Outstanding Employee Awards

And the 2023 winners are:

Michael Brown
Manager, UO Portland Library    
UO Libraries
Officer of Administration

Kim Carson
Administrative Program Specialist
College of Design
School of Architecture
Classified Employee

Jen Davis    
Executive Assistant, HEDCO    
College of Education
Officer of Administration

Brittney de Alicante
Project Manager for Strategic Research Initiatives
Research & Innovation
Strategic Research Initiatives
Officer of Administration

Jody Ferguson
HEDCO Clinic Manager
College of Education
Officer of Administration

Alexa Goff
Accession & Process Archivist
UO Libraries
Classified Employee

Mel Gold
HR Coordinator
UO Libraries
Classified Employee

Kelly Gossett
Analyst Programmer
Information Services
Classified Employee

Emily Johnson
Administrative Program Specialist
College of Education
Classified Employee

Tash O’Brien
Business Operations Manager
College of Design
School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management
Officer of Administration

Laurie Schneider
Business Manager    
Research & Innovation
Materials Science Institute
Officer of Administration

Reanna Schultz
Studio Technician, Sculpture 
College of Design
Department of Art
Classified Employee

Laura Screen
Office Specialist 2
Research & Innovation
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology
Classified Employee

Hiroe Sorter
Assistant Vice Provost 
Undergraduate Education & Student Success
Officer of Administration

Ryan Theiss
Office Specialist 2
Clark Honors College
Classified Employee

Katie Wolf
Assistant Director
Undergraduate Education & Student Success
Accessible Education Center
Officer of Administration

Outstanding Employee Award Reception

Celebrate the 2023 award winners!

June 1, 2023
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
EMU Redwood Auditorium

RSVP to Attend

Honorable mentions go to:

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann
Assistant Dean 
College of Education
Officer of Administration

Pablo Hernandez
Custodian
Campus Planning and Facilities Management
Classified Employee

Lexi Hinde
Academic Programs Assistant
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Environmental Studies
Classified Employee​​​​​

Kathy Snell
Attending Veterinarian    
Research & Innovation
Animal Welfare Operations
Officer of Administration

Brandy Todd
Assistant Director of Administration
Research & Innovation
Oregon Center for Optical Molecular & Quantum Science
Officer of Administration

Tamarra White
Assistant Director Retail & Student Services
Division of Student Life
Officer of Administration

Jeff Ziglinski
Zero Waste Program Coordinator
Campus Planning and Facilities Management
Classified Employee


Award Information

Award recipients are officers of administration and classified employees who embody the mission of the university, produce quality work, and consistently display characteristics valued and appreciated by coworkers. They are a reliable compass continually pointing the university in the direction of its goals and aspirations.

Outstanding Employee Awards recognize those who:

  • demonstrate excellence on the job, and
  • exemplify key components of the university mission, and
    • critical thinking
    • effective reasoning
    • clear communication
    • creativity
    • act ethically
  • foster admiration among colleagues, and
  • model high performance standards.

Additional Considerations

The selection committee is looking for nominees who exhibit on-the-job performance that:

  • Builds community.
    Promotes a sense of community (within work group, department/unit, or across campus) by bringing groups/individuals together for a common purpose.
  • Promotes inclusivity.
    Welcomes and values diversity of opinions in discussions, demonstrates tolerance of others, considers accessibility, diversity and inclusivity in aspects of job assignments, enhances the campus climate, adheres to respectful workplace expectations.
  • Demonstrates leadership qualities.
    Provides on-going high quality performance, directs people to resources, sees work assignments from a big picture point-of-view, seeks to improve university operations, handles difficult situations and assignments well, personifies dependability.  [This criterion does not require supervisory responsibilities or formal supervisor designation. Any employee who displays leadership skills meets this criterion.]
  • Exemplifies mission.
    Embodies the UO mission statement, purpose, vision and values, advances the priorities of his/her unit and department through completion of work assignments, recognizes his/her role in achieving university goals, motivated by the university’s pursuit of being a comprehensive public research university committed to exceptional teaching, discovery, and service. 

Selection Process

Outstanding Employee Award recipients are selected by a committee comprised of OAs and classified staff.  Committee members are obtained from the following sources: Previous winners, SEIU representatives, OA Council, and OA and classified Senate representatives. The committee also includes a representative from Human Resources (Chief Human Resources Officer or their designee). The Employee Engagement Manager facilitates the selection process.

The committee makes selection decisions based on the information submitted on the nomination form. Award recipients are determined by their demonstrated ability to meet the established criteria as detailed and explained in the nomination materials.

At least one OA and one classified staff will be honored each year. The committee may choose to recognize multiple employees at its discretion.

The supervisor for each nominee is contacted by the Employee Engagement Manager to provide a supervisor response. This response is intended to substantiate a nomination and ensure that employees meeting performance expectations are considered for this prestigious honor. Employees with performance concerns may be excluded from consideration. The supervisor response is not used to collect additional information for the committee to consider in the selection process. Supervisors contribute to a nominees consideration by submitting a letter of support in accordance with the nomination process. 


Questions and Assistance

Contact HR with questions about the Outstanding Employee Award program or if you are in need of assistance:

Sandee Bybee
Employee Engagement Manager
sandeeb@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-3000