(Executive Dean Juli Wade and Vice Dean of Administration Bob Maruca celebrate this year's award winners.)
"Each award recipient has contributed something truly exceptional, and their accomplishments deserve recognition and celebration." - Juli Wade
The 2025 recipients of the Arts and Sciences Staff Excellence Recognition Awards for Distinguished Service were celebrated at on Wednesday, February 25 at Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus. Executive Dean Juli Wade and Vice Dean of Administration Bob Maruca presented the awards, recognizing eight individuals and one team whose dedication and impact throughout 2025 elevated the School of Arts and Sciences.
This annual celebration honors the extraordinary contributions of staff members who consistently go above and beyond in service to our school, faculty, staff, students, and broader community.
The honorees are recognized across three categories—contributions to operational excellence, contributions to the student experience, and contributions to staff engagement and workplace culture. This year, the Staff Excellence Awards Selection Committee reviewed an impressive 51 nominations, reflecting the depth of talent and excellence across the school.
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience: Eric Himsel
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Operational Excellence: Elizabeth deWolfe, Geir Jaegersen, Jessica Sanchez, Laurie A. Salvemini
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Staff Engagement and Workplace Culture: Nathalie Bernard, Leandra Cain, Suzanne Squires
2025 Team Award for Outstanding Contributions to Staff Culture: Colleen Lord and Diana Meyers, Psychology
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Experience
Eric Himsel, Senior Administrative Assistant
Office of Advising and Academic Services
Eric is recognized for his outstanding dedication to enhancing the first-year student experience in the School of Arts and Sciences. Serving as Senior Administrative Assistant for the First Year Office since 2007 and as Office Manager for the Livingston Advising Center since 2018, he has been a consistent, reliable anchor for an expanding and increasingly complex student population.
As the lead respondent for the “firstyears@sas” inbox, Eric manages hundreds of inquiries during peak periods with exceptional accuracy, empathy, and efficiency. He has created streamlined intake processes that significantly improve communication with incoming international students, offering critical reassurance during periods of uncertainty, including heightened Visa challenges in Summer 2025.
Eric has also been central to developing and refining key onboarding systems, strengthening communication workflows, improving the tracking of placement and onboarding milestones, and leading efforts to manage increasingly complex pre-college and advanced credit evaluations across multiple offices and platforms. His ability to anticipate issues, create effective systems, and support staff through transitions has made him an invaluable contributor to the first‑year experience.
With deep institutional knowledge and an unwavering commitment to student support, Eric provides invaluable leadership, and we are thankful for his contributions.
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Operational Excellence
Elizabeth deWolfe, Assistant Director
Finance and Administration, Division of Humanities
Elizabeth is recognized for her exceptional leadership, deep institutional expertise, and transformative operational support across multiple humanities departments. Widely respected for her clarity, precision, and ability to “connect the dots,” she consistently provides guidance that helps departments navigate complex policies, budgets, and administrative processes with confidence and understanding.
A gifted mentor and supervisor, Elizabeth devotes extraordinary time and care to training new program coordinators and chairs, offering clear explanations, patient support, and a level of generosity her colleagues describe as “unfathomably helpful.” She has repeatedly stepped in to serve as interim program coordinator for both Classics and GREELL while excelling in her own demanding role.
Elizabeth’s impact reaches across recruitment, budgeting, long-term planning, and crisis response. Colleagues across AMESALL, Cinema Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, French, and Modern Greek praise Elizabeth’s exceptional communication, calm problem-solving, and ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable guidance.
Elizabeth’s expertise and dedication have been essential to the smooth operation of so many programs, and we proudly salute her outstanding service.
Geir Jaegersen, Business Manager
SAS Business Office, Management of Entrepreneurial Revenue and Research Administration Support
Geir is honored for his extraordinary contributions to the School of Arts and Sciences' operational effectiveness. As Business Manager for Entrepreneurial Revenue and Research Administration Support, he plays a pivotal role in advancing innovative academic programming and improving school‑wide processes.
Geir has designed detailed, user‑friendly budget models that guide the development of new master’s degrees and non‑credit programs, supporting faculty through every stage of the complex approval process. His work has been instrumental in launching multiple successful programs that strengthen SAS’s academic reach and long‑term financial health.
A skilled problem‑solver, he navigates university systems, collaborates across offices, and resolves operational barriers, recovering overlooked funds, identifying financially vulnerable programs, and helping departments improve their sustainability. One of his most notable successes has been his ongoing engagement with Procurement on figuring out how to engage and pay for Google Ads.
For his innovation, diligence, and transformative impact on SAS operations, Geir is truly deserving of this award.
Laurie A. Salvemini, Business Specialist
Department of Mathematics
Laurie is recognized for her exceptional leadership and operational excellence in managing the full life cycle of grant administration for the Department of Mathematics. Supporting approximately fifty grant submissions each year, Laurie develops compliant budgets, prepares complex proposals, and ensures timely, accurate submissions—even during peak seasons—earning the deep trust of faculty and leadership.
Her expertise extends throughout post-award administration, where she independently reconciles accounts, monitors compliance, manages payroll and effort reporting, and oversees a range of sponsored and non-sponsored funds with precision. Her improved reconciliation and reporting processes have strengthened financial stewardship, reduced operational risk, and increased transparency across the department.
Laurie is deeply valued for her dependability, professionalism, and collaborative spirit. She brings insight to every challenge, supports colleagues beyond her role, and enables researchers to work confidently, backed by strong administrative support.
For her dedication, expertise, and transformative impact on our operations, we are delighted to recognize Laurie A. Salvemini.
Jessica Sanchez, Business Manager
Office of Finance and Budget Planning
Jessica is honored for her exceptional leadership and transformative contributions to the financial operations of the School of Arts and Sciences. She has strengthened financial communication across departments by developing streamlined information sessions that clarified prior-year challenges and introduced key updates, greatly improving transparency and collaboration.
Jessica has been instrumental in building a culture of trust, embedding the Four Pillars of Trust: Integrity, Transparency, Reliability, and Competence, into her team’s daily work and strengthening relationships across the organization. She has also significantly enhanced financial reporting by improving data accessibility, increasing reporting frequency, and refining transaction and activity reports to better inform departmental decision-making.
With her strategic mindset, collaborative approach, and commitment to continuous improvement, Jessica has elevated operational efficiency and empowered departments to more confidently engage in financial planning.
Jessica continues to set a high standard for excellence in financial management and cross-functional collaboration, and we deeply appreciate her outstanding work.
2025 Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Staff Engagement and Workplace Culture
Nathalie Bernard, Business Manager
Department of Psychology
Nathalie is recognized for her extraordinary impact on the Department of Psychology and the School of Arts and Sciences through her exceptional professionalism, deep expertise in research administration, and unwavering commitment to fostering a positive, collaborative workplace culture. Colleagues describe her as “a quiet but steady force for collaboration, stability, and morale” and “the calm in a storm of fast deadlines.”
Her proactive approach in drafting budgets early, flagging deadlines, creating standardized templates, and systematizing workflows has significantly increased efficiency and reduced administrative burden across the department. As one faculty member noted, “The success of our department depends in large part on her dedication.”
Natalie’s influence extends far beyond technical skill. She is celebrated for her calm demeanor, patience, and genuine kindness. She is known for giving her full attention to everyone who seeks her help, treating every interaction as an opportunity for support and learning. Her contributions have strengthened not only individual research programs but also the department’s overall capacity to secure external funding, advance scholarship, and uphold the school's mission. She embodies excellence, humility, creativity, and service, all qualities that define the very purpose of this award.
Nathalie’s significant impact on operations and community exemplifies the very best of SAS staff excellence.
Leandra Cain, Senior Department Administrator
Department of English
Leandra is recognized for her exceptional leadership, versatility, and transformative impact on the Department of English. Throughout years of transitions, she has consistently stepped into multiple roles with skill, calm efficiency, and unwavering dedication, ensuring the department’s operations remain stable and effective.
She has rebuilt disordered administrative systems, restored hundreds of essential files, supported large-scale departmental events, and managed scheduling for hundreds of writing courses, all while fulfilling her primary responsibilities with excellence. Her deep institutional knowledge, perceptive problem-solving, and ability to anticipate challenges have made her the central resource faculty, staff, and students rely on
Leandra’s influence extends beyond operations. She strengthens departmental culture through mentorship, inclusive communication, and thoughtfully organized community-building events. She guides new faculty, supports students seeking academic direction, and offers steady leadership that elevates the entire undergraduate program. Her competence, judgment, and kindness embody excellence in service and workplace engagement.
For her extraordinary contributions, steady leadership, and transformative role in shaping the departmental culture, we are proud to honor Leandra.
Suzanne Squires, Director
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Suzanne is honored for her exceptional leadership, steadfast dedication, and transformative impact on staff engagement and workplace culture within the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
As Director, she has sustained high-quality operations through periods of staffing changes and unprecedented demands. Suzanne continued to deliver high-quality academic and administrative support for more than 15,000 annual course enrollments
She fosters a workplace culture grounded in transparency, support, and accountability, ensuring staff feel empowered and protected from burnout. Suzanne’s expertise spans finance, HR, research administration, and complex operational management across multiple buildings and units, making her a trusted resource across the division.
As noted by a colleague, she is “by far the best director” they have worked with. Widely respected for her fairness, compassion, and commitment to the success of others, Suzanne exemplifies the values of service, integrity, and excellence in the workplace culture.
2025 Team Award for Outstanding Contributions to Staff Engagement and Workplace Culture
Colleen Lord, Senior Undergraduate Administrator, and Diana Juliano, Program Coordinator, Department of Psychology
Colleen Lord and Diana Juliano are honored for their wonderful teamwork, dedication, and profound contributions to staff engagement and workplace culture in the Department of Psychology. Together, they sustain one of the largest academic programs in SAS, supporting more than 50 faculty, 30 graduate TAs, and thousands of students each semester with professionalism, empathy, and unwavering commitment.
They manage complex course scheduling, advising demands, program coordination, and daily student support while developing innovative solutions to maintain smooth operations.
By improving surveys, streamlining processes, enhancing tracking systems, and strengthening student-centered advising, they have significantly increased the department’s ability to navigate change.
Colleen is recognized for her leadership, deep institutional knowledge, and exceptional ability to manage large-scale scheduling and administrative operations. Diana is celebrated for her student-centered advising, warm presence, and willingness to take on additional responsibilities to ensure continuity of service.
Together, they create a welcoming, inclusive environment where students, faculty, and staff feel supported, valued, and heard. Their positivity, teamwork, and dedication uplift departmental morale and exemplify true service excellence. Colleen and Diana bring standout collaboration to their work and consistently showcase the kind of teamwork that elevates SAS.
