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ROC Star Shout-Outs

Pitt staff members at a holiday sweater party

ROC Star Shout-Outs Recipients

January 2025 ROC STARS

Amber Travis

Chemistry

Academic Operations Manager

Amber is the first to step in and step up.  Her leadership abilities are outstanding.  She excels at managing tasks with a wide variety of subject matter.  She’s pleasant, kind, hardworking, determined and very tactful.  Her efforts in managing all these tasks are so apricated.  She oversees several staff members offering answers and solutions as needed.   Her relaxed manner makes it very easy to reach out to her for assistance.  She has expert level communication skills, knowing who to go to for each situation.  She has built professional relationships with other departments that can assist in completing a task. She is dependable, seeing projects as assigned to fruition.  She provides exceptional support to our faculty and academic office.  She is a pleasure to work with.  She is absolutely a ROC-star!

Ashley Martin

Arts Unit

Administrative Officer

Ashley Martin has devoted so much of herself into bringing the Arts together as a unit. Her background in theatre makes her an excellent collaborator and communicator. She leads with inclusivity, empathy, and a drive to make things better in any way she can. She cares about her team not just as administrators, but as humans--and those of us lucky enough to work along side her are better off for it.

Cathleen Williams

Dietrich School Dean's Office, Staff Personnel

Staff Affairs Assistant Director

Cathleen is always a pleasure to work with--thorough, patient, collaborative, and persistent. Most recently she was incredibly helpful to our team when we needed to re-post an open position. She asked really good questions and provided wonderfully strategic suggestions. Thanks to her, our position was up and running within a few days and we already have a bunch of great candidates.

Cathleen is an unsung hero making sure that everything runs smoothly with HR recruitment and compensation for all of our staff. She is always available to help answer questions for our staff who are hiring and goes above and beyond to fix problems when they arise. I'm grateful she is on our team! 

Ed Giles

Undergraduate Studies Dean's Office

Director of Academic Advising

Recently Ed and I have been present during a number of difficult meetings. During several of these meetings Ed's received harsh criticism of his team. Ed responded professionally and positively. It was very impressive.

J.C. Bardzil

Theater Scenic Shop

Technical Director

J.C. has helped me update and evolve every theater space in the Theater department.

John Knox, III

Dietrich School Dean's Office, IT/Data Team

Senior Systems Administrator

John took time out of what I know is a very busy schedule to meet with me and provide detailed instructions on transferring all of my files to the Cloud. He was, as always, patient and kind, and he answered every question, even encouraging me to follow up if I thought of anything later. The meeting with John proved to be even more invaluable when, a few weeks after our meeting, my laptop died. If it hadn't been for John, all of the files I had on my desktop would have been lost. John's ability to make what felt like an intimidating process very straightforward and easy is a real gift, and I'm grateful for all of his help.

Krista Stokes

CGS Advising

Assistant Director of the Dietrich School Advising Center and CGS

Krista has been an incredible colleague to work with. She carries a wealth of institutional knowledge, and she supports others with patience, grace, and compassion. I have never felt shamed for not knowing something, she's just always there to help when I need it. I feel empowered to become a better advisor because I know she has my back. She works incredibly hard and deserves to be celebrated for the wonderful and selfless contributions she makes to the advising center every day.

Matthew Rager

Central Staff Support - Payroll Team

Payroll and Personnel Coordinator

Matt has a great working relationship with the departments he supports.  He is quick to reply to any inquiry he receives and is always professional in his responses.  His direct communication with the Department Chair in collaboration with the appointments and processing contracts is greatly appreciated.

Rachel Clites

First Year Programs

Program Coordinator

In this time of transition, Rachel has really been a great sounding board and the voice of reason as we work through new waters. The style and timeliness of her communication has been much appreciated!

Stacey Williard

Dean's Office

Staff Personnel Staff Hiring and Engagement Manager

If you have not had an opportunity to collaborate with Stacey, you are missing out! Stacey works tirelessly to make the Dietrich School and CGS the best place to work on campus from the hiring process to all of the engagement events she organizes. Each event Stacey coordinates has grown larger and I believe it's because our staff want to be a part of what Stacey does. We are fortunate to have such a positive and kind colleague to work with everyday.

December 2024 ROC STARS

Amanda Quain

Interdisciplinary Group / Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

Department Coordinator

Amanda embodies the spirit of collaboration and respect, among other traits, as she ensures smooth operation of a diverse, interdisciplinary group in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. Amanda helps faculty navigate the numerous policies and regulations, and handles daily challenges and unexpected surprises with calm and professionalism. Amanda is truly a ROC Star and we are fortunate to have her supporting this program!

 

Sue Crain

Student Records

Director

Sue is an amazing, caring, and hardworking leader! She is always eager to help students, faculty, and staff. She brings our department together and treats everyone with respect. Sue is the type of leader that I aspire to be - hardworking, knowledgeable, and empathic. I am proud to be part of her team and learn from such an inspiring role model. Thank you for all that you do for us Sue! :)

Stephen Lander

Dietrich School Deans Office

Payroll Coordinator

Stephen is always a pleasure to work with. He is polite, calm, and always helpful, even if it doesn't fall under his prevue. He is very knowledgeable in all areas of payroll policies and procedures and is very detail-oriented. He's the person that is going to catch the small things!

Lisa Machi

Student Records

Office of Student Records

Lisa is one of the few responsible for teaching me the ins and outs of Student Records when I first started and even after many years, still is a person that I can go to with questions if I'm not sure how to proceed. I know that if I'm ever out of office for an extended period of time, she always has my back and will cover my responsibilities in my absence.

Lisa is the go-to person for all PeopleSoft information held in the Records Office. There is not a day that goes by that our undergraduate departments, senior director, associate dean isn't asking Lisa for some information/data.  Lisa is always willing to help others and learn new things like curriculog when the department doesn't have anyone to help with that.  She is my wing-man for sure.

Lily Morar

Dean's School Dean's Office

DSAS Events Manager

I'm nominating my Dean's Office colleague, Lily Morar, because she volunteered to assist me with 2 engagement events that were not part of her duties as Events Manager. Lily seamlessly took room reservations and facilities requests off my plate...honestly my least favorite parts of planning engagement activities. And when there was a problem with the table setup at one of the events, Lily identified it and it was rectified before the event began. Lifesaver! The events would not have been successful without Lily's vision and execution. I'm so thankful for her collegiality and willingness to share her expertise. Lily is a perfect example of the types of people that make the Dietrich School a special place to work. Lily's work exemplifies our leadership value of collaboration and communication--she is incredibly helpful to our entire team in making our event dreams come to life. She also always keeps an eye toward inclusion, which I appreciate greatly. Lily is definitely a ROC Star!

Laura McClain

DSAS Advising Center

Administrative Assistant

Laura is my Roc Star! Her ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with students and colleagues oftentimes saves the day, and I greatly appreciate the efforts that she makes to help our advising efforts run smoothly. She's awesome!

Jim Dutcher

College in High School

Associate Director

Jim embodies all of the Leadership Values. As our first-ever Associate Director, Jim coordinates the extensive day-to-day functions of the CHS office, overseeing three new roles (two filled by new employees to the University). He models collaborative supervision, clear goal-setting, a deeply engaged innovative spirit, and thorough respect for colleagues.

Hadley Armstrong

Theatre Arts

Theatrical Production Director

Hadley is within her first full year in the production director role with theatre arts, although from her professional communication and immeasurable patience you would believe she has a long history with this department. She balances the needs of multiple competing entities - from demanding rental company contacts to working with the KCACTF collaborators, her approach is always to hear the needs of the people and to address the issues with input of all affected people. She works to ensure that areas meet when possible to work out and resolve challenges as those arise, putting priority on communication and needs of the students, department, and missions.

Damian Hall

Advising Center

Academic Advisor

Damian is a champion for student persistence, balancing reality checks with encouragement. As one student recently shared: "Throughout all my years of academics I have never felt so comfortable talking to a faculty member, as I did with Damian. He’s super down to earth and gets me excited to learn and continue my future here at Pitt."

Amanda Raczkowski

Arts Departments - Fiscal Team

Business Coordinator

Amanda transitioned to a business coordinator within the last year at Pitt and has been working primarily remotely since that time. Her efforts in collaboration with the Arts Team across multiple departments to ensure efficiency of processes, updates to old (or outdated) workflows, and communication across departments have created a strong environment for all business operations. Amanda also worked with the AOM to receive deliveries and ensure distribution for the start of class once it was clear a better strategy needed to be in place. Overall, her efforts with making this collaborative space work better for all have been a large relief to the arts areas.

 

November 2024 ROC STARS

Amanda Gilman

Dietrich School, Office of the Dean

Associate Director of Communications

Amanda consistently exhibits a generous willingness to jump in with both feet on every project, assignment, and initiative. I can always count on her enthusiasm and commitment, even when I come to her with absolutely wacky stuff. Which happens a lot. I'm so grateful for her partnership--she's one of my favorite collaborators. And she is truly a ROC Star.

 

Z Taylor

Social Science Division

Administrative Academic Coordinator

Z has worked hard over the last year to really learn the culture of two very different departments in which she supports. It has been a bumpy road, but she has never given up. This month has felt like a real success of all of her hard efforts over the year. Z also goes above and beyond to help both faculty and staff.

Stacey Williard

Staff Personnel

Staff Hiring and Engagement Manager

I am nominating Stacey this month as Roc Star for her tireless work on creating a welcoming and fun environment for staff to connect outside of meetings and everyday interactions. Her inclusion and collaboration skills and efforts know no bounds! On top of everything else she does, she spent a lot of time putting together the Friendsgiving staff get together, which was a great success! We had even more participation from a diverse pool of staff from across the school than last year, and the event continues to evolve. We may need to find a bigger space next year because of this year's turnout! I have the utmost respect for Stacey's commitment to her colleagues and this school, and everything she is willing to do for folks to have affinity for who they work with and where they work.

Stacey played an integral role in helping me hire outstanding staff members for my office, she knows everyone and everything related to Pitt, I can always count on her when I need something, and she makes things happen. Cheers, Stacey!

Rachel Stalker

Dietrich School, Office of the Dean

Manager of Recruitment Programming

I can't think of a better person than Rachel to serve as the supervisor of our Student Ambassadors. While she absolutely provides our students with the training, knowledge, and guidance to successfully represent the Dietrich School, she also--and even more importantly--is the kind of adult role model every young person should have in their lives. She always acts with integrity, professionalism, and compassion. She genuinely cares about these students and their lives--attending their events, serving as a sounding board, staying on top of their plans and goals after graduation and beyond. She is invested in a real, difference-making, and impacting way and we are lucky to have her.

Michele Gavin

Geology and Environmental Science

Department Coordinator

Michele is on top of everything that is asked of her and is always willing to help and take on additional duties wherever needed. With each task that she completes for the first time her thoughts are what can we do to make this better for the department and everyone involved. She is the best staff hire I have made to date!

Meg Caruso

Social Sciences

Sr. Academic Administration Coordinator

Meg is always looking to be helpful and supportive, and I have so many examples of this. The most recent example was this past Friday. A student came into the her department where I sit looking for support. She had held her meeting with her advisor, but the hold was mistakenly not lifted. She needed to register for a course as spots were filling up fast. As we were unable to get ahold of the faculty advisor, I reached out to Meg for guidance. She was able to guide me through questions with the student, understanding that they had met with their advisor and needed the hold lifted. The student sent her an email while sitting in my office confirming the advising appointment, and Meg was able to lift the hold so the student could register. We also then touched base with the advisor who confirmed/apologized and all was set. I was so thankful that Meg was able to support us through this with something I was not familiar with. She is an absolute asset to our division and we are so thankful to have her.

Maria Schockling

Student Records

Administrative Assistant

Maria is the transfer extraordinaire. Every undergraduate school at the University of Pittsburgh reaches out to Maria for help with transfer equivalencies. She also manages the transfer toolkit.

Malcolm Carrington

Communication/Recruitment

Undergraduate Recruitment Specialist

I'm nominating my colleague Malcolm Carrington as a Roc Star in November for his collaboration and communication. Malcolm has a unique position being split between OAFA and Dietrich, and this fall, he has increasingly had to answer a lot more questions and get a lot more information to us than ever before. I'm grateful for how quickly and happily he helps to get us essential information, anticipating needs and communicating information that we need before we ask for it. I'm also grateful to collaborate with him in event and program planning and execution on a daily basis. He not only embodies the spirit of collaboration, but puts in the work and shows kindness and collegiality in the process.

Lori Bollinger

Arts Departments

Academic Operations Manager

Lori Bollinger just got out of her provisional period, but it feels like she has been here so much longer. Lori has helped to make a huge transition in the Arts possible through her collaboration with colleagues across the board. She is a clear communicator who knows when it is time to ask questions or listen to colleagues before finding solutions. We managed the onboarding for so many new roles together, while also learning much about each of the roles with whom we're working. She took every mis-step we took with a learning curve that helped me to know we are in good company. Being able to work with someone who respects each person's contributions to help find their growth goals is incredible.

Lori is an incredible staff member who is a phenomenal communicator and a person of integrity. She always keeps the other arts admins informed of new changes and is always ready to reach out and find answers to whatever questions you have. Additionally, during her first 6 months she had effectively learned and performed two different jobs (a difficult task for even a seasoned employee) and did them well. She cares about the work she does and it shows.

Lisa Shartle

Office of the Dean/Payroll Team

Assistant Director, Payroll and Personnel

Lisa has been a fantastic partner as we've tried to untangle the many payroll-related complications tied to implementing the faculty CBA and navigating the status quo period after staff unionization.

Lenore Hiller

Advising Center

Academic Advisor

Lenore creates community among staff by generously mentoring new advisors through complex practices with patience and calm. And this year she created community among some of her students and made them feel welcome to our office by a hosting a six-week book discussion group on Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism."

Lena Zellers

Student Records - CGS

Academic Admin - Nontraditional specialist

Lena is student focused, team oriented, and phenomenal leader at CGS. I look to her for guidance and support on a daily basis! As a mentor, Lena always makes time to show me the way and explain CGS policies and procedures. Watching Lena support students and staff at CGS, you can see her pride and enthusiasm for nontraditional student work - something she excels at! Lena strives to make our team and office a happy place daily - I am proud to not only have Lena as my counterpart at Pitt, but also as my friend :)

Laura McClain

Academic Advising Center

Administrative Assistant

Given the close proximity of Academic Advising to Student Records (ie. cohabiting the same space), our office has a lot of interaction with Advising. Laura is always a welcoming and friendly face. She's always extremely helpful in triaging students that end up at Advising Center front desk with a member of Student Records for matters that should go to us. PS. She's an amazing baker and shares amazing treats with us

Katie Schiefer

Payroll- Dean's Office

Payroll/Personnel Coordinator

Katie has been incredibly kind over the last few weeks in trying to figure out how to get staff paid through supplements during the status quo period. She has submitted and resubmitted items multiple times! I am appreciative of her patience through the process.

Katie Frawley

Student Records

Academic Administrator

Katie is always willing to go the extra mile to help out her coworkers. If someone is out, she'll ask if you need help, and she is always super nice to everyone.

Katie always helps out with extra duties, and pitches in during our busiest times of the year! She is a co-worker I know I can always rely on. Katie is one of my favorite people to work with, and I always enjoy our days together in the office. Katie is also taking undergrad classes to prep for grad school while working full time!

Katie worked with two other records staff to create a new summer Qualtrics form and to better refine how we work on summer approvals. She is linking the TES toolkit to help students find Pitt course equivalents at other institutions and to cut down on all the duplicate work done in the Records Office. Also is working on a new web page for summer approvals.

Juanita DelVecchio

Social Sciences

Senior Faculty Actions Coordinator

Juanita started in her role in July 1, 2024 and has hit the ground running. Coming from outside of higher ed, she had a lot to learn and become an expert on to perform her role as Senior Faculty Actions Coordinator. She has been proactive in finding information and assisting staff to who come to her with questions. She has stepped up and leads the monthly open hours for staff with questions. She also has been flexible and accommodating with all the changes in processes this year with the adoption of the faculty CBA. All while also handling the day-to-day activities of a department. Just want to give her the shout out she deserves and to keep up the amazing work!

CGS

Academic Advisor

Heidi is really solid at being on top of updates and changes to various programs around the university. Any time I'm wondering if something is correct, she has incredible organization and quick answers for me. She is always so reliable and helpful!!

Heidi Thomas

Heather Bastian

student records-undergraduate deans office

academic administrator

Heather keeps all the CGS graduation in order. She is diligent in checking and double checking to be sure the office did not miss something on a student graduation record. She also works on our web pages and updates the Qualtrics forms that we use for many operations in the Records Office.

Evan Zajdel

History of Art and Architecture

Department Administrator

Evan routinely goes above and beyond to support not only the faculty and grad students in his department but also his fellow Arts Unit staff members. He is always ready and willing to lend a hand and constantly made time to teach me new processes or to help me brainstorm through a challenging project. I can't think of a person that better exemplifies collaboration!

Dann Varley

Dietrich School, Office of the Dean

Web Communications Manager

Dann epitomizes what it means to provide outstanding client service. His endless patience, even in the midst of juggling unreasonable requests; his responsiveness, even when he's managing multiple deadline-drive projects; and his kindness, even though his clients are sometimes difficult--all of these things and so many more make him an absolute delight to work with.

Dann is committed to innovative web communications and offers unparalleled customer service to everyone he interacts with. He always goes above and beyond to make sure his work is completed quickly and thoroughly.

Daniel Fleegle

Arts Departments

Marketing and Outreach Manager

Daniel is an incredible communicator and a diligent worker. His work can be seen across the arts in better marketing, more focused messaging, and new more modern communication methods. His personal collaborative approach to marketing and outreach deserves to be recognized. Daniel has taken on his Marketing and Outreach Manager position with such a passion and investment in the arts. He has balanced supporting the work of five departments and programs, while we are searching for a new team member in theatre. Just this week, Daniel executed a guest alumni visit from Alaska 3000, which was initiated by a staff member who left in October. It was a very successful event and allowed current students and alum to experience the expertise and artistry of a successful Pitt alum who has appeared on Ru Paul's Drag Race and opened their co-written musical Off-Broadway last month. Daniel made the alumni feel welcomed, appreciated, and engaged. I am so thankful that Daniel is here to support all of the arts' marketing and outreach efforts.

Cody Fetters

Office of the Dean/Payroll Team

Assistant Director, Payroll & Personnel

Cody has been a fantastic partner as we've tried to untangle the many payroll-related complications tied to implementing the faculty CBA and navigating the status quo period after staff unionization.

Cody has been incredibly patient and understanding as we figure out processes involved in staff unionization to get our employees paid timely. He always makes time to jump on a call to talk through challenging issues we face.

Christina Gapen

Deans Office

Admin Assistant

Christina is such a bright light in our office - She is always cheerful and happy to help every student! Christina is always willing to learn new things to be an asset to the DSAS undergrad community. I truly appreciate our working relationship & friendship; we are so lucky to have her on our team!

Christina Gapen

Student Records, Undergraduate Deans Office

Administrative Assistant

Christina answers the phone all day in the Records Office and no matter how difficult the person on the other end of the phone is, she maintains a professional demeanor. She will find a way to always help a person in need. She keeps all the Assistant Dean appointment Calander in order and helps them with the processes they need to do to help a student.

Cassandra Kennedy-Carter

Undergraduate Studies and CGS

Office Administrator

Sandy keeps a handle on everything that is happening in the 1400 Posvar suite! She is the first person current & prospective students see when they arrive. She is welcoming, encouraging, and a wonderful ambassador for the Dietrich School & CGS.

Carly Petree

Dietrich School, Office of the Dean

Communications Manager

Carly is crucial to the overall success of our team. She contributes in so many meaningful ways, including--thoughtful mentoring of her peers, especially young professionals and those who are new to the school; creative and strategic input on high profile projects; and discrete and responsive help with confidential situations and incidents that have the potential to spill over into social media. She's an engaged and generous team member, an exemplary communicator, an accomplished professional, and just so much fun to work with!

Brin Sharrar

Dietrich School, Office of the Dean

Administrative Coordinator

Brin is, without fail, one of the most cheerful, engaging, and good humored people I have the pleasure of working with. She is always willing to pitch in and help, no matter the ask. Very recently, she was kind enough to create a comprehensive tutorial for me on how to set up a specialized Qualtrics survey that would allow for the use of attachments. It was completely above and beyond her responsibilities and also incredibly helpful to me for the project I was working on. Brin makes the Dean's Office a more fun, more friendly, and more welcoming place to be.

Angie Judson

Dean's Office, Communications

Media Relations Coordinator

Angie is an integral part of our communications team, and I'm so grateful to work with her. She is always willing to go the extra mile (at a moment's notice, no less) to gather and promote the good things going on around the Dietrich School, even if it means physically "knocking on doors." She's the best!

Thank you Angie for your consistency, hard work, and creativity in spreading the word about the great work happening at the Dietrich School and ensuring that our news gets communicated!

Amber Travis

Chemistry

Academic Operations Manager

Amber has been in her current position for about a year, but in the Chemistry department for about 6 years. She is known among the faculty as someone who gets stuff done. She is welcoming and accommodating of the many requests that come through her desk on a daily basis. Keeping a cool head, she knows who to go to with a question and is able to keep her department and faculty on track. Her promotion was well deserved, and she has been integral in the continued performance of the department.

 

October 2024 ROC STARS
  • Sara Abbott, Faculty Affairs 
  • Kristy Bodnar, IT/Data Team 
  • Pamela Bryant, Advising Center 
  • Angie Byrne, Office of Student Records 
  • Malcolm Carrington, Recruitment 
  • Jesse Daugherty, Graduate Studies 
  • Shannon DeMateo, CGS Advising Center 
  • Brian Deutsch, Interdisciplinary Group 
  • Hannah Fluharty, Communications 
  • Maryellen Gannon, Executive Support Team 
  • Cindy Graf, Department of Economics 
  • Missy Graf, Office of Student Records 
  • Andrew Hornyak, IT/Data Team 
  • Angela King, College of General Studies 
  • Micky Krenek, Department of Theatre Arts 
  • Val Kutchko, Advising Center 
  • Rebecca Labovitz, Interdisciplinary Group 
  • Wynn Maloney, Social Sciences  
  • Samantha McClelland, Social Sciences  
  • Erin Mehta, Office of Student Records 
  • Bryce Nayden, Recruitment 
  • Katie Palmieri, Social Sciences 
  • Carly Petree, Communications 
  • Taylor Pipkin, Social Sciences 
  • Hannah Powell, University Art Gallery 
  • Margaret Puskar-Pasewicz, Advising Center 
  • Maria Schockling, Office of Student Records 
  • Rachel Stalker, Recruitment 
  • Diana Volkar, Departments of Philosophy and History & Philosophy of Science 
  • Jaime Wesoloski, Faculty Affairs-Office of the Dean 
  • Stephanie Whatule, Advising Center