Michelle AngukaWe are proud to name this week’s Service Plan of Recognition awardees for their extraordinary work as Chapman University responds to COVID-19. Each staff and administrator selected embodies the dedication and integrity that continue to drive and strengthen Chapman.
For information on how to nominate employees, read this article about the New Service Recognition Plan.
This week’s recipients are:
Eileen Besner, director, Office of Faculty Affairs
Eileen has led the transition of moving the process of approving PT lecturer and overload contracts to an electronic process so that the work can continue remotely. She has shown great leadership for her staff as she helped them deal with this incredibly difficult transition. — LB Brown
Shannon Fjelstad, director of payroll services, Payroll
Marissa Torres, payroll specialist, Payroll
Vivian Pham, payroll supervisor, Payroll
Debbie Cobb, director of payroll services, Payroll
I would like to nominate our Payroll Office. They were here every day last week and made sure everyone got paid correctly. — Behzad Binesh
Steven Anderson, executive kitchen manager, Sodexo
Steven has done an outstanding job of coordinating all of the inventories around campus to be as sustainable as possible. Steven has been on the front line every day serving students. — Eric Cameron
Gabriel Cortes, events set-up, Facilities Management
This gentleman’s attitude during this crisis has been exemplary. He has been more than willing to help where needed, even duties outside of his day-to-day responsibilities. — Rick Turner
Carmina Diaz, custodian, Aramark Custodial Services
Carmina stands out as an employee who has not wavered from doing the best job possible. She has been the first to volunteer when situations demanded immediate attention — Rick Turner
Jim Marcosa, electrician, Facilities Management
During this campus closure, Jim has been instrumental in managing the electrical needs under extreme pressure from various campus venues. With reductions in the electrical crew, brought on by this crisis, Jim has accepted the additional duties with no questions asked. — Rick Turner
Steve Ybarra, building engineer – Keck, Facilities Management
Steve’s duties are to support the building systems in the Keck Center. During this event Steve has continued to maintain that facility but has extended his support into other areas of the Keck framework. — Rick Turner
Julie Johnson, instructional analyst, Educational Technology Services
Julie has worked tirelessly and around-the-clock to ensure a smooth transition for faculty using Canvas, Blackboard and other technologies for online teaching. Without her support, the move to online teaching would have been far less successful. — Helen Norris
Veronica Ramirez, client services technician, Client Services
Veronica Ramirez is part of our IS&T Service Desk team and is an essential employee who has been on campus working continuously to support our users to work and teach remotely. She continues to go over and beyond to assist our users in a timely and professional manner during this crisis. — Helen Norris
Sergeant Josie Wright, Public Safety
Officer Gregory Castro, Public Safety
Sergeant Josie Wright and Officer Gregory Castro responded to a medical aid call involving a minor burn and rendered first aid. Any medical aid calls create greater exposure and risk, as social distancing is not possible when treating a patient. — Randy Burba
Lieutenant Michael Kelley, Public Safety
Officer Adriana Pasino, Public Safety
Lieutenant Michael Kelley and Officer Adriana Pasino responded to a medical aid call involving a person not feeling well. They evaluated and coordinated EMS response and transport to the hospital. Any medical aid calls create greater exposure and risk, as social distancing is not possible when treating a patient. — Randy Burba
Victor Arteaga, fire safety officer, Public Safety
Victor put together training and response protocols, in conjunction with local EMS first responder partners, to ensure safe response procedures for DPS personnel. The training was then made available in lesson plans developed for our online learning portal. — Randy Burba
Officer Steven Johnson, Public Safety
Officer Johnson was involved in one of the medical aid calls and also worked with IS&T personnel, assisting with storing, distributing and documenting the issuance of laptops to essential personnel who needed to work remotely. — Randy Burba
Vanessa Salvary, animal health technician, Office of Research
Under unprecedented circumstances, Vanessa has been instrumental in maintaining animal welfare, care and compliance, while also ensuring the continuity of critical research activity in the Vivarium. — Tom Piechota
Erin Ash, area coordinator, Chapman Grand, Residence Life
Erin largely managed all logistics and data related to Chapman Grand checkouts and questions for 840 students with only graduate student support. — Dave Sundby
Celina Davis, administrative assistant, Residence Life
Celina fielded hundreds of questions via phone and email at the front lines of the Residence Life Office and coordinated relationships with move-in companies to support student transitions. — Dave Sundby
Nick Jakel, housing communications coordinator, Residence Life
Nick managed all web and print communication for RLFYE including daily updates to the FAQ and major updates to the website to provide timely resources to students and families. — Dave Sundby
Emily Belote, housing assignments coordinator, Residence Life
Emily was a key contributor to adjustments for major processes that needed to be revised in light of ongoing shifts to campus and local conditions related to COVID-19. — Dave Sundby
Christy Martinez-Saucedo, resident director, Pralle-Sodaro, Residence Life
Christy stepped up to communicate with student staff during times of great transition while also effectively managing the transition of 430+ first-year students. — Dave Sundby
Krista Kelly, resident director, Henley, Residence Life
Krista kept thorough and regularly updated records for 430+ first-year students including personally reaching out to many students who were not initially responsive. — Dave Sundby
Jacqueline Deats, director of the Student Health Center, Student Affairs
While the rest of us were asked to apply social distancing, Jacqueline and her staff were at the health center every day assessing and treating students – including students with Covid-19 symptoms. — Jerry Price
Dave Sundby, director of Residence Life and First Year Experience, Student Affair
In a matter of just a few weeks, Dave led his staff’s effort to reduce our campus housing density from 3,400 students to fewer than 300. This was not a popular decision for many students, and it took a strong communication plan developed by Dave to pull it off. — Jerry Price
Elise Cimino, executive assistant to the dean of students, Student Affairs
Aruni Wijewardene, administrative assistant to the dean of students, Student Affairs
Elise Cimino and Aruni Wijewardene provided prompt assistance to students who lacked reliable computer and Wi-Fi access during the move to remote instruction. They continue to manage new requests each week. — Jerry Price
