Every day, University of Iowa employees work hard to make students’ time on campus a success and create a positive work environment for their coworkers. 

To recognize these efforts, we asked employees to share their gratitude for others who have made a difference in the workplace. 

We’re so happy you're part of the Hawkeye family!

• Thank you to more than 50 staff members from across campus who graciously volunteered their time to support a pop-up proctored exam space on campus at the end of the spring 2024 semester in May. While we can’t mention everyone by name, you can read more about this endeavor here. — Tanya Uden-Holman, dean of the Graduate College
   
• I met Tiffany Adrain, Earth and Environmental Sciences special collections manager and adjunct instructor, when I began volunteering at the UI Paleontology Repository. Her mentorship and employment have made it possible for me to reach my dream of attending graduate school at the University of Sydney for the Master of Museum and Heritage Studies program. Tiffany has given us the tools and opportunities so we can all succeed. Further, her positive outlook on life has inspired me and taught me valuable life lessons I will carry into my master’s program and always remember. — Chelsea Bouslog, temporary professional employee
   
• Marcie Becker, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, goes above and beyond to serve our students and clinical sites as the director of clinical education for the No. 2 ranked Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science program. She uses her gifts of impeccable organization, rich clinical experience, and leading with heart as core guiding principles to enrich our clinical education program. I am thankful for her commitment to strive for excellence and meaningful opportunities for our students as they pursue their dreams of becoming outstanding physical therapists. Marcie always goes above and beyond to make a difference in our department and in the physical therapy community. — Amy Kimball, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science
   
• I am grateful to Crystal Bounds, head chef at Burge Market Place, for all the hard work she puts into our menu, special events, and furthering the connection between the food we serve and the message behind it. She has created some incredibly cool special meals and Culinary Impacts, which revolve around a common theme and the chefs that pioneered or furthered a way or style of cooking. She is also responsible for starting the World Food Expo, which gives dining staff the opportunity to cook dishes from their backgrounds and present in an event over winter and summer breaks. She has spent an enormous amount of time and effort working to further staff and student connections to food and what it can represent. — Evan Mural, UI Dining assistant manager
   
• Sara Eisenberg, enrollment management administrative services specialist, is a fantastic example of an employee who goes above and beyond every single day at the University of Iowa. While her work is rarely publicly recognized, she is the backbone of Enrollment Management. On top of her regular duties — such as scheduling meetings, organizing schedules, and taking minutes — she also completes a lot of thankless tasks, such as taking inventory of our recruitment materials and ensuring that staff in our offices have everything they need to be successful. She works very hard to connect staff across every department and is willing to help with anything anyone needs, no matter what it is. There are many, many staff members and students impacted by her work, even if they aren't aware of it. — Brigid Martin, undergraduate evaluator in Enrollment Management
   
• Tammy Fraser, director of student success in the College of Pharmacy, has transformed the traditional “career day” to a semester-long ongoing support system, guiding students through their next life transitions and offering weekly visits with recruiters. Tammy also went above and beyond to facilitate the college’s engagement course to ensure incoming students had a meaningful orientation week. Outside of the university, Tammy volunteers at the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center and at the Coralville Library, where she runs an English language conversation table with English language learners every other week. — Liz Davis, College of Pharmacy director of admissions
   
• Megan Gogerty, director of undergraduate studies and associate professor of instruction in Theatre Arts, is a brilliant teacher, writer, and performer, and always goes the distance to support her students and colleagues. Beyond that, she has an administrative fellowship to work on implementing new guidelines for nontenure track faculty and has worked incredibly hard and well to make our contracts clearer and more equitable. She has devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to understanding and illuminating the role nontenure track faculty play within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I am so grateful that CLAS has given her this charge and that she has rolled up her sleeves and dug in. — Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers, assistant professor of instruction in Theatre Arts
   
• Abby Goldberg, program specialist, Mary Miller, lead mentor, and Barb Mueller, admissions coordinator, go above and beyond to ensure the success of UI REACH and its students. They are passionate about the program and the students it supports, and are key to ensuring that students and families feel supported and are successful during their time at Iowa. — UI REACH Director Bill Loyd
   
• Dave Gould, faculty and Honors Program associate, has unwavering support for our students and infectious laughter that brightens our office. It has been an honor to have a front row seat to the effort he has put in to creating a new version of his course, Life Design, this year. He has an innate ability to form meaningful connections and continues to support and encourage students well beyond their time at Iowa. Dave also has a remarkable talent for making everyone feel seen and appreciated. His ability to bring joy and positivity into our workplace is invaluable, and his intentional connections with each of us create a warm and inclusive environment. — Madison Schulte, Honors Program student engagement coordinator
   
• Lisa Jensen, animal caretaker, has done exceptional work for us at the Medical Education Research Facility. She survived a tragic car accident and broke her spine in three places, and she was able to overcome her injuries. She has such a positive attitude and is an absolute joy to work with. She impresses and inspires me every single day. She cares very deeply about the work we do. — Samantha Kurriger, animal caretaker
   
• Kelly Hartz, nurse manager at UI Health Care, is doing excellent work. She cares about staff and patients. She listens and is supportive. She did both roles of manager and assistant for a considerable amount of time until the new assistant was found. She has worked her way up and has served many roles. She an excellent example and leader. —Michelle Ray-Michalec, nursing unit clerk
   
• Undergraduate evaluator Brigid Martin is a wonderful asset to our team, our office, the department, and the university. She evaluates applications for new transfer students, current UI students wanting to change colleges, and students who left and wish to return to the university. She also is the co-chair for our Enrollment Management Equity Advocates Committee (EMEAC), where she hosts meetings and plans professional development opportunities for the Enrollment Management department. The bi-monthly meetings she leads are always well attended, and she does an excellent job of bringing thought-provoking conversations to the group. — Jake Scharff, senior assistant director of undergraduate evaluation in Enrollment Management
   
• I'm so grateful for all the hard work Holly Nicely, staff psychologist at University Counseling Service, has done to help our students struggling with food insecurity. She has collaborated with the UI Food Pantry to implement a mini food pantry inside University Counseling Service. As we assess students' access to basic needs, it is wonderful to be able to not only tell them about the Food Pantry in the IMU but walk them right to a mini food pantry after our appointment. It's one thing to be told about a resource and having to follow through on your own. But to have someone walk you straight to it can be so helpful and supportive, and it makes utilizing a resource much less scary. I have had many students use the food pantry at UCS and express such gratitude for it, and it's all thanks to Dr. Nicely. — Rachel Harry, clinical case manager at University Counseling Service
   
• Elizabeth Riordan, University Libraries lead outreach and instruction librarian, teaches and organizes a fantastic array of classes for not only the university, but also for outside organizations that reach out with a request. She uses the Special Collections materials to grab the interest of the people in her classes and demonstrates the value of the collections to instructors, students, and members of our community. She has taught more than 300 classes to everyone from retirees, middle school students, and current UI students. She does this all with enthusiasm and with the goal of sharing the resources of the library collections. — Paula Balkenende, University Libraries senior library associate
   
• Cindy Rohret has been the departmental administrator for the Department of Epidemiology for 18 years. Her service has included the breadth of administration, from formulating, implementing, and managing strategic initiatives with the DEO to organizing administrative support for the departmental research mission. She oversees and directs the implementation of administrative, fiscal, and educational activities, including several very large projects, and coordinates all grant submissions, which average 10 per month. She also manages departmental fiscal responsibilities, including the annual operating budget; oversees negotiation of contracts and agreements with external sources; and manages the department’s human resources and space and facility enterprise in five different locations. She does all of this while maintaining a professional and warm relationship with each faculty member. She is the glue that keeps the department moving forward. — Betsy Chrischilles, Department of Epidemiology head and professor 
   
• Tiffany Schier, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty affairs director, consistently exceeds expectations through her efforts to enhance processes and policies that support our faculty and staff. Her leadership in updating the college website, templates, and review forms significantly enhances resources for departmental executive officers and administrators. This semester alone, Tiffany has devoted considerable effort to refining promotion and tenure policies, teaching observation and evaluation practices, post-tenure reviews, and hiring decision-making processes. In every aspect of her work, Tiffany exemplifies dedication, professionalism, and a commitment to excellence, making her a truly invaluable member of our team. — Roland Racevskis, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean for arts and humanities 
   
• Brinda Shetty, sustainability program manager in the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, successfully led the university's efforts to achieve a STARS Gold rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. This significant accomplishment required a year of in-depth research, coordination, and data collection involving numerous campus partners. Brinda managed the expansive reporting process while overseeing two interns who contributed to the project, all while maintaining her regular responsibilities. Her exceptional leadership and dedication were instrumental in the university attaining this prestigious recognition. — Beth MacKenzie, sustainability program manager in the Office of Sustainability and the Environment
   
• Brittney Thomas, engagement program director of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) office, has played a critical role in building national recognition for the university through her leadership in supporting the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, which prioritizes the inclusion of populations underrepresented in biomedical research to advance health for all. Under Brittney’s leadership, the NAPC team has awarded more than $6 million to support equitable access to reliable health information and engage diverse communities across the U.S. Brittney’s ability to foster collaboration and build relationships with libraries, health care organizations, and other stakeholders has been essential to the program’s success. As a manager, Brittney has developed a supportive and inclusive work environment. She recognizes each team member’s unique strengths and provides opportunities that allow them to thrive. In April 2024, we received notice that the NAPC office would sunset due to a reduction in congressional funding. Despite this, Brittney’s leadership has ensured that our office has achieved incredible results.  — Linda Loi, NNLM All of Us program manager
   
• Lana Tucker, Tippie College of Business executive director of marketing and communications, is managing a lot — of projects and people. She oversees Tippie's web team, marketing team, communications team, and events coordinator. She is responsible for marketing Tippie's programs with a special emphasis on the graduate programs, which bring in considerable revenue for the college. She is our brand manager, and she and her team work hard to assist institutes, centers, and academic departments in the college with their marketing and communication efforts. She strives for excellence and gives the college so much of her time, attention, and energy to help grow enrollment. — Barb Thomas, executive director, outreach events
   
• Sarah Tucker, Team lead for the Epic Help Desk at UI Health Care, is an amazing mentor, leader, and educator. I think it is just a natural part of her DNA to be helpful and ensure you have a good understanding of the process. She makes you want to be the best version of yourself professionally and promotes learning and growth in your role. She leads by example, takes the hardest and oddest scenarios, digs into the details, and then shares what she learned with our team. She is not afraid to admit if she doesn't know or have an answer, and we can count on her to find the information needed to move forward with our users. — Carrie Koch, Epic support specialist at UI Health Care
   
• Cate Unruh, Department of Surgery academic clinical program management specialist, is an extraordinary colleague whose unwavering dedication and support make her an invaluable asset to our team. She is always available to lend a helping hand, consistently going above and beyond to assist not only those within her program but also colleagues across different departments. Cate's commitment to her role is truly outstanding, as she works to ensure everyone around her feels supported and empowered. Her remarkable ability to balance her responsibilities while providing exceptional support to others is a testament to her dedication. — Briana Horwath, academic clinical program management associate