Savana Alexander has really stood out in the last few months in doing her job and
taking on additional responsibility. Savana is a learning specialist that works with
our student-athletes, and she has a very full caseload of students she works with.
In addition to her regular students, Savana has taken on students who needed her help
and also stepped in to be our tutor coordinator the past few months. She spends hours
and hours each day on zoom patiently working with students who need help with organization,
time management, and study skills. Every athletic team was competing this spring,
so balancing schedules, assignments, and expectations have been tough. Earlier in
the semester Savana took on the responsibility of scheduling for the tutoring sessions
and ensured things were running smoothly with tutoring. She is always looking for
ways to improve our processes and is also the resident Excel and PDF expert in our
office helping with everything from spreadsheets to flyers! Savana has been very valuable
and works behind the scenes to help our student-athletes succeed and deserves to be
recognized for her hard work!
Dalida Brown has great enthusiasm and dedication to the field of public health and
this is evident in her work in Health Promotion and Wellness. She does a great job
planning, implementing, and evaluating health education programs. She is a great team
player and is well regarded by colleagues and students. She treats others with respect,
is courteous, acknowledges the contributions of others, and seen by peers and her
supervisor as someone they can rely on. She takes initiative on projects and addresses
any concerns in a timely and professional manner. She contributes to a positive work
environment and maintains a positive attitude even during challenging times. Dalida
is a strong supporter of student well-being and this is visible in the student programs
she currently manages including the Peer Health Outreach and Wellness Leaders (OWLs)
and the Wellness Peer Mentors. Dalida achieves the goals she sets for herself and
the department. Her professionalism and integrity make her a great colleague as well
as a great advocate and educator for student health and wellness.
Cindy Butson has demonstrated her commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and student success. Her permanent position is with the Student Affairs Marietta team, where, in addition to ensuring that we have all the tools needed to support our students and their engagement activities, she has overseen the student assistants at our front desk. She has done everything for the student affairs team at Marietta and has always demonstrated a high level of professionalism with everyone she encounters. She is very quick to complete her work and we are always looking at ways she can support beyond those areas in her role. Last year Cindy was recommended to support our Vice President for Student Affairs and the senior leadership team by moving to Kennesaw Hall. In this transition to support a larger group in a different location she has had to learn the style of three new senior leaders and she has done that very well. She has been a great asset to all of us and while we miss not having her here at Marietta, we know she is learning a lot. Cindy is a true team player, she keeps calm in times of stress, and asks questions to ensure she is doing what we need. She is a strong supporter of KSU and a very dedicated to supporting our staff in order to ensure our students are successful.
Lindsay is an excellent example of exactly what one would hope for in a colleague.
She is continuously willing to be of service, whether that is to KSU students, our
staff here at CYAAR, collaborating departments, or community constituents to the university.
During the past year she has navigated ways to serve students through the pandemic
in innovative and exciting ways. She stepped in and took a lead with promoting the
1000 programs DSA accomplished in the fall while being one of the DSA professionals
putting the programs on; only to turn around and do the same thing in the spring!
She serves on numerous committees around campus, including leading the ATOD Coalition
and serving on staff senate. She is such an integral part of our team here at CYAAR
and even more so for our division and university.
Norman Reid shows his commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and our students
in a host of ways. His professional demeanor when working in a team environment is
notable as he confidently seeks collaborative solutions to enhance the student experience.
His advocacy for the Esports program and the students he represents rises above his
job responsibilities, and he continues to patiently educate KSU staff, faculty, and
administrators on best practices in this field. Norman is always professional and
supportive when interacting with colleagues. He is also able to hold his own, demonstrating
a unique blend of humility and confidence as he advocates for more resources and state
of the art technology for the Esports program. If you have not met Norman, you may
want to take the opportunity to introduce yourself and learn more about his expertise
and passion.
Jennifer has been a full-time employee at KSU since 2011 and she is a proud graduate
of our institution. Her love for KSU is evident in how she brings her son and family
to KSU football games and other student activities like our Marietta Pumpkin Launch.
However, her work is what brings her to be recognized as a divisional employee. Jennifer
takes much pride in the work she was doing as manager of the Wilson Student Center
at Marietta and always looking for ways to enhance the facility so that students,
faculty, and staff find their sense of belonging on our campus. In her role as manager
of student centers she has been able to develop student assistant positions that provide
a career progression with clearly identified leadership development and professional
development skills that are transferrable to any career, and thus contributing to
students' career readiness. She holds her staff accountable and has high expectations,
particularly as it relates to offer the best customer service experience to all who
visit the student centers. Jennifer is a dedicated professional, committed to student
success, and someone who understands that our student centers are the living room
of campus and everyone should feel at home and safe in those places. She is open to
new ideas, is innovative in her approach, and is always looking for the next challenge
or how best to support our divisional efforts. She is a young mid-manager in our division
who is eager and hungry to learn new things and is always looking for ways to develop
as a manager, supervisor, and leader in higher education.