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Spivey named Human Resources Facilitator of the Year


Kay T. Spivey was named the Human Resources Facilitator of the Year at a reception held on June 22 at Wilson Library.

The award, sponsored by the Office of Human Resources, recognizes excellence in ambassadorship, customer service, knowledge, and teamwork demonstrated by Human Resources Facilitators.

All 37 nominees for this year's award were recognized at the reception, with excerpts from their nominations read aloud. Then, after a longer excerpt from the recipient's nomination was read, the name was announced.

"I was shocked," said Spivey, who has worked in the Institute of Government since she first came to the University in 1977. "So many wonderful things were being shared about the other nominees. This is incredibly humbling when you look at the field of candidates."

One nominee wrote, "Kay is respected for her skillful negotiation and resolution of tough personnel issues, and is valued as a sensitive and compassionate counselor to employees in difficult personal circumstances. She is an excellent listener and deals with all employees in a sensitive and respectful way."

Spivey views her own role as a challenge "to find the right answers to difficult questions and the right solutions to difficult problems," and she is never entirely satisfied that she has identified the perfect answer or solution.

This persistence has won her the respect of her colleagues. One nomination stated: "She pays attention to details, goes beyond the obvious and superficial to evaluate problems, and recommends appropriate, logical, and practical solutions using sound judgment."

Another nomination summarized her service this way: "The Institute of Government would be much less effective if Kay was not acting as our professional conscience. Put simply, she is indispensable."

Spivey is quick to share the credit for her successes. "In my work I am indebted to the outstanding network of support provided by numerous campus departments and by my uniquely wonderful colleagues in the Institute of Government. None of us does anything in a vacuum. It's all interrelated. I hope to continue to strengthen those connections within my department and campus-wide."

Human Resources Facilitators are employees in University departments who process permanent, temporary and student employee personnel actions; handle leave, benefits or payroll matters for their departments; serve as the primary liaison between the Office of Human Resources and employees; or who supervise a work group that performs these functions. There are over 350 HR Facilitators across campus.

"It would be difficult to create a specific job classification called `HR Facilitator' because the personnel demands of departments across our campus are so diverse," said Chris Chiron, who coordinates the HR Facilitator Program through the Office of Human Resources. "In some departments, the role makes up the employee's entire job. In other departments, the HRF duties are only one of many different roles filled by the employee. Many smaller departments and programs have only one HR Facilitator while many larger departments require several. In addition, some HR Facilitators perform their duties for one department while others serve the personnel needs of several departments or programs.

"The Office of Human Resources gratefully relies upon these individuals and established this award program to recognize their service," Chiron said.

The Facilitator of the Year program began in 1996. Past recipients include Maggie Ford, Debra Parrish, Diane Strong, Ann Register and Mary Lou Pruss.


List of nominees

Johnny Albright, Orthopaedics

Christina Bowman, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Connie Breen, Facilities Services

Stephanie Brewington, School of Pharmacy

Trish Bunn, Graduate School

Brent Clark, General Alumni Association

Asta Crowe, Curriculum in Public Policy Analysis

Heather Delisle, Comparative Literature

Sue Devinney, Cell & Developmental Biology

Nancy Edwards, Contracts & Grants

Shanna Fleenor, Student Health Service

Nealy Galliher, Academic Technology & Networking

Kim Gardner, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center

Patty Greeson, Printing Services

Mary Herndon, School of Education

Vickie Holland, Anesthesiology

Sheila Hunt, Neurosciences Center

Sandy Jones, Law Library

Sheila King, Biology

Donnese Laster, Kenan-Flagler Business School

Ellen Ludington, Clinical Research

Wendy Mann, Institute on Aging

Freda McClain, Health Sciences Library

Gwen McIntyre, Medical Illustrations & Photography

Lesa McPherson, Epidemiology

Corrie Mimms, Training & Development

Sharon Owens, Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis

Carol Payne, Development

Linda Perry, Surgery

Kathy Schwabauer, Environment, Health and Safety

Pamela Shoaf, Arts & Sciences Foundation

Kay Spivey, Institute of Government

Sheila Storey, Medical Sciences Teaching Laboratories

Barbara Szilvay, Physics & Astronomy

Glenda Tilley, Carolina Union

Susan Toppin, College of Arts & Sciences

Jennifer Turner, Public Safety


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