The Division of Human Resources (HR) is pleased to announce the 2005 Models of Excellence award winners. The Models of Excellence program honors, awards and celebrates outstanding staff member achievements. The Selection Committee of campus leaders, listed below, considered 31 nominations with 198 staff members. Winners were selected based on significant contribution to the University that embodied the specified standards of excellence for this program (such as creativity, leadership, extraordinary service and cost-saving).
2005 Models of Excellence Award Winners
Models of Excellence
• Christopher Blickley
Christopher Blickley, IT, Senior Project Leader, HR, developed “HR Manager,” a revolutionary, user-friendly, web-based product that replaces numerous paper intensive Human Resources processes. It provides comprehensive employee data for school and center use and transforms Penn’s hiring and position management activities. As a result, this system saves enormous work hours and dollars for those involved in human resources activities, and ultimately, improves the University’s management of its “human” resources.
• BorrowDirect+ Service Team
The BorrowDirect+ Service Team created an innovative approach for integrating two existing interlibrary loan software systems, BorrowDirect and EZ Borrow, into the library’s existing traditional loan operation. This new program allows users to seamlessly identify and transfer materials from 15 local collections and 63 outlying institutions’ libraries. It saves the University approximately one half the cost of a traditional loan transaction and allows users the freedom of ordering on-line from a wide array of institutions. This new program has transformed the library’s ability to obtain important resources for teaching and research across the campus.
Emily Batista, Access Services Librarian, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Bob Krall, Assistant Director, Access Services, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Lee Pugh, Assistant Head, Interlibrary Loan, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
Cathy Von Elm, Head, Circulation Services, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library
• Student Intervention Services Team
The Student Intervention Services Team developed an extremely effective approach for providing immediate support to Penn students in crisis. This group uses its diverse background in advising, counseling, academic support, drug and alcohol education, and issues of diversity to voluntarily staff a 24-7, year-round response for Penn students in serious need. They provide coordinated services to sustain these students and their families through personal crises and beyond. Then they shepherd students back on track for meeting their personal and academic goals. Their level of success has been extraordinary.
Anamaria Cobo de Paci, Director, La Casa Latina, Office of VPUL
Therese Conn, Associate Vice Provost, Office of VPUL
Stephanie Ives, Director of Alcohol Policy Initiatives, Office of VPUL
Lisa Payakovich, Administrative Assistant, Office of VPUL
Amy Pollock, House Dean, College Houses
Adam B. Sherr, Associate Director, School of Nursing
Sharon Smith, Director, Student Information Services, Office of VPUL
Honorable Mention
• CPUP Physician Payroll Integration Team
This team of Penn staff members from across campus developed a flawless process for integrating the payroll activities for Penn’s clinical practice physicians into the University’s central payroll system, an effort at which others failed three previous times. This innovative approach assured Federal payroll compliance, improved benefits coordination and saved significant staff hours and manual process costs for managing the complex compensation and benefits packages of our physicians. Best of all, it supported significant business process improvements across the University and the Health System.
Shana Abelson, Financial Analyst, Comptroller, Finance
Robert Allison, Executive Director Finances, SAS
John Bast, Assistant Manager of Payroll, Finance
Roxanne Bataitis, Associate Director, Financial Systems, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Mary Lee Brown, Associate Vice President, Office of Audit and Compliance
Suzanne Burke, System Administrator, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Ernesto Chieffo, Senior Programmer Analyst, ISC
Gail Dorn, Senior Benefits Specialist, School of Medicine
Joseph Dunn, Database Administrator ISC SEO, ISC
Eileen Founds, Senior Director of Technology, HR
Angela Harris, Administrative Coordinator ISC SEO, ISC
James Johnson, IT Director, ISC
Edda Katz, Director, Communications Group, ISC
Merceda Lafferty, Manager Compliance & System Training, School of Medicine
Josephine Mercer, IT Computer Security Administrator, ISC
Julie Meyer, Senior Programmer Analyst, ISC
Amy Miller, Senior Data Analyst, ISC
Barbara Murray, Manager, Financial Training Department, Finance
Rosemary Nissley, Senior IT Project Leader, ISC
Tina Pennetti, Clinical Division Administration, School of Medicine
Mary Ann Piccolo, Associate Comptroller, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
James Press, Manager, Production Support, ISC
Terri Ryan, Manager of Strategic Communication, HR
J. Stephen Stines, IT Senior Director, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Bruce Szweczyk, Operations Lead Production Support Analyst, ISC
Gary Truhlar, Executive Director, HR
Paul Weidner, Director, Financial Training Department, Finance
Stella Welcer, System Analyst, ISC
• George Palladino
George Palladino, Executive Director, department of chemistry, SAS, provided outstanding leadership to the department of chemistry during an unparalleled growth of both the size and quality of its educational and research programs. He conceived, designed, and directed several important new programs for the department, including high profile recruiting weekends that increased admission rates substantially. He also introduced the revolutionary Master’s of Chemistry Education Program, a program that has emerged as a national model for outreach education to high school and middle school science teachers. His efforts substantially contributed to increasing the department’s rate of research funding from 23rd to 6th in the nation.
• Penn Marketplace Enhancement Team
This team applied incredible speed and focus to successfully upgrade the University’s e-Procurement process. They tripled the number of participating suppliers and increased the number of available products from 500,000 to 4 million. They successfully trained 1,800 Penn users to take maximum advantage of the new system. These activities saved the University $2.2 million in decreased purchasing costs. All of this was accomplished in five months while other universities required over 12 months and substantially larger project teams to achieve similar goals.
Roxanne Bataitis, Associate Director, Financial Systems, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Janice Brown, Financial Systems Support Specialist, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Suzanne Burke, System Administrator, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
David Curran, Systems Analyst, AIT, ISC
Karen Higgins, Business Operations Manager, Business Services
Vira Homick, Associate Director, eBusiness, Business Services
Edda Katz, Director, Communications Group, ISC
Kevin McBride, Financial Analyst, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Joseph A. Mullock, Senior Training Specialist, Finance
Rosemary Nissley, Senior Systems Analyst, ISC
Brent Parker, Senior Training Specialist, Finance
Debbie A. Schmidt, Purchasing System Administrator, Business Services
J. Stephen Stines, IT Senior Director, Office of the Comptroller, Finance
Paul Weidner, Director, Financial Training Department, Finance
Please note that the 2005 Models of Excellence Award Ceremony and Reception is scheduled for March 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m. This is a wonderful celebration of staff member contributions to the University. Please consider attending, and bring other colleagues with you. We want to fill the auditorium with a large group of supporters. If you plan to attend, please send a message to Sunny Sunwoo at ssunwoo@hr.upenn.edu, or call (215) 898-1012.
If you have questions about the program or the awards ceremony, contact Marilyn Kraut, Human Resources Director of Quality of Worklife Programs, at kraut@hr.upenn.edu or (215) 898-0380. |
2005 Selection Committee
Craig R. Carnaroli, Executive Vice President
John J. Heuer, Vice President for Human Resources
Patrick Harker, Dean of The Wharton School
Charles Mooney, Chair, Faculty Senate
Sylvie Beauvais, Chair, Weekly Paid Professional Staff Assembly
Rodney V. Robinson, Chair, Penn Professional Staff Assembly
Bonnie Gibson, Vice President for Budget and Management Analysis
Valerie Allen, Director, African American Resource Center
Helen Anderson, 2004 Models Winner
Randall Couch, 2004 Models Winner
Anna Delaney, 2004 Models Winner
John LaVoy, 2004 Models Winner
Dave Millar, 2004 Models Winner
Diane Sandefur, 2004 Models Winner
Ron Sanders, 2004 Models Winner
Jacqueline Smith, 2004 Models Winner
Leah Smith, 2004 Models Winner
Terri White, 2004 Models Winner
Marilyn Kraut,Ex-Officio, Director, Quality of Worklife Programs, HR
Almanac, Vol. 51, No. 22, February 22, 2005
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