Employees in the Division of Administrative Services at Virginia Tech take pride in providing the highest levels of service to customers in the Virginia Tech community.

Employees in the division provide a range of support services that ensure the day-to-day operations of Virginia Tech run smoothly and efficiently. Those services include campus planning, construction and renovations, emergency management, health and safety, equity and accessibility, human resources, parking and transportation, police, printing and mailing, professional development, real estate management, and sustainability.

Of the more than 800 employees in the division, eight are being recognized for their exemplary customer services to the university community through the Customer Service Recognition Program.

“Every person who was nominated for one of these awards goes above and beyond what’s required of them to make sure all of our colleagues at Virginia Tech receive the very best service possible,” said Vice President for Administration Sherwood Wilson. “I’m proud to work alongside these folks in helping the university positively transform lives and communities through our climate of innovation and service.”   

Individual award recipients, who were nominated by their peers, co-workers, or supervisors, include:

  • Tammy Agee, housekeeper within the Facilities Department, was nominated for her commitment to providing excellent customer service in housekeeping, as demonstrated by her fastidious work to keep the Sterrett Facilities Complex clean when facilities workers return from shifts during snowstorms. Agee also contributes to an amicable work environment by using her personal time to maintain a coffee station for the employees that work in or visit her building, as well as showing off her green thumb by maintaining the numerous plants in the building.
  • Jamie Hollimion, service center supervisor for the Department of Human Resources, received an award in recognition of his continued high level of customer service despite his team being reduced to half its original size. Hollimion maintains an open-door policy for all university employees, even staying late to ensure that everyone has their needs met and questions answered.
  • Teresa Lyons, return-to-work and worker’s compensation coordinator for the Department of Human Resources, won an individual award for her careful and considerate handling of sensitive matters related to employees’ health and benefits, as well as for her excellent completion of reports to the state. Lyons was recently recognized by Kathy Ashworth, a statistical analyst for the Commonwealth of Virginia, for her intricately detailed case reports on employees’ injuries and illnesses and thanked for her thoroughness.
  • Michael Parrish, senior accountant within the Facilities Department’s finance group, was nominated for his constant pursuit of improving the department’s business practices, including his recent implementation of an automated system to process monthly invoices. This system helps save up to 6 hours of work each month. Parrish is known as the “go-to” person in the department to ask questions and creates innovative solutions for problems that his coworkers encounter.
  • Heather Snidow, administrative coordinator for the Facilities Department’s Office of the University Building Official, was recognized for being a driving force behind the implementation and success of the university’s Administrative Services Employee Staff Association, a group tasked with representing staff and wage employees within the division. Snidow played an integral part in raising awareness of the association and continues to lead the group by example, frequently working outside of her regular job duties to provide ideas and activities that spark the interests of association members.
  • Brian Stanford, occupational safety compliance officer within the Facilities Department, was recognized for helping to adapt the Hokie Wellness program to better serve the needs of employees who do not have time in their daily schedules to attend workshops. Stanford was instrumental in securing two hours of leave time annually for these employees to have the opportunity to receive a yearly physical. Stanford continues to serve as an advocate for and liaison between Facilities staff members and support services including Hokie Wellness programs.

The Team Award was given to the division’s communications team won the team award for developing guidelines and best practices for communication within the university community and beyond. Emily Gabrysch (web developer/designer) and Joey Fountain (graphic designer) accepted the award. The team, which is led by Laura Neff-Henderson, director of communications for administrative services, was praised for their work developing a comprehensive communication plan and visual identity package for each of the division’s 20 departments, units, and programs and launching 18 new websites in less than a year.

Each award recipient received a certificate and a monetary award. Nominations for the annual award are accepted from the Virginia Tech community each spring.

A gallery of photos from the awards ceremony is available online.

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