�鶹��Ժ

2023-2024

Charles Eagan, Professional Academic Advisor, Arts & Sciences Academic Advising and Coaching

Charles is an exemplary model of positivity, kindness, and encouragement, with exceptionally inclusive leadership and mentorship skills. He continually works to recognize the excellence of colleagues, such organizing the “Buff Shout Outs” slideshows at Student Success Community Annual Conferences. Charles is a contributing member of several Academic Advising and Coaching (AAC) committees focused on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Most recently he supported the launch of a unit-wide professional development series offering a portfolio of topic-based resources for a JEDI topic each semester. He has hosted his own presentations on campus over the years focused on topics like supporting students with disabilities and diverse gender identities. Charles actively participates in the Arts & Sciences Academic Advising and Coaching Culture Task Force to help build community and morale, assisting with various projects like gathering and reporting staff feedback about enacting unit values, and organizing several annual events for AAC staff. He has innovated in many ways within AAC, such as creating new training documents and "Train the Trainer" programming to benefit the staff onboarding process. For the past 3 years, he has served as chair and then ex officio chair of the campuswide Advising Council, which has provided several important functions for nearly 150 staff on campus. He is currently shepherding a transition of this group to an Advisory Board. In that capacity, Charles has helped innovate new programming for staff, such as the launch of the Buff Buddies mentoring program for advisors and coaches across campus, with a broad impact that benefits advisors, coaches, and thousands of students across the university.
 

Janelle Henderson, Program Manager, Arts & Sciences Honors Program

Janelle is celebrated for her extraordinary initiative, skills in fostering an inclusive environment for students, generous leadership, and creative problem solving. Examples of her initiative include her lead on a renovation of the Honors classrooms in Norlin Library, where her implementation of new technology tools have improved learning and served as a model for other programs’ teaching spaces. When the Honors Program created a new professional development policy, Janelle created a comprehensive guide and fillable application form without prompting, including all the relevant campus information and policies she had compiled. The broader Student Success organization then used her model to develop its own policy. Janelle supports students from historically underrepresented communities, including BIPOC students, first generation students, and students from low resource high schools. She routinely meets with prospective and current students to encourage their participation in Honors and has cultivated a relationship with the Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program (MASP) to help underrepresented and first-generation students in A&S gain access to the Honors RAP and Honors classes. Janelle regularly steps up to help with administrative load when there is need, such as assisting MASP during recent staff shortages and providing thorough and invaluable onboarding for several new Honors Program Directors over the past several years. Examples of her innovative solutions are abundant, such as the elegant and powerful new rubric she created on her own initiative to identify the students who are invited to join the A&S Honors Program, described by one nominator as vastly superior to any system they had used prior.
 

Adrienne O'Connell, Manager of Finance and Business Operations, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Colleagues value Adrienne’s outstanding job performance in a financially complex department, compassionate and supportive leadership, innovation in support of transparency and efficiency, and commitment to inclusive excellence. In addition to office managing, supervising staff members, and supporting merit review and search committees, she oversees the SLHS program’s demanding financial operations with accuracy and grace, always with an open door and a readiness to listen. An “all-hands-on-deck” role model in her unit and beyond, Adrienne picks up extra job duties when staff shortages occur. As an advocate for staff, she prioritizes the professional development of her direct reports and recently spearheaded the creation of an SLHS Employee Recognition Program. At the college level, Adrienne recently served on the Dean’s Staff Advisory Committee, including a term as co-chair, where she advocated for all Arts and Sciences staff. Last year, she also served on the Undergraduate Online Teaching Task Force for Dean Krutz. Her innovative approach to budget transparency has led to new awareness within SLHS of budget processes, increasing both trust and the capacity to plan. Among the examples of Adrienne’s inclusive excellence is her service on the SSCI Division’s DEI Action Plan committee and her fierce advocacy for the American Sign Language program, including her research on successful ASL programs at other schools to support the development of an ASL minor, certificate, or micro-credential here at CU. Adrienne has also methodically addressed faculty salary equity issues within SLHS, demonstrating that salary inequities exist, primarily in the non-TTT ranks, and how they might be addressed.
 

Rose Smith, Observatory Manager, Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences

Nominators praised Rose’s tireless and innovative commitment to excellence, professional expertise and leadership, and inclusive mentorship of students. She develops creative solutions in various realms of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory, eliminating the need for expensive outsourcing. She has spent considerable time improving telescopes, even machining parts and designing circuit boards for custom telescopes. While her efforts have resulted in fewer middle-of-the-night calls, she handles them expertly. She frequently hosts late-night telescope training to make sure all know how to safely operate them. Rose’s knowledge is so valuable that faculty often seek her advice when looking for innovative ways to use the telescopes in their teaching. She also takes an active teaching role in several undergraduate classes, guest lecturing on telescope optics and data analysis. Her expertise in the field is reflected in her recent election to the Board of the Alliance of Historical Observatories. Rose exhibits boundless energy and leadership in pursuing new ideas for the program, such as advocating for a telescope at the CU Mountain Research Station observatory and sharing her vision for a new course in radio astronomy. As for mentoring others, she supervises and trains student employees, teaching them useful skills that help them to become employable in the field. She is a facilitator for CU STARs, an inclusive campus program that develops and presents science talks and labs to communities around Colorado. While an advocate for all students in APS, Rose encourages first-generation college students especially. Finally, she is a strong mentor and ally for students, faculty, and staff in the LGBTQ+ community.
 

Holly Woodsome Sroymalai, Manager of Operations and Finance, Department of English

Holly is recognized for her commitment to the success of her department, innovation, positivity, and dedication to inclusive excellence. She was working as the department’s Graduate Program Coordinator when the previous Office Financial Manager resigned. Holly stepped into the new role and for almost a full academic year performed the duties of both positions, including admissions for three separate programs. She did so with consummate patience and good humor, and without a single apparent error. She has completely innovated her job, incorporating many former duties of the chair into her position and thus relieving the administrative burden. Holly has increased the transparency of many internal processes by documenting them for all to see. She led the move from Hellems to its temporary home in Muenzinger, keeping track of the belongings of 50 faculty and staff as well as office supplies and equipment, and organizing everything within a month of the move. The College has brought Holly on to head the logistics behind the Critical Needs job search, demonstrating the value of her expertise beyond her department. Holly’s staff and faculty colleagues report that she leads by example, creating an inspiring culture of warmth and respect. They cited her care, tact, and persistence in advocating for faculty and staff as they navigate complex bureaucratic processes like FAMLI. Holly is also a champion of the department’s inclusive excellence efforts. She organized a staff reading group that took up, for example, anti-racist training, and always reminds the department of its diversity commitments during recruitment and hiring processes.