NEOMED honored employees marking anniversary milestones of five, 10, 15, 20 and 30 years of service at a ceremony held Friday, Feb. 24 as part of Employee Recognition Week. Three special awards were also presented at the annual gathering for faculty and staff. Mary Shick and Mary Sherman were each honored with the Mary Jane Kelly Award for Service Excellence; Dori Parker was presented the Community Service Award; and Carrie Bast was recognized with the Olson/Blair Award for Administrative Excellence.
The Mary Jane Kelly Award for Service Excellence is named for one of the first College of Medicine employees. It is given to a staff member in recognition of their excellent job performance and loyalty to the University. Mary Shick, business manager for pharmacy practice, has worked at NEOMED for nearly 20 years and Mary Sherman, administrative assistant for family and community medicine, has served for nearly 30 years. Last year’s award recipient, Patrick Grealis of academic technology services, noted when presenting the awards that both winners were being recognized for their strong work ethic, willingness to help others before themselves, attention to detail, dependability and good humor through every challenge.
Established by Glenn Saltzman, Ph.D., who retired in 1996 after 20 years of service in the Department of Behavioral Sciences, the Community Service Award is given to an employee who has made contributions bettering the community and its citizens. In presenting the award to Dori Parker, a receiving and distribution analyst for campus operations, Dana Whittlesey of the human resources department noted that Parker volunteers for six different community organizations—Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 112th Motor Transport Battalion Family Readiness Group, Limitless Ambitions, Paws for Prayers, Maggie’s Mission, Towpath Tennis and Solid Rock Therapeutic Riding Center—all while working full-time, raising a family and earning a bachelor’s degree.
Dr. Stanley Olson and his wife Lorraine established the Olson/Blair Award for Administrative Excellence in 1989. It is given to an employee with a senior administrative appointment to honor outstanding leadership, initiative and innovative techniques, such as the ability to motivate and supervise for the betterment of the community.
Carrie Bast, chief operating officer at NEOMED and this year’s winner of the Olson/Blair Award, is known for being the go-to person on campus when a solution is needed for a complex problem, said presenter Carolyn Lanier, chief of staff and vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at NEOMED. Bast’s nomination credited her innovative approach to redesigning NEOMED’s financial systems with saving the University millions of dollars.
Congratulations to all the winners!