2025 Administrative and Professional Faculty Award Nominees

Artem Bank, music production manager for the School of Performing Arts, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2022.

Emmett O'Leary, assistant professor for the School of Performing Arts, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Artem’s impact is clearly seen in the way he manages our music major convocation performances and related ushering and stage-managing responsibilities. He is tenacious in his organization. Students receive frequent communication about how to satisfy their ushering and stage-managing requirements. The result is a clear system for scheduling and student accountability that has dramatically improved the logistical aspects of all our performances.”

Lisa Blackwell, senior director of human resources (HR) technology and analytics for the Division of Human Resources, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2021.

Sandee Cheynet, former assistant vice president for human resources, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Lisa’s work ethic and dedication to Virginia Tech are unmatched. She embodies the spirit of a Hokie, exemplifying the university's core principles of community, service, and integrity in everything she does. Her leadership has been instrumental in transforming the human resources information technology (HRIT) department into a high-performing, forward-thinking team, and she is positioned to ensure Virginia Tech HR remains at the cutting edge of technological advancements.”

Claudia Brodkin, undergraduate lab coordinator for the Department of Chemistry, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2001.

Paul Deck, associate professor and undergraduate program director for chemistry, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Claudia is not only an efficient and faithful lab manager, but she is a tireless booster for Hispanic students, women, and diversity in general. Claudia takes the time to work individually with students in her tiny office, coaching them on self‐confidence, career planning, and even advising them on challenging personal problems.”

Christine (Cozette) Comer, assistant director, Evidence Synthesis Services (ESS) for the University Libraries, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2018.

Kyrille DeBose, director of health sciences libraries for the University Libraries, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Cozette worked collaboratively to develop a five-year strategic plan for ESS that provided a vision and series of goals that would continue to augment and elevate library services. She created a service model that integrated the expertise of subject specialists and librarians while also providing them with training and opportunities to further hone their own research skills. This enabled her to provide high-quality and rigorous support services to researchers across the university interested in applying evidence-based review methodologies to further their own scholarship and contributions in their disciplines.”

Michelle Dalton, general chemistry lab supervisor for the Department of Chemistry, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2010.

Negin Nazem, director of undergraduate labs for chemistry, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Michelle's outstanding management skills, strong work ethics, and dedication to providing valuable learning experience to students each semester (over 2,400 in the fall; 2,000 in the spring; and approximately 200 during summer sessions) are commendable. Her organizational abilities and commitment to best practices ensure that multiple lab sessions running concurrently in five to six rooms throughout the day operate efficiently under her supervision."

Brandon Epperley, human resources generalist for the Division of Human Resources, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2014.

Curtis Mabry, assistant vice president for consulting and strategic services for human resources, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Brandon has been an incredible example of commitment, cooperation, and dedication in completing responsibilities. He always provides a welcoming, friendly, courteous, and responsive service to his client groups and is consistently recognized for his outstanding customer service. His collaborative approach has greatly benefited supervisors and employees throughout many senior management areas at Virginia Tech.”

Eric Glenn, director of organizational development for the University Libraries, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2022.

Virginia Pannabecker, assistant dean and director of research collaboration and engagement for library, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Eric’s work has been transformational: building trust and creating new collaborations between libraries colleagues, and with university and community partners, while also increasing the positive reputation of University Libraries and Virginia Tech. After only two years, it seems impossible to imagine the libraries without Eric, his enthusiasm, and his essential support for our mutual accomplishments and work in service of the university community and strategic priorities.”

Carol Hurley, associate director for faculty and staff technology resources, user experience and engagement in Information Technology, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2006.

Joyce Landreth, deputy executive director for user experience and engagement for information technology, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Carol has led the university's administrative computing refresh program (ACR), which facilitates equitable distribution of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) funded laptops and desktops to all senior administrative areas and colleges. Since 2016, she has adopted a strategy of continuous improvement to increase efficiency and impact, including a complete redesign of the ACR process to align more closely with Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies’ (TLOS) Professional Development Network (PDN) computer refresh process for faculty, creation of a more equitable approach to allocations, development of a database to track deployments, streamlining the request process and improved delivery and inventory of machines, and launching an automated requestable item to improve the request and fulfillment process.”

Andria (Annie) Laib Jenkins, associate director of Health Professions Advising (HPA), a sub-unit of Career and Professional Development, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2017.

Emily Vedder, assistant director of academic advising for the School of Neuroscience, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Annie understands the balance between positively supporting students, but also being realistic about their candidacy and suggesting improvements to make them more competitive for admission. Annie delivers all this advice eloquently and helps summarize the big picture. I wholeheartedly see why students trust her and keep coming back to HPA for future advising.”

Michele McDonald, director of communications and marketing for the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), has worked for Virginia Tech since 2020.

Luiz DaSilva, CCI executive director, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Michele embodies the spirit of Ut Prosim. She has shown exceptional leadership and embraced roles that go much beyond the traditional job of communications professionals. In doing so, she elevates the work of our faculty and contributes to Virginia Tech’s global distinction goals.”

James Newcomer, academic and career advisor for the Department of Engineering Education, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2015.

Jenny Lo, senior instructor for engineering education, wrote in a letter of nomination: “James’ performance has enhanced the work of others ranging from colleagues to graduate students. He intentionally integrated research into academic advising practices and made space for individual advisors to explore their own relevant research interests within advising.”

Michael Parrish, assistant director of business systems and divisional data engineer for the Vice President for Facilities Chief of Staff, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2014.

Christopher Kiel, Virginia Tech’s university building official, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Michael consistently converts our questions and needs into actionable results. He fully understands the needs of everyone involved and works hard to incorporate this into all his solutions. By developing detailed reports on timelines for plan review and inspections, we can share real-time data into our operations to our customers while providing actionable data to enable better planning and resource allocation. This transparency can highlight areas where targeted training of staff, contractors, or customers is needed to directly improve construction results.”

Rachel Smucker, director of university scholarships for the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2021.

Beth Armstrong, associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid, wrote in a letter of nomination: “While Rachel has achieved so much — exceeding all expectations — in her role during her short tenure, she has accomplished this while always keeping students at the forefront of her decision-making. They are Rachel’s ‘why,’ and she consistently demonstrates this in both words and actions.”