Smith School Honors Six Staff Members with Awards

Six members of the Smith School community were awarded Staff Excellence Awards at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business’ end-of-the-semester faculty and staff assembly on May 10, 2013.

These awards were established to recognize the critical role that non-academic staff members play in the Smith School's success. In creating the Staff Excellence Awards, the Smith School strives to single out and personally recognize staff members for their superior performance and significant contributions each year.

2013 Smith School Staff Award Recipients

Here’s what our nominators had to say about the award winners:

Carol Cron, Coordinator, Department of Marketing

• “Extremely organized, responsible, efficient, and passionate about her job.”
• “I am glad that Carol Cron was there to help me with the institutional processes, rules and regulations so I could navigate safely through my first year! She has been my right-hand person, and I can trust her completely to do the right thing at the right time.”
• “Events, deadlines, new technologies – Cron is on top of it, for not only me, but for everyone in our department…. the unsung hero of our group.”
• “Perhaps what I appreciate most … is that they take a personal interest in students. …. Never hesitates to ask me about my personal updates, interests and goals. Whether or not I have an actual question or request, I know that I can expect a warm welcome and memorable conversation whenever I stop by their office.”
• “What is so outstanding about their service is that they epitomize ‘service excellence.’”
• “One of the most capable and efficient people I have ever met, and on top of that, they are always looking for ways to improve their skill set.”

Diane Hall, Coordinator, Department of Accounting and Information Assurance

• “Although I don’t know how they do it, Diane Hall meets all requests equally.”
• “Knows her job very well, is always helpful, and responds to emails promptly, even during weekends and holidays.”
• “Having worked with many secretaries, administrative assistants and other coordinators over my many years, I would say Hall goes above and beyond the others. If she says something will get done, you don’t have to worry, it gets done.”
• “Her high level of commitment to the department and the Smith School is matched by the high quality of her work. … I regularly rely on Hall to proofread important documents (e.g., letters, exams, etc.) before finalizing them. Without exception, she always manages to make suggestions on how I could improve upon a document.”
• “Not only independently carries out all the tasks associated with her position in an excellent and professional manner, but displays a most upbeat, friendly, and caring attitude that is contagious.”

Kimberly John, Executive Assistant to the Dean, The Office of the Dean

• “Even if she may not be having a great day, Kimberly John still maintains the same work ethic and conscientiousness for what they do. Because she takes her performance so seriously, she makes very few mistakes. She inspires me to work harder and to be better each day in all I do.”
  “Just about everyone can easily get along with John, and she is warm and approachable. Her outgoing and friendly nature is ideally suited for her position, and makes everyone – staff, faculty and visitors alike – feel welcome and included.”
• “Always willing to help others, whether from her own department or not, and is motivated to make both the dean and the Smith School shine with all that she does.”
• “Willing to come in early, stay late and answer questions and emails far outside of regular working hours, and does this happily because of how much she enjoys her job.”
• “Has been so successful that often other staff or faculty will seek her out just to have her assist them or calm them down if they have had a bad experience.”
• “Always puts the school first. You can tell this by her dedication. We can call, text, email at all hours of the day, nights, weekends (and we do), and she is readily responsive.”
• “Whether it is a prince from a foreign country who is visiting, an ambassador, the president, a staff person from another college, a student coming by to ask a question – they are all treated with the same respect and professionalism, in a positive, service-oriented manner. This person treats them all of them at the highest level, no matter what their status. As a result of how she treats them, she makes all of us at Smith look really good.”

Mike Marcellino, Assistant Dean of MBA & MS Programs

• “A true leader and has a high commitment to the Smith School’s goals and values. I truly cannot think of anyone who is more deserving.”
• “Mike Marcellino has a significant presence at student events, which has strongly attributed to the sense of community amongst students and staff. Marcellino’s level of commitment to his position is hard to match, and he is a great asset to the Smith School and the University of Maryland.”
• “An excellent leader to staff; supportive while always challenging us to improve and not become complacent. His institutional knowledge is invaluable.”
• “Marcellino creates a sense of community and supports new initiatives to achieve an even stronger community. … Is well-respected and liked by all students.”
• “Because Marcellino has a great amount of work contributions at Smith, he has built great relationships with all the faculty, staff and students in school. I was fortunate to work with him this year… and he helped me through majority of programming and budgeting. Because of Marcellino’s personality and passion, I had such a good time working with him and appreciated his support.

Cynthia O’Brien, Senior Customer Account Executive, Office of Career Services

• “Cynthia O’Brien’s commitment to the Smith community is only eclipsed by her energy, positive attitude, sense of humor and infectious smile. … A champion not only for OCS and its relationships, but also for our faculty, staff and student populations. As a supervisor, she is the ultimate cheerleader for the team and is passionate about the team's success. She is perfect example of a voice that proudly (and loudly) Speaks Up for Smith!”
• “A stellar candidate given her dedication to the Smith brand, commitment to serving our partners, and consistent and pleasant demeanor through challenging times. After serving on her search committee five years ago, it’s an honor to see them grow into a team leader and respected staff person across the Smith School.”
• “Broadly speaking, O’Brien consistently puts the needs of our team above her personal needs/goals. This is one of the attributes of great team players and leaders.”
• “Really strives to listen and respond to with care to everyone she interacts with. Her commitment to our vision and mission is contagious and continues to serve as a role model for others on the team.”
• “I have recruited at Maryland for more than seven years and four directors. Through the various changes in the [OCS], O’Brien have been consistently able to build and maintain relationships with core clients.”

Kycia Spriggins, Program Manager, Office of Executive Programs

• “Upon receiving the email about the Staff Excellence Awards, I forwarded it out to our … students and within an hour, I had 22 responses and screams for Kycia Spriggins.”
• “The time, energy and attention Spriggins gives to this small population of students is equivalent if not more than that of [others] dealing with two or three times as many students.”
• “Spriggins very quickly had to step up to the plate, be the face of the program and become fully versed in all areas of the program. Now, it is hard to believe how far she has come. The program runs like clockwork, no doubt due to her excellent organizational skills and diligence in every detail of the program. I’d be lost without her!”
• “Spriggins has embodied the very essence of professionalism, attention to detail and customer service. She immediately responsive to the [students’] needs and warmly embraces all of our quirks and personalities.”
• “She has graciously taken our suggestions, critiques and demands with a smile and more importantly got the task completed. … An invaluable interface between [students] and the administration.”

Below are all of the nominees for this year’s awards:

Jessica Smith, Office of Marketing Communications