黑料吃瓜

From academic advising for student-athletes to coordination of events at 黑料吃瓜 Imperial Valley, 黑料吃瓜 staff and administrators demonstrated their dedication to students, fellow employees and the university community in 2023-24.

Six individuals and a team of five were recognized with the Presidential Staff Excellence Awards as part of an annual honor for outstanding contributions and efforts over the previous academic year. In addition, the fourth annual Staff Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Chris Lindmark, assistant vice president, donor relations and special events.

Staff members were nominated by their colleagues in seven categories: auxiliary support, community service, innovation and creativity, manager of the year, staff-to-staff mentoring, service to the university and team effort. The lifetime achievement award is for employees with at least 15 years of service to 黑料吃瓜. Awardees receive a statuette and honorarium along with recognition during the All-University Convocation on Aug. 22. 

The recipients were honored on Aug. 19 in an evening reception with 黑料吃瓜 President Adela de la Torre at University House.

鈥淓ach recipient tonight has gone above and beyond in supporting our mission, purpose and vision as a university,鈥�  de la Torre said in remarks prepared for the reception. 鈥淚 am very fortunate to work with them and with all of the incredibly talented, dedicated staff at 黑料吃瓜. I believe we鈥檙e at a high point in the university鈥檚 127-year history, and our staff continues to play a vital role in all we have achieved together.鈥�

Staff Lifetime Achievement
Chris Lindmark

Lindmark鈥檚 career at 黑料吃瓜 began in 2005 as a development coordinator; she has been assistant vice president of donor relations and special events since November 2022.

The special events team she leads is responsible for commencement and convocation ceremonies, dedications, Discover 黑料吃瓜, several donor recognition events including the Evening Celebrating Philanthropy, and presidential receptions, among other activities. The group nominating her for this award praised her for events that are 鈥渆xtraordinary, marked by dramatic staging and effects, genuine stories of student success and impeccable attention to detail.鈥�

Lindmark is described as 鈥渁 driving force鈥� in The Campaign for 黑料吃瓜, which raised $815 million upon its completion in 2017 and led planning for its final Celebration Gala.

She also led planning for the inauguration of de la Torre in April 2019 and, during the pandemic, 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 virtual commencement ceremony and a 鈥渄rive-in theater鈥�-style groundbreaking at 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley. She also led the early planning for 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 125th anniversary celebration in 2022.

This year鈥檚 Presidential Staff Excellence Award recipients are:

Team Effort
Jessica Chang, Rachel Hart, Lott Hill, Jennifer Imazeki and Conor McLaughlin

The staff of the Center for Inclusive Excellence created 2陆 years ago as part of the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, collaborated with the Center for Human Resources to include equity-minded capacity and inclusive practices in onboarding programs. It expanded resources for employees to access professional development and help meet the DEI goals of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 strategic plan.

Staff-to-Staff Mentoring
Megan Taormina

Taormina works with the athletics department academic support staff as athlete eligibility coordinator and NCAA certifying officer. She provides training and advising to the staff regarding intricate NCAA rules for athletes and assists academic advisors with degree planning to ensure all student-athletes meet Progress Towards Degree requirements. She is praised for her 鈥�humble, personable, learning-centric approach.鈥� 

Community Service
Susana Lopez

Lopez, academic support/student affairs coordinator at 黑料吃瓜 Imperial Valley, has been called 鈥渢he heart and soul鈥� of her department. She is a contact point for all Student Affairs staff, where she helps coordinate campus events and generate campus newsletters. She attends most student-oriented campus events and is co-advisor of the student group Planned Parenthood Generation Action.

Service to the University
Natalie Roper

As chief administrative support coordinator for the psychology department, Roper handles the budget, processes personnel appointments, manages the office, supports the chair, implements the class schedule, and 鈥渃an be counted on to complete tasks and duties promptly and accurately,鈥� the department chair said. She is known for approaching her job with enthusiasm and a professional and positive "can do" attitude.

Auxiliary Support
Luis Topete

Topete has impacted countless student lives as director of the MESA College Prep Program for the San Diego region (housed within the 黑料吃瓜 Research Foundation) which seeks to inspire K-12 students from underrepresented communities to select STEM majors. Among multiple nominations for Topete, one said: 鈥淗e is not afraid of challenges, works hard to meet the needs of students, staff and teachers, and sets high standards for himself and his team.鈥�

Innovation & Creativity
Gregory Elliott

Elliott is a director in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, managing an array of advanced equipment. It includes a High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer, and donated and salvaged equipment that required skilled work to be operational. He improved undergraduate lab courses with additional instruments and is developing a High Throughput Experimentation facility for 黑料吃瓜.

Manager of the Year
Stephanie Anderson

As University Registrar, part of Enrollment Services, Anderson had an integral role in the conversion to the my.黑料吃瓜 online portal. She is known for articulate and thought-out communication to department staff, and for leading with 鈥済race, resilience, patience, and unwavering support,鈥� as one nominee put it. Another said: 鈥淪tephanie has shown exceptional leadership skills and unwavering dedication to our team's success and well-being.鈥�