Sample winning Excellence Award nominations (
excerpted
)
UHR-Talent Development, October 2020 1 of 5
2019 Team Award for Efficiency
Center for Gerontology & Healthcare Research,
Brown School of Public Health
Audrey Kydd, Ann Medeiros, Andrea Medeiros, Monique
Robinette, and Nicole York
“This administrative team, led by Audrey Kydd, consists of a core
team of six highly-skilled, long-term tenured professionals who
collaborate seamlessly to manage grants from pre- to post-award.
While based in the Center for Gerontology & Healthcare Research,
these individuals also support the Center for Long-Term Care
Quality & Innovation. And while the total number of team members
has not changed, the number of grants and faculty that they
support continues to increase annually and now reflects $15M in
annual funding supporting 38 researchers -- 250% more funding and 150% more researchers compared to 10
years ago. Last year, the team submitted 78 funding applications; they currently manage 140 active grant
accounts.
Providing high-quality customer service to such a large number of researchers and funders requires incredible
efficiency and attention to detail, as well as superb communication directly with faculty and when liaising with
other offices in the School of Public Health and the University. Importantly, the processes that the team has in
place ensure that internal and external funding agency deadlines are met with complete, accurate, and timely
information. This is in part because the team functions as a cohesive, coordinated group with cross-training
amongst individuals to provide seamless support, even when any one person has a competing deadline or is out
of the office, and systems in place for everything from prompting researchers for needed information ahead of
deadlines to processing invoices.
An outstanding example of the team's efficiency and success is the 2018 submission and 2019 execution of a
U54 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). At $53.4 million, this grant is not only the largest in the
University's history, but it also resulted from an incredibly complex submission that included six working group
cores (each with separate requirements and materials) and 37 subcontracts and consultants. Preparing this
submission required sustained, coordinated effort throughout the summer of 2018, all while continuing to
provide pre- and post-award management and support to numerous other researchers. The submission had no
errors -- almost unheard of when submitting a grant using the NIH submission system -- and ultimately resulted
in the University receiving this award, which will have a transformational effect on pragmatic research to
improve care for people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.”
2019 Team Award for Citizenship & Environmental
Stewardship
(
award now known as Environmental Stewardship
)
Central Heat Plant, Facilities Management
Tom Armstrong, Doug Baxendale, Francis Connell, James
Cosby, Keith Damico, Tom Demanche, Jean-Pierre Fortin,
Alfred Lienczewski, Paul Magan, Americo Maio, Chuck
Manion, Dave Maynard, David Park, John Petrarca
(deceased), and Bill Parrott
“Facilities Management central heat plant staff worked
tirelessly this past year in supporting Brown’s strategic plan toward becoming a net-zero carbon emissions
campus by 2040. Working toward this goal, Tom Demanche and his staff fully supported the efforts of the
Sample winning Excellence Award nominations (
excerpted
)
UHR-Talent Development, October 2020 2 of 5
Thermal Energy Efficiency Project in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions goal of 42 percent reduction
from 2007 levels by 2020. FM staff bought into this project from the very first day it was shared with them and
they were asked for feedback. FM staff have not only been supportive of all the changes, but in many cases
have assisted in the final design and operations of the finished project. Tom and staff attended the various
meetings and walk thru’s during the planning and construction phases and were heavily involved in data
collection and investigative work asked of them. FM staff worked side-by-side with the many consultants,
engineers, and contractors on this project and shared current standard operating procedures and tribal
knowledge to ensure the project was successful. Staff were eager to assist in any way asked.
As a result, this past summer the campus central heating plant was converted from a steam-powered high-
temperature system to high-temperature hot water and will by the end of the project be a medium-temperature
hot water distribution system, thus eliminating all steam distribution. In doing such a project, this has
eliminated the need of nearly 50-year-old inefficient equipment. Initial savings from the project will result in
the reduction of radiant losses and higher plant efficiency at these lower temperatures estimated to save the
University annually over $1 million in utility costs and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5,000 tons per
year. None of this work could have been accomplished in the tight time durations without the expertise and
enthusiasm of facilities management and its stationary engineers, equipment mechanics and technicians.”
2019 Individual Award for Citizenship & Environmental Stewardship
(
award now known as Citizenship
)
Dilania Inoa, Swearer Center for Public Service
“For the past 20 years, Dilania Inoa, ‘99, has quietly led the Swearer Center’s
engagement in elementary schools, most intensively at the William D’Abate School in
Olneyville, where she manages close to 200 Brown undergraduates who serve at the
school each week. D’Abate is a K-5 school with just over 400 children. In 2016-17, 94%
of D’Abate families qualified for free or reduced lunch and 39% received ESL or
bilingual education. Yet, the school’s students typically score at or near the top of the
district on reading and math standardized tests, in part due to Brown’s involvement.
The after-school program at D’Abate is free, open to all students, and enables parents
to stay at work until 5:30. More than 200 D'Abate students in the program receive an afterschool snack, recess,
homework help and academic and social-emotional experiences. Working in teams of three, Brown students
develop creative, interactive and engaging after-school curricula that is aligned to the school day. They provide
groups of no more than 18 D’Abate students with quality programming in math, science, English, social studies,
visual and performing arts, chess, student council, soccer and more.
Dilania makes this all possible. She creates authentic relationships with students and families at D’Abate.
Simultaneously, she builds deep mentoring relationships with Brown student volunteers, preparing them
through multiple trainings to build lesson plans, develop classroom management skills, and understand the
context of public education in Providence. Dilania goes above and beyond, serving on D’Abate’s School
Improvement Team, attending Parent-Teacher Organization meetings, supporting teacher professional
development and more. Last year, Dilania built new connections in Olneyville with a Spanish speaking
community theater organization and One Neighborhood Builders. Beyond D’Abate, Dilania contributes to a
stronger Providence, and has served on the Providence School Board and the RI Commission for National and
Community Service.
Dilania has a natural ability to connect with people and graciously balances many relationships with her
generous, caring, and kind nature, as well as her high standards. She is a trusted advisor to generations of
Brown students. Dilania’s dedication to exceptional programming at D’Abate, combined with her compassion,
have resulted in a highly regarded and valued partnership for the Swearer Center and Brown.
Sample winning Excellence Award nominations (
excerpted
)
UHR-Talent Development, October 2020 3 of 5
Each week,125 Brown students provide free, high quality afterschool programming at D’Abate through a
Swearer Center Community Corps group called BEAM - Brown Elementary Afterschool Mentoring. Another 60
Brown students provide in-class support to teachers through the Swearer Classroom Program.
Dilania is a highly respected link between the University and the Olneyville community. The school's principal
often publicly remarks on the ways that the after-school program supports D’Abate’s academic and attendance
goals. Under Dilania’s mentoring, Brown students gain deep self-awareness and cultural humility and D’Abate
families have the opportunity to thrive.”
2019 Individual Award for Citizenship & Environmental Stewardship
(
award now known as Environmental Stewardship
)
Erin Royal, Facilities Management, Office of Sustainability
“Erin Royal has been with the Office of Sustainability for almost 4 years. In that time,
and particularly in the past year, she has made significant contributions to the Brown
community and beyond. Most notably, Erin has expanded the office’s reach in light of
the significant reorganization and staffing changes over the past year.
Erin, has an unmatched passion for enhancing community engagement and
stewardship related to sustainability. She endlessly develops, researches, pilots,
recommends, and implements new and innovative ways to reduce and divert waste,
build an inclusive and diverse sustainability community, provide forums for learning, and improving waste-
related infrastructure on campus to align with Brown’s sustainability and diversity and inclusion goals. Her
colleagues and ~14 interns highly endorse she receive an excellence award.
“….. She has been excellent at motivating students to produce valuable work for Dining Services and her
willingness to collaborate and help in any way has always floored me…” – Jessie Curran, Assistant Director of
Wellness & Nutrition
“I truly enjoy working alongside Erin as we work towards several initiatives to improve our Campus. Her
dedication to completing projects is infectious and genuine as she truly believes the programs will make a
difference, and not just doing it to "check off the box" – Donna Butler, Director, Custodial Services
“As a faculty member, Erin has been an incredible resource as a go-to for any student inquiry about
sustainability at Brown. Not only does Erin take the time to talk with curious students, she is also always open
to their ideas and requests to get further involved. From helping students find data for their class projects to
graciously responding to the 50th student who has emailed her about why Andrews Hall uses disposable food
containers, Erin is an invaluable asset to our sustainability community at Brown."
-Dawn King, Faculty Fellow/Senior Lecturer, Director of Undergraduate Studies - Environmental Studies and
Sciences Institute at Brown for Environment and Society”
Sample winning Excellence Award nominations (
excerpted
)
UHR-Talent Development, October 2020 4 of 5
2019 Individual Award for Leadership
Jamie Tyrol, Theatre Arts and Performance Studies
“Jamie is the leader I strive to be. As Department Manager, she leads a team in Theatre
Arts and Performance Studies (TAPS) and does a phenomenal job of that. I’m not
writing, however, to sing the praises of her department management skills, but rather
her drive and ability to inspire her peers.
In the short time she has been at Brown, Jamie has done more for the University than
many of us have done in a decade. In this crazy year, Jamie has taken on projects large
and small to try to increase efficiency, build community, and make sense of the
changing data that is flowing to us every day.
Jamie, with her great work ethic and keen mind, is often chosen to be part of pilot
projects. Even though that means more work for her, she takes them on with full gusto to assist other
departments. Most recently she was tapped to pilot the new budgeting request process, tasked with looking
back at actual spending and predicting a huge array of activities, hiring, and spending for the next three years.
She also generously alerted me to areas that might be more difficult and suggested solutions, saving me
precious time and energy.
The value of having Jamie as a trusted, knowledgeable colleague is immeasurable. Through phone calls and
emails, she’s helped me work out problems, follow correct procedures, and think through very complicated
problems. I would be lost without her generous, funny, and kind presence on campus. I dare say that there are
many other departments that would be almost as lost without her to turn to as well. I would love to reward her
for those qualities that help us succeed behind the scenes.”
2019 Team Award for Service
Office of Institutional Research
Karen Baptist, Kimberly Buxton, Margot Saurette,
Mary Heather Smith
“During 2018-2019 Brown participated in two major campus-wide surveys
sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIED)
and the Office of the President: The Campus Climate survey,
administered to all students, faculty and staff, and the AAU Survey on
Sexual Assault and Misconduct, administered to students at Brown and
27 other institutions. The data gathered from these efforts are essential
components of work to assess and improve the climate at Brown, and staff in the Office of Institutional
Research played a critical role to their success.
In the fall of 2018, OIR collaborated with OIED in developing and testing the Campus Climate survey instrument
and helping to coordinate administrative elements such as timing, communications and data collection; this
involved working through multiple iterations in a tight timeframe. The survey was administered to students in
November and to faculty and staff in January and February 2019. Even as the administration of the Campus
Climate wound down, work on the AAU survey had already begun. OIR served as the technical partner to OIED
for this survey.
It is impossible to overstate the contributions that members of the OIR team made to the success of both of
these surveys, and the dedication, care, and good cheer they demonstrated throughout. Despite a challenging
Sample winning Excellence Award nominations (
excerpted
)
UHR-Talent Development, October 2020 5 of 5
workload, they worked tirelessly and to a high standard of excellence. They also worked very effectively as a
team, taking the lead on different tasks at different times and helping one another as needed.
While the data analysis is ongoing, the results of these surveys have already provided important information to
the community about the climate of Brown, permitting us to identify areas of strength and where improvement
is needed. It is difficult to provide precise quantitative measures of the importance of this work, which touches
virtually every constituency on campus and is an integral part of efforts to ensure that Brown is a supportive and
inclusive community. Results from the surveys inform policies and programming toward that end.
The Office of Institutional Research has played a key role in the successful administration, analysis and in the
distribution of results of these important surveys. This has been time-consuming and highly precise work, often
under tight deadlines. It has moreover been completed in addition to the annual cycle of work required of the
office and with the dedication and professionalism that is characteristic of the OIR team. Karen, Mary Heather,
Kim, and Margot do not ask for public recognition of their accomplishments but rather take pride in doing their
jobs well. I hope in this case they receive the public recognition they deserve.”
