| Nominee: | Angie Kemp |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Interim Head of Special Collections and University Archives |
| Department: | Simpson Library |
| Nominated by: |
Sarah Appleby |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Kristina Peck |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Associate Dean of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships |
| Department: | College of Education |
| Nominated by: |
Jennifer Walker |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Susan Worrell |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Exec Director of Events |
| Department: | Events and Conferencing |
| Nominated by: |
Lauren Slater |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Justin Wilkes |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Director of Student Transition Program |
| Department: | Student Transition Program (STP) |
| Nominated by: |
Rita Dunston |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Paul Boger |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Head of Reference & Scholarly Communication |
| Department: | Simpson Library |
| Nominated by: |
Carolyn Parsons |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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). |
| Nominee: | Kristina Peck |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Associate Dean of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships |
| Department: | College of Education |
| Nominated by: |
Kevin Good |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Sarah Dewees |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Associate Director Center of Community Engagement |
| Department: | Center for Community Engagement |
| Nominated by: |
Miriam Liss |
| Meritorious Service |
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.” |
| Strength of Character |
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.” |
| Dedication to University’s Mission | 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. |
| Nominee: | Kristina Peck |
| Classification: | A/P Faculty |
| Position: | Associate Dean of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships |
| Department: | College of Education |
| Nominated by: |
Christy Irish |
| Meritorious Service | 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. |
| Strength of Character | 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. |
| Dedication to University’s Mission |
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. |