Atkins Award Nominees

Evie has been employed at UMW for five years and what an asset! She works countless hours without any recognition and doesn’t expect nor desire the recognition because she feels, ‘it is her job.’  She displays an unwavering dedication to the institution as it is normal for Evie to forgo personal opportunities to keep work commitments flowing until completion. Her commitment and focus is always the success of UMW. For example, it is uncommon for colleagues to contact me, as her supervisor, about the excellent service received from Evie. This is also evident as many of the Department Chairs rely on her expertise to get their jobs done. She is consistent and competence and willing to go that extra mile.

Evie works extremely well with the college community. I am amazed at the relationships she has with faculty, staff and students. Evie is will regarded by colleagues and contributes to a positive work environment. For instance, she takes an active interest in colleagues concerns, shows sensitivity as well as display a level of trust to other feelings and perspectives. She provides sincere compliments to those she supervises and to other employees at the university.  She doesn’t think about whose responsibility it is to get the job done, she sees the bigger picture of serving the needs of others and if that means having to do her job and others, then that is exactly what she will do.  She follows through on what she said she will do—you can confide in her and she’ll be there in a pinch – that’s a rarity in many employees today.

Not only does Evie have a ‘can-do attitude’, you can add a will-do attitude. Consistently, she’s willing to change directions and focus on what can be done instead of what can’t be done For example, due to COVID-19 the entire spring and summer schedule of classes had to be re-entered due to changes in instructional modalities.  Not once did Evie complain about the many changes instead she allowed her Can-do attitude to shine. She remained optimistic, motivated and enthusiastic throughout the entire process. While I my exampled referenced COVID-19, this behavior is repeated frequently for Evie. Over the past five years she’s been employed she has always been ready to jump in and get the job done.  Though some of the tasks have been major hurdles, her positive energy, enthusiasm, and cooperative spirit radiates.

I highly recommend Leigh Penn for the Larry Atkins award.  It has a been a tough year and she has managed to keep the Accounts Payable department running like a well oiled machine despite the department being understaffed and being displaced due to COVID19.

Leigh has extensive knowledge of Accounts Payable and has managed to transfer her skills to her employees due to her initiative, direction and influence. With her leadership and knowledge her department is a great one. Her performance is of the highest standard.

I am sure that you will find Leigh to be the perfect choice for this award.

David Hatcher does a exceptional job with his usual duties on a daily basis. He also goes above and beyond with everyday pop up events no matter what they are. Dave is always here with a smiling face all the time. Dave gets along with all constituents around campus and off.

I hired Larry Atkins and had the pleasure of working with him for years and Dave Hatcher has many of the same great traits that make them special co-workers and special workers that are vital to UMW greatness.

“Unsung hero” really defines Angela. A person who is behind the scenes making things come together yet rarely gets credit for success. It is through Angela’s work that alumni relations programs have thrived over the past few years, and especially during the pandemic. Somehow Angela has managed to build event registration pages, maintain the alumni website, create e-blasts, manage several social media platforms, and supports other communications efforts across the University. Since March, Angela has taken on the additional responsibility of pushing out communications to current parents, a task that is time consuming and is outside of her scope of duties. She does all of this willingly and frequently cancels time off and works countless extra hours in order to ensure tasks are done when needed. She embodies dedication and loyalty to UMW, and gets her satisfaction not through recognition, but through knowing that it serves the University community. Whether directly or indirectly, Angela’s work has impacted every faculty member, student, parent, and alumnus of the University. Her passion for Mary Washington goes well beyond her work. She volunteers to serve on committees, plans local alumni events, and even has an e-bay alert so she knows when unique Mary Washington items are available in case she can purchase them and preserve the history.

While there are many deserving individuals for this award, I strongly encourage you to consider Angela for this honor. Thank you!

Before joining the Digital Learning Support team, Shannon worked for years at Simpson Library, where she stepped up on a number of occasions to fill in temporarily when staffing changes left gaps in responsibilities. This is a tradition she has continued in DLS, where vacant positions have meant that many unexpected duties “temporarily” shifted to her. This became particularly true at the start of the COVID pandemic. We suddenly found ourselves, a staff of three, supporting the university in the move to online teaching and learning. This was an incredibly overwhelming ask, but Shannon did not complain, and did not skip a beat – she immediately set to work doing what had to be done.  In the Great Online Pivot of 2020, Shannon took on responsibility far above the duties of her job to help improve the transition for faculty and students. She was tireless in her efforts: writing countless online guides, designing a Canvas course for the first ever virtual orientation, and working with faculty both in one-on-one consultations and in large group presentations via Zoom. But her crowning accomplishment is the ReFocus Online website.

Working in close collaboration with the Center for Teaching, Shannon built this site, from scratch, into an incredibly comprehensive resource that will be used by faculty for years to come, at UMW and beyond. It combines discussions of pedagogical practice, practical application exercises, faculty models, and more, in a sleek, digestible, and unified design. But don’t take my word for it! See for yourself at http://learn.umw.edu/refocus

None of this is spelled out in her job description, but she accomplished it with gusto.  Shannon’s contributions to the university and its mission cannot be overstated. She believes in Mary Washington, and has poured her lifeblood into making it the best institution it can be. Her work has been so integral to our unit’s operation, and to the entire pandemic faculty development effort, that I shudder to imagine what this fall would look like without her.

Before joining the Digital Learning Support team, Shannon worked for years at Simpson Library, where she stepped up on a number of occasions to fill in temporarily when staffing changes left gaps in responsibilities. This is a tradition she has continued in DLS, where vacant positions have meant that many unexpected duties “temporarily” shifted to her. This became particularly true at the start of the COVID pandemic. We suddenly found ourselves, a staff of three, supporting the university in the move to online teaching and learning. This was an incredibly overwhelming ask, but Shannon did not complain, and did not skip a beat – she immediately set to work doing what had to be done.

Shannon is a proud UMW alum, a dedicated worker, and an outstanding human being. She deserves all the recognition we can give her.