Tag: staff

Carolyn Gerber, Operations Coordinator for Olin Business School, is retiring Sept. 8 after nearly a quarter of a century at Washington University. Colleagues and friends gathered for a send-off breakfast Sept. 7 in her honor.

Gerber has been at Washington University since 1993 and with Olin since 2007. She has provided great support to both Operations and General Services.

“Many of you have benefited from the customer service Carolyn has provided over the years,” said Tim Rogan, Director of Facilities and Operations at Olin. “From planning events, scheduling rooms, keys, access control, telephones, housekeeping needs, safety issues, etc., Carolyn is truly a valuable employee, and we will be sorry to see her go.”

Gerber plans to spend more time with her young grandchildren in retirement.

Best wishes, Carolyn, from all your friends at Olin.

There is no better way to celebrate one of the hottest months on record than Olin’s annual Ice Cream Social.  More than 100 attended the July 31 event in The Atrium including faculty, staff, and their children. A reported nine gallons of ice cream were consumed along with 200 chicken skewers! Pretzels, nachos, toasted raviolis, fruit and spinach artichoke balls were also on the menu for those who chose to eschew the frozen treat of the day with innumerable toppings!

There was a Cake Walk contest with prizes from “Nothing Bundt Cakes.” A balloon artist, face painter, bubble machine, and music rounded out the entertainment.

And at the risk of putting a damper on the joy of gluttony, Emily Paige, Employee Wellness Manager was on hand to present a prize. Ben Cox, facilities staffer, was recognized for earning 2nd Place in the University-wide WashU Moves walking challenge. Congratulations, Ben! You inspire us and deserve an extra scoop of of ice cream!!

Thanks to the  Staff Committee who organized the event and to the Aramark staff for creating and serving the sweet summer feast.

Committee members: Konnie Henning, Katie Wools, Earl Banez. Sherri Whaley, Amanda DeBord, Rachel Shelton, Kim Miller, Shante Redden, Stacy Pearson

Enjoy the photo gallery. All photos by Sid Hastings, WUSTL Photos.

Katie Wools, Creative Director in Olin’s Marketing & Communications department, is a Gold Winner in the 2017 Hermes Creative Awards competition for her poster design that promoted this year’s Shakespeare at Olin event.

Katie, who is a freelance illustrator with children’s books to her credit, was quick to say that the poster was a team effort. “Paula Crews, Judy Milanovits, Cathy Myrick—all members of our MarComm team—and I, first met to discuss concepts for the poster. Dean Taylor approved, and then I got to work on a sketch—Cathy laid in the type.”

Katie says the Dean made a great suggestion when he saw the initial sketch. “It was his idea to put Juliet on top of Brookings Hall to mimic the iconic balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet. It was brilliant!”

It was also Dean Taylor’s idea to stage the first-ever Shakespeare at Olin, held April 23, in honor of the Bard’s 453rd birthday. Katie also designed banners that decorated the tent on Mudd Field where several local professional theater groups and WashU students performed scenes from Shakespeare.  Link here for complete program.

Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

Pen and ink and watercolor are Katie’s illustrating media. Once complete she scans the artwork into a digital file. For the Shakespeare poster, she added a parchment-like background and a “few other tweaks” in PhotoShop. Total time for the project? Katie estimates 20 hours, but who’s counting? “It was such a fun project I didn’t keep track. I am never happier than when I get to work on a project like this,” Katie said.

At right, Katie’s illustration of William Shakespeare was blown up to five feet tall for a fun selfie station complete with Elizabethan props and quotes from the Bard’s plays.

“Hand illustration is definitely a disappearing art,” said Katie. “Working in traditional media is scary. If a client makes a change to your digital illustration it is often an easy fix in PhotoShop. If they make a change to your painting, you sometimes have to start all over again. But I use both traditional and digital techniques in my art. When I am done with a watercolor, I often make small tweaks in photoshop to clean it up. But I am still careful to maintain the integrity of the original painting.”

Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. Hermes Creative Awards recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals.

Hermes Creative Awards is administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (www.amcpros.com). The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, digital media production and free-lance professionals. AMCP oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and awards outstanding achievement and service to the profession.

I am pleased to announce that staff member, Elaine McClary, is the recipient of the Christine Hatina Award, presented annually for outstanding and exemplary administrative service. Elaine provides executive support to Dean Mark Taylor. During the last year, she also provided support to Dean Gupta and Dean Dirks. In addition, she is in contact with just about every faculty member during the year.  There aren’t many staff members who can say that! As you might imagine, she’s a very busy Olin employee.

Elaine joined the Dean’s Office in August of 1999, initially as Olin’s faculty recruiting coordinator and became the Dean’s assistant in 2006. She will be retiring in June.

Elaine McClary

Elaine is a consummate professional with a can-do attitude and a big smile for everyone she sees in the Dean’s Office and around campus.  It comes as no surprise that she has been nominated numerous times since the award’s inception in 2013.

I’m also pleased to note that many deserving staff members received nominations this year, which made for a difficult decision by the committee.

Elaine receives a plaque and a monetary award. There will also be a reception held in her honor on a date to be determined in May. All faculty and staff will be invited to attend.

For her exemplary service, please join me in congratulating Elaine McClary, Christine Hatina Award recipient.

Chris Hatina

Named for a former staff member and funded by the Olin faculty, this award is presented to the Olin non-management administrative staff member who exemplifies the attributes displayed by Christine Hatina in providing outstanding administrative service to the Olin Business School faculty. Chris Hatina was a member of our Dean’s Office staff for many years. Tragically, she passed away in 2012 at the age of 47. Each year, faculty members nominate outstanding candidates and the winner is determined by committee.

Guest Blogger: Sandy Vaughn, Senior Manager of Faculty Support, Olin Business School

In the final weeks before graduation, various awards for student achievement, excellence in teaching, and community service will be announced. But Olin’s MBA students upstaged the awards season when they offered a special recognition to the Aramark staff that keeps the Knight Center, three retail outlets in Bauer Hall, Knight Hall, and Simon Hall, and innumerable school events running smoothly.

In a letter to Dean Mark Taylor, Rob Garwitz wrote on behalf of the MBA students:

“Gene Castellitto’s Aramark staff deserves our highest recognition for their level of performance and professionalism that can only be classified as “excellence,” a measure we all strive for as aspiring business leaders.”

A poster size thank you card signed by MBA students.

Castellitto, Aramark General Manager, acknowledged that many staff members were present when MBA students presented a large thank you note after raising a banner above the Graduate Programs office. Castellitto also confirmed that a representative from the Graduate Business School Association is tentatively scheduled to address the Aramark staff at the Annual Employee Appreciation Day Celebration later this month.

Thank you Aramark staff for all you do!!