June 21, 2024
Recipients of April Staff Spotlight Award selected
Sonya Baker, degree analyst for the College of Arts and Sciences; Melissa Harvey, documentation technical writer for the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and Environment, or KCARE; Jacob Holle, landscape technician II for Housing and Dining Services; and Mary-Beth Rhoads, services manager in Human Resources, have been selected as the April recipients of the Staff Spotlight Award.
The Staff Spotlight Award highlights staff members — university support staff and university professional staff — each month for their service to the K-State community.
Baker's nomination noted, "Sonya gives our staff a safe space to talk about their feelings. She also has started mentoring employees so other people can learn her job. In addition to her position at K-State, she is very active in the Junction City community. She volunteers her time for both the Manhattan and Junction City Juneteenth Celebrations. She is committed to the ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and makes sure to uphold those ideals in her professional and personal life. Sonya goes out of her way to support her students and the staff members of her college."
Holle was recognized for his efforts in the past two years keeping campus grounds looking good. "In addition to having to troubleshoot and make repairs, Jake has gone above and beyond by regrading many areas, reseeding and tending the newly planted grass or repairing damage to landscaped beds throughout our area. He is a tireless worker who is always willing to go the extra mile to help get a project done and take care of our irrigation here around the dorms and apartments throughout the Housing and Dining Services footprint here on campus."
Harvey's nomination noted, "Over the past few months, Melissa has gone above and beyond in providing support to KCARE, the new Kansas Water Institute, and other newly launched interdisciplinary efforts. With a retirement this year, Melissa stepped in to provide timely and thorough reporting to state and federal funding partners highlighting the research of K-State faculty from several colleges. Because of her positive relationship with many campus partners and knowledge, Melissa was able to step in and provide communications and marketing support to promote ID3A's launch. She also helped coordinate the completion of a multiyear effort to create a comprehensive livestock watering handbook. Developing this handbook required routine collaboration with many field experts knowledgeable in livestock watering practices. Melissa led this collaborative effort and without her, we would not have achieved the milestone of completing the handbook."
Rhoads' nomination stated, "Mary-Beth always makes herself available to share knowledge, teach someone how to do something, or troubleshoot an unusual situation. She has more than 14 years of experience in K-State Human Resources and is a wealth of information not only internally but to all university stakeholders. She is an outstanding collaborator and is the 'go-to' for any number of different situations, problems or advice — one-on-one, in a small group or with the larger community. She has a calm, empathetic demeanor and is always willing to assist by lending a hand with a project, help a visitor, or step in where needed such as answering calls in the absence of front desk staff."
Anyone can nominate eligible employees. Student employees and faculty are not eligible for the award. Nominees will be reviewed by a University Staff Leadership committee of university professional staff and university support staff representatives. Winners will be featured in K-State Today and will receive $100, minus applicable taxes, from the President's Office. Please submit your nominations by the first of each month.