Within her departments and around campus, Virginia Tech employee Doris Shelor is well respected for the quality of her work and her service-oriented personality.

Shelor is a budget manager for the departments of Religion and Culture and Science and Technology in Society, both in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and has worked at Virginia Tech for more than 35 years.

In recognition of her dedication to the university, Shelor is one of six Virginia Tech employees nominated in 2016 to represent the university in the statewide Governor’s Award program. She was nominated in the career achievement award category. The winners were announced in May.

“Doris has become the model of integrity, exactitude, and professionalism and of friendliness, patience, and generosity—and these traits are rarely combined so naturally and forcefully,” said Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, professor in the Department of Religion and Culture.

As the budget manager for two departments, Shelor serves 40 faculty and staff members located in eight buildings across campus. She is responsible for balancing 72 accounts and 197 sub-accounts, with annual budgets exceeding $4 million.

Despite instances where she has had limited help or time, Shelor has always managed to complete the task on schedule. She is known to do whatever it takes to get the task done, including arriving to work early or staying late.

While the sheer quantity of Shelor’s work is impressive to her colleagues, it is the quality of her work that truly sets her apart.

“Her understanding of the university’s administrative processes, along with her experience and general knowhow, is invaluable to our college,” said Kathy Rogers, budget analyst in the college. “She is not one for letting anything slip through the cracks. As a budget administrator at the college level, I rest easy at night knowing that the fiscal and administrative tasks for her departments are performed in a timely, accurate, and conscientious manner.”

Shelor also assists with fellowship and grant proposals, manages conference and travel reimbursements, and handles all other expenses for students and employees.

“Regardless of the particular demands, requirements, and restrictions of the funding sources, and the many deadlines to be met, she has consistently carried out her work with exquisite efficiency and a dedication to helping the projects succeed,” said Doris Zallen, professor emerita of science and technology in society.

Zallen recalls the time when a speaker from the Choices and Challenges forum series wrote to thank Shelor, who is responsible for all financial matters related to the forum series, for not only seeing to it that he was reimbursed accurately and quickly, but also for arranging his reimbursement in British pounds. This, he said, had never happened before in any of his speaking engagements in the United States.

Shelor consistently performs duties that are beyond what her position requires. She advises staff and faculty on numerous polices unrelated to budgets, volunteers to help at graduation, pitches in on student support when needed, and assists visitors in navigating their way through Lane Hall.

Shelor has served as budget manager for the departments of Religion and Culture and Science and Technology in Society since 2001. Before moving into her current role she held positions in the departments of Political Science, Foreign Languages and Literatures, and Mathematics, as well as the Office of University Relations.

Outside of work, Shelor continues to project the ideals of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) through her work in the community. She actively volunteers at her church in a variety of roles, from Sunday school teacher to apple butter maker to secretary treasurer.

Written by Katie Huger, employee communications manager.

Share this story