2019 Staff Award Winners Recognized at CFAES Awards Ceremony

Feb. 5, 2020

On January 10th 2020, four CFAES staff members were recognized for their hardwork and dedication to our college and it's culture at the CFAES Awards Ceremony that preceded the annual State of the College address. Each year CFAES Staff Advisory Council offers four staff recognition awards that include The Shirley Brooks-Jones Citizenship AwardKey Values Award, Innovation Award and a Special Recognition award. All nominations for these staff awards were submitted by the recipients’ colleagues in October 2019 then reviewed by a committee of Staff Advisory Council members, SAC advisor Dr. Tracy Kitchel, as well as the previous years’ award winners.

2019 CFAES Staff Award Recepients:

  • Amy Kohmetscher, an Instructional Development Specialist with OSU Extension, received the Special Recognition Award for going above and beyond in her job duties, specifically her work with online courses both for Extension and the greater CFAES community. She has been with the department for five years and her seven enthusiastic nomination letters described her special commitment to her work and her tireless efforts to advance the missions of Extension and the college. Amy often goes above and beyond the normal duties of her job in many ways including attending meetings for the CFAES Canvas project, becoming an advocate for Extension and its unique cases and needs. Her support of the CFAES Canvas platform has resulted in 29 non-credit online courses developed or updated since its launch in 2017. Amy consistently exceeds expectations, makes an extra effort to communicate with course creators in CFAES Canvas, and is always available in a timely fashion to keep things running smoothly.
  • Shawn Adams, a Financial Analyst with CFAES Finance at the Wooster Campus, received the Innovation Award for his assistance in many complex accounting scenarios and development of a simplified accounting process for the Shisler Conference Center in Wooster. The previous process involved many people at very detailed levels and took up countless work hours. Shawn developed a process to book total month activity into the Peoplesoft general ledger saving many hours during the month for several individuals.
  • Matt Chrusciel, Instructional Lab Supervisor in the Department of Food Science and Technology, accepted the Key Values Award for his “can do” attitude, dedication and support when working with both faculty and students. He is dedicated to learning the material in the labs and has developed a reputation as the person to go to for finding chemicals, learning how to run equipment, or just getting things done. One faculty member said, “his attitude towards all tasks I have asked of him are always met with a smile and a ‘can-do’ attitude that is extremely motivating to continue to excel in our teaching and research work.” One student commented, “Matt consistently goes above and beyond to support students in academics and extracurricular activities, all while being incredibly personable and a pleasure to work with.”

Matt Chrusciel and Dean Cathann Kress

  • Debbie Carpenter, an Extension Program Assistant for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) program in Lawrence County, accepted the Shirley Brooks-Jones Citizenship Award for her tireless efforts to expand educational offerings for limited resource audiences, from Head Start to Ohio Means Jobs, 4-H CARTEENS, Drug Court program participants, SNAP-ED, FFA, and countless others. From 2014-2018, Debbie formed 27 partnerships to offer 94 EFNEP courses in the county. Debbie contributes as a mentor to colleagues by allowing them to observe classes, assisting with class preparation, and sharing her knowledge and skills through internal conferences and planning committees. Her dedication to her participants, colleagues, and OSU over her 26 years has had a significant impact on people in a variety of way – improved health, increased confidence, job satisfaction, enhanced family relationships, and more.

Dean Cathann Kress (Left) and Debbie Carpenter.

Also recognized at the award ceremony was Kent McGuire, a CFAES safety and health coordinator, who received a University Distinguished Staff Award. Kent was was one of the 12 individuals across the University to receive the 2019 Distinguished Staff Award. He has developed safety initiatives to protect employees in areas such as chemical labs, machine shops, and research farms, implemented strategies to increase safety awareness, and conducted training to reduce employee injuries. His work has positively impacted more than 2,500 CFAES employees across all 88 counties in the state of Ohio. He has cultivated strong partnerships with other university health and safety experts to maintain safe facilities and work environments.

(Left to Right) Dean Cathann Kress, Kent McGuire, and Melvin Pascall, Faculty Advisory Council officer.

Photos by Ken Chamberlain

 

CFAES Staff Advisory Council is honored to serve on behalf of all the hardworking and dedicated staff members within our college and are excited to continue recognizing our valuable staff for years to come. 
To view the full awards ceremony please visit below: