Michele Serrano and Barbara White Recognized with PASSION Award

In the second edition of the PASSION award, Michele Serrano, Recruiter and Program Coordinator, and Barbara White, Research Operations Manager, were recognized for their dedication to the Forest Biomaterials Department. Each year, the Department Head office will recognize the member of faculty or staff who most exhibits the following:

1. Outstanding Achievement & Performance: consistently and substantially exceeds the expectations of the position; performs at a level above and beyond normal requirements; makes important and significant contributions within their area of expertise; furthers the mission of the Department and the College.
2. Personal Interaction: consistently and substantially demonstrates an ability and willingness to work positively, respectfully, and effectively with others; has significantly improved/increased student/customer satisfaction; is open-minded, fair and respectful of differences between students and colleagues.
3. Initiative & Creativity: has significantly improved a work process or system or has developed an innovative system/process/approach as it relates to their area of responsibilities.

Other areas of distinction may include:

• Diversity & inclusion initiatives
• Sustainability initiatives
• Service inside and outside the University

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 PASSION award. This recognition could not have gone to two more deserving staff members!

Michele has contributed enormously to our Department’s online education initiative, recruitment, and graduate program. She is always willing to serve and support our Department, going above and beyond her duties. When it comes to serving our students in particular, her positive and warm demeanor translates into meaningful personal interactions, the impact of which does not go unnoticed. When asked about her work, Michele says, “The best part about my job is getting to know the students on an individual level and finding the right fit for them. Also, I’ve really enjoyed the creative aspect of my role, collaborating with our recruitment teams on ways to engage prospective and current students virtually during COVID.” 

Barbara has played a critical role in the development and implementation of safety guidelines to ensure that our students, faculty and staff remain safe during these unprecedented times. She has worked tirelessly and selflessly, executing and managing processes related to COVID-19, and her untiring support and dedicated attitude towards the Department is commendable. When asked about the challenges of this summer, Barbara says, “The biggest challenge this summer was that there is no playbook on how to manage a novel coronavirus. Luckily I was able to network with safety, medical, and higher education professionals from around the country to learn more about the virus–how it spreads, how to prevent it, and how to adapt lab and shop operations to allow for both social distancing and for work to continue. Several groups to which I belong have been meeting at least once a week since March to obtain the latest knowledge about the virus, courtesy of invited guests, including the U.S. Surgeon General. To their credit, our graduate students have done a great job in pivoting quickly, and are doing so while they are also having to relearn how to take classes in this new environment. These are challenging times, but students are working together to protect themselves and each other.”

Congratulations, Michele and Barbara! We are so lucky to have you with us!