Jamie Birkman, administrative assistant in Southeast’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Lisa Miller, business process and reporting analyst with Southeast’s Office of the Registrar, recently were honored as the first two recipients of the Chairpersons Forum Recognition Award during the spring 2019 semester.
Dr. Kevin Dickson, moderator of the Chairpersons Forum, presents the Chairpersons Forum Recognition Award to Jamie Birkman.
The Chairpersons Forum created the award to show appreciation for an administrative assistant in an academic unit that has provided exemplary service and to a staff member from a non-academic office or department on campus who provides exceptional support to chairpersons of academic departments.
Birkman was nominated for her excellent work in the College of STEM, said Dr. Kevin Dickson, moderator of the Chairpersons Forum. During comprehensive reorganization of colleges and departments across Academic Affairs, she produced outstanding work while reporting to four different deans over a short period, he said. During the period when the Department of Agriculture and Department of Biology had no administrative assistant, she stepped up and took on more responsibilities, including budget and purchasing card transaction reconciliation to ensure these departments continued to operate smoothly. Additionally, when the time came to train new administrative assistants, Birkman was patient and thorough in her training of them, he said.
Dr. Kevin Dickson presents the Chairpersons Forum Recognition Award to Lisa Miller.
Miller was nominated for her exceptional work in her role in the Registrars Office. She has been a tremendous resource to many departments with class-related functions and transitions due to retirements, he said. She is always willing to answer questions about course approval paperwork and changes in workload for classes. Additionally, she served as a member of an administrative assistant selection committee, providing them with great insight. She always gives clear and authoritative answers cheerfully. She is an exceptional example of excellent customer service, Dickson said.