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Faculty and staff gathered in a crowded classroom to hear Anna Cranston, Assistant Dean of Administration, introduce this year’s winners of the Faculty of Management Staff Awards and celebrate the recipients. Before announcing the four winners—Jonathan Perry, Katie Haigh, Sam Nightingale (pictured above) and Jennifer Ziobrowski—Anna told the group that the awards are “one of the highlights of my year.”

The winners were introduced by someone who’d nominated them and wanted to recognize their contribution to the Faculty. Professor Binod Sundararajan says he initially built a connection with Katie Haigh, the Global Experience Manager, via their shared love of Lord of the Rings. Since then, Katie has become what he describes as a ‘life force’ for the Global Experience team. He highlighted a recent trip to India with 12 students, which he says was a success due to Katie’s hard work. Because of her dedication to serving students, he adds, Katie’s absolutely deserving of the Impact Award for Supporting Students.

Tiffany MacDonald, a Career and Recruitment Specialist with Management Career Services, expressed deep gratitude to Jonathan Perry, her supervisor and Student Development Manager. She shared how he leads with empathy and how much his team believes in him. “He celebrates team members in the ways they want to be celebrated.” Those attributes, combined with his exceptional listening skills, was why she nominated him for the Exceptional Contribution Award.

Dan Shaw, Director of the MBA program, then spoke about Sam Nightingale, the New Possibilities Project lead, who he had nominated for the Exceptional Contribution Award. He told the group her award is for meticulous and detailed work, which elevates those she works with.

Administrative Assistant Jennifer Ziobrowski couldn’t attend, and neither could her nominator, Professor Dana Kabat-Farr. Shauna Marshall, the Faculty’s HR Administrator read an email from Dana in which she describes Jennifer as a team member who boosts the people around her. Shauna spoke of Jennifer’s dedication to community impact, especially through the Adopt-A-Family initiative which she organizes. Thanks to her leadership, the Faculty garnered enough non-perishable food and staples this year to support eight families for at least three months.

Acting Dean Mike Smit, who handed out the awards, saw common strengths of empathy and collaboration amongst the winners, adding “the theme I took away, these are people who listen carefully, who care deeply and who act thoughtfully.”