Becky Moore, an employment transaction technician for the Virginia Tech Department of Human Resources, has received the university's 2015 President's Award for Excellence.

The President's Award for Excellence is presented annually to up to five Virginia Tech staff employees who have made extraordinary contributions by consistent excellence in the performance of their job or a single incident, contribution, or heroic act. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize.

A member of the Virginia Tech community and Human Resources team for more than 16 years, Moore assists applicants with the online applicant tracking system and coordinates the criminal conviction check program and the drug/alcohol testing programs.

“If you know Becky, you know that she is one of the most pleasant people on campus,” wrote Curtis Mabry, director of human resources recruiting, in his letter of nomination.

“Even if her day is not going well, she always has a smile and a kind word for you. She will stop what she is doing and make you the center of her attention,” said Cynthia Anderson, a former co-worker in the Department of Human Resources.

An example of Moore’s commitment to helping others, wrote Mabry, occurred last year when a job candidate came to the Human Resources office and needed assistance with a job application.

“When Becky met the candidate, she quickly learned that he had a disability,” noted Mabry. “Becky spent about three hours with him reading through the application, asking him questions about his work experiences, and helping him successfully complete the application."

Having worked with Moore for many years, Mabry said that he has grown to expect that level of service from her, especially when assisting someone with a disability in the application process. However, what happened next poignantly illustrates just who she is and the way she represents Virginia Tech to others.

At the end of the application process, Becky learned that the applicant lived out of town and that someone had driven him here and dropped him off,” wrote Mabry. “He had no way to get home and his disability limited his ability to safely get to the bus stop. Looking for options, Becky found the Smart Way bus and identified the closest stop at Squires Student Center. She walked with the man across campus to the bus stop, got him on the bus, and made sure he could get to his stop.”

A couple weeks later, this candidate came back to apply for another job. Once again, he was dropped off and Becky helped him apply and walked him to the bus stop so he could return home.

A short time later, the candidate was hired.

“Over the years, Becky has had this impact on many applicants and employees, noted Mabry. “Her assistance and interest in each person allows them to develop an application that is competitive and communicates the necessary information. She has impacted many lives and families, just because she lives out the university motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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