Staff Employee of the Month 2024

Shelley Toale has been with Columbus State since 1991 and is a coordinator for Facilities Operations. She was nominated for the Full-time Staff Employee of the Month by Library Director Dana Knott. “Shelley is a colleague that I respect, trust, and admire,” said Knott in her nomination letter. “She has always made me feel like the library’s needs are a priority, and her responses emphasize connection, compassion, and community support.” Knott included a specific example. “In July 2022, the Library experienced a significant flood, and Shelley provided support, communication, and solutions during a long and sometimes “stressful’ process.”   

An office associate who’s been a full-time employee for two years was announced as the February Staff Employee of the Month at last week’s First Wednesday.

Elizabeth Lamela was nominated by Darrell Minor, Mathematics professor. “Elizabeth routinely provides assistance to all in the department, whether it’s providing help with scheduling meetings or viewing someone’s calendar in Teams, she will have an answer,” said Minor in his nomination form. 

Beyond assisting faculty and staff, Minor says she is a vital resource for students, calling her “incredibly helpful” to students. In more than one instance, when I was with a student who shared with me that they were without housing, Minor said, “…within minutes of asking Elizabeth for help finding resources, she responded (quickly), and we were able to provide resources for the students.” 

Minor adds, “I’ve had students comment (to me) on how friendly our office associate is.”

An analyst in Administrative Operations who’s been with Columbus State Community College for 12 years was named the Staff Employee of the Month.

Vincent Cocozza joined the college in December 2012. He was nominated by Terrence Brown, dean of Health & Human Services. “Vincent Cocozza is dedicated and willing to go the extra mile for his colleagues and the college (which makes) him a true asset for our future,” said Brown. “His proactive approach is a quality that should be celebrated and appreciated.”

In his nomination, Brown added, “Cocozza played a ‘pivotal role’ in the realignment of Health & Human Services within a six-month timeframe, which speaks volumes about his organizational and leadership capabilities. It’s apparent he possesses a talent for walking others through processes, ensuring timely decision-making, and achieving collective goals without seeking individual credit.”

At First Wednesday’s presentation, Brown also read comments from three colleagues who had complimented Cocozza’s work ethic. 

Allie Upchurch, who is a project manager in Partnerships & Programs, was named the Full-time Staff Employee of the Month at last week’s First Wednesday. She started at the college in 2019 and was nominated by Kirk Dickerson, chief health strategist in Academic Affairs. 

In his nomination, Dickerson said that Upchurch went above and beyond in her work with the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s partnership with Columbus State’s Surgical Technology Program. “Allie has been working with our faculty to develop a surgical technology cohort program that will be offered at OSU,” said Dickerson. He added that her ability to help different parties from different organizations stay focused on shared goals is a strong asset.

In a supervisor’s review, Cheryl Hay, executive director of The Office of Talent Strategy, highlighted the “High level of care Allie brings to keeping what our students need to be successful at the forefront in the design and within the ongoing negotiations that take place in this work.”

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Bronwyn Mroczkowski, academic office associate for the English Department, was nominated as full-time Staff Employee of the Month by two people: Steve Kaczmarek, English professor, and Amanda Gradisek, English chair. Mroczkowski joined the college in 2022. In his nomination, Kaczmarek said, “Office associates don’t always get the credit they deserve, but departments would not function well without them. They are the unsung heroes!”

Gradisek said, “Bronwyn consistently goes above and beyond in her work to support the department. The Saturday and Sunday before classes started, she worked many hours to ensure that the conversion to co-requisite English classes was processed correctly.”

A business analyst in the Enterprise Project Management Office was named the Staff Employee of the Month (SEOM) at last week’s First Wednesday.

Mary Bond started at Columbus State in 2007. Prior to her current position, Bond was a member of the Advising team for Business Engineering and Technologies (EPMO).

Four colleagues nominated her for the full-time SEOM award: Allen Parsons, Luz Salinas, Scott Rombauer, and Jessica Plannick. 

Her nomination form states that Bond has applied a “wealth of college knowledge to become indispensable as a business analyst and acting manager in EPMO. Salinas said, “Mary is having a profound impact on Columbus State through her work on the Transient Student project. 

Plannick said, “(Bond) has a remarkable ability to manage these tasks with a positive attitude and unwavering efficiency.” 

Each of the four nominators provided remarks at the First Wednesday presentation. You may view them at this link starting at the 26:42 mark.

An instructional designer who has been with the college for more than 17 years was named the Staff Employee of the Month at last week’s First Wednesday. Ashley Sammataro works in the Instructional Technology & Innovation department.

Two people nominated Sammataro: Josh Wickham, senior director of the School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, and Barbara Allen, Workday Change Management assistant director.

In her nomination, Allen described the impact Sammataro had while taking headshot photographs for new faculty members each semester and the Distinguished Teaching Awards. “She has created a meaningful touchpoint experience she has initiated from end to end,” said Allen. “Likewise, a Distinguished Teaching Award nominee shared that it was such an honor that Ashely took such care with their headshot – they had never experienced that kind of personal touch and felt so special and valued.”

Wickham’s nomination focused on Sammataro’s assistance with the “Headshot Happy Hour” event at Degrees restaurant. “Ashley’s event allowed our departments to shine and do what we do best,” said Wickham. “Over 50 employees and students took advantage of the event, updated their professional headshot and joined us in Degrees for fellowship and networking. Ashley’s work improves lives; we are proud to be her partner.”

A Grounds and Facilities Technician with nearly a quarter century at Columbus State is September’s Staff Employee of the Month. Frank Bucy started at the college in 2000 and now works on the Delaware Campus. He was presented with the award at last week’s First Wednesday meeting in WD.

“Every day when I come to work, Frank is making our grounds beautiful,” said his nominator, Kelly Mackay, Student Experience Advisor. “This year, I’ve noticed he’s planted more flowers throughout the Delaware property. Frank is always looking for ways to beautify our campus with many container gardens and new plants throughout the grounds.”

In her nomination, Mackay said, “When I have questions about plants, he will either know or find out for me. His hard work gives many of us a great peace as we walk into work to start our days.”

Karen Hill has been with Columbus State for 23 years and is currently a coordinator for Transportation Maintenance Technology based at Bolton Field. Douglas Hammon, chair of the department, nominated her for the full-time award.  

“Although (Karen’s) work location is miles from the main campus, Karen’s efforts impact the entire Columbus State community from students to faculty to staff in other departments,” said Hammon in his nomination form. “In my many years in leadership, I have known few people who were as willing to take on any task, even those that are not part of their job description, the way Karen does.”

“To quote an aviation faculty member, Karen is the team. It would be difficult to imagine what it would be like if Karen wasn’t here.”

Allison Franz has been with Columbus State for more than seven years and serves as a program coordinator in Enrollment Services Operations (ESO). She was nominated for the full-time award by three people: Doreece Dandridge and Dina Galley in ESO, and Alex Stigler, senior director in Enrollment Management and Student Services.

In their nomination form, they say, “She goes above and beyond to help her colleagues across campus and within ESO, often extending herself beyond business hours to wrap up loose ends.”

They also point out that Franz has taken on additional duties beyond her regular role. “She has been central to the configuration and testing of Workday engagements despite being on the project only part-time as a subject-matter expert. Routinely, she gets referenced in Workday cross-functional meetings for both her volume and quality of work.” 

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Darryl Smith, a specialist with the Office of Talent Strategy, was named the Part-time Employee of the Month. Smith has been with the college since 2015. He was nominated by his supervisor, Chris Brown. “Darryl makes a positive impact on everyone he meets,” said Brown in his nomination form. “His friendly disposition makes him very easy to talk to, which puts our non-credit students at ease, especially the Basic English as a Second Language (ESL) students.” Brown goes on to say, “Darryl continues to work on his Spanish so he can offer excellent customer service to our ESL students. He uses resources such as Google Translate and campus maps to assist with requests and questions from students.” An additional example of Brown’s dedication happened on a Saturday. He was notified that morning that one of his colleagues was ill, and he came in to work that shift with little notice.  

Natalie Glenn was named the Part-time Staff Employee of the Month. Glenn is a Benefits specialist and was hired in January 2022. She was nominated by Nick Hardin, Employee Experience senior director. 

In his nomination, Hardin said Glenn has been supporting the Talent Acquisition team in many ways since arriving at the college. “Natalie helps schedule interpreters for new hire orientation and other employee events. She also helps schedule interpreters for interviews for employees and candidates who need them.”

The Compliance team also provided accolades: Natalie has made a difference to the college community by encouraging employees to understand their rights under ADA and by advocating on behalf of employees with disabilities. 

Rufus Dixon, office associate for the Mathematics Department, started at Columbus State in 2022. He was nominated for part-time Staff Employee of the Month by Beth Barnett, a mathematics professor. 

In her nomination, she pointed out that although Dixon is a Mathematics Department office associate, he also assists students taking English classes. “Rufus goes above and beyond for students and faculty alike,” said Barnett. “If he does not know the answer to a question, he makes it his job to find the answer and get back to you quickly. The faculty on the second floor of Aquinas Hall speak so highly of Rufus and would undoubtedly join me in submitting this nomination.”

Jill Schoener, K-12 Partnerships program coordinator, is the Part-Time Staff Employee of the Month. She has been with the college for five years. Jeff Akers, Curriculum Management senior director, nominated Schoener. Akers said, “To ensure that the credits (from articulated coursework) for certification are received properly by Columbus State, Jill travels to every Career Technical Education and Ohio Technical Center location in multiple counties to personally pick up these sensitive documents.”

Akers added, “To my knowledge, I’ve never met Jill in person or online. She goes about her work with little fanfare or requests for praise.” 

Part-time Staff Employee of the Month Aylea Ann Burkes is a specialist in Instructional Services and has been with the college for two years. Allison Hendricks, a coordinator in Hospitality Management, nominated her.

Hendricks was volunteering in the testing center when she met Burkes. “I was immediately struck by her patience and supportive demeanor and how she kept calm during the busy days of finals week – nothing seemed to rattle her!”

In her nomination form, Hendricks said, “Students were visibly stressed, nervous, or burned out when they came into the Testing Center. Aylea supported them and I watched as their literal body language changed and smiles spread across their faces. She is an incredible asset to this college.”