The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Staff Advisory Council (SAC) held their annual awards luncheon on November 8 to recognize four outstanding staff members. Award winners for 2016 were:
Left to right: Mary Maloney, Amber Peck, Thomas Harker, and Andrea Gorzitze.
Mary Maloney, Director, Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, Horticulture and Crop Science
Mary was awarded the Shirley Brooks-Jones Citizenship Award. Nominator Dr. Linda Martin noted, “I have had the opportunity to witness first-hand her strong work ethic; commitment to the community and the University; tireless passion for her work; and dedication to excellence.” She added “Her commitment to those who work with and for her is unmatched; she invests in the personal, professional and academic growth of her student workers and has written scores of recommendations and nominations on their behalf. She is unfailing in her efforts to give of her time and energy to help others succeed and genuinely cares about those with whom she works.”
Amber Peck, SNAP-Ed Program Assistant, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County
Amber was awarded the Key Values Award. Nominator Marcus McCarty noted, “Amber is very dedicated and motivated about her job and she never lets anything stop her from achieving her goals while maintaining a positive ‘can-do’ attitude. She recently went above and beyond to implement a Learning Garden at the local Boys and Girls Club in Marietta. When the grant application for funds to build a garden were delayed, then only half-funded, Amber took it upon herself to find all the remaining material still needed to complete the project. She relentlessly went knocking on the doors of local businesses until we had enough materials and supplies donated to complete the entire garden.”
Thomas Harker, Research Assistant, Ohio State University Extension, South Centers
Thom was awarded the Innovation Award. Nominator Brad Bergefurd noted, “Thom is a 20-year dedicated CFAES and OSU South Centers team member, who oversees daily management of the horticulture field and greenhouse research and Extension education projects at Piketon, Bowling Green and Wooster campus locations. He manages this research with an innovative approach, practical, and whole-hearted effort. He has developed creative and innovative solutions to CFAES research facilities that have resulted in significantly more effective, economically viable, and efficient research operations. As a ‘Farmer Engineer,’ Thom has invented machinery, equipment and/or processes to accomplish important agricultural research tasks at very modest cost, saving the university thousands of dollars.”
Andrea Gorzitze, Grants Development Specialist, Food, Agriculture, and Biological Engineering
Andrea was awarded the Special Recognition Award. Nominator FABE Professor, Erdal Ozkam, shared, “Andrea has been working with 33 faculty and numerous staff as the Grants Development Specialist at two Departments (FABE and FST) since she joined our College in 2006. The number and the funding levels of grants received by the faculty in our Departments have gone up significantly during the last 10 years. I strongly believe that without Andrea’s personal and dedicated involvement in preparation and submission of grants, we would not have achieved such a high success rate in receiving funding. When a major grant deadline approaches, there is ONE proposal and ONE deadline in the minds of individual faculty members. But for Andrea, there may be a DOZEN proposals and ONE deadline for all dozen proposals. Although it is not expected from her, to avoid missing deadlines and last-minute problems, she proactively communicates with all faculty individually to make sure the grants are submitted on-time, and all the “I’s are dotted, all the T’s got crossed” before a grant is submitted. What she does for her job comes with much stress at times, but she does her job with grace and great patience and we all appreciate her for that.”
