Nominee's Name: Alice Wong
Nominee's Unit: Purchasing
Criteria: Problem Solver

Customer Service Example:

Alice Wong is an excellent employee. It is much easier to navigate the ever changing landscape of guidelines here at CAL with Alice's help. Time and time again Alice has gone above and beyond to help us at the zero hour with last minute emergency requests. She has also helped us figure out better options for vendors and supplies that save us money in the end. I really appreciate her friendly and can-do attitude and her ever willingness to help us. We really couldn't do what we do without her.

Nominee's Name: Alice Wong
Nominee's Unit: Purchasing
Criteria: Above & Beyond

Customer Service Example:

Alice was such a great help and went above and beyond with a quick turnaround request the day of the deadline for the CRA exam registration for an RA. She quickly stepped in, set up a zoom call with the RA, and handled the registration the day of the registration deadline. So grateful to her and Cynthia for making this happen so quickly while I was out of the office and for ERSO covering the initial exam costs. Thank you!

Nominee's Name: Daniel Morgan
Nominee's Unit: Payroll
Criteria: Problem Solver

Customer Service Example:

Problem Solver AND Team Player! Daniel was super helpful with a time card issue for a postdoc in NE. The postdoc reached out, unsure of whom to contact, regarding a miscalculation of PTO for his renewal appt. I forwarded the request to ERSO Payroll and by the next day, Daniel had already worked to troubleshoot and submitted a UCPath ticket. The very next day Daniel informed the postdoc of the resolution and when the postdoc would see the update. Daniel went a step further and informed me as to how this error happened AND that he'd communicate to ERSO HR to ensure this doesn't cause issues for others in the future. Thanks so much for the prompt help, Daniel, and for reminding our other functional units so that we can all work better together. Much appreciated!

Nominee's Name: Heather Murthy
Nominee's Unit: Research
Criteria: Team Player

Customer Service Example:

I’ve begun working with Heather more since Earth and Planetary Science was added to my portfolio. I’m frequently impressed by Heather’s tenacity. She takes charge of the requests that are assigned to her and coordinates with her PIs to ensure that proposal and award actions move forward in a timely manner. Heather is willing to ask questions when she needs more information and keeps an open line of communication between SPO and the PIs. She’s a great partner in research administration!

Nominee's Name: Wendy Kung
Nominee's Unit: Reimbursement Services
Criteria: Anticipates Customer Needs

Customer Service Example:

I enthusiastically nominate Wendy for her outstanding customer service. She consistently provides detailed, clear, and anticipates customer's needs which is evident by her meticulous and thoughtful manner in which she addresses questions from our email alias. Wendy consistently goes above and beyond, providing detailed responses that not only answer inquiries but also demonstrate a deep understanding of our customers' needs. Wendy's exemplary communication skills contribute significantly to our positive customer experience. Her attention to detail and thoughtful approach set a high standard for our customer service team. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, I wholeheartedly endorse Wendy for her commitment to excellence in customer service.

Names of People on the Team: Taylor Madison, Makayla Leahy, Brooke Estrada, Tannaz Ghavidel, Jolo Cabrera, Jennifer Kim, Kimberly Catalan
Team Unit: Human Resources
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We include and excel together

Student assistants are critical for the work that we do, and we are so fortunate to have the amazing Student Hiring team in ERSO! Recently, we submitted three new hires for our SCET marketing team, and I was really impressed at how quickly they were hired and onboarded. This was really key too because these students are already working on very urgent initiatives. Thanks to Taylor and Makayla for processing these recent appointments, but also thank you to the whole ERSO hiring team! Your support here is very crucial to my team's work, and things would be incredibly different (and less productive) without you all. We appreciate you! Thanks for your hard work.

Names of People on the Team: Chelsea Miller, Amy Frithsen, Taylor Kaserman
Team Unit: Research
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We focus on services

Chelsea, Amy and Taylor have staffed the Tiger Team since its inception to date, and they have helped RAs with questions regarding proposal details, and solicitation guidance. Each has responded quickly to the needs of the RA, and are most deserving of this High Five Team Salute for Focusing on Service!

Names of People on the Team: Ken Major, Stacy Ruvalcaba, Ruben Speers, Erik Hoopes
Team Unit: Shipping & Receiving
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We imagine and innovate

I would like to recognize the S&R Team for their efforts to transform the 266 Sutradja Dai Hall space. When I recently visited the S&R receiving area, the space was truly amazing! The space was organized, decluttered, and looked inviting and professional. This may sound easy, but it was an effort by the Team to declutter, organize, and remove at least 3 pallets of junk from the space. Now the space is inviting and more professional. Great work by this Team to prioritize and execute this transformation.

Names of People on the Team: Amy Frithsen, Angela Brito Baldwin, Anne Krysiak, Brian Bratton, Cathy Nguyen, Karen Headrick, and Weixing Ou (Sarah's team!)
Team Unit: Research
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We include and excel together

Weixing was set to be out for the full month of February, and the entire team rallied to cover her desk. Normally, we operate on a 1:1 desk coverage on our team, but given the length of the outage for Weixing, we had the whole portfolio split between everyone on the team. We all chimed in and volunteered to take anywhere between 1-4 PIs so it didn't all fall to the one designated back up person. Weixing spent a LOT of time putting together detailed information on each PI's portfolio, shared all the financial dashboard reports, and met individually with each person before she was out. Each member of the team (including myself) handled the questions from PIs and assisted with various outstanding items during the month Weixing was out, all while simultaneously managing their own portfolios! Amy even went so far as to set up 1:1s to help other team members in setting up the dashboards, if needed! Everyone collaborated with one another in the team chat and was forthcoming with their time and effort to ensure Weixing's entire portfolio was in good standing when she came back. It makes such a difference when everyone pitches each other out, and I cannot express my gratitude enough - many hands make light work, and it truly did. Thanks, BTE - YOU ALL ROCK!