literally could not do it without him.

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Nomination #6

Clint is truly an unsung hero for the UMW Athletics offices and does a lot of the behind the scene work for all of the student-athletes at UMW. Clint works countless hours outside of normal work hours without often getting the recognition he truly deserves. When the Fall sports teams made the NCAA tournament, Clint stepped up to offer a tremendous opportunity for these student-athletes to have a memorable experience. Clint goes above and beyond the call to help the department and is truly deserving of this award!

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Nomination #7

I am grateful we have someone in the department that spends so much time making sure others have an amazing spotlight. He is incredible at putting into words remarkable stories and bylines about our awesome student-athletes. Many of these tasks are completed long after others are home with family and friends. He basically gives new meaning to “working beyond the call of duty”. No doubt, he deserves the Larry Atkins “We Couldn’t Do It Without You Award”. There’s no way this department could share the information about our student-athletes without Clint.

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Nomination #8

Clint is a great coworker and always goes above and beyond for our department. As I am a new employee, Clint has been so helpful to me and I appreciate all he does. Working in sports information is very demanding and he definitely deserves recognition for all that he does for us.

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Nomination #9

Clint is a great coworker and always goes above and beyond for our department. As I am a new employee, Clint has been so helpful to me and I appreciate all he does. Working in sports information is very demanding and he definitely deserves recognition for all that he does for us.

Kristina Peck
Position: Director of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships
Department: College of Education

In K12 education, we talk about how teachers wear many hats. Kristina Peck never left the hat-wearing behind when she moved from the high school classroom into higher education. She teaches the graduate seminar, Teaching of Math class, many continuing and professional development courses. She does all of the coordinating for field placements, including coordination with the local school districts for clearances, soliciting district teachers to provide supervision, and she uses expert level Tetris skills to place hundreds of students in practicum placements and internships each semester. Kristina supports and trains our University Supervisors so they can, in turn, coach and support interns and district mentor teachers. Her K12 outreach this year alone has included the organization of field trips for over 450 local school children providing them with STEM exposure and a positive, initial college campus experience. With respect to partnerships, she created and presented professional development for all of Stafford Public Schools Instructional Technology Resource Teachers and continues to provide professional development to our PDS elementary schools. Her work with local schools has helped her secure a Clinical Faculty grant through VDOE that is providing extensive support for teachers in the districts to learn mentoring and co-teaching skills. As an additional part of that grant, Kristina saw a need for and has created a Regional Collaboration for Mentoring group that is working with multiple districts to create common language around mentoring and a free resource bank. Kristina has also taken a heavy leadership role in the COE’s recently awarded VDOE Apprenticeship Planning Grant working closely with the Department of Labor and Industry.

Kristina’s heart is in helping people and in making the future for K12 education a brighter one. She goes above and beyond to help UMW develop well-rounded interns who will go out into the field with an attitude of hope and optimism. COE has a strong, positive presence in the community because of the work of Kristina Peck. She is valued, her work is important, and she should be recognized.

JoAnna Raucci
Position: Associate Director
Department: James Farmer Multicultural Center

When I think of someone who goes above and beyond, the first person that comes to mind is JoAnna Raucci. I think often times her level of commitment to UMW gets overlooked because she does so many things to improve events, initiatives, and the overall student experience. No matter if she is running, assisting with, or just attending events, she never hesitates to help out before needing to be asked. She is always willing to share her creativity and expertise in a multitude of areas to improve the outcome and product we are delivering.

While JoAnna’s work ethic is almost unmatched, she also has an impeccable way of connecting with and supporting students, but also having difficult conversations for the sake of social justice and diversity education. She is also a fantastic public speaker and group facilitator, demonstrating her ability to be in the spotlight and detail-oriented behind the scenes. Her level of dedication to students and the institution sets an example that we should all strive to follow.

Susan Worrell helps keep this University running. Susan is a planner, she see the big picture as well as the tiniest of details. Whether she is planning an event at Brompton or in the Dome room they all get her complete attention. Not only does she run the office of Events and Conferencing, you can see her walking around campus making lists of items that need attention. She loves to work with student groups and organization, assisting with the Lottery Dinners at Brompton or teaching our students etiquette at an “Etiquette Dinner”. I have never heard her say “No” to any item she was asked to work on. She can be seen everywhere, she serves on the Cabinet, sits on many search committee’s across campus, assist in finding contractors to repair shutters at Brompton, and can even be seen making sandwiches in the dining hall when power has gone out on campus due to snow storms. Her vast knowledge in the hospitality industry is vital in working with outside groups like SACS or the Governor’s office. Susan works tirelessly often working 10 – 12 hours a day, 50 – 60 hours a week or more. When Susan says she will do something, everyone knows that it will be done on time and with the highest quality that UMW can afford (and sometimes when they can’t). Thank you Susan for your dedication and constant professionalism.

 Coleman Award

Elizabeth Knappenberger
Visitor Services and Museum Shop Manager,
Gari Melchers Home and Studio

Elizabeth K. “Buffy” Knappenberger was initially employed by UMW beginning in 2013 as a guide at the James Monroe Museum and a docent and visitor services attendant at Gari Melchers Home and Studio. She became the GMHS Visitor Services and Museum Shop Manager in 2016. Buffy’s loyalty and dedication to UMW and its museums are evident from the high esteem in which she is held by her coworkers and the diligence with which she carries out myriad duties. Whether it is supervision of staff, management of retail operations, or interacting successfully with internal and external communities, Buffy meets high standards of performance. Buffy readily assists other GMHS staff members as needed, particularly during large-scale public programs. She supervises the Visitor Center assistant manager and attendants, and interacts with the public, in a manner that exemplifies the University’s ASPIRE values. Buffy also oversees the Stafford County Visitor Center, operated under contract by GMHS. In this capacity, she helps thousands of travelers annually discover the County’s historic and natural attractions. Throughout her work with University Museums, Buffy has been an exemplary employee who practices excellent customer service; prudently manages human and financial resources; and, indeed, demonstrates a can-do attitude toward every aspect of her job. She approaches all tasks with logical, detail-oriented plans that consistently result in success.

Betsy Southern
COVID care coordinator
Student Life

Betsy has gone above and beyond as the COVID care coordinator the past 2years. Her dedication to the university can be seen in the hours she put into her work as she had to be on call for any positive tests and self report and followed by contact tracing. During re-entry testing this semester, multiple positive results (>25) came back after 5 pm and she had to notify the positives in the evening and move them to isolation spaces. She has no hesitation in taking on more work and that shows her dedication to UMW. She may have started as the COVID care coordinator, she is also the contact tracer and coordinate testing of people exposed and surveillance testing. She has made this job her own. Not afraid to learn new things and juggle multiple hats at the same time. Betsy is one of the most caring person at the university. She is incredibly compassionate in her care of the student in isolation and quarantine. She took them to see the doctor when they are sick. She took them outside for walks any games and brought them Chick-fil-A. She brought them things to do in quarantine like yarns and knitting needles. She goes above and beyond what is expected ; it’s what Jeff McClurken said ‘concierge care’. As mentioned above. Betsy demonstrated a can do attitude. She never says no to anything requested of her. She always finds a way to do what is needed. She has a commonsense attitude that that help make things go more smoothly. She learns new concepts quickly.

Rosemarie Staggs
Office Manager
Psychology

Rosemarie has shown wonderful dedication to our department, and before that to Economics. She has been exceptionally supportive and helpful to me during my time as chair of this department. She was moved from Economics to our department and we were very lucky to get her. She is always available to answer questions and help out – even on weekends. She will text or email right away if I have a question or need something. She is always willing to go above and beyond and help out and has been such a valuable help as I have transitioned into my role as chair. Rosemarie brings her smiling (masked) face to work and shows a real interest in the life and well being of the members of the faculty. She makes our department feel like home. She is a caring supervisor to our students and student aids and makes them feel as though they are part of the psychology family. She is often checking in on how people are doing and creates a loving and welcoming atmosphere in our department. “She is constantly reaching out to check in with what I need. She reminds me of deadlines and works collaboratively tasks. She is an absolute godsend when it comes to scheduling. She magically finds a way to accommodate everyone’s needs and fits them in the rooms where they need to go. This is often a huge balancing act as we need to negotiate 14 faculty schedules.

She is an absolute wiz when it comes to purchasing, keeping track of the budget and helping faculty with travel reimbursements. She has a fantastic can-do attitude when organizing travel and helping faculty do their requests for overnight travel and get reimbursed.

Rosemarie has a can do attitude about anything. Whether it is investigating the source of the mysterious beeping noises, getting a work order done to have art work hung, or creating and putting fliers all around Mercer to advertise events, she takes on tasks and gets them done!”

Hurley Award

Paul Boger
Head of Reference & Scholarly Communication
Simpson Library

I would like to nominate Paul Boger for the Hurley Commendation Award. 2022 marks Paul’s 15th year of employment at UMW, he has served as the Library Manager at the Stafford Campus Library and now as Head of Reference and Scholarly Communications at Simpson Library. Paul is a dedicated employee, always willing to adapt and lend assistance as needed. He has championed open access and open educational resources through his work at the Library and across the state of Virginia with UMW’s institutional repository, Eagle Scholar, and through the Library’s partnership with VIVA’s Open and Affordable Course Content program. This year Paul’s work with this program contributed to UMW students saving $80,705 on e-textbooks.

Paul has been incredibly flexible and reliable this year, stepping up to support information literacy instruction across various disciplines as the Library stretched to cover areas hit by numerous staff retirements. Paul was a role model for this department and led his staff through the many changes brought by the pandemic year with grace and initiative.

Paul has long been a supporter of the educational mission of UMW and through the years has provided a strong voice and support to his campus colleagues, serving during his tenure on the former Staff Advisory Council (SAC).

Sarah Dewees
Associate Director Center of Community Engagement
Center for Community Engagement

Sarah was hired as the Associate Director of the office of Community Engagement as that office was being built. She infused the office with kindness, energy, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude that has allowed the center to become one of the most vibrant and important centers on campus. Sarah started by helping the center articulate a mission statement and goals. She then worked with student groups, faculty, and community partners to strengthen COAR programming, create opportunities like Alternative Service breaks, and reach out to community partners to assess and meet needs. Sarah built the Community Engagement website and is constantly updating it as she makes connections with community partners that want to work with UMW. She has organized service events on campus such as MLK day of service, Into the Streets, and Good Neighbors Day.
Sarah has gone above and beyond what was expected in this position by working to increase our civic and voter engagement on campus. Sarah has received numerous grants to support interns working as voting ambassadors. This internship program has given students the opportunity to take leadership roles in organizing events such as rides to the polls and voter registration events.

Additionally, Sarah has worked to organizing the Impact Program – a living learning community that will focus on service. She has created the curriculum for a class that students will take, has worked on marketing the impact program to prospective students and is thinking carefully about how to create a meaningful and connected experience for these students when they arrive at UMW.

Sarah does so much more to support the CE office and connect it with other groups on campus (e.g., the James Farmer Center, the honors program, student activities) that it would be impossible to list all of her accomplishments.

Sarah’s has providing a warm and mentoring environment to the students involved in COAR and the CE program in general. She creates events and activities that bring them together and share community. She is always there to listen to their concerns and provides an invaluable form of support for these students. She is enthusiastic and passionate about fostering community connections and creating supportive spaces for our students.

Her strength of character can also be seen in her response to COVID. Many programs and opportunities were disrupted by COVID but Sarah quickly pivoted and worked tirelessly to find alternative opportunities for students. She worked with community partners to find ways students could stay involved while still following health guidelines. This included online activities as well as outdoor and socially distant ones. Her ability to keep the center vibrant throughout the pandemic is a testament to her flexibility and positive attitude.

Sarah’s job is central to the UMW mission. Enhancing service and community engagement is one of the four pillars of UMW. The work she does in the Office of Community engagement is of central importance to UMW. Her dedication to the mission of UMW is evident in the fact that she very much tried to be placed on the strategic planning committee. Unfortunately, she was not placed on the committee and (as a member of the committee) her absence is unfortunate. However, I know she will do what she can to help make this committee a success. As we re-evaluate our strategic plan, it is becoming abundantly clearly that the Office of Community Engagement is absolutely central to the mission of UMW.

Paola Garcia
Staff Therapist
Talley Center

Dr. Garcia is an exceptional advocate for mental health and wellbeing on the UMW campus. While every member of the Talley Center shows dedicated service to the students in our care, Dr. Garcia goes out of her way to broaden the impact of the Talley Center. For instance, in her first year on campus she organized a cookie giveaway for finals week where students could get home baked goods from the Talley Center along with an encouraging note. At the start of the 2021 school year, she created 12 ft displays of post it notes with motivating quotes for student to take as they returned to campus. For finals in Fall 2021, she went to local businesses and got donuts and cookies donated for students to receive as a pick-me-up. She also spearheaded custom printed lapel ribbons for Suicide Prevention day. Dr. Garcia is wholly dedicated to normalizing mental health care at UMW and her outreach efforts are worthy of commendation. As if these professional accomplishments aren’t enough to receive recognition, she is accomplishing all of these collateral achievements as a new mother with a baby at home. I am proud to work with Dr. Garcia and consider her to be an exemplar of the UMW mission.

I consider strength of character to be defined as how people make the welfare of others a key concern, doing what is necessary to improve the lives of others. Dr. Garcia has demonstrated her character through creative and engaging outreach activities across the UMW campus. She has shouldered the burden or normalizing mental health care at UMW and excels in her outreach programs. Complementing this unrelenting drive to make mental health care accessible and destigmatized, she does so as a native Spanish speaker and a new mother. Dr. Garcia is a model of how strong character is a steadfast agent for positive change in a community.

With UMW’s focus on mattering through the You Matter campaign, Dr. Garcia has made it a mission to center the Talley Center’s outreach on this theme. Her outreach activities are focused on mental health engagement at any level. The bar for receiving a donut, cookie, or post it is simply to come to the Talley Center and say hi. Her programs have helped students know where we are located, made it unremarkable to come through our door, and given the staff a chance to connect with students who might not otherwise come to Lee Hall. Dr. Garcia promotes the message of You Matter by giving students a reason to come to the Talley Center so that they can get a sense of the resources that are available to help them succeed. In a world where mental health is a focus of development and progress, Dr. Garcia is committed to making sure that students have every resource available to understand the extent to which they Matter.

Angie Kemp
Interim Head of Special Collections and University Archives
Simpson Library

Angie continuously steps up to every task placed before her. She has lent her vast expertise and thoughtful professionalism to countless committees, and has performed as a critical collaborator for many faculty and community members in their digital assignments and projects. Angie is a compassionate leader as well, and has transitioned into the role of Interim Head of Special Collections and University Archives seamlessly. She manages staff and students with equal respect and can be counted on to always exceed expectations in any role.

Angie is exceptionally kind, thoughtful, and respectful. She treats every member of our campus community with equal dignity and sets a wonderful example for the students she works with. Angie always acts with the utmost integrity, always seeking answers to questions that foreground the best interests of everyone involved.

Angie is so dedicated to the students. She is generous with her time and expertise, almost to a fault, to make sure that others succeed. Her work with digital scholarship helps advance students’ knowledge of new ways they can participate in scholarly discourse in their field. And as mentioned above, she respects all the members of our campus community equally and always acts with honor and integrity.

Kristina Peck
Associate Dean of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships
College of Education

Nomination #1

Kristina Peck’s official title is the Associate Dean of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships. However, I like to think of her job title as “ask Kristina.” Whenever a question comes up during any work conversation between faculty, students, community partners, the answer is always “ask Kristina.” When are internship applications due? Ask Kristina. How do we turn off the door alarm? Ask Kristina. When is Stafford’s spring break? Ask Kristina. How do I turn on the docucam in the classroom? Ask Kristina. All joking aside, Kristina deserves honor and high esteem for the work she does above and beyond her job description. For example, I do not think that Kristina’s job title included “Seacobeck Moving Coordinator” or “Construction Manager”, but in addition to her actual job title, Kristina has orchestrated a seamless move of the college of education. She is on first name basis with all the construction managers and workers. She goes above and beyond directing clinical experiences. She serves on committees, organizes meetings, supports faculty, students, the dean, and the associate dean. I truly wish that I could list all the service that Mrs. Peck is involved in, but I’m sure I don’t even know a third of it and she isn’t one to ask for accolades.

Kristina’s character can best be described as strong. She provides service to the COE, the university, and the community, but she does so without hesitation. I have never seen Kristina cut any corners or plan based on what would be easiest. She is always thinking about what is in the best interest of our students, faculty, and community partners. Her strong work ethic makes her trustworthy. She has built this trust by being honest, fair, and compassionate.

“I cannot think of anyone that exemplifies the University’s Mission more than Kristina. She not only is rigorous in al that she does, but she provides the support and encouragement that students and faculty need to also maintain rigorous standards. For example, in addition to her administrative roles, Kristina also teaches courses. In her technology course, she provides up to date instruction, but also motivates students to set rigorous goals for themselves. She also set’s rigorous goals for herself. In addition to helping students navigate their own research, Kristina is currently involved in several ongoing research projects and publications with faculty.

It is no secret that Mrs. Peck is passionate, and her opinion is often shared. The difference in her opinion and others is that is based on knowledge and motivated by what is in the best interest of all stakeholders. She is the voice of students, faculty, schools, and the community.

Mrs. Peck also is dedicated to a community-oriented mission. As the clinical director, she is always the community point of contact, but she also serves other roles. Kristina has consistently worked with the soccer team to provide coaching on and off the field. She also has organized programs for high school students in the Teacher’s for Tomorrow program to come and visit UMW.

Nomination #2

Kristina has went above and beyond over the last year in facilitating clinical experiences in a constantly shifting school climate environment due to the global pandemic. She has also went above and beyond in taking on additional tasks within the COE as new developments have occurred within the college, which has included coordinating the move of COE from Farmer Hall to Seacobeck Hall. Additionally, she is also active with faculty members in developing programming and experiences that are key to fulfilling the mission of the University within the local school systems.

Kristina demonstrates strength of character in each encounter she makes. As the outreach face of COE, Kristina has facilitated meaningful school partnerships and connected members of COE to needs in the community. In this role she has demonstrated compassion, care, meaningful partnerships, and a focus on equity within programs and local schools.

Kristina consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to the three pillars of UMW’s mission statement. Most notably her commitment to both passion and community orientation are shining components of her repertoires. This has been demonstrated in her work to facilitate school partnerships in the face of the global pandemic. In this work she has worked tirelessly to develop protocols and procedures to facilitate both virtual and in-person field experiences for our students, which has in turn furthered the COE’s community orientation efforts. I personally can not commend Kristina enough for her exemplary display of the University mission in action.

Nomination #3

Kristina successfully navigated Covid and clinical partnerships, keeping our students in their practicum and internship placements. In addition, she strengthened relationships with local school districts by meeting the teacher shortage through paid internships. It should be noted that Kristina was a key leader in organizing our move to Seacobeck.

Kristina is hardworking and dedicated to our College of Education success. She is resourceful and innovative when thinking about how to meet the needs of our students. She successfully navigates relationships with local school districts because she is well respected and knowledgeable.

Kristina fosters students’ independence by creating opportunities for student success through paid partnerships and mentorship. She not only facilitates immersion in local, regional, and national educational communities, but she creates these opportunities and insists upon integrity from our future teachers.

Justin Wilkes
Director of Student Transition Program
Student Transition Program (STP)

Justin Wilkes performs his job at an exemplary level making him an excellent nominee for the Richard V and Rosemary A. Hurley Commendation. In his role as Director of the Student Transition Program, he demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to the UMW community. Frequently, he takes it upon himself to provide exceptional support and service to faculty, student and staff. Mr. Wilkes has proven to be an excellent ambassador for the Student Transition Program and well respected advisor for the students who participates. He is exceedingly adept at what is perhaps the most challenging aspect of his role – knowing the right moments to step in and provide students guidance and direction. He discerns quickly the individual needs of students and moves efficiently to provide key information, insights, recommendations and/or direction. He continues to reach students in academic jeopardy with simple, yet profound instincts and empathy coupled with professionalism. Further, his rapport with faculty is to be acknowledged. Mr. Wilkes has worked countless hours enlisting allies for the program. He doesn’t work or serve for awards or accolades, but simply to inspire and impact all those he encounters.

Though Mr. Wilkes serves as the Director of the Student Transition Program, he somehow finds time to provide leadership to the University Staff Council. During his tenure as President of USC, I have observed his commitment to support the goals, objectives and mission of the university. He hears issues of concerns from staff and ensures those issues and concerns are known and addressed. Though no one likes to hear complaints, Justin has created an environment that has built trust and loyalty with staff. As an emotionally intelligent leader, he places a higher value on listening rather than talking. He gives the most to USC in return he has receive the most from those he works alongside.

As the impact of COVID-19 intensified, Justin helped managed staff concerns and communicated effectively what appeared to be a challenging and uncertain times. He continuously checked the emotional landscape of University employees, remained transparent and navigated many uncomfortable conversations with the administrations. As a result, many practices and policies has changed in favored of employees. I applaud his efforts in leading USC during the COVID-19 pandemic – What an asset to the UMW Community.

Susan Worrell
Special Assistant to the President/Interim VP for Advancement
Office of the President

Susan Worrell works tirelessly to serve UMW. Leading both the Advancement and Events and Conferencing Departments she is truly committed to the mission of the University, its employees, and its students.

Susan leads by example she encourages her employees to see their full potential and shows them how to become leaders in their own right. Susan cares deeply for her employees, and is committed to them at work and outside of work. Throughout the pandemic she has worked to stay connected with each of her employees and strengthened her team at a time where many became more disconnected.

Susan’s dedication to the University’s mission is unparalleled, she has served in several roles over the past 16 years and in each one she has viewed her work as supporting the mission and vision of the University. Leading the Events and Conferencing Department, Susan puts together events that serve the students and the staff. Time and care are put into each event, from dinners at Brompton to Commencement because each of those events serves and advances the mission of the University. Leading the Advancement Department, Susan has fostered a spirit of teamwork and a renewal of commitment to funding the mission of the University. While working to advance the mission of the University for students, it is easy to see that she treats her role as a leader of staff the same way. As we work to foster students’ intellectual and creative independence, Susan works to foster her staff’s intellectual and creative independence, knowing that this is the mark of a true leader.