Nominee's Name: Cathy Nguyen
Nominee's Unit: Research
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
Cathy has been an incredible mentor ever since I onboarded at ERSO. Over the past week, as several unique situations hit my desk, she was right there to help me talk through them and problem-solve. Her guidance has been invaluable!
Nominee's Name: Sarah Lirio
Nominee's Unit: Research
Criteria: Problem Solver
Customer Service Example:
Sarah helped me with a budget that was complicated and pointed me in the right direction. Her assistance allowed me to meet deadlines and provide accurate information to my faculty. Thank you Sarah!
Nominee's Name: Alice Wong
Nominee's Unit: Purchasing
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
One of my PIs had 35 outstanding Linde gas invoices form March 2023 - March 2026 that needed to be processed in order to reactivate the account to allow for future and continuing gas orders. Despite multiple follow ups with the PI and his research group for months with no movement, it took until June for the PI to input the Business Portal request to get these paid, and Alice then needed to process each of the 35 invoices separately in BearBUY - it was a lot of unnecessary work for our Purchasing team due to delays with other campus partners, but she processed these quickly and allowed for me to approve them expeditiously to get the vendor paid. I truly appreciate the quick assistance and processing of these despite the arduousness of the request. ERSO is so lucky to have Alice as a part of our team - thanks again, Alice!
Nominee's Name: Alberto Marcelo
Nominee's Unit: Human Resources
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
There is a very complex HR issue with an employee that is under Vetter's and Vujic's group that is now needing 7 months of back pay while also dealing with a reclass of earnings between a lecturer/reseacher appt that also involves the NE dept. This employee's record is further complicated by various leaves they were on during the missing pay periods, and there have been MANY HR and Payroll emails with me and the dept regarding this situation. Alberto kindly offered to meet with me via zoom to discuss, in detail, the various moving parts, how it all fits together with the employee's full funding package, and next steps. He went record by record in UCPath showing me the breakdown of how to reconcile once the full pay issues have been resolved and took the time to detail out all the leaves. It will require many SCTs to correct given that some fund sources are no longer active, but with Alberto's expert guidance and assistance, I now have a better und erstanding on what needs to be done going forward. I cannot thank him enough for all the assistance on this, especially as an RA I don't have the same views in UCPath or knowledge of how the system works for these types of situations. ERSO is SO lucky to have him on our team - thanks again, Alberto!!
Nominee's Name: Amy Frithsen
Nominee's Unit: Research
Criteria: Team Player
Customer Service Example:
Amy is the definition of a team player! I was called in for jury duty last week, which was not ideal as we are in FY close period as well as dealing with staff coverage on my team. Amy chatted me and said 'you can't be in jury duty AND working as an RA even as good as you are,' which is what I needed to hear. We encourage people to not be shy or feel bad about asking for help, and Amy essentially did that for me. She kept an eye on the approval queues for Sarah L who was still out as well as checking in with my team on various other topics that needed addressing last week. Knowing that there are colleagues who truly see you and offer their help without taking no for an answer so that they can truly show up and assist is what makes Amy an absolutely fantastic team player. I so appreciate her so not just asking but also doing. Thank you SO much, Amy!
Nominee's Name: Emily Martinez
Nominee's Unit: Human Resources
Criteria: Team Player
Customer Service Example:
I needed to make a change to a recall appt for one of my faculty, and it was late in the month that I sent a request in, a week past the internal funding update deadline. Emily was super quick in taking care of the funding update in UCPath to get it updated for May pay, resulting in once less SCT that I needed to process. I am so grateful that Emily was able to assist to quickly and jumped right in to assist, despite other HR deadlines during a busy period. I really appreciate the partnership and accommodation. Thank you SO much, Emily!!
Nominee's Name: Alberto Marcelo
Nominee's Unit: Human Resources
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
Alberto went above and beyond in providing support on a complex NSP account. He took the time to meet with me and walk through the details with exceptional patience and clarity. His explanations were not only thorough, but also insightful; he carefully outlined why certain issues were occurring and why others were not, which made a complicated situation much easier to understand. Alberto clearly identified the specific action items needed to correct the account, ensuring that I left the conversation with a solid plan moving forward. I truly appreciate his dedication, expertise, and willingness to go the extra mile to help resolve the issue. Thank you, Alberto, for all that you do; I truly appreciate it!
Nominee's Name: Saleem Hasan
Nominee's Unit: Research
Criteria: Team Player
Customer Service Example:
Earlier in March, while Weixing was out for a few weeks, one of her faculty submitted a late proposal with a quick turnaround time. Both Cathy (Weixing's backup) and I were slammed with late proposals of our own. As our pre-award RA, Saleem takes on many proposals for many PIs, but he graciously indicated that he would be able to take on this proposal for Weixing in addition to his current workload. I can't say how grateful I am to him for assisting us in this way! It's so nice to be able to ping him to see if he has the bandwidth to assist in times of high proposal volume. Thank you again, Saleem - we wouldn't have been able to manage this proposal without your expert assistance!
Nominee's Name: Alice Wong
Nominee's Unit: Purchasing
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
Alice is always a positive, efficient and effective contact within the purchasing department. I have always found her to be incredibly knowledgeable regarding bearbuy, and purchasing policies and procedures. This has made her an invaluable resource when trying to address unusual issues under urgent circumstances. She is always positive and prompt when working with UCB staff and outside vendors. She brings a friendly personal touch to calls and always finds time to help. Most recently, Alice was able to assist me with quickly obtaining more than 100 invoices that were being requested as support by a sponsor. She took the time to teach me about some of the quirks of bearbuy and how to better navigate the system to pull available invoices. She then contacted vendors to obtain invoices that were not in the system. I would not have been able to address the sponsor’s document request without her help.
Nominee's Name: Joel Spitzer
Nominee's Unit: Human Resources
Criteria: Above & Beyond
Customer Service Example:
Joel exemplifies ALL the criteria and is especially a team player. I have the privilege of working with him since I joined ERSO in 2012. He is caring and compassionate. It is evident, in all Joel does, that he genuinely cares about coworkers. He is innovative in seeking and finding the best solution for all concerned. My own example involved (2) medical matters. Peace of mind, due to Joel's excellent work and work ethic, made all the difference. Thank you so much, Joel !
Names of People on the Team: Catie Anders, Eva Leach, Esther Gomez, Farah Pranawahadi, Sarah Gaugler
Team Unit: Research
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We include and excel together
Given the changes for the Interlocation Transfer of Funds (ITOFs) process, there was a lot of uncertainty in the process in general but also for the process specifically in ERSO. After a call out to the RA alias, Catie, Eva, Esther, and Farah all either provided valuable input or offered to meet to discuss the nuances of the process, tips and tricks, and best practices. After gathering all their input, I was able to put together a new process document and confirm the ERSO process with the leadership team. Now, there is a clear path for how to process these versus the intercampus financial transactions. It wouldn't have been possible without in the assistance from the other RAs, so thank you to you all! ERSO is the best when we call work together :)
Names of People on the Team: Rebecca Foster, Cathy Weaver, Daniel Morgan, Diane Bodrick, Julie Aquino, Mattie Lee, Sara Rivera, Sam Guiton
Team Unit: Payroll
Which Operating Principle did this team embody? We include and excel together
For rising to every challenge presented to them and all of their hard work while covering an extended leave.