Materiel Management's Felecia Samuel Named Employee of the Month

Felecia Samuel, property control manager in the Office of Materiel Management, was selected as Old Dominion's Employee of the Month for January.

Samuel, who has been in the position since July 2003, was nominated for the honor by her supervisor, Neil Cutler, a procurement manager in the office. President John R. Broderick joined Samuel's co-workers the morning of Jan. 18 for the surprise announcement.

Cutler described Samuel as "a true team player" and an employee with an "upbeat and positive spirit," adding, "Felecia is a hard-working, dedicated employee who is driven to provide excellent customer service."

He said her customer service shines through in the role she plays on behalf of the office's online surplus auction.

"Felecia plays a vital role in handling the public online auction process," Cutler said. "Recently, Felecia was involved in an unusual auction of the surplus sale of the maglev tracks. Felecia's guidance and input through this process resulted in a smooth transition of the proper removal of surplus material that generated revenues that exceeded $80,000 to the university. This was a project that required a great deal of planning and coordination in order to make [it] a success."

Cutler further noted that Samuel recently received praise from an ODU customer for her explanation and guidance regarding the auction process.

"Felecia's interaction and her effective communication with the buyers to coordinate customer pickup times and to help them through the online process is vital to make the program a success," Cutler said. "Once again, Felecia has demonstrated that her customer service skills truly reflect the mission of the university."

The new ODU awards program, which accepts nominations of classified and hourly employees, and administrative and professional faculty, was announced Nov. 4 by President John Broderick and Glenda Humphreys, vice president for human resources.

Each Employee of the Month Award winner receives a framed certificate. Winners also receive a recognition bonus - $175 for classified employee and AP faculty winners, and $250 for hourly employee winners. Classified and AP faculty winners also receive one day of recognition leave. (The cash bonus is higher for hourly employees since they are not eligible to receive recognition leave.)

Any employee may submit a nomination for the monthly award (self-nominations are not accepted). Nominees must be employed at the university for a minimum of 12 months and must be in good standing. (Classified nominees must have a "contributor" or better rating on the most recent performance evaluation; administrative and professional faculty nominees must have a "satisfactory" or better rating on the most recent evaluation; hourly nominees must be performing at a satisfactory level as determined by the supervisor.)

Nominations should be forwarded to the immediate supervisor of the nominee. The immediate supervisor must support the nomination by signing the nomination form. To obtain a form, go to http://www.odu.edu/ao/humanresources/employeeofthemonth.shtml and click on "Nomination Form & Instructions" at the bottom of the page.

Nominations will remain active for six months from date of receipt in the Department of Human Resources.

A selection committee composed of members of various university departments, the Hourly and Classified Employees Association and the Association of University Administrators reviews the nominations and selects the winners each month. Members of the selection committee are appointed by a vice president and serve two-year terms.

The following criteria should be considered in making a nomination:

• An outstanding accomplishment that benefited the department/students.
• Extraordinary service to internal and external customers.
• Inspiring leadership.
• Enthusiasm/energy given to assigned work.
• Teamwork (especially when challenging circumstances present).
• Exemplary efforts to nurture a climate of care, concern and civility.
• Creative innovations to service, process or work tools.