The 22nd Annual Spotlighting Our Success Awards

On May 12, 2017 SBVC hosted the 22nd Annual Spotlighting Our Success Awards, an awards ceremony that celebrates our hardworking and dedicated staff and faculty. Ed Szumski and Lisa Hepburn-Stroud were the MCs.

The night began with the Academic Rank Recognitions. Tarif Halabi, Rania Hamdy, Jamie Herrera, Dr. Riase Jakpor, Dr. Melissa King, Kenneth Lawler and Berchman Melancon were recognized for receiving tenure. Dr. Amy Avelar and Yvonne Beebe advanced in academic rank to Assistant Professors, while Dr. Reginald Metu and Romana Pires advanced to full Professors.

The Achievement Awards followed, with nominees from the divisions of Applied Technology, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Student Services and Administrative Services.

The nominees for the Applied Technology Achievement Award were:

-  Mark Williams; Instructor, Automotive Technology

Mr. Mark Williams is a hard-working and an honest employee who takes his work very seriously. His perseverance is amazing and he is a source of inspiration for other employees who want to get the best out of their job duties. On many occasions, he has worked overtimes and completed work in the stipulated time period. Despite the overwhelming amount of work that everyone has to do, Mark consistently finds ways to help his coworkers and the training departments on the other side of the campus. His willingness to assist and dedicate others in unequaled. Mark is thorough in his teaching skills and provides great detail about the subject matter, and he consistently follows through to ensure understanding by not just his students, but by the other team members who might have to field questions about the subject. He is quick to respond to requests for additional information by other team members and is thorough in ensuring all loose ends are completed.

 

-  Albert Maniaol; Dean, Applied Technology, Transportation & Culinary Arts

Mr. Albert Maniaol has been a tremendous dean of the Applied Technology Division and the most dependable team player. His great judgment ensures a logical and practical approach to all his endeavors. On campus, he brings enthusiasm, compassion, understanding and great customer service to his fellow employees and students. He has proven to be a clear and attentive person who is able to effectively develop plans and put them into practice. Because of his determination, unwavering professionalism and great commitment, Mr. Albert Maniaol deserves thoughtful consideration as a potential candidate and I recommend him highly for our division’s Achievement Award.

 The nominee for the Arts & Humanities Achievement Award was:

- Davena Burns-Peters; Instructor, American Sign Language

Davena provides a wealth of ASL information and instruction linguistically and culturally. She creates an engaging classroom environment. Davena teaches all levels and formats of ASL. She works with her Supplemental Instruction Leader, ensuring students benefit from practice and skill building. She creates opportunities for students, faculty and staff to immerse themselves in ASL culture. She serves as ASL Club advisor assisting in fundraising, Deaf Awareness Week, and Deaf History Month. Through her participation on the Arts, Lectures and Diversity Committee, the campus community has benefited from performers Davena has aided in coming to campus. Among the ASL presenters who have been to SBVC (thanks to Davena) are Peter Cook, Patrick Fisher, John Maucere, CJ Jones, and Trix Bruce. Events have been well attended and often standing room only. She ensures the events are well-attended by actively promoting them. She hosts the campus ASL Game Night. These events are also very well-attended and fun for students to engage in the language and culture. Davena is involved in the first stage of the early alert system Starfish as one of the faculty leads and pilot users. She is an active member of the Academic Senate. She presents at local, regional, statewide and national interpretation and ASL conferences. Davena is the founder and co-host of the ASL Collaboration Conference. All ASL Course Outlines, SLO’s and Assessments are up to date thanks to Davena.

 The nominee for the Social Sciences Achievement Award was:

-  Mark Wall; Men’s Equipment Specialist, Physical Education/Athletics

Mark Wall truly goes the extra mile in his work on a daily basis, often above and beyond his duties to provide the best possible game experience for our student athletes.

Although Mark works super hard for the Athletics program, you will never hear him complain about anything—ever!  He has a very good relationship with our student athletes, so much so that they refer to him as “Uncle Mark.”

As our Men’s Equipment Specialist, his job entails setting up a lot of equipment prior to games, setting up pop-up tents, preparing water, and ensuring that our student athletes are always supplied with everything they need to be successful on the field.

The nominee for the Science Achievement Award:

-  Carol Wells; Associate Dean of Nursing

We are nominating Carol Wells, Associate Dean and Nursing Director, for the 2017 Achievement Award for the Science Division. Carol’s insight and dedication have helped her guide the program to higher levels of student success and to compliance with accreditation body’s standards. She applied for and manages the Nursing Enrollment Grant, which provides funds to help students with individualized testing for each course and with a review for the national Exam, the NCLEX. Additionally, a summer program, the Nursing Success Academy, provides a review of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and nursing skills, which helps students integrate and connect prerequisite knowledge with nursing content. Carol initiated an improved practice of remediating students who struggle in the nursing program. Instead of having the student drop out for a semester, there is a structured plan of work followed up by meeting with counselors and the Assistant Director or with Carol. Carol wrote the required accreditation documents for the recent visit by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). She organized the details and requirements for the site visit. Carol has worked with both accrediting agencies, ACEN and the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), to make sure our Nursing Program meets or exceeds their standards. Carlo has been an industrious and motivated leader and we are happy to nominate her for our division’s 2017 Achievement Award.

The nominees for the Student Services Achievement Award were:

-  Jamie Herrera; Counselor, Counseling and Matriculation

It is with great pleasure that I nominate Jamie Herrera. I have known her for almost three years, as a colleague and as a friend. When I first started working for San Bernardino Valley College, she welcomed me with open arms; always willing to guide and support me, which she continues to do. She strives to make Student Services top priority, as you can see from her excellent job of putting on the High Counselor Conference every year, being a chaperone for HACU Conference coming up in October, always willing to be supportive to her colleagues, and so much more. In addition, she continues to take Professional Development courses, as well as attending conferences to make herself more knowledgeable. I believe she has demonstrated significant achievement in the accomplishment of her daily duties, as students would attest to, as well.

-  Rosemary Chavez; Senior Student Services Technician, EOPS/CARE

I am grateful to nominate Rosemary Chavez for an Achievement Award in the Student Services Division. I have had the privilege of working with Rosemary for over the past ten years and I can say her qualities of excellent work ethics, determination, and helpfulness are a big plus to the EOPS/CARE Department. Her knowledge and guidance on the Valley College campus is extremely valuable to the Student Services Division.

She has always maintained a very positive and friendly attitude towards all students, faculty, and stuff. Rosemary has the ability to make students feel calm and get the correct information they need. She is a lovable person to be around, hardworking, and always cheerful.

 

 

- Treesa Oliver; Senior Student Services Technician, EOPS/CARE

Treesa is clearly an outstanding Senior Student Service Technician. For over the past ten years I have known her, she has always demonstrated world-class customer service to students, faculty and staff. Her technical abilities and leadership in this area of expertise are a valuable asset to EOPS/CARE Department. When we need reports from Ellucian Colleague UI, Treesa is always eager and supportive to accommodate the task at hand. Treesa makes us laugh and keeps a positive vibe in our office. Working diligently on projects and ability to help students with patience is a wonderful character trait she has. Treesa is always ready to work as a team player and willing to assist at any moment. During our book voucher disbursement, Treesa maintains great patience and a positive outlook in attending to everyone, especially during our busiest time with many students in the lobby. Valley College benefits from Treesa L. Sabato’s (Oliver) talents and leadership.

-  Debbie Orozco; Counselor, Counseling & Matriculation

I nominate Debbie Orozco for always being a team player and always willing to help our students! Debbie goes the extra mile to make sure our department is running smoothly.

The nominees for the Administrative Services Achievement Award were:

-  Bridget Candelaria; Secretary II, Office of Instruction

She is kind, thoughtful, trusting, genuine, loving, considerate, giving gentle, concerned, gracious, courteous and good. Bridget is everything we all should strive to be. She gives without being asked and strives to do her best. She makes friends, and keeps them due to her ever-existent character traits.

-  Kay Dee Yarbrough; Secretary II, Office of Instruction

Kay Dee goes above and beyond each day to keep the Office of Instruction running smoothly. She is a pleasure to work with, and is always ready to step up and help. She works very hard on the Curriculum Committee, and effortlessly explains college processes related to her area.

 

 

 

For the first year ever, there was a ‘RateMyProfessors’ Award, which was awarded to Mathematics Instructor, David Smith, for having an overall score of 5.0/5.0 on the RateMyProfessors.com website.

The Honored Retiree Award went to:

-  Mark Ikeda; Retired Instructor, Biology

Mark Ikeda is Professor Emeritus of Biology and has been part of the SBVC community for more than 25 years. Luckily for our College, he continues to dedicate his valuable experience as a teacher, biologist, researcher, and mentor for our students and faculty.

Since his retirement in July 2014, he has committed his time in supporting the update of a strikingly large (at least 1300 specimens) and irreplaceable botanical collection and mollusk collection. These collections contain specimens that date back to the 1920s and for which some already have gone extinct on recent years. In this aspect, Mark’s role has been to construct a digital database to act as a repository of knowledge on each specimen’s biology, taxonomy, site and unique characteristics observed at time collection. This knowledge serves as a historical record, but most significantly it aids outreach resources, and creating partnerships with research organizations across California. The latter will represent opportunities for our students and faculty to make advancements in biodiversity inventories and conservation biology.

Mark continues to share his pedagogical insights and philosophies with students-in-training and junior faculty members. Mark has for the past year cultivated a sense of curiosity and has helped with developing skills unique to studies in biology. Every meeting he has with students is a discovery session! Furthermore, Mark has also created a respectful space to grow and empower junior faculty. On behalf of the Biology Department and the Science Division, I nominate Mark Ikeda for Honored Retiree. His long-term commitment has strengthened our College’s mission.

The nominees for the Innovator of the Year Award were:

-  David Stevenson; Laboratory Technician Chemistry

Dave is an innovator in everything he does. When he first joined the SBVC family, his innovative thinking led to several new and improved processes. Today, thanks to Dave’s drive to improve, our stockroom is a well-oiled machine. He has spearheaded efforts to develop a robust student assistant program that gives opportunities to chemistry students who can use the experience to improve their lab skills and resumes as well as learn valuable life skills.

In addition to this, Dave has volunteered to be the advisor to the Veterans Club for the last two years and has helped develop and carry out several fundraising efforts for the club. This year, he is organizing social activities geared towards veterans and working closer with the veterans we have on campus. His unique qualifications make him an invaluable resource on campus and the perfect candidate for Innovator of the Year.

-  Albert Maniaol; Dean, Applied Technology, Transportation & Culinary Arts

As the Dean in Applied Technology Division, Mr. Maniaol is always willing to work with faculty who have ideas to offer and are ready to roll up their sleeves. This makes him a true innovator that will lead our campus to compete globally.

 

 

 

The nominees for District Employee of the Year were:

-  Maria Gates; Safety & Risk Management Specialist, SBCCD

Maria Gates has worked tirelessly to improve safety and risk management activities throughout the district. She is committed to ensuring all employees of SBVC have the training and skills needed to perform their duties in a safe manner and that our district maintains the highest safety and risk management standards.

 -  Jose Plasencia; Police Officer, SBCCD Police

Officer Jose Plasencia is a great example of a police officer who cares for his community and what we need more in district. He goes above and beyond to help and assist students and the public and he is open to any questions from the public. He attends campus events and interacts with students in a positive manner. He shows great leadership skills with the ability to influence people and he is a hard worker. He finds time to further his education regardless of his six to seven-day work week and recently received his Master’s Degree from the University of Redlands. He represents the majority of our student body population as someone who was born from to immigrant parents. Jose Plasencia contributes both his service and dedication to the police department and the college district.

-  Jason Brady; Web Developer, TESS

Jason goes above and beyond in providing technical support to the college. He is very knowledgeable, and he displays incredible patience with the endless questions that come his way. Jason is always willing to work through technical glitches and uses his knowledge to suggest solutions. Jason has been enormously helpful with helping Valley and Crafton implement new scholarship software. Jason was on the help calls, helping us iron out the bugs that come with any new system. He often took care of details that could have been big roadblocks for us, without looking for extra recognition or even understanding on our part.

He just knew it would help. He has also been very helpful with OU Campus, helping us to keep our webpages current. We appreciate his professionalism, knowledge, and willingness to provide expert help!

-   Dyann Walter; User Liaison, TESS

Whether you are classified, faculty or manager, you have been trained and/or assisted by DyAnn Walter in some manner. Whether it is training in Colleague, EIS, or Informer, she is the first to help you navigate and become successful in the task at hand. DyAnn tends to stay in the background, providing input behind the scenes. Unbeknownst to many, she has assisted in building the foundation and processes for many of our databases and programs (Colleague, Informer, WebAdvisor, Campus Central, EIS, R25). Not only is DyAnn a team player, she is an advocate for classified employees across the District and attends many meetings as a representative. She has touched the lives of many people, district-wide. To honor DyAnn with the District Employee of the Year would not only be a well-deserved distinction, it would acknowledge her diligence to do the best she possibly can for the betterment of the students.    

The nominees for Manager of the Year:

- Dr. Susan Bangasser; Dean, Science

Dr. Susan Bangasser is an outstanding individual and manager. Her dedication to the college is evident. She has served in various areas throughout her tenure and has provided valuable insight. Throughout her many years here at SBVC, she has always put students first.

Even in times of economic downturns, she has sought ways to maintain support for students. She ensures the programs in the division are high-quality and always provides the support needed. She is collegial and consults the areas that would directly be impacted by changes. Under her leadership, the areas of nursing, allied health, sciences and the Big Bear Program have flourished.

- Rick Hrdlicka; Director, Campus Technology Services

Rick’s management skills have been instrumental in the transformation of the Campus Technology Services Department, which has undergone a major shift in personnel during the last twelve months. His knowledge and understanding of the needs of the Valley College campus has created an environment of cohesiveness amongst his staff during the retirements of two long-term employees of the campus’s technology support structure. His clear understanding of the needs of the Campus along with his grasp of emerging technologies, coupled with skillful implementation strategies, serves the district in its goal of providing an outstanding learning experience using current technologies.

-  Albert Maniaol; Dean, Applied Technology, Transportation & Culinary Arts

Mr. Albert Maniaol has the determination, intellect, and charisma to distinguish himself as an indispensable asset in any setting.

He is an upstanding human being who leads San Bernardino Valley College’s instructional units with passion, integrity and pride and makes excellent contributions to every aspect of each department.

-  Mark Merjil; Director, Child Development Center

Mr. Merjil always has a positive attitude and is so full of energy.

He always has an open-door policy and makes all of his staff feel very comfortable at all times.

The nominees for the Excellence Award were:

 

 

-  Patricia Valenzuela; Student Services Technician II, CalWORKs & Workforce Development

Patricia Valenzuela is a very devoted employee who displays the willingness to learn and grow. She is always ready to step up to implement ideas that are beneficial to the students, her department and the campus. Patricia takes the initiative to ensure all students receive the supportive services they deserve.

She reaches out to students on a regular basis to provide updates and guidance. If she is unable to assist the student with a request, she will seek out the resource, never leaving the student without support. She is open to taking on challenging tasks and is very dependable. Her passion for assisting students to reach their educational and career goal is notable. Patricia has unique talents and is ambitious, which makes her a vital part of department’s team. She demonstrates that she is very worthy of this award.

-  Janice Wilkins; Articulation Officer, Counseling & Matriculation

Janice joined SBVC approximately two years ago. Upon her arrival, she immediately immersed herself in getting to know our processes and practices, thoroughly reading through our catalog, attending full Curriculum meetings and joining the Technical Review Committee.

Janice’s knowledge and expertise are a huge advantage to not only the Counseling area, but to SBVC as a whole. She is a team player, always brings forth positive dialog and brings the best out of those she works with. Janice makes herself available to faculty and staff but always puts the needs of our students before all others.

To honor Janice with the Excellence Award would not only be a well-deserved distinction, it would acknowledge her diligence to do the best she possible can for the betterment of our students and our college.

-  Sharen Chavira; Administrative Secretary, Applied Technology, Transportation & Culinary Arts

She deserves to have one with all her unselfish and unnoticed hard work to make our division run smoothly!

-  John Feist; Technology Support Specialist II, Campus Technology Services

John has already received Classified Employee of the Year and Outstanding Service Awards for his dedication to SBVC. He continues to strive for excellence in everything he does. On top of his regular assignments, he has trained several student workers in computer support and maintenance. Over the last year, two of those students were hired for a local copier and printer support company. John is continually on task and busy helping anyone that needs it. He is involved in shared governance. Serving on the Technology and Classified Senate Committees. John also serves on District Assembly. Excellence is what John Feist strives for.

-  Joe Notarangelo; Instructor, English

Joe recently stepped into the role of DE Coordinator during a time when the campus is going through a major LMS transition. He has done an excellent job managing our extensive DE course offerings, making sure that things are up to regulation, and helping set standards for online teaching.

               

The nominees for Outstanding Service Award were:

-  Chris Clarke; Planetarium Specialist, Astronomy/Physics

We nominate Chris Clark for his tireless work to improve the college experience, his achievement in his role as “guide to the stars,” and his enduring commitment to this college. His enthusiasm and knowledge of astronomy touches over 4,000 community members each year. On clear evenings, after a planetarium show, he opens SBVC’s historic N.A. Richardson Observatory and telescope, and participants can view the moon, planets, nebulas, or galaxies. Chris presents astronomy shows to children from over 40 local schools each year, and shares his enthusiasm for astronomy during campus outreach events such as Science and Technology Day. Chris provides an educational opportunity on the college campus for the community we serve. For over thirty years, he has orchestrated planetarium programs that have reached community members than most outreach programs. Through his efforts, over 60,000 visitors have visited our campus to see planetarium shows.

-  Bonnie Cruz; Secretary II, CalWORKS & Workforce Development

Bonnie Cruz is an upstanding employee who has brought skill, knowledge and great attributes to the department as well as the campus. Her non/confrontational disposition maker her very approachable. When conflict arises she always looks for the best method to resolve the issue. She is a resilient team player you can always count on and she always puts in more than her share of the work. Her compassionate and sincere personality gives her the capability to communicate and work pleasantly with employees, students and community members; which translates into outstanding customer service. Bonnie always finds the time to help employees, students and the community in any capacity. She recently extended herself to serve as the secretary on the Inland Empire Job Corps Business Liaison committee. She gracefully goes above and beyond to ensure she meets the needs of everyone. Demonstrating these qualities has made positive impacts on those she engages with. I highly recommend Bonnie Cruz for the excellence award.

- Ernest Guillen; Technical Support Assistant II, Library & Learning Support Services

He is the best thing that has happened to the Arts and Lecture program! He works hard and stays late and is doing a great job. Ernie is very artistic alongside his regular job at the Library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Raina Okray; Clerical Assistant II, Counseling & Matriculation

It is with great pleasure that I nominate Raina Okray for the Outstanding Service Award. Raina serves as the face of the Counseling Department, greeting students in a friendly and professional manner. Her organizational skills are superb, as she maintains general and personal calendars, delivers time-sensitive correspondence, and a variety of general functions that holds our department together. Raina goes above and beyond for anyone on this campus, not just the department she works for. For most of this year she had to move to a different department to fill-in until the position was filled, yet she is still down in the Counseling Department helping out the needs of everyone, including SBVC students.

- Sandy Karge; Lead Teacher, Child Development Center

I nominate Mrs. Sandy because she is an unselfish employee who is dedicated to her job and always goes above and beyond her job description. She is kind and caring and just fun to be around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Robert Jenkins; Director, Maintenance & Operations

Bob Jenkins goes above and beyond to provide better service to students, colleagues, and the campus. Bob has the amazing ability to handle multiple crises as they evolve, listen attentively, problem solve and yet maintain a sense of humor. We appreciate the fact that despite the amount of responsibilities and projects in his daily routine, he does not neglect requests from the campus. He is willing to help out wherever and whenever needed. He is a hands-on manager, as demonstrated during the college’s 90th anniversary gala. Bob pitched in as needed to get the new gym floors covered with protective tiles.

Bob’s attitude is consistently positive and supportive even when the number of tasks seems overwhelming. Bob is an outstanding example of service, congeniality, and excellence. We are proud to nominate him for the Outstanding Service Award.

 

- Anita Hernandez; Job Developer, CalWORKS & Workforce Development

Ms. Anita Hernandez makes a difference in the lives of SBVC students!

She promotes and develops employment and on-the-job training opportunities for our CalWORKs students. She coordinates with SBVC departments who may need students to work and receive the experience. She also works with outside organizations and helps create jobs opportunity for student candidates that are looking to work off campus.

Ms. Anita also diligently works with the Department of Rehabilitation. Part of her job is to help with employment of disabled individuals that would like the opportunity to work. These clients come with a variety of disabilities and are very eager to be a part of the work force. Ms. Anita takes the extra time with the help of a special team to place these individuals based off their needs.     

The nominees for Outstanding Professors were:

- Dr. Sheri Lillard; Instructor, Chemistry

We are happy to nominate Dr. Sheri Lillard for Outstanding Professor. Dr. Lillard was hired in August 2007 as a full-time tenure track faculty member in the Chemistry Department. Dr. Lillard earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Iowa State University and worked full-time at both UC-Riverside and CSU-Northridge before deciding to commit the rest of her career to the promise and practice of the student-focused community college system.

She has been very effective as a teacher and provided service to students. She has an animated and hands-on teaching approach which has been very engaging and effective for the rigor of the courses she teaches. She eagerly participated as faculty advisor to students involved in research projects funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Water District. She volunteered her time to mentor and supervise their projects. She has also mentored student’s projects in her honors class.

She even chaperoned a group of students who presented their research at a national American Chemical Society meeting.

Dr. Lillard has been an invaluable asset to the department since she was hired. She developed the laboratory experience for Quantitative Chemical Analysis, Chem205, from scratch. The course had never been offered and serves transfer students who wish to pursue forensic science, chemistry, or molecular biology. She wrote the laboratory text so that we can provide it to students, free of charge; this is a large savings for students from our community that are often low-income students for whom the cost of textbooks, particularly science texts, is a substantial barrier. She has also greatly contributed to the departmental revision of the laboratory manual for General Chemistry II, Chem 151, and Introductory Chemistry, Chem101.

Dr. Lillard took the lead on the coordination of departmental student learning outcomes analysis for the over 500 students enrolled in Introductory Chemistry each semester. The detailed analysis of student performance on a per SLO basis was instrumental in departmental meetings with full and part-time faculty as we worked to evaluate student learning and revise teaching strategies where appropriate. Without Dr. Lillard’s efforts, the department would continue to struggle with data analysis which is required for an informed discussion.

- Davena Burns-Peters; Instructor, American Sign Language

I am pleased to nominate Davena Burns-Peters for the 2017 Outstanding Professor of the Year award. I highly encourage my colleagues to vote for Davena as she has proven in many ways to be an outstanding colleague. Davena is our full-time American Sign Language faculty in the department of Modern Languages. She has enthusiastically accepted the many duties required of her position, even filling a large void in the department when we lost Professor Reins. Davena has risen to the challenge by providing our students with a wealth of ASL information and instruction both linguistically and culturally. I know first-hand she is a passionate and insistent teacher. As a peer evaluator, I observed Davena teach new vocabulary to her students and was impressed by the level of participation in her classes and the students’ ability to engage one another in the target language without using their voices. Davena creates an environment conductive to communication, which allows for student engagement.

Davena provides service to students in many ways. She teaches all levels of ASL including hybrid and online classes. Davena’s office door is open for students to come and seek assistance. She utilizes many techniques of instruction, including technology, visual aids, total physical response, and immersion to provide practice for her students and to make her lessons clear.

Davena also works closely with her Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader to ensure students also benefit from more practice and skill building in ASL. Davena not only provides quality language instruction, but she also has created many opportunities for students, faculty and staff to immerse themselves in the ASL culture outside of class. She serves as the campus ASL Club advisor. She assists students in their fundraising activities and also with special events such as Deaf Awareness Week and Dead History Month. Furthermore, through Davena’s active participation on the Arts, Lectures and Diversity Committee, both the campus and community have benefited from the many performers and presenters Davena has aided in coming to our campus. Among some of the high profile ASL presenters who have been to our campus, thanks to Davena’s connections are Peter Cook, Patrick Fisher, John Maucere, CJ Jones and this spring, Trix Bruce. All of these events have been well attended and often standing room only. Davena not only gets the presenters to our campus, but she also ensures the events as well attended by actively promoting them.      

The nominees for Classified Employees of the Year were:

- Grayling Eation; Custodian, Custodial

From the moment he assumed the role of our CSEA Chapter President, Gray has worked hard and diligently for all classifies. With the backing of the constitution and our Labor Representatives, Gray has lead the chapter in our fight to ensure the District respects and follows our Collective Bargaining Agreement. The fight has been hard and progress is slow, but Gray’s persistence and strength is driving our chapter forward. Gray’s fearlessness, intelligence and consistency have benefitted our campus for nearly a decade. He is always questioning the way things are done and works to improve. In his position as a custodian, he is a professional who takes pride in his work and helps his coworkers plan and organize. As Chapter President, his strength and leadership gives the E-Board confidence and direction.

 

- Rosemary Chavez; Senior Student Services Technician, EOPS/CARE

She always goes above and beyond for the students here on campus. With our CARE students, who are single parents on AFDC, when they come to her with a problem, she goes out of her way to help them by either talking to them or maybe looking for resources in the community that might help them. She is team player when it comes to her department. Always have a smile and encouraging words for the staff and students.

 

- Larry Laughlin; Maintenance Technician-Carpenter, Maintenance & Operations

Larry is a master of his trade. He has helped us greatly in repairing our anatomy and physiology models. He built framing for models so that we can display the models on the laboratory wall. These are just a few examples of the many things he has helped us with.

Larry is conscientious of his work and the quality of his workmanship shows that he takes pride in his work. He is always willing to help and he gives great ideas to solving problems. He is one of the hardest workers on campus, is humble, and he has a great personality. We are very lucky to have him.

- Chris Clarke; Planetarium Specialist, Astronomy/Physics

When you go out on a clear night and look up at the stars, remember that, for the past many years, we at SBVC have had our guide to the stars, Mr. Chris Clarke. We are nominating Chris for the Classified Employee of the Year Award for his tireless work to improve the college experience, his achievement in his role as “guide to the stars,” and his enduring commitment to the college. Chris Clarke’s enthusiasm and knowledge of astronomy have touched around 3000-4000 community members during each academic year. Interest in the public shows which Chris presents in the Planetarium has increased these past few years with the seating always filled to capacity. On clear evenings, after a public show, Chris opens up SBVC’s historic N.A. Richardson Observatory which houses a large telescope, and all participants have the opportunity to view the moon, planets, exotic nebulas, or galaxies.

- Maria Gonzalez; Secretary II, Transfer & Career Services

Maria is to be commended for her full-time dedication to San Bernardino Valley College!

- Joseph Nguyen; SSP Coordinator, Counseling & Matriculation

Joseph is a member of the newly created SSSP Coordinator team. He has been responsible for planning activities such as New Student Welcome Day, a Student Success Newsletter, workshops, and a host of other activities that seek to improve student success on campus. He has a lot of energy and positive attitude that attracts students to success.

- Raina Okray; Clerical Assistant II, Counseling & Matriculation

Raina serves as the face of the counseling department, greeting students in a friendly and professional manner. Her organizational skills are superb, as she maintains general and personal calendars, delivers time-sensitive correspondence, and a variety of general functions that holds our department together. Raina goes above and beyond for anyone on this campus, not just the department she works for!

 

- Maria Trujillo; Financial Aid Coordinator, Financial Aid

Many times over the years Maria Trujillo has put student’s needs over her own; she’s stayed late when the financial aid process to transmit to/from the Dept of Education has had issues; she’s scheduled her vacation time around main disbursements so she could be available to make sure they went through smoothly for the student; she’s even come in on her time-off to resolve disbursement issues. Countless hours have been spent reviewing, altering, and monitoring the disbursements and processes to ensure students receive their federal student aid. Maria is a consummate professional, responding not only to student needs, but to her colleagues, as well, in a timely, friendly, and professional manner. She is quick to smile, and quick to respond to the needs of the SBVC financial aid students and staff. Maria is very deserving of recognition for all the years of dedicated service she gives so gracefully to our students and staff.

- Christopher Williams; SSSP Coordinator, Transfer & Career Services

Chris is a member of the newly created SSSP Coordinator team. He has been responsible for planning activities such as New Student Welcome Day, a Student Success Newsletter, workshops, and a host of other activities that seek to improve student success on campus. Many of the projects that Chris works on did not exist prior to his arrival on campus. Positive, energetic, approachable, easy going, team player, student centered always willing to help, always willing to learn, a good listener, and a host of other things that make him a valuable member of the SBVC team.

- Kay Dee Yarbrough; Secretary II, Office of Instruction

Kay Dee is an exceptional employee! She is always courteous and kind, and goes above and beyond to ensure that any task she is given is done with the utmost accuracy! She follows up and gives consistent updates on her projects, and works well with all levels of management, classified, faculty and students. Kay Dee is an integral part of the instruction office, and we would be lost without her hard work and dedication.

Kay Dee truly cares about the work she puts out. She has a dedication to help students, and her co-workers. She also has a drive to further her education and continue to move upward with SBVC and continue to make an impactful contribution.

Kay Dee is a key employee in the Office of Instruction. One of her primary responsibilities includes documenting the extensive work of the Curriculum Committee (technical and full). She has streamlined many of the processes to make them more efficient, which explains why her technical capabilities are exemplary. She is currently responsible for SBVC’s Curriculum Update project that is submitted to the State Chancellor’s Office. This continuous project has been successful due to her diligence and strong collaboration with faculty.

Kay Dee’s relentless work ethic is a breath of fresh air for SBVC. She is always willing to lend a hand and help out faculty without hesitation. Her passion and drive for the work that she does is demonstrated daily. She is more than deserving to receive the 2017 Classified Employee of the Year.

It is my honor to nominate Kay Dee Yarbrough, Secretary II, Office of Instruction. Kay Dee began her service in the Office of Instruction in April 2014 and gave our office a nice, needed face lift. She took the challenge of updating antiquated forms and directives and added pride and professionalism.

Kay Dee’s main objective in our office of curriculum. Again, she has brought much needed energy and organization to the Technical Review and full Curriculum Committees. In addition to her curriculum focus, Kay Dee has always been eager to assist in most aspects within the office when called upon, such as budget, faculty and manager evaluations, board items and catalog production. Just in this past year, she was an integral part in the academic programs cleanup, which evolved into a necessary committee the Catalog Committee. Had it not been Kay Dee’s persistence and follow-up with the State Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento, the process would have taken a lot longer.

- Jessica James- Greenwell; Traffic Coordinator, KVCR

Without ever having the chance to meet her, many of the students at San Bernardino Valley College have heard the voice of Jessica Greenwell. She provides recorded voice messages for the phone messaging system of the Valley College Financial Aid Office. Also, on an ongoing basis, she provides voice messaging for the Valley College Bookstore. Jessica is the Traffic Coordinator at KVCR Television, and as you may have guessed, her voice is used in and around KVCR Television programming along with corporate and foundation support messages for 91.9 KVCR News Radio and KVCR-TV. From time to time Jessica has also been known to give really good tours of the KVCR facilities. She also works with San Bernardino Valley College students who come through the station as interns preparing for careers in TV and radio through the Radio, Television, Video and Film Program led by SBVC’s Dr. Diane Dusick.

Being the Team Parent for her son’s baseball teams was an easy first step when they started playing baseball. Jessica is always willing to pitch in. She was soon on the local Little League Board in her Riverside community, helping to organize and run the operation. Intelligent, open minded and clever, Jessica is a problem solver and tends to be that person folks gravitate to when they need answers. This happens a lot around the baseball fields where most of the people doing the work are parent volunteers. This is why, when called upon to update informational voice mail messages on campus, Jessica was a willing participant and is happy to continue being of service on the SBVC campus.

Jessica Greenwell is always upbeat, is a joy to work with and always makers herself available to help someone in need, whether it is at the KVCR Stations, here on campus, in her family or somewhere in her community. She is an inspiring person and a great candidate for Classified Employee of the Year.             

Our 2017 retirees were also celebrated: Planetarium Specialist Chris Clarke, Dean of Science Dr. Susan Bangasser, Psychiatric Technology Instructor Dennis Jackson, Food Service Worker Hai Hanh Nguyen, Food Service Worker Linda Luna, and College Nurse Andee Alsip.