2011 Robert H. Smith School of Business Staff Excellence Award Winner

Mary Crowe-Kokonis
A Campus Brat, Mary Knows All and is Known by All

A recipient of the 2011 Staff Excellence Award from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Mary Crowe-Kokonis’ reputation for quality service is no secret at Smith. Mary is one of the first people who new employees meet – in fact, all new faculty, staff and student employees must meet her when they start work at Smith. Mary is the payroll coordinator in the Office of Finance and Administration and she is responsible for the nuts and bolts of the employment process – timesheets, health benefits, retirement, etc.

“After coming to the Smith School, Mary was one of the first people I met and she took plenty of time from her schedule to chat with me – not only to deal with payroll matters, but also to help me feel more at home at a new school,” said one award nominator. “In the intervening years, I have come to appreciate her calm confidence when confronted with any issue, together with her quite-evident efficiency. I believe that she is one of the ‘keepers of the institutional memory’ at the Smith School, an invaluable contributor to the effective operation of the school for all of its stakeholders who cannot receive enough recognition.”

Mary started work at the University of Maryland in 1988 in Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, and then moved to Accounts Payable, where she worked from 1989 to 1998. In 1998, she moved to the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and worked there for about two years before joining the Smith School in 2000. She calls herself a “campus brat” – there has been a “Crowe” family member working at the University of Maryland, College Park for the past 60+ years, she says. Proud Terp staff members have included her grandfather, parents, aunts, uncle, cousins, sisters, nieces, nephews … and her eldest son and daughter-in-law. Her younger son and daughter are still in high school may also follow in her footsteps.

Mary didn’t start out with a goal to work with numbers; she was just really good at it! Most importantly, she wanted to work with people. “I’m a people person!” she says enthusiastically. “I enjoy my job and I like being the go-to person for information. When I first started working at Smith in August 2000, there were 560 total employees, and now there are 958. I still meet every single one of them! ”

What’s changed over the years? Mary has seen the payroll system move from paper to electronic, which is more timely and efficient, but also creates more things to do in the big scheme of work and troubleshooting. She says, “Work in a field that you enjoy. Find something you really like and stick with it.”

“I have known and observed Mary perform her job for more than 10 years,” said one nominator. “The sheer number and types of people she services, insures that every office visitor asks different questions, has varied concerns and possess relatively little knowledge of how their program of interest works, when and why benefits change, and what their rights are with respect to say retirement or sick leave. Thus, visits are many… and long, requiring her to provide detailed explanations and make change to payroll deductions, retirement contributions, etc, and people are tense and sometimes angry. Through it all, Mary remains calm, upbeat, collected, and expert. Her work is always of high quality and if Mary promises you she will make a change in one of your programs, you can take it to the bank—it will done and quickly. Further, she is on a first and last name basis with virtually all 958 of her customers. She is truly top-notch and amazing!”

What’s the hardest part about her job? “It’s hard to keep topping things,” she laughs. People look forward to her holiday costumes each year and there is a lot of pressure to keep it creative.

“Whenever I visit the 3570 suite, I always make it a point to drop by her office and say hello,” said one nominator. “In addition to being very competent at her job, she is a very delightful person. I and many others greatly enjoy that she always decorates her office to reflect the season. Who can forget her Halloween costumes? Mary’s contributions have been and continue to be priceless.”

Mary has lived in Maryland all her life. She grew up in New Carrollton and currently lives in Beltsville with her husband, three children and their Boston terrier, Lucky. She enjoys camping, bingo, bowling, and softball. She met her husband on the baseball diamond – she was playing shortstop and he was an outfielder.

To contact Mary, send e-mail to mcroweko@rhsmith.umd.edu.

Alissa Arford, Office of Marketing Communications