As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
Credit: Michael Owen
December 20, 2024
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 16 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
This week, on behalf of the entire Penn State community, we’d like to say thank you to:
- Johnée Border, assistant director of financial aid at Penn State Berks, whose nominator wrote: “Johnée took on the lead role in financial aid after only having been at Berks for one year. While focusing on those responsibilities at the start of the semester, he also led the development of the first-ever Queercon at our campus.”
- Blake Cooper, CRM analyst at Penn State World Campus, whose nominator wrote: “Blake has been a fundamental source of knowledge and expertise with a solid touch of humor. His work on the ECRM Learner Org project has been crucial in driving towards a design to meet the unit's needs and to achieve their goals. He is one of my favorite peers and a standup guy!”
- Robyn Dyke, library services specialist in Eberly Family Special Collections Library, whose nominator wrote: “Thanks to Robyn, the archival collections of Penn State alumni V.P. Franklin, class of 1969 and a distinguished professor emeritus specializing in history and education, and Guy Bluford, class of 1964 and the first African American astronaut to travel into space, have been processed and made available for public research!”
- Heather Fink, architect at Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), whose nominator wrote: “Heather is always ready to help and is very professional. She balances a lot of requests from multiple directions with kindness and grace. Heather is a true team player and sets the culture that we want at ARL and Penn State.”
- Kelly Foster, assistant director of core facility operations at Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, whose nominator wrote: “Kelly is an outstanding teammate. Her excellent work is a constant, even during times of change. Kelly brings kindness to her colleagues every day, helping them excel in their roles. I truly cannot imagine the Huck Institutes without her invaluable presence. Kelly is a superstar.”
- Maggie Gordon Froehlich, associate professor of English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Penn State Hazleton, whose nominator wrote: “Maggie helps students, staff and faculty every day. She has a supportive and educational disposition, always caring about and helping others.”
- Andrew Gatchell, vendor IT solutions specialist in Auxiliary and Business Services, whose nominator wrote: “Andrew is always so helpful when we need assistance. I could reach out to him on a Friday at 4:59 p.m. and he would pick up the phone to help solve the issue. He is always so pleasant and kind.”
- Lauren Granese, assistant director and career coach of the Career Enrichment Network in the College of the Liberal Arts, whose nominator wrote: “Lauren is committed to helping our undergraduates find their career paths. Her tireless dedication to guiding students, providing networking opportunities and sharing valuable insights makes a huge difference in empowering the next generation to explore their passions and achieve their dreams!”
- Katie Lipko, marketing communications specialist in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, whose nominator wrote: “A reliable, hardworking team player, Katie has been instrumental in preparing for and creating new promotional materials for an upcoming conference. This had been a lot of work, and she dove right in! Her positive energy and dedication make her an asset and we are lucky to have her!”
- Natalie McCrea, manager of housing and food services at Penn State Abington, whose nominator wrote: “Natalie is so much fun to work with. She completes every task with a can-do attitude and a smile on her face. She is a great problem solver. She really cares about not only the residence hall and its operations, but the students who live here as well.”
- Allen Miller, detective with Penn State University Police, whose nominator wrote: “Detective Miller works diligently and efficiently to ensure cases are brought to resolution in a timely fashion while adhering to the concerns and sensitivity of victims and complainants with empathy and compassion. The professionalism demonstrated is a testament of his commitment and dedication.”
- Greg Nolan, director of academic advising in the College of the Liberal Arts, whose nominator wrote: “Greg's eagerness to help others was apparent when he offered to fill the recruitment manager's duties during a temporary leave. Greg recognizes the need to keep our prospective students engaged is as important as his responsibility to support our nearly 5,300 current undergraduates.”
- Renee Stahl, assistant financial officer at Penn State Greater Allegheny, whose nominator wrote: “Renee consistently goes above and beyond to help me. Every time I ask her for assistance, she makes herself available. She is extremely detailed and knowledgeable about topics and situations across Penn State, even at campuses that she does not support.”
- Gabriela Trate, talent acquisition specialist in Penn State Human Resources, whose nominator wrote: “We had some challenges with our student and staff employee hiring and onboarding process this semester. Gabriela's patience, guidance, timely and courteous responses, and extra effort helped us to address those issues. Considering she manages thousands of requisitions, this is worthy of acknowledgement.”
- Patton Vo, director of campus development at Penn State Brandywine, whose nominator wrote: “Patton is an innovator. He strategizes to minimize barriers for degree completion. He finds time to advise three student clubs and is always striving for excellence in the roles he takes. He has served as an example of bringing one’s authentic self to work and has shown the impact that has on our students.”
- Toni Vollano-Morrison, marketing communications strategist in Auxiliary and Business Services, whose nominator wrote: “I want to express my gratitude for working with Toni. Her positive attitude and creativity have been invaluable on our projects, and her willingness to lend a hand is greatly valued. Toni is a tremendous partner, and I want to thank her for all she does.”
Thank you Johnée, Blake, Robyn, Heather, Kelly, Maggie, Andrew, Lauren, Katie, Natalie, Allen, Greg, Renee, Gabriela, Patton and Toni — and to everyone who helps make Penn State such an incredible community!
Do you know someone who deserves a shout out? If you do, consider nominating that person by filling out a short online form.
