Heather White

Congratulations to Heather White, recipient of the 2014 Fall Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award! The following is taken from her award nomination:

Heather White is the Program Support Supervisor for Disability Support Services. She has been with the college since 2002.

Heather provides a tremendous service to the community by facilitating communication between hearing and deaf consumers. Heather interprets and provides accessibility for campus events professionally and holds herself to the high standards of skill that she expects from all of her interpreters. Her performance in her work is the very definition of “excellence.”

Heather always has a great attitude. She is compassionate to everyone who comes in seeking help. She takes the time to know the specific needs of the deaf students and the interpreters, and matches the student’s needs with the interpreter’s strengths. What is important to the student is important to Heather.

Heather works to improve our community in many ways. She is involved with the Sign Language Interpreter Program Advisory Committee at Portland Community College and is on the Washington School for the Deaf Post High School Advisory Committee as well as the State Deaf Transfer Fair Local Advisory Committee. She is also on the Commencement committee and provides the interpretation at Commencement to make it accessible to deaf students, faculty, staff and audience members. She has taken on the role of placing interpreters for Washington State University Vancouver and Lower Columbia College.

Heather is a wonderful person to work with and for. Whether someone is a new or veteran interpreter, she makes sure we all feel respected and supported. She always listens actively and attentively and looks at each person as an individual.

Congratulations to all of the fall quarter nominees:

Vanessa Meyer: Vanessa is doing a great job in the department. She pays attention to details and maintains the office and its immediate environment, including the mailroom, elegantly. Vanessa is cheerful, polite and shows courtesy to the faculty. When help is needed, she takes prompt action. Her messages are clear and precise. Everything she does is orderly.
Susan Taylor: Susan is in charge of all admissions at Clark International Programs and she always manages to get everything in order to perfection. She wants to help every person she comes in contact with. Whether it is a student or a co-worker or someone outside of our campus, she is willing to take all the time needed to make you feel comfortable and confident. Susan respects everyone. She is always the bigger person and is always polite, no matter what the situation.
Thor Tesdale: Thor works tirelessly to maintain the interior and exterior appearance of the college. He takes great pride in his work and makes sure the job is completed to satisfaction and on time. Thor prioritizes jobs so that the most pressing deadlines are met first. He is very personable and is willing to “bend” his schedule as much as possible to accommodate the needs of other individuals. Thor’s calm and respectful personality is a beneficial addition to Facilities Services. The personal thank-you notes he has received are additional evidence of his high level of service.

The College Community will celebrate all 2014-2015 nominees and recipients at the Annual Ice Cream Social.

The Classified Staff Excellence Award was established in 2005 and recognizes classified staff who have demonstrated exemplary work performance, outstanding customer service, a positive and cooperative spirit, and special achievements or contributions to the college community. Thanks to the support of the Clark College Foundation, each quarter’s recipient receives a $400 cash award.

When benefits-eligible employees first enroll in a retirement plan here at Clark, they choose between plan options that are specific to their job classification. Some plans require you choose a contribution rate, and usually that contribution rate is irrevocable. In January, however, some employees (primarily faculty and classified) may have the option to make a change.

FACULTY

In January 2015, faculty employees who are participants in the Teacher’s Retirement System Plan 3 (TRS Plan 3) will have the opportunity to change their contribution rate as they have in past years every January. If you are a TRS Plan 3 member this is the LAST time you will have the opportunity to change your rate without changing employers. You can do this by completing a TRS Plan 3 Contribution Rate Change Form and turning it in to HR between January 1 and 31. Forms are also available on line at www.drs.wa.gov or in HR.

Most benefits-eligible faculty members are on the TRS plan or TIAA-CREF. If you don’t know which plan you are on check your paystub, which you can access from https://www.clark.edu/EHT.

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES & OTHERS

Each January, some employees who are in the Public Employees Retirement System Plan 2 (PERS Plan 2) have the opportunity to transfer to PERS Plan 3. Classified employees are most often enrolled in either PERS 2 or PERS 3. Check your paystub if you don’t remember which plan you are on. You can transfer if you were hired before 3/1/2002. When you log in to your account in www.drs.wa.gov you will see a message if you are able to transfer. If you transfer, you cannot go back to Plan 2. Also, if you are a TRS Plan 2 member (very few of us are), you have the opportunity each January to transfer to Plan 3. To educate yourself on the differences between the two plans go to www.drs.wa.gov. To transfer to Plan 3, complete the Member Information Form and turn it in to HR by January 31, 2015.

TIAA-CREF PARTICIPANTS (Administrative/Exempt and Faculty employees)

We will be offering individual sessions next quarter on January 27, 28, & 29 on the main campus in HR. Watch your email for an invitation and information about how to register.

EMPLOYEES IN A DRS PLAN CLOSE TO RETIREMENT

The 2015 Retirement Planning Seminar Schedule is now available from the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS). If you are a member of SERS, PERS or TRS and within five years of retirement you may want to register for and attend a seminar. The schedule of seminars in Washington for 2015 is now online. If you do not find a seminar near your location or on a date that is convenient for you, you may be interested in viewing our recorded seminar online. This seminar was recorded in Wenatchee on August 9, 2014, and is available for viewing at any time.

Melissa Williams receives her Exceptional Classified Staff Award during Opening Day 2014.

Opening Day is traditionally the occasion for announcing the yearly Exceptional Classified Staff Awards, which recognize two classified employees for their contributions to Clark College. Recipients receive a glass plaque and $1,000, funded through an anonymous donor’s contributions to the Clark College Foundation.

For their “exemplary work performance, outstanding service to the college, a positive and cooperative spirit, and/or special achievements or contributions to the college,” Enrollment Services Program Coordinator Melissa Williams and Facilities Services Custodian Derald Richards were named the winners of the 2014-2015 Clark College Exceptional Classified Staff Awards.

President Knight presents Derald Richards with his Classified Excellence Award.

Derald Richards, Custodian

Derald Richards was described in his nomination as “consistently performing at a level above and beyond the scope of his job.”

While Richards is naturally a quiet and retiring person, those who work with him regularly at Clark College at Columbia Tech Center have learned to value his cheerful attitude, helpful suggestions, and the way he takes pride in everything that is asked of him. One nominator wrote, “He will drop whatever he is doing to assist staff, faculty, or students. No matter how busy he is, he always greets everyone with a smile and never a complaint.”

Another coworker summed Richards up with just two words: “Super Wonderful!!!”

President Knight presents Melissa Williams with her Exceptional Classified Staff Award.

Melissa Williams, Enrollment Services Program Coordinator

Whether they know it or not, probably every student who registers for classes at Clark has been supported in some way or another by Melissa Williams. Her nomination states that she “consistently goes far beyond what is expected of her job title to see that students, faculty, college staff, and the community get what they need. She earnestly engages in students’ experiences at Clark and has helped to create an environment of focused customer service, communication, and teamwork. Her communication skills have been instrumental in explaining policies and procedures, assisting new staff, keeping her coworkers in the loop when changes occur, and keeping everyone up to date on a daily basis. Her approach, keeping students as the forefront of what we do, has improved and enhanced Clark College’s ability to meet the changing needs of our student population. … In truth, she is the very definition of an exemplary employee.”

Other nominees for 2014-2015 were:  Scott Coffie, eLearning, Information Technology Specialist 4; Rose Gardner, Administrative Services, Office Assistant 3; Silvia Marinova, Business Technology, Instruction & Classroom Support Technician 2; Vanessa Meyer, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Secretary Senior; Lynn Vanhoomissen, Security & Safety, Program Support Supervisor 1; Jennifer Vernon, Early Childhood Education, Program Specialist 3; and Heather White, Disability Support Services, Program Support Services Supervisor 2.

The Clark College Foundation instituted the yearly Excpetional Classified Staff and quarterly Classified Staff Excellence awards in 1997 to recognize exceptional staff members. Nominations may be submitted by classified, administrative and exempt staff; faculty; students; alumni; retirees; college trustees; and Foundation directors.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

President Bob Knight introduces the Presidential Coin recipients on Opening Day 2014.

In 2007, Clark College President Bob Knight introduced a new honor at Clark College: the presidential coin.

The coin is given to faculty and staff members who provide exemplary service to Clark students, the college and the community. The honorees are decided by the president and are kept secret until the names are announced–generally on Opening Day in the fall or during the annual State of the College address.

Five Clark College employees received Presidential Coins during Opening Day 2014 on September 10. They were:

Kael Godwin

As a Research and Analytics Professional working within the college’s Office of Planning & Effectiveness, Kael Godwin “transforms the way we use data so that we can make better decisions,” said President Knight. In his seven years atClark, Godwin has earned a reputation as someone who’s “approachable and responsible … and will do anything to help the college, even if it is outside his job description.”

Knight also cited Godwin’s key role in supporting the implementation of the college’s new customer relations management software, and noted that many people at the college have remarked upon his strong work ethic and commitment to the college.

Ron Hirt

Fiscal Analyst Ron Hirt began working at Clark College in 1983. In more than 30 years of service, he has become known not just for his daily runs around campus–no matter what the weather–but also for his expertise in finding any kind of information located in the college’s financial management system, regardless of how buried, obscure or complex it is. He has been a key player in many of the financial audits that the college has undergone – and passed, always helping to ensure there are no findings.

“The guy is meticulous,” President Knight said. “You can ask him for any kind of file and he knows right where it is. When I first came to Clark as a vice president, he was one of the people I knew I could go to for help.”

Susan Muir

Student Affairs Administrative Assistant Susan Muir began working at Clark in 2007; through the years, her service to Clark has spanned many areas pertaining to her department, including retention programs, student conduct, behavioral intervention team, and the Veterans Resource Center. “In every situation, she follows through to make sure the students and programs are well-served,” said President Knight. “Her knowledge, skills, and abilities are known across the college because of her willingness to provide a helping hand.”

Knight added that Muir is known for creating a calm and welcoming environment in her office that helps support students who arrive there in crisis, as well as for being willing to share her time and energy (not to mention her impressive stash of chocolate) with visitors to Student Affairs.

Vicki Cheng

Vicki Cheng, an Administrative Assistant in the Workforce, Career & Technical Education department, has been a Clark employee for 32 years. Her depth of experience is a great asset to her department and allows her to prioritize day-to-day issues effectively.

“She is always willing to step up and assist anyone who walks through the office door with impeccable customer service and a genuine desire to help,” said Knight. “She always makes a point to know and understand the projects across the unit so that she is capable of answering questions that may arise, and often offers suggestions that improve the end product.”

Patti Serrano

Business Administration professor Patti Serrano is no stranger to honors at Clark: She was named one of the college’s 2012-2013 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients. “She has been a rock in her division for 33 years and counting,” said President Knight. “Through her leadership, she has formally and informally mentored faculty, staff and administrators.”

Serrano has been a key participant in such important collegewide efforts as strategic planning, accreditation, and course development. Currently, she is leading her department’s efforts to develop a new Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Management. “She is admired and respected by students, faculty, and staff alike,” said President Knight.

Clockwise from top left: Kelly Fielding, Chris Martins, Sarah Theberge, and Jim Wilkins-Luton.

A professor who never planned on going to college, A Web-savvy wiz who stays in touch with students on Twitter, an aspiring academic who turned his back on the ivory tower in favor of more hands-on teaching, and an experienced clinician who takes the mystery out of a much-misunderstood subject–these are the recipients of the 2013-2014 Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards, which were announced during the college’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially presented to their recipients during Opening Day activities on Sept. 10.

The Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members. This year the award recipients include two full-time tenured professors and two part-time adjunct instructors, whose detailed biographies can be accessed through the links below:

• Kelly Fielding: The voice of experience
• Chris Martin: The technophile with human feeling
• Sarah Theberge: The accidental professor
• Jim Wilkins-Luton: The book-lover gone digital

The awards are made possible through an endowed trust fund established by the Washington State Legislature and the Clark College Exceptional Faculty Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993. That fund provides recognition of exemplary work performance, positive impact on students, professional commitment, and other contributions to the college. Nominations can be submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Chris Martin has gathered the students from his Web Video Production class in the hallway outside their classroom to demonstrate how to set up an interview shot. One student—a burly guy with a baseball cap and gray beard—has affably agreed to stand in front of the camera as the “interviewee.”

“Now let’s think about camera height, because you can change things a lot depending on the angle you shoot your subject at,” Martin says, adjusting the camera’s tripod. “Do we want to set it lower and look up at him to give him that godlike angle? Because we all know Steve has a bit of a god complex—just kidding! Just kidding!”

The whole class, Steve included, cracks up, and then Martin continues, raising the tripod as he speaks. “You can do stuff like that,” he says. “You can look down on them, too. But typically, we want to meet the subject at their own level, to give them that human feeling.”

In many ways, that last line is an apt summation of Martin’s teaching philosophy—and the secret to his popularity with students, who nominated him in droves for Clark’s prestigious 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award.

“His patience and approach in bringing out the abilities in all his students, from the novice to the advanced, encourages respect for all,” wrote one nominator. “His emotional integrity allows him to act as a mentor and to also mirror the importance to students that he is also learning the ever-changing aspects of technology.”

“If you don’t care about who your students are or where they come from or what they actually know—and they know a lot—then you can’t help them,” says Martin, who teaches both Computer Technology and Computer Graphics Technology classes as an adjunct at Clark, as well as general business courses at Warner Pacific College. “What I like about teaching at Clark is you really get to know the students. When they go through hard times, you know about it.”

Martin also gets strong praise for his real-life experience as a web designer and videographer. He has spent more than eight years running his own multimedia studio, creating videos and web content for businesses, nonprofits, and artists. He also produces a regular online documentary video series called Innovators of Vancouver that showcases leaders in Southwest Washington.

Martin, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Portland and a master’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Warner Pacific, regularly shares stories from his professional career to illustrate class material. A self-described “big experimenter,” he often tries out new tools and methods in his teaching—including Twitter, which Martin has used to create online discussions about class material among his students.

“It’s just a way of being accessible,” Martins says. “I think it helps students feel connected to me a little more.”

Or, to put it another way: It’s Martin’s way of giving his students that “human feeling” in the digital age.

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

We’ve all heard the cliché that kids say the darndest things. But people rarely point out its corollary: So do adults. As an Early Childhood Education professor, Sarah Theberge says she is often just as surprised by what her students express in the classroom as she is by what children in the college’s Child & Family Studies program say on the playground.

“I’m just surprised over and over again by how many things I hadn’t thought of,” Theberge says as she stands on that playground surrounded by running children. “The way that students approach the things we talk about reminds me that there’s no one right answer to so much of what we’re studying. I really do see us as ‘co-learners’ who are all learning together—and I’m learning right along with them. It’s one of my favorite parts of teaching.”

It’s also one of the things students mentioned repeatedly in nominating Theberge for Clark College’s prestigious Exceptional Faculty Award, which Theberge received for the 2013-14 year. The award was announced at Clark’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially bestowed at the college’s Opening Day festivities on September 10.

“She is honest, she is real, she is not only a teacher but an inspiration and a friend to all her students,” wrote one nominator. “She brings passion to her work with children and with her students, and ignites the passion in all of us.”

Students also mention Theberge’s empathy and her strong commitment to serving as an academic advisor to students in the ECE program. When Theberge explains how she became a professor, it becomes clear why she is able to connect so strongly with her students and empathize with the challenges they face: After all, she faced them too.

Theberge never set out to become a professor. “It was the farthest thing from my mind,” she says, laughing. Rather, her initial ambition was much more basic: She needed a job.

“I was a single parent without any college background or schooling, and a friend of mine had a childcare center,” Theberge says. “I just thought it was a place where I could have my kids there and still work. But from the very first day, I fell in love with it.”

A friend encouraged her to enroll in Clark’s ECE program. “I said, ‘Oh no. We don’t do college in my family,'” Theberge recalls. “She literally took me by the hand and dragged me to Clark. And I’ve never left.”

In 1992, Theberge graduated with honors from Clark with an Associate of Applied Science degree in ECE. She went on to complete both a bachelor’s and master’s program from Pacific Oaks College while working in Clark’s CFS program, first as a program aide and then as an adjunct faculty member. Her roles and responsibilities continued to expand over the years, and in 2000 she was granted tenure at Clark. Throughout the years, she has continued to attend conferences and workshops to keep up-to-date on current teaching practices in her field. She also presents her own research at conferences; currently she has been delving into the complex issues surrounding children’s concepts of gender identity. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for YWCA Clark County and has been instrumental in creating a library at CFS to help promote children’s literacy.

It’s a long way from the young single mother who just wanted a job. “That’s why I love advising,” Theberge says. “I hear similar stories to mine from students—people looking for opportunity, looking for help in making their passion a reality. It’s just so rewarding to sit with that and to walk alongside them on their journey.”

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Exceptional Faculty Award recipient Jim Wilkins-Luton can tell you the exact moment when the course of his career changed. He was in his final year of graduate studies at Gonzaga University, listening to an English professor discuss Milton in pedantic detail.

At the time, Wilkins-Luton was well on his way to following that professor’s path. He’d already been accepted to a Ph.D. program in English literature at Stony Brook University in New York, after which he would aim for a professorship at an elite university where he could happily discuss his own favorite authors in pedantic detail. “It was all lined up,” Wilkins-Luton recalls. “I’d been accepted; I had my funding in place; I was going to focus on either medieval or Victorian literature. Everything was going according to plan.”

But lately, Wilkins-Luton had begun having doubts about that plan. It started when he took on a part-time job teaching homeless youth to make some money during grad school. “I had all these stereotypes about what these kids would be like,” he says. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but the night before I started the job I was worried they would give me head lice. And then that first day I went to work and came home just exhausted and devastated by these kids. And I started thinking, Maybe the world didn’t need another Shakespeare professor. Maybe the world needed people who were willing to teach—to teach the people no one wanted to teach.”

Which brings us back to that Milton seminar. Wilkins-Luton found himself staring at the lecturing professor. “I’m not even kidding: This guy actually had leather elbow patches on his tweed jacket, and he was expounding on some particular sentence Milton wrote,” he recalls. “And I remember thinking, ‘That’s my future. I don’t want any part of that. What I want to do is help.'”

As fate would have it, there was a poster advertising opportunities to teach English in Japan on the seminar room’s walls. Wilkins-Luton called his wife as soon as class let out, and soon after graduation, the two of them moved to Japan, where they spent the next sevenyears teaching English. Once the couple returned to the U.S. and settled in the Portland area, it was a natural progression for Wilkins-Luton to begin teaching at a private international school, and then English as a Second Language at Clark, and then pre-college and college-level English. He earned tenure in 2006.

Wilkins-Luton says he was surprised and honored to receive a 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award. The award was announced at Clark’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially bestowed at the college’s Opening Day festivities on September 10. Student nominators described a professor they called “funny” and “friendly,” who “makes all students completely comfortable in the classroom.”

“I love to teach,” says Wilkins-Luton. “I love the classroom. I love the engagement with students.” He is sitting in his book-lined office at Clark, which amply proves that he hasn’t entirely escaped the tropes of the English professor. (“I have a lot more books at home,” he admits sheepishly, casting an eye at the seven shelves of volumes arranged in meticulous alphabetical order by author. “These are mostly the ones I don’t want my kids reading.”)

Yet despite his love of both printed books and face-to-face teaching, Wilkins-Luton recently moved to teaching entirely online. “I think you have to make transitions sometimes to stay sharp,” he explains. “Also, I’d been reading some research discussing how the face-to-face classroom favors the extrovert—the person who’s willing to raise their hand and speak up in class. In the online environment, the introvert and extrovert become equal. As someone with introvert tendencies of my own, I liked that idea.”

Wilkins-Luton says that at first, he was concerned that the online classroom would stifle the sense of humor and personal engagement that he practices in face-to-face teaching. But in fact, he says, online teaching has allowed him to give even more personalized attention to individual students. “If they ask me a question, I send them back a two-paragraph answer,” he says. “And yeah, it might have a joke in it. Because you know what? Students don’t need gravitas; they need a reason to learn.”

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

“I believe in psychology,” says psychology instructor Kelly Fielding. “I believe it has value and purpose, and if I can affect a few students who want to make a dent in all the psychological distress in this world, then that’s a good thing.”

Fielding has seen first-hand the value of psychology: With almost 30 years of clinical experience as a psychologist, he has helped hundreds of patients cope with psychological distress. He brings this experience into the classroom at Clark College, where he has taught part-time since 1988. “I’m at the point where I’m teaching the children of former students,” he says with a laugh.

There’s a reason why parents are recommending Fielding to their kids—he has developed a reputation as an excellent teacher who incorporates personal and professional stories into his teaching. These are some of the qualities that earned him the college’s prestigious Exceptional Faculty Award. The award was announced at Clark’s 2014 Commencement ceremony and officially bestowed at the college’s Opening Day festivities on September 10.

“I already loved psychology when I went into [Fielding’s] course, but after I took his class, I gained a new love for the topic,” wrote one student nominator. “He would use storytelling to weave in the actual facts [of the course material], entertaining some students and allowing those students who required a visual aid to learn the material just as well as everyone else.”

Fielding, who has a Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, says he enjoys the diversity of Clark students. “I like the population mix,” he says. “I like that there are young kids who are still in high school and adult students who are much older than the ‘traditional’ college student. I think the older students gain from the energy of the younger students, and the younger students gain from the maturity of the older students. The older students, when they come back [to school], they’re very serious.”

Fielding says he’s felt his own teaching style develop as he’s grown older—though not necessarily toward the more serious. “I find that I become more and more open,” he says. “The younger you are, the more worried you are about judgment. The older I get, the less I find myself being afraid of what students will think if I share a particular idea or story.”

Over the years, Fielding says, the theory and practice of psychology has changed as scientists make new discoveries about the human brain. But when it comes to teaching psychology, some things remain constant—such as students’ misconceptions about the subject. “They think psychology is about manipulation,” he says. “And they have little to no idea how scientific it is. I teach them the scientific method. I show them how studies are conducted. By the time we’re done, I think they understand that science is more than chemistry, cells, and physics. But they also understand how those things play into psychology.”

Learn more about the other 2013-14 Exceptional Faculty Award recipients.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College Libraries Acquisitions Specialist Sally Demos

Congratulations to Sally Demos, recipient of the 2014 Spring Quarter Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Sally Demos has provided excellent service to the Clark College Community for the past 29 years. She currently holds the position of Acquisitions Specialist for the Clark College Library. A current member in the Shared Integrated Library, she has also served on the Clark College Foundation Employee Campaign Committee, is a convener for the Library of the Future Committee, a member of the library’s Floor Plan Work Group, and the Classified Staff Representative for the Library Leadership Team.

Sally frequently goes above and beyond her basic job responsibilities, displaying her earnest work ethic and commitment to the Clark College Mission. She has been described by her colleagues as “the epitome of efficiency,” and her supervisor states that Sally is “thorough, organized and succinct, meeting all deadlines and is often early in finishing her work.”

Sally exemplifies lifelong learning by participating in many staff and professional development training opportunities. Her excellent communication skills and wealth of information is a great asset to Clark College, its students, and staff.

Congratulations to all of the spring quarter nominees:

Kate Cascio: Kate has been an exemplary program assistant. She has brought a new level of professionalism to the office. Her ability to work individually to accomplish projects is outstanding. She is quick to take on several additional special projects and duties above and beyond her required assignments. Kate exceeds what is expected of her in all areas of her work.

Vanessa Meyer: Vanessa is doing an excellent job! She is supremely competent. She is organized and handles her responsibilities quickly and efficiently, assuring faculty members do not miss anything that is required. She is not just always pleasant and polite, but always in a good mood.

Brendan Pust: Brendan provides excellent customer service and does everything he can to help. He goes above and beyond each day to provide the best support for students and staff. Brendan never leaves any employee behind. He does his very best to train his employees to provide quality support for students. He has a positive and professional attitude.

Derald Richards: Derald consistently performs at a level above and beyond the scope of his job. Derald is very professional and courteous with his co-workers, students and the general public. Derald is continually looking for ways to complete a task more efficiently. He has been quick to submit ideas and solutions on various issues and will then take the lead on certain projects.

Denise Rotellini: Denise is all about quality work, continuous improvement, and excellent customer service. She does an exceptionally thorough job of managing departmental documents, libraries, and processes. Denise’s knowledge of the college structure, policy and procedures is exemplary. She is always willing to help solve a problem, figure out an answer, or provide support. Denise is always looking for a way to make everyone’s job easier and more efficient.

Billie Trimbo: Billie has a certain flair for bringing out the creative and empathetic qualities in others around her. She has been available to us when we needed information, and helpful in problem solving to get the job done. She always goes above and beyond in her work for our department! Billie is spontaneous with her friendship to her coworkers and friends.

Heather White: Heather’s performance is the very definition of “excellence.” Heather regularly checks in with other coworkers to see how she can help them. She is friendly and helpful to everyone that comes into our office. She works with the office to provide the best possible service to students. She is clear and concise and speaks to people kindly and considerately. She always listens actively and looks at each person as an individual. Heather has the utmost respect for fellow workers and students.

The College Community will celebrate all 2013-2014 nominees and recipients at the Annual Ice Cream Social held in September.

The Classified Staff Excellence Award was established in 2005 and recognizes classified staff who have demonstrated exemplary work performance, outstanding customer service, a positive and cooperative spirit, and special achievements or contributions to the college community. Thanks to the support of the Clark College Foundation, each quarter’s recipient receives a $400 cash award.

Karen Ferguson submitted this article. Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley