Excerpted from "Staff excellence recognized with awards and scholarships"
By Judy Lin
Originally published in UCLA Today

UCLA staff members were recognized for their outstanding contributions and encouraged in their career aspirations during a festive celebration June 17 at the Faculty Center. The awards were presented by UCLA Staff Assembly and the Administrative Management Group.

Rhea Turteltaub, vice chancellor of External Affairs, set the stage for the awards — which showcase the diversity and depth of talent that is the hallmark of UCLA staff members — with introductory remarks.

“It’s a pleasure to be here and to be able to acknowledge the impact that the staff of this campus — 25,000 strong — has on this university,” Turteltaub said. “That we are able to accomplish the kinds of things that UCLA is widely known for is in large measure because of the people here who support our students and our faculty in their pursuits. This institution could not run without you and your colleagues across the campus.”

Incoming Staff Assembly President Maureen Wadleigh, associate director of Business Operations and Chief Administrative Office of UCLA Recreation, presented the Chancellor’s Excellence in Service Awards. The award, which in previous years was given to a single person, this year went to four individuals in categories that best embody the key priorities of Chancellor Gene Block, including Civic Engagement, Diversity, Sustainability, and True Bruin.

Sustainability

Award nominees were:

• Joseph Alcocer, administrative assistant in Facilities for the School of Dentistry
• Rob Kadota, assistant director of Residential Life
• Patricia Menton, associate director of communications for Transportation Services
• Keith Steele, finances and resources director for Pediatrics
• Tom Trappler, director of software licensing in the Office of Information Technology

The winner in the category of Sustainability was April de Stefano, assistant director of the Center for the Study of Women. April was recognized for her extensive efforts to advance campus sustainability. Since her appointment as assistant director, de Stefano completely reorganized the Center for the Study of Women office and transformed the center into a flourishing research enterprise. She also implemented environmentally sensitive policies and procedures, an effort that was cited in UCLA Today. After “greening” the center, de Stefano drafted a UCLA Green and Sustainability Policy, “CSW Green Office Practices,” which was forwarded to the UCLA Sustainability Committee and became the basis for the Sustainability Committee’s recommendations for staff sustainability efforts. This statement served as the precursor for the new web-based Faculty and Staff Sustainability Handbook.

For the full award listings, read the full article at UCLA Today.

Published: Monday, June 22, 2009

  Write to Us

The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability welcomes your comments.