2021 President’s Award for Excellence Nominees
Thirty-three employees with a collective 415 years of service were nominated for the 2021 President’s Award for Excellence award. These employees were recognized during a virtual ceremony on April 22, where President Tim Sands announced the winners.
View the 2021 President’s Award recipients here. In addition to the winners, the following employees were nominated for the 2021 President’s Award for Excellence:
Kenneth Belcher, director of facilities operations in Student Affairs, has worked for Virginia Tech since 1993.
Joseph R. Griffitts, director of Hokie Passport, wrote in a letter of nomination: Ken has served as one of our closest campus partners. Housing and Residence Life works very closely with Hokie Passport Services on a daily basis in many areas including credential production, dining plans, and electronic door access. Ken possesses extensive experience in higher education administration and applies his experience in a relatable, ‘roll up his sleeves’ manner.
Gregory Canaday, associate director of facilities housekeeping and grounds in Facilities Services, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2016.
Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff to the vice president for Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, wrote in a letter of nomination: Greg distinguishes himself by displaying exemplary skills as a 'go-to' member of our team, attending to the needs of all, and ensuring clear, confident, and consistent communication. His actions demonstrate considerable skills at delivering high-quality customer service while at the same time consistently striving to minimize costs.
Megan Coulter, assistant registrar in the Office of the University Registrar, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2017.
Elizabeth T. Long, political science timetable coordinator, wrote in a letter of nomination: During the pandemic, the academic timetable had to be redone, transitioning from in person to remote. Megan’s leadership and guidance organizing class assignments for the academic departments was invaluable. She spent hours accommodating department requests in the most professional manner to complete and publish the revised timetable.
Amanda Eagan, assistant director of academic initiatives in Student Affairs, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2016.
Andrew Marinik, assistant director for Emergency Management, wrote in a letter of nomination, Amanda played a key role in the development and implementation of Housing and Resident Life’s isolation and quarantine planning and implementation. At that time, there remained many unknowns about the ‘rules’ of isolation and quarantine. Shortly after the plan was implemented, Amanda and her team became the glue that held the process together. They adapted to the needs of students who were in a vulnerable position. Simultaneously, Amanda was tasked with joining the recently formed university Case Management Team.
Daniel Eanes, electronic technician in the Department of Biochemistry, has worked for Virginia Tech since 1997.
Glenda E. Gillaspy, professor with the Department of Biochemistry, wrote in a letter of nomination: During the pandemic, Eanes was key to the survival of our research and teaching programs. He checked on our equipment each and every day. He designed and built plexiglass partitions for us so that we could keep engaging students face-to-face in our six-credit lab. This January he reconstructed an empty lab into additional space for our lab course, which allows us to accommodate students who need this course to graduate on time.
Brandon Epperley, facilities coordinator for the Division of Human Resources, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2014.
Robin McCoy, executive director of finance and operations for the Division of Human Resources, wrote in a letter of nomination: Brandon developed a HR facilities COVID-19 plan to be used as a guide for employees returning in addition to a reassurance of steps taken to help eliminate employee fears of coming back on-site during the pandemic. He designed a suite map with directional signage reducing face-to-face interactions and created zone areas within the suite to encourage employees to participate in frequent cleaning of high-touch areas to further limit the spread of COVID-19. He reconfigured training and conference rooms in the building to adhere to physical distancing requirements while still being able to provide in-person capabilities. He also procured PPE for the HR suite, training and conference rooms, and cleaning supplies. Additionally, Brandon updated the team’s emergency action plan, taking into consideration changing office occupancies.
Douglas Epps, mail services manager in the Campus Mail Center, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2007.
Jenna Bauer, human resource coordinator in the Division of Operations, wrote in a letter of nomination: Doug has built a department at Virginia Tech before from the ground up but this project was an extra challenge considering the reorganization and intelligent locker system. All in all, Doug stayed focused on what was in the best interest for the university and his employees’ well-being. He always puts his employees first, from their training to ongoing development to their leave usage needs to take care of family. Doug makes every situation work and treats his employee’s with respect. That alone is extraordinary and exceptional leadership.
Penny Falck accountant senior in the Controller’s Office, has worked for Virginia Tech since 1999.
Derek Scheidt, manager of general accounting for the Office of the University Controllers, wrote in a letter of nomination: Penny’s greatest asset is her ability and willingness to field inquires presented to her from a wide array of constituents and to research the issue and provide an answer or solution, regardless of whether it is a subject area that she is familiar with or responsible for. This level of customer service in a central office role is paramount to the efficient operations of such a large institution.
Robert French, housekeeping operations coordinator in the Facilities Department, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2006.
Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff to the vice president for Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, wrote in a letter of nomination: Andy supports a unit that provides housekeeping services on a scheduled basis to university academic and administrative buildings. His efforts help create a clean and well-maintained environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The housekeeping team is responsible for caring for approximately five million square feet of space across the university. Andy also helps facilitate relationships with contracted external vendors to clean an additional 12 million square feet of university and leased space.
Justin Hurt, quality control manager in the Facilities Department, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2016.
Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff to the vice president for Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, wrote in a letter of nomination: As the first person to hold this role, Justin was charged with establishing, promoting, developing, and overseeing compliance of operational quality for housekeeping, grounds, and contractual services that included the majority of Virginia Tech's 12 million square foot 2,600-acre Blacksburg campus. He worked tirelessly to design and construct a program from the ground up, developing quality standards, procedures, processes, and practices with an objective of creating a culture of continuous improvement. He also worked to establish a floor care team and a pest control function to focus on specialized areas of facilities care. In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Justin worked swiftly to develop processes and protocols that secured general campus operations, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, and improved hand hygiene. He was instrumental in installing over 1,100 hand sanitizers, 750 soap dispensers, and 750 paper towel dispensers across the campus.
Laura Lehmann, environment and agriculture research manager in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2004.
W. Cully Hession, professor in Biological Systems Engineering, wrote in a letter of nomination: The Virginia Tech Stream Research, Education, and Management (StREAM) Lab. StREAM Lab is a full-scale outdoor stream laboratory for studying hydrologic, geomorphic, biogeochemical, ecological, and societal questions related to the restoration of streams and watersheds and is essential for many classes across multiple disciplines at Virginia Tech. The significant impact of the lab would not be possible without Laura. She is the person who makes the entire system work (data loggers, cameras, radio communications, water quality sensors, etc.). The lab would not exist without Laura Lehmann’s skills, organization, and dedication.
Christine Luketic, director of HR Analytics and Reporting in the Division of Human Resources, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2010.
Curtis Mabry, executive director of consulting strategic initiatives for the Division of Human Resources, wrote in a letter of nomination: In 2011, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) started a routine audit at Virginia Tech that lasted until 2019. Near the conclusion of the audit, Christine was asked to review the OFCCP data. Christine pulled many data sets, created several statistical models, and provided analysis that showed that differences in salary were based on compensation factors consistent with the various jobs. Because of Christine’s knowledge, she was able to help the OFCCP understand factors involved in higher education that might not be involved in private industry and proved through analysis that the university was in compliance. Since the audit, Christine continues to work with university legal counsel, other business partners, and external vendors to model and analyze compensation data to ensure pay practices are fair and equitable for all at Virginia Tech.
Bruce Lytton, electrical and mechanical manager in Facilities Operations, has worked for Virginia Tech since 1989.
Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff to the vice president for Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, wrote in a letter of nomination: At the start of the pandemic, Bruce worked swiftly to develop processes and protocols that secured general campus operations, air quality, activation of outdoor spaces, and a host of other efforts. It was critical that we develop, operational standards that met government and organizational standards to ensure health, safety, and operational continuity. Guidelines evolved and the hyper-dynamic nature of the event required constant pivoting. During this time, there were significant modifications to the operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems important to the safety and wellness of our campus community. Bruce's collaboration in these efforts (along with a host of other campus units) was recognized for its effectiveness by Virginia Tech's own Dr. Linsey Marr.
Samantha Mahdu, assistant director for business operations and compliance in the College Agriculture and Life Sciences, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2014.
Stephen Kleiber, assistant dean of finance and administration in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, wrote in a letter of nomination: In March 2020, most employees were transitioning from the normal daily interactions of the workplace to a telework environment. Administrative staff had to pivot quickly to an environment that many were unfamiliar with and with few personal connections. Samantha took the initiative to design and develop a comprehensive training program that elevated our employee’s knowledge about administrative practices and served as a forum of connectedness. By mid-April she launched a training program centered around several core strategies: (1) Connecting our staff, (2) Engaging staff and faculty in training and development opportunities, and (3) Building an on-line catalog of training for future reference.
Andrew Marinik, assistant director in emergency management, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2007.
Mike Mulhare, assistant vice president for Emergency Management, wrote in a letter of nomination: Andrew leads the Incident Management Team (IMT) and coordinates the team's actions, which is no small undertaking. The team is large and represents all areas of the university. It has been meeting weekly since March 2020. Andrew has guided the maturation of the team, creating a highly functional and efficient organization that addresses the COVID-19 planning and operational concerns of the university. This would not have been possible without Andrew's leadership and commitment.
Jason Pearman,manager of instrumentation, controls, and metering in the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2006.
Scott Kerklo, mechanical engineer in the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, wrote in a letter of nomination: Jason has been the tip of the spear in implementing the monumental task of changing the HVAC systems’ operation in response to the pandemic. Jason has overseen changes to the programming of literally hundreds of air handling units to maximize the ventilation in buildings on campus while still ensuring the reliable operation of the systems. To support these efforts, Jason and his technicians have also conducted countless site visits to provide critical information used to make decisions about how spaces can be safely occupied during the various phases of reopening. He has also developed and managed a program of measurement and verification to ensure every air handling unit on campus that serves classrooms is operating optimally.
Stacey Poertner, HR systems administration and training analyst in the Division of Human Resources, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2004.
Marie Bliss, assistant vice president for administration in the Division of Human Resources, wrote in a letter of nomination: Stacey developed the idea to add supervisor information in HR Banner in 2019. She began the project in early 2020 with an aggressive timeline to ensure the supervisor field would be populated in time for the development and launch of the PageUp Learning Management System (LMS), with that project starting in July. Her leadership required collaborating with and leading multiple teams as well as collecting feedback from department users to develop an easy method for the information to be maintained. She created an electronic form to populate the information, leveraged the working teams to locate and load existing supervisor data into Banner, then developed reporting to help departments review missing supervisor occurrences.
Ashley Roberts, assistant director for events and marketing in Career and Professional Development, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2011.
Donna Cassell Ratcliffe, director of Career and Professional Development, wrote in a letter of nomination: When the pandemic hit, all Virginia Tech job fair coordinators scrambled to help students make vital employer connections. Ashley led the way by identifying a virtual event platform and working with IT to implement for early fall 202 job fairs. The platform made it possible to successfully offer virtual job fairs, networking events, and other critical programs. In the fall of 2020, 24 virtual events successfully were held. In total, there were 936 booths; 3,315 company/grad school representatives; 14,341 student registrants; and over 32,200 video and messaging chats with representatives. There are 18 events scheduled for Spring 2021.
Philip Robertson, plant operations manager in Facilities Operations, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2009.
Ted Acord, plant maintenance manager in Facilities Operations, wrote in a letter of nomination: I have worked with Todd for approximately 20 years. During that time, Todd has always shown a high level of dedication to his job in the power plant. He has advanced his career through years from plant operator, shift supervisor, operations support, and now his current position. Through this time, Todd has gained a level of knowledge and understanding of the power plant’s operation that is above anyone else. One of Todd’s achievements is the commissioning and installation of the plant’s reverse osmosis system, which provides ultrapure water for the plant’s feed water supply to the steam boilers. He played a vital role in its completion which has led to the successful operation of the new units. These systems provided a safer operation for the feedwater chemical program as it replaced the existing demineralization system that had been installed and operating since 1936.
Jacqueline Renee Ryan, assistant director of Student Affairs and Administration in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2010.
Annie Pearce, associate professor of Building Construction and director of BioBuild Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program, wrote in a letter of nomination: I have worked with Renee since she joined our department, most notably for six years as the Chair of Graduate Programs when she was our graduate coordinator. Since then, she has assumed her current role for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction (MLSoC) where one of her responsibilities has been the development and launch of our new online professional education program. Having been responsible for launching a smaller, more subject-specific professional program in my previous job, I have a comprehensive understanding of what’s involved in this task and I can tell you without a doubt, it is more complex than it might seem at first glance. There are a lot of moving parts, and even if you do a good job getting the design right, you can still have an absolutely wonderful program with no people in the seats to take your classes. I can say without a doubt that Renee has done an outstanding job finding exactly the right balance. She brought together the best content experts to fill the needs she identified through extensive interviews with top companies who are our target audience, then sought out unconventional resources such as marketing students in the Pamplin College of Business, instructional design experts in TLOS, and her extracurricular coursework at the University of Florida to create a flexible online platform that brings them together.
Amanda Sandridge, undergraduate academic career advisor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2000.
James Lord, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, wrote in a letter of nomination: Amanda exemplifies excellence in everything she does. First and foremost, in her dedication to our students. Amanda has seen her workload increase dramatically in recent years with the creation of the new Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduate program. She now serves undergraduates in both ESM and BME, provides a lot of support, is extremely knowledgeable, and provides great support to faculty and to the department. As program director, I rely on her daily. Her commitment to her students, her colleagues, and the university is unmatched.
Robert Santolla, housekeeping area manager in Facilities Operations, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2016.
Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff to the vice president for Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities wrote in a letter of nomination: Robbie consistently demonstrates considerable skill at delivering high-quality customer service and has a talent for turning strategy into reality. He leads a unit that provides housekeeping services to university academic and administrative buildings, the majority of Virginia Tech's 12 million square foot, 2,600-acre campus. His efforts help create a clean and well-maintained environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Robbie worked swiftly with his colleagues to develop processes and protocols that secured general campus operations, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, and improved hand hygiene. Robbie built a coalition among our housekeeping team to actually make things happen in real time. With a team of over 100 and the dynamic complexity and novelty of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, this was a heavy lift. Nevertheless, Robbie succeeded.
Veronica van Montfrans, associate director of Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Program in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Academic Program, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2019.
Steven Poelzing, co-director of Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health; associate professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics; and associate professor of Faculty of Health Sciences, wrote in a letter of nomination: I have worked with many talented colleagues and administrators, but the pace and effectiveness of Veronica’s accomplishments to improve community for Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) graduate students on the Blacksburg, Roanoke, and DC campuses, for non-TBMH affiliated students on the Roanoke campus, and for the community at large are impressive. TBMH coordinates graduate education across 27 departments, making the curriculum difficult to align. Within 1 year, Veronica aligned the 8-credit hour Gateway curriculum with the 7 Spring Focus Area courses based on gap analyses, student and faculty discussions, and satisfaction has never been higher this past year, even during the pandemic. She also completed the negotiation of a complex MOU with the School of Medicine and TBMH is the first graduate program to offer a clearly articulated pathway for medical students to earn the MS and PhD. Her service is exemplary, because she cares deeply about students, faculty, Virginia Tech, and the community at large. Thanks to Dr. van Montrfans’ organizational efforts, TBMH is now Green Office certified and the program is also in the process of becoming an LGBTQ+ certified Safe Zone.
Susan Volkmar, director of finance and operations in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2004.
Eileen Van Aken, professor and department head, wrote in a letter of nomination: When I started my role as department head in 2016, I began to work with Sue on expanding her role as Business Manager to encompass responsibilities beyond budget and fiscal processes – more specifically to include leadership and oversight for all key department operations. The innovations she has developed and implemented have enabled the staff to go from an effective team to an excellent, high-performing team that consistently delivers value-added support to our faculty and students. Her continued focus on creating and sustaining a culture of excellence are what make her deserving of this recognition.
Brian Wiersema, pilot plant manager in the Department of Food Science and Technology, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2013.
Amanda Stewart, associate professor for the Department of Food Science and Technology, wrote in a letter of nomination: Brian’s work enhances the work of others on a daily basis, including that of his colleagues in FST, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the larger Virginia Tech community, stakeholders in the brewing industry, and most importantly, our students. He has made tremendous impacts on expansion of experiential learning opportunities. In 2016, Brian established a student exchange program with the Technical University of Munich-Weihenstephan (TUM-Weihenstephan), the oldest and most respected institution for brewing science in the world. In this program, students from Virginia Tech spend four weeks in May/June at TUM learning about brewing science, and later in the summer, TUM students come here to spend 4 weeks learning about craft brewing in the US. This study abroad program enhances our technical curriculum and at the same time offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchange for our students and faculty, as well as for the TUM students who visit our university. Furthermore, Brian’s efforts to specify, install and commission food processing and fermentation systems in our pilot plant have significantly expanded the infrastructure for research in CALS. Finally, Brian has consistently excelled in Extension program development for the brewing industry. Clearly, Brian Wiersema excels in all three areas of the Land Grant mission, and brings a unique level of passion, tenacity and preparation to the job.
Melissa Williams, business and operations manager in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2004.
Azim Eskandarian, department head, and Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs, professors with the College of Engineering, wrote in a letter of nomination: Melissa started with the ME Department in September 2004 as a program support technician. She was quickly promoted to business manager in 2006 then to her current role in 2010. To put the scale of her competence and dedication in perspective, we have over 1,100 undergraduate students, approximately 350 graduate students, 26 staff, and 66 faculty, with research expenditures over $19 million a year. Melissa has demonstrated her outstanding leadership in managing the operations of the department during times of tremendous change and growth, including working with four different department heads. She has effectively managed the departmental budget during the growth of research expenditures from approximately $6 million to $19 million, as well as increases in undergraduate students from approximately 880 to current totals, graduate students from 200 to 300, and faculty by 25 percent. Melissa is the superstar that keeps the operation of our department running smoothly.