When staff entered the Academic Building’s Special Events Center on November 30 for the 2022 Staff Awards Ceremony, they were mesmerized by the transformation of the space into an elegant affair worthy of any TV awards show. The room was cast in dark blue with tiny white lights descending from the ceiling, giving the illusion of a magical, star-filled sky. Hosted by UHD Employment Services & Operations and titled “Downtown Treasures,” the event featured more than 30 door prizes from UHD partners as well as local community members.

“Our annual staff awards ceremony is really just a way to shine a spotlight on how UHD’s caring culture is evident in every department across our University,” said President Loren J. Blanchard. “Through the care shown for one another and especially in their support of our students, the UHD staff epitomizes excellence in service that is second to none.”

“There is no secret in that we (Staff Council Executive Board) are aiming for Staff Excellence,” said Tremaine Kwasikpui, Director of Student Activities and Staff Council President. “The Staff Awards served as a first step toward accomplishing this goal!”

Kwasikpui quoted entrepreneur Ari Weinzweig: ‘If you don’t create a great, rewarding place for people to work, they won’t do great work', which emphasizes the environment we are looking to create. Staff Excellence through meaningful engagement. I personally want to applaud Ms. Ivonne Montalbano and the entire ESO staff for going above and beyond for this program.”

This year’s awards cycle featured the greatest number of staff nominated for awards in a single year—more than 60 nominations—a testament to the significant impact employees have on their campus partners.

Richard Simonds received the T. Chaney Anderson President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the University to a non-faculty employee who has served the University in an exemplary manner.

Courtney Schroeder and Alex Hernandez were recognized with Staff Excellence Awards for individual excellence achieved in their roles with the University. The award recipients demonstrated continued productivity beyond the normal job description, initiative that results in a benefit to UHD, positive attitude that affects fellow coworkers and the public, dependability, responsibility, and stability. Recipients of this award must provide at least three consecutive years of service at UHD in a full-time benefits-eligible position. See below for the entire list of staff awards recipients.

“I’m extremely pleased with the Staff Awards Ceremony, where we celebrated our ‘Downtown Treasures,’ UHD’s amazing staff, and their many accomplishments throughout Fiscal Year 2022,” said Ivonne Montalbano, Vice President for Employment Services and Operations. “In recognition of such a special occasion, the Special Events Center was transformed into a stunning and sophisticated venue, with perfectly dressed tables, beautifully designed centerpieces, carefully selected awards, and fantastic door prizes. And this was all possible thanks to the amazing ESO team who worked countless hours to make this event very special for our staff. My heartfelt congratulations to my awesome team!”

30 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Wyvorna Marie Stone-Gates
• Kong Yin

 25 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Rocio Beiza
• Ruben A. Diaz
• Tiffany Luong
• Ivonne Montalbano
• Miguel Ruiz
• Jacqueline Smith

20 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Dr. Liza Alonzo
• Ashley Andrus
• Edith Arredondo
• Nikhil Bhatt
• Vincente Esquivel
• Maria Estrada
• Trevor Jones
• Khoa Phan
• Debra Shouldice
• Marc Williams

15 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Denise Bland
• Debora Evans
• Bernice Guillen
• Crystal Guillory
• Erick Hipolito
• Janet Ibarra
• John Lane
• Spencer Lightsy
• Anselmo Martin
• Saile Palacios
• Cherilyn Pearson
• Vanessa Rojas
• Michael Sheiman
• Paul Tichenor
• Chloe Tran
• Vanessa Turner
• Joshua Wood

10 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Samuel Bible
• Dr. Ashley Blackburn
• Premalatha Chinnasami
• Jennifer Cornavaca
• Julissa Disla
• Helen Figueroa
• Ghanem Ghanem
• Dale Higginbotham
• Amelia Jimenez
• Stephen Kidd
• Kathy Knapp
• Natasha Nowlin
• Nikky Oliver
• Evelyn Paige
• Angela Parrish-Leonard
• Reginald Pickens
• Kimberly Solomon
• Sydnecia Zenon

5 YEARS OF SERVICE

• Destiny Anderson
• Courtney Banks
• Steven Bracken
• Ashley Carter
• Tream Charvis
• Martin Chavez
• Jonathan Contreras
• Timothy Coulter
• Jose Delgado Cardoza
• Edgar Diaz
• Princess Ephriam
• Teresa A. Estrada
• Santi Flores
• Darlene Hodge
• Katisha Houston
• Tuyet Huynh
• Deionne Jackson
• Tristan Jackson
• Jason Jones
• Chelsea Koutroulis
• Emily Leffler
• Michael Manuel
• Carol Marsh
• Luis Martinez
• Nick Martinez
• Danielle Mitchell
• Andrew Nguyen
• Dr. Sharon Noel
• Thomas Perez
• Stephen Quander
• Tabitha Rivera
• Mark Samudio
• Paul Siglock
• Jacquelyn Simms
• Tamika Small
• Sheryl E. Taylor
• Marcelino Torrio
• Steven Villano
• Brenette Whitaker

ACADEMIC AWARDS

• Beatriz Alvarado, Bachelor of Arts, Media & Public Communication, University of Houston-Downtown
• Brenda Duran, Master of Business Administration, University of Houston-Downtown
• Ryan Gealow, Master of Education, University of Houston-Victoria
• Ikea Jernigan, Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts, Southern New Hampshire University
• Chelsea Koutroulis, Master of Education, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Lamar University
• Krystal LeBlanc, Master of Business Administration, Accounting, University of Houston-Downtown
• Stephanie Porter, Master of Business Administration, Leadership, University of Houston-Downtown
• Elena Rodriguez, Bachelor of Science, University of Houston-Downtown
• Eric Zett, Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Houston-Downtown

RETIREES

• Bill Davis
• Grace Davila
• David Deleon
• Patricia Ensor
• Cindy Evans
• Elena Geilikman
• Lois Green
• G.V. Krishnan
• Andrew Kuzmick
• Sam Lai
• Beverly Moses
• Kim Ngo
• Roberto Romo
• Donald Wicks
• Johanna Wolfe

STAFF IMPACT AWARDS

• Rookie of the Year: Christian Purdy
• Whistle While You Work: Michelle Jones
• Goes the Extra Mile: Kim DeClouette
• Best Boss: Debora Evans
• Rising Star: Christian Purdy