The wildfire smoke cleared over a packed Bustad Lawn on Tuesday afternoon for just enough time to recognize staff at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 27th Annual Barbecue and Staff Awards Ceremony.
Since 1997, the awards have recognized staff who have excelled in the performance of their duties as well as promoted teamwork and inspired excellence in others. Staff are nominated by their colleagues and selected by an advisory committee.
This year, six staff members and the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health grants team were recognized with awards, but everyone in attendance won as the event was catered by Longhorn BBQ and included cold iced tea, lemonade and a dessert course.
This year’s staff award winners included:
- Kathy Dahmen
- Jill Daigle
- Tricia Duffy
- Matt Leonard
- Becky Morton
- Becca Wolking
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health Grants Team (group award)
Kathy Dahmen, assistant director in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital business office, was nominated by her colleagues. Kathy has expertly managed the administrative tasks for 250 faculty and staff across the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She oversees the budgets for Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with unparalleled efficiency, integrity, and excellence.
“Kathy does the work of at least three people. Her work ethic is unbelievable. She has been a WSU employee for 40 years and in VCS for the last 12 years. I have worked directly with Kathy for four years now, and her dedication to her job is unbelievable given her length of service. You would think that someone with her record would be slowing down, especially now that she will be retiring soon. To the contrary, Kathy arrives at work at 7 a.m. every day, and leaves after 6 p.m. She works weekends. She works holidays. I could fill a book describing specific examples of the quality of her work and her productivity. She is the glue that holds us all together,” an anonymous colleague wrote in Kathy’s nomination letter.
Jill Daigle, microbiologist at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory,conducts herself with outstanding professionalism and efficiency, consistently exceeding expectations. Her ability to seamlessly juggle everyday tasks and long-term projects is remarkable. For example, during a staffing shortage from April to August last year, she handled the workload of two to three employees daily, trained new staff, learned new tasks, and maintained superior quality in all her duties.
“Jill’s service to our WADDL clients is not the only major contribution she makes to the workplace. She also jumped in to be the safety representative for the Molecular Diagnostics section of the WADDL Safety Committee — helping our lab stay informed with the safety concerns at the department and college level. She trains and performs internal audits for WADDL Sections – ensuring the quality standards of our veterinary diagnostic laboratory are up to accreditation standards. These contributions, on top of what is normally asked of her, make her an integral part of the Molecular Diagnostics and WADDL team,” an anonymous WADDL colleague wrote in Jill’s nomination letter.
Tricia Duffy, laboratory assistant in Veterinary, Microbiology and Pathology,has been crucial to her department’s success, expertly managing the autoclaving and sterilization of glassware, plastics, and reagents. Her meticulous work ensures that experiments are contamination-free, which is vital for accurate research results. Her colleagues know that her efforts keep the lab functioning smoothly and safely.
“Tricia is intimately involved in the organization of common equipment within Veterinary, Microbiology and Pathology and can get you set up with just about anything you need. There have been a few times where I’ve needed access to common equipment, and I didn’t even know where to begin finding it. Tricia was able to walk me around and show me where they were located and get me in contact with someone who could help train me. With that, I think something Tricia does really well is being approachable for questions. I have never been nervous or afraid to ask Tricia for help, recommendations, or advice. I usually head to her office and start with “weird question for you …”. Not only does she take the time to listen to my questions or concernsm but she plays a very active role in helping with a solution,” Tricia’s nominator wrote in her nomination letter.
As lead of the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory, Matt Leonard has transformed the daily operations of the necropsy floor into a smoothly running system. His meticulous organization and anticipation of needs have significantly reduced the time required for necropsies, allowing the team to consistently finish by 5 p.m. instead of late evening. Matt handles all logistics, preparation, and cleanup, demonstrating his efficiency, conscientiousness, and job excellence.
“Matt’s role is meant to oversee the daily operations of the necropsy floor in WADDL. Although technician support existed before Matt started in WADDL, the difference Matt has made for daily operations is night-and-day. Before Matt, the pathologists, residents, and veterinary students were responsible for cleaning and organizing necropsy days. We collectively spent inordinate amounts of time figuring out logistics for individual cases, prepping for necropsies, cleaning up after necropsies, and organizing samples. On busy necropsy days, we sometimes wouldn’t leave until 8 or 9 p.m. before these factors could get organized. Since Matt took over this role, he has turned the daily operations on the floor into a smoothly running, well-oiled machine,” an anonymous nominator wrote in Matt’s nomination letter.
Becky Morton, department manager for Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience,holds a high standard for the college. Her willingness to guide and mentor the personnel and graduate students is exemplary. She is very efficient in what she does and conscientious of the needs of her staff, faculty, and students.
“Becky is the best manager that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She is incredibly conscientious and goes above and beyond in all aspects of her work. She is extremely reliable and always responds with help, practical advice, or action extremely fast. She is also an exceptionally professional and ethical person and respects confidentiality. She is one of the best listeners I have ever worked with. She truly understands faculty and faculty needs. Her vast experience is also invaluable for being able to give timely and highly relevant help, or in the rare instances she may not be able to, she can reach out to someone who can,” an anonymous nominator wrote in Becky’s nomination letter.
Becca Wolking, Molecular Diagnostics laboratory manager at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, excels in organizing her team around a fluctuating daily caseload to deliver timely and actionable results. She aligns tasks with each individual’s skill set, ensuring success and efficiency while being mindful of their capacity. For example, during the recent highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in dairy cattle, she swiftly developed a plan to extract genetic material from milk, a sample type WADDL had struggled with.
“Becca is always learning, always trying to grow the variety of testing we are able to provide the clientele and strengthen the organization. Recently the Molecular Diagnostics section has been involved with the sudden and widespread outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) within dairy cattle, an unusual host species. Becca learned of the outbreak and immediately went to work in search of a way to extract genetic material from milk, a sample type that WADDL has not had much success working with in the past. Within the week, Becca had a plan in place and some ‘practice’ samples set up so that the staff could perform a quick training run on the new workflow. By the end of the week WADDL received and reported results on its first HPAI cattle samples. This is an example of Becca’s steadfast determination, her commitment to providing the best diagnostic services in a timely manner, and her calm demeanor during high-stress situations,” her anonymous nominators wrote in their letter.
The Paul G. Allen School of Global Health Grants Team, made up of Tessa Hoplin and Amanda Senter, was recognized with the college’s group award. The duo excels in their roles, demonstrating exceptional efficiency, conscientiousness, and timeliness. They ensure all Allen School grant awards are meticulously managed, with revenue, payroll, and reconciliations handled expertly. For instance, they have successfully maintained up-to-date grant revenues and efficiently tracked payroll for all grants since joining, while also learning the reconciliation process for international non-governmental organizations.
“Tessa and Amanda both have exceptional commitment to the duties assigned to them. They are thorough, timely, accurate, and knowledgeable on all the tasks assigned to them. They collaborate and learn from each other to ensure the Allen School grant awards are in great working order. In the last couple of years since they have come on board, all the revenue from our grants have been received and are up to date, payroll is tracked efficiently for our grants, they have learned the reconciliation process for the international NGOs through the Allen School and have established working relationships with all of our partners both domestically and internationally. I am continually proud of the work they are doing, and I could not do my job without them,” one of the pair’s anonymous nominators wrote in their nomination letter.