Two outstanding employees were recognized with Exceptional Classified Employee awards at the 2020 Opening Day event.

The annual event, held online this year due to COVID-19, is always held the week before fall term classes begin as a way to help employees get ready for the coming academic year.

This year’s recipients were Library Paraprofessional Connor Cantrell and Emergency Program Manager Jeff Kaliner.

Connor Cantrell, Library Paraprofessional 4

Connor Cantrell has worked as a Library Paraprofessional in Cannell Library for almost two years.

When the college shifted to remote operations, Cantrell established new interlibrary loan (ILL) processes to accommodate the need to work from home. She used her organizational skills to ensure all necessary staff had access to digital paperwork when needed and worked with each employee to make sure they had adequate support and the essential tools to perform their work during remote operations.  

Other observations from nominators include:

• “Connor has helped the library become a welcoming and inclusive place by making improvements to services, procedures, and processes. The training Connor has done with employees has helped them use equity-based critical thinking when responding to complaints and/or observing biased based incidents.” 
• “Connor has shown outstanding customer service by listening to library patrons and adjusting normal procedures as needed to ensure each patron has the support to succeed. She worked with students to make sure they could register when they had fines and extended due dates when they required items longer for assignments. “
• “Connor’s dedication to ensuring our students have the best Clark College experience is one of the things that makes her a remarkable asset to the library. She listens to students when they are upset, confused, angry, and defeated and ensures that students are connected to needed resources.”  

Jeffrey Kaliner, Emergency Program Manager

Jeff Kaliner joined Clark College as its Emergency Program Manager in 2018. While his position part of Security and Safety, Kaliner’s work is felt across the college community. Former Interim President Sandra Fowler-Hill wrote, “Jeff performed exemplary in managing several crises confronting the college last year. I was very impressed as I saw him quickly rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis. All of his experience and skills were an asset in managing the college community safely through the crisis and onto recovery.”

Other observations made by Kaliner’s nominators include:

• “Without Kaliner’s guidance and planning, Clark College would have struggled to maintain business operations during COVID-19 while adhering to the Governor’s Directives.”
• “Kaliner’s relationships with the Clark County Public Health Department and Clark County Emergency Management have led to a coordinated response to the pandemic.”
• “Kaliner kept the college informed regularly on the challenges as well as the progress the Incident Management Team was making concerning quickly changing directives and facts about the coronavirus.”
• “Kaliner revised the college’s Emergency Operations Plan, which was approved by Executive Cabinet in February of 2020.”

About the Exceptional Classified Employee Award

Established in 1997, this annual award recognizes two classified staff who have demonstrated exemplary work performance, outstanding service to the college, a positive and cooperative spirit, and special achievements or contributions to the college community. (Classified staff is a category of Washington State employees; the majority of non-faculty employees at Clark College are classified.) To be eligible for the award, an employee must have been nominated for the quarterly Classified Staff Excellence Award in the past academic year. Award recipients are presented with certificates and, thanks to the generous support of the Clark College Foundation, cash awards during public recognition ceremonies each year.

The other finalists for the 2019-2020 awards were:

• Rick Bartz, IT Support Technician 2, Information Technology Services 
• Lameleanique (Meleani) Bates, Program Manager A, Career Services
• Emily Castle, Secretary Supervisor, Transitional Studies Division  
• Chris Chaffin, Program Coordinator, Student Tutoring Services 
• John Condit, Media Technician Lead, Event Services 
• Dan Ellertson, Retail Clerk Lead, Bookstore 
• Margaret (Peg) Estes, Program Specialist 3, Credential Evaluations 
• Neil Fykerud, Program Specialist 2, Transitional Studies Division 
• Kate Ireland, Program Specialist 2, Teaching & Learning Center 
• ITS GROUP NOMINATION, which includes: 
  • Darin Rathbone, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Brian Riechman, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Vadim Boligar, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Lucy Shao, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Jim Meek, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Joyce Ho, IT Customer Support – Journey 
  • Dennis Davis, Entry – IT Customer Support 
  • Foster Nostrand, Senior/Specialist – IT Admin 
  • David Sims, IT Support Technician 2 
  • Brandon Johnson, IT Support Technician 2 
• Brandon Johnson, IT Support Technician 2, Information Technology Services 
• Charla Kimball, Fiscal Technician Supervisor, Accounting Services 
• Silvia Marinova, Program Specialist 2, Transitional Studies Division 
• Mira Olenin, Program Specialist 2, Financial Aid 
• Cathy Reynolds, Fiscal Analyst 3, Office of Instruction 
• Thao Schmidt, Human Resources Consultant 3, Human Resources 
• Brenda Shular, Procurement & Supply Specialist 2, Purchasing and Central Services 
• Mike Silva, IT Support Technician 2, Information Technology Services 
• Mitch Sott, Engineering Technician 3, Workforce, Professional, & Technical Education 
• Jenny Stone, Program Coordinator, e-Learning 
• Bryton Williams, Administrative Assistant 3, Business & Health Services 

Two outstanding employees were recognized with Exceptional Administrative Exempt Employee awards at the 2020 Opening Day event.

The annual event, held online this year due to COVID-19, is always held the week before fall term classes begin as a way to help employees get ready for the coming academic year.

This year’s recipients were Special Projects and Activities Manager Michelle Golder and Senior Software Engineer Eriko Otsuka.

About Michelle Golder

Michelle Golder has worked at Clark College for more than a decade. While many members of the college community have enjoyed the results of her work, they may not have realized it at the time. As the head of the college’s Event Services department, Golder oversees the logistics of the college’s signature events, which include both cultural events like Sakura or MLK Day, as well as an institutional event like State of the College or Opening Day. Whatever the event, Golder works tirelessly to make sure everything runs according to plan and stays within budget. This year, she had the extraordinary challenge of organizing the college’s first-ever virtual Commencement ceremony.

“Whatever the challenge, she rises to meet it,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Bob Williamson as he announced the award. 

About Eriko Otsuko

Eriko Otsuko is also a behind-the-scenes person whose work many at the college have benefited from without knowing it. She is praised for her ability to work collaboratively with clients to design software solutions that meet their needs.

“It’s due to her hard work that we have an online health screening tool that allows students and employees to come to campus during COVID-19,” said Williamson. “She has also logged countless hours rewriting applications so they can work in the ctcLink environment.” 

About the Exceptional Administrative Exempt Award

The Clark College Exceptional Administrative-Exempt Award was announced on Opening Day 2019. The award recognizes the contributions of Administrative Exempt employees, a category that includes employees who work at all levels and in all areas of the college. Each year, it honors an Exempt staff member who contribute in significant ways toward building a positive climate, inclusive environment, and improving the quality of life at Clark.

The full list of 2020 nominees is: 

• Michelle Golder  
• Ryan O’Meara 
• Eriko Otsuka
• Michael See  
• Abby Thompson 
• Tasaday Turner 
• Brenda Walstead  
• Melissa Williams 

Congratulations to Connor Cantrell, Library & Archives Paraprofessional 4, Libraries, recipient of the 2020 Summer Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award! 

One nominator wrote, “Connor has helped the library become a welcoming and inclusive place by making improvements to services, procedures, and processes. The training Connor has done with employees has helped them use equity-based critical thinking when responding to complaints and/or observing biased based incidents.” 

When the college shifted to remote operations, Cantrell established new interlibrary loan (ILL) processes to accommodate the need to work from home. She used her organizational skills to ensure all necessary staff had access to digital paperwork when needed and worked with each employee to make sure they had adequate support and the essential tools to perform their work during remote operations.  

One colleague wrote: “Connor has shown outstanding customer service by listening to library patrons and adjusting normal procedures as needed to ensure each patron has the support to succeed. She worked with students to make sure they could register when they had fines and extended due dates when they required items longer for assignments. 

“Connor’s dedication to ensuring our students have the best Clark College experience is one of the things that makes her a remarkable asset to the library. She listens to students when they are upset, confused, angry, and defeated and ensures that students are connected to needed resources.”  

Another comment said: “Connor often leads by example and is always willing to offer a helping hand. Her ability to connect with people and provide clear communication while ensuring staff and patrons feel heard are some of her best attributes. Connor’s history of rising above and stepping into challenging issues while providing others the tools and knowledge to succeed and grow contributes to the best parts of the Clark Community.” 

Congratulations, as well, to all nominees for the 2020 Summer Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award (excerpts of their nomination forms included): 

Chris Chaffin, Program Coordinator, Student Tutoring Services 

“Chris has exceeded every expectation. His role has shifted with increased responsibility and duties because of his abilities and his passion for excellence in everything he does. Chris has made it his personal mission to not only excel at his tasks but also to cushion others from being stretched too thin. He works independently and proactively and does everything in his power to solve all problems that come his way, including always looking ahead and problem-solving for the next step. This is no small feat and speaks highly of his ability to prioritize complex problems and situations. Chris is highly active in many aspects of college life, dedicated to social equity on this campus, and is an advocate for all employees and students that seek his council. He always makes time to make everyone feel heard and valued. He faithfully attends speaker luncheons, trainings, festivals, and other events whenever he can. He regularly donates to college initiatives such as the Backpack Program, Foundation, Penguin Pantry, and more. He is also regularly asked to serve on hiring committees and councils. He bravely accepted the task of being a speaker for the Queer Student Luncheon and bared his soul to all in attendance regarding his struggles, fears, and triumphs. Chris gives of his time, money, heart, and spirit on a daily basis.” 

Dan Ellertson, Retail Clerk Lead, Bookstore 

“Dan is a valued leadership team member at the Clark College Bookstore. His strong work ethic is consistently and clearly demonstrated on a daily basis. He performs his job with forethought, professionalism and accuracy. Dan’s positive attitude and his willingness to go above and beyond is apparent in all his interactions. There are days when he is pulled left and right; he deals with each situation, good or bad, with the highest degree of professionalism and a positive attitude. In his work, Dan looks for ways to improve efficiencies for the bookstore. Due to COVID-19, the bookstore changed their business model to serve students more efficiently while maintaining a high level of customer service. Dan collaborated with Web Services and management to implement an appointment tool, to schedule individual appointments for students to come into the bookstore for limited services, such as prepaid book pickup. Dan also has the innate ability to prevent difficult situations from intensifying. When a difficult situation arises with a customer, he de-escalates it by listening to their concern, communicating to them in a considerate manner, empathizing with them, and working with them to find a resolution. Dan is well respected, admired, and appreciated by fellow employees.”  

Jeff Kaliner, Program Specialist 3, Security & Safety Services 

“Since his hiring in August of 2018, Jeff has taken on leadership roles in unanticipated events such as free speech activities and a potential measles outbreak in Clark County. Beginning in March of 2020, Jeff’s knowledge, skills and abilities were tested as he was tasked with leading the college’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff identified the potential for the disease to reach pandemic levels early and convinced college leadership to enter into a planning phase. Jeff revised the college’s Emergency Operations Plan.  

“It might be an understatement to call COVID-19 a ‘special project’ but it certainly presented a unique set of challenges for Clark College. For an institution unaccustomed to managing an emergency of this size and complexity, COVID-19 could have been a completely destabilizing event. Fortunately, the College has Jeff Kaliner as our Emergency Program Manager – precisely the right person at the right time to lead us through this crisis. 

“Former Interim President Sandra Fowler-Hill had this to say about Jeff, : ‘Jeff performed exemplary in managing several crises confronting the college last year. I was very impressed as I saw him quickly rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis. All of his experience and skills were an asset in managing the college community safely through the crisis and onto recovery.’” 

Charla Kimball, Fiscal Technician Supervisor, Accounting Services 

“Charla is always available and ready to help. It is often difficult for international students to admit that they are having financial difficulty. It can be difficult for some cultures to ask for help. Charla always has the students’ best interests at the forefront and always manages to be kind and understanding. Students often feel relieved and encouraged after speaking with her. She always goes beyond the task, offers alternative suggestions or new ideas on how to improve processes, and always follows-up when issues do not get resolved immediately. Charla has demonstrated exemplary work performance.  

“A student wrote: ‘Financing college studies is never easy and as a member in this department, she has been instrumental in delivering her duties, understanding, patient, and also prompt in answering questions of any concerns. Despite remote operations and workload, I personally have been helped by Charla in different circumstances making me feel safe and comfortable in seeking advice from her.”