Every year, 成人影片 honors four exceptional employees with a听President’s Award for Excellence听and one employee with the听President’s Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. According to President Christine M. Riordan, PhD, the honorees 鈥渉ave won the admiration of their peers and colleagues by providing an extraordinary level of service to the University, and working to advance our shared values and goals.”
Candidates are nominated by their colleagues, and these nominations are reviewed by committees that are representative of our community. After reviewing the nominations, the committee submits final nominees to the president.
We congratulate 成人影片’s 2022 President’s Award for Excellence honoree:
Sarah Avery, Administrative Assistant, Department of Sociology (Local 153)
Sarah Avery, the administrative assistant in the Department of Sociology, has been known to describe herself with one word: sagacious. 鈥淚 learn from everything I do and apply it to my work. Every experience is an opportunity to gain insight and grow.”
During her seven years at 成人影片, Avery鈥攚ho taught business professionals in Madrid, Spain, before joining the department鈥攈as taken advantage of a multitude of opportunities to flourish.
According to her nominator, she provides administrative support for one department chair and three program directors, numerous full- and part-time faculty members and many students. 鈥淪arah has also provided diplomacy, clarity and empathy to everyone in the department,” she said. 鈥淗er professional and interpersonal skills are essential to the daily functioning of our department as a pleasant, efficient, professional work environment.”
For Avery, 鈥淭he most enjoyable thing about working in the department is that the role continuously changes, and the tasks vary,” she reported. 鈥淓ven for tasks that remain the same, I have the freedom to analyze and improve on our past methods. From a nonwork perspective, I value my department’s faculty. My discussions with them teach me about their respective disciplines and help me fulfill my goal for continuous growth.”
She has advanced professionally by completing many training and certificate programs鈥攊ncluding the University’s Diversity Certificate Program. Avery has also been an enthusiastic team member on everything from the professional program’s diversity, equity and inclusion newsletter to the interdisciplinary, public-facing, and cross-campus and cross-university Artivism initiative.
鈥淒iversity and inclusion is a significant part of the series,” explained her nominator. 鈥淪arah’s voice and experience in this regard helped us select presenters and student ambassadors to highlight and support.”
As a representative for Local 153 and member of its executive committee, Avery has provided guidance on workplace issues such as policy changes and grievances.
Her nominator praised her ability to 鈥渟eamlessly synthesize the thoughts and opinions of others in a way that makes everyone feel heard.”
She added, 鈥淪arah is compassionate, understanding and has a way of both helping people and empowering them to help themselves.”
Avery takes special pride in her work with Local 153. 鈥淢y greatest accomplishment will be helping to negotiate a contract for 成人影片’s Local 153 union,” she explained.
A self-described 鈥減roud Panther,” Avery said she is honored to have been nominated by her supervisor, Jacqueline Johnson, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology. 鈥淏ut I am even more touched that the committee chose me as one of the award recipients,” Avery said. 鈥淚’m glad that my individual contributions have been recognized. In many ways, it’s the cherry on top.”