University honors 2006 classified staff award winners
People skills, creativity, a strong work ethic and an appreciation of the Wisconsin Idea form a common thread among the five recipients of this year’s Classified Employee Recognition Awards (CERA), who were honored at an Olin House reception on April 26.
Each CERA honoree received $2,500, along with a plaque and a certificate for a professional development opportunity of his or her choice at the university’s Management Institute.
UW–Madison has approximately 5,000 classified employees who make up about 36 percent of its current workforce. They serve in a wide variety of roles within the institution and play a critical part in its success.
Supervisors and colleagues submitted nominations for consideration this year.
Honored this year:
Janet Deutsch
IS Resources Support Technician Intermediate, Department of Entomology.
Through her creativity and highly developed instructional technology skills, Deutsch has greatly enhanced the image of the entomology department and the university, says department chair Walter Goodman.
Deutsch researched the IT needs of her department and made recommendations to the faculty on hardware and software purchases, convincing them to consult with her before purchasing computers and programs. Her efforts resulted in a reduction in the number of programs for each function and in standardized hardware, making multilab collaboration much easier.
She maintains the department’s Web site and has upgraded faculty Web sites. The department’s insect identification site received 3.7 million hits last year due to Deutsch’s reorganization and user-friendly overhaul, according to Goodman.
Goodman says Deutsch is not a typical “computer geek,” noting that she has considerable patience and can train anyone. He says she does it with a smile and an infectious laugh that makes you feel like she’ll stick with you until you master it.
Deutsch is described as a can-do person who quickly responds to simple problems and is more than willing to tackle the complex ones.
She is active on several campus committees and serves as a 4-H group leader in her community. She also has been finishing up her undergraduate degree.
Susan Grass
University Services Program Associate B, Department of French and Italian.
Throughout her 24 years as the undergraduate secretary in the French and Italian department, Grass has had a great impact on students, staff and visitors. Her nominators say her commitment goes well beyond her job description, and she takes on every task and challenge with enthusiasm, professionalism, efficiency and good humor.
As a voting member of the French Undergraduate Studies Committee, Grass participates fully in general policy and curriculum decisions. Her dedication to undergraduates involves much more than administrative support. She keeps them on track through graduation. She also coordinates faculty and academic staff advisers and is the main source of ongoing information for majors.
Grass proposed and organized Majors Fete, an annual event designed to give French majors a greater sense of community with each other and the university, along with information on opportunities available to them on campus and beyond graduation.
Grass is the main secretarial link with French House and coordinates reservations for its events. She also assists the director with everything from balancing the books to removing unwanted shrubbery.
Grass also coordinates her department’s Partners in Giving campaign and participates in other charitable activities, such a riding her Harley in an annual drive to raise money and material for wheelchair-bound citizens in Dane County.
Georgiana Lowe
Senior Human Resources Specialist, Classified Human Resources.
Lowe assists various employing units on campus, including the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the School of Medicine and Public Health. She is also a campus link to UW System Human Resources and the Office of State Employment Relations, and is said to have a stellar reputation with both.
Last year Lowe led a team that created new titles and pay ranges for animal research technicians. The task was completed on a tight deadline and resulted in improvements in both recruitment and retention. She then put together a team to create a new exam for those positions that has proven to be successful in attracting higher quality candidates.
Lowe has organized career fairs and developed alternative recruitment strategies. She has shown enthusiasm and appreciation for the need to reach out to diverse candidates, using innovative ways of connecting with those who might otherwise miss the university’s employment opportunities.
Described as a joy to work with, Lowe is known for her positive attitude and willingness to work with others. As one colleague noted, “She never forgets that the word ‘human’ exists in ‘Human Resources.’”
Lowe is interested in and actively involved in women’s issues and participates in activities such as the annual Women’s Expo.
Karla Ortman
University Services Program Associate B, Kemp Natural Resources Station, Woodruff.
Ortman serves a diverse clientele at Kemp, including faculty, research scientists, students and the general public, and she does so with professionalism, competence and a bright smile. Her colleagues say she is a natural problem solver who faces challenges with poise, good humor and grace.
Director Tom Steele notes that the friendly, personalized attention she provides, combined with her strong work ethic and enduring sense of dedication, ensures that all Kemp users have productive and enjoyable experiences.
Ortman created the station’s Summer Outreach Series, a comprehensive offering of educational programs on natural resources and environmental topics that epitomizes the Wisconsin Idea and makes it real. The programs provide youth, local residents and seasonal visitors with information about how to practice environmental stewardship.
Ortman designed and developed Kemp’s Web site, streamlined its reservation system and created an online diary for students attending field camp. She also instituted a successful recycling and composting program at the station and has become the facility’s unofficial invasive species watchdog.
In addition to wearing many hats at Kemp, Ortman developed a powerful, easy-to-use computerized accounting application to address the unique needs of field stations, and all 12 stations have adopted it.
Outside of her job duties, she has volunteered at the Northwoods Wildlife Center in Minocqua and has been active in local community service projects.
Scott Woodford
Farm Equipment Operator, Rhinelander Research Station.
Woodford began his career at the Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station in 1994, when he was hired as a limited-term employee to help with the fall potato harvest. From the start he was eager to learn and develop his knowledge of agriculture and related areas.
Superintendent Bryan Bowen says Woodford exemplifies a rare combination of knowledge, skill, dedication and adaptability in his role as a farm equipment operator at the station.
Woodford understands the value of presenting a positive image of the station and the university to the public. He enjoys meeting visiting scientists and others who come to the farm for tours and puts a lot of thought into preparations for field days and other public events.
Woodford likes working with young people who have a true interest in learning about agriculture. He has mentored many students in the practical skills of working with machinery and research plots or in mundane tasks such as pulling potato sprouts out of mesh bags at the end of the storage season.
Colleagues say he is always available to assist fellow employees and help them succeed.
Assistant scientist Felix Navarro says Woodford’s outstanding work ethic and positive attitude, along with his reliability and teamwork skills, have been very important to the success of the university’s potato breeding program.
Woodford, whose involvement in the program goes beyond his job title, won a competition to name MegaChip, a potato variety recently released by the program.