2018 Awards Showcase

Awarded to the individual who, through donation of time or resources, has contributed in a meaningful way to the College so as to support the College's vision along with student success and/or the strategic plan. 

Margie Clark

Dean of Health and Human Services Division

"Margie has the "spirit" of giving to others, which is exlemplified through her numerous donations to local, national and international clothing drives; to the college's Food Pantry; and monetary donations to the LCC Foundation and community organizations. As a leader, Margie personifies the core values and mission of our college and the importance of treating everyone with respect and dignity.
In education, we have the ability to change lives, and I believe Margie does that every day. She serves on many (many, many) boards. Margie serves on the board for the Davies Project, which is an organization which provides free transportation to local physician offices for the families of chronically ill children." - Nominated by Ronda Miller

Awarded to the individual who demonstrates a commitment to providing a safe environment for our students, employees and the public that has a great impact for many or all at the college. May be related to the physical environment or data security and be an act that is greater than what a simply conscientious person might do.

Gerald Foy

Academic Lab Assistant - Aviation

"Gerald Foy has a strong commitment to safety and creating a safe environment for both students and faculty in the Aviation program. Continuing from his safety management background in the Army National Guard, he has completely revamped Aviation Technology's safety program to reflect current industry best practices and procedures. He volunteered to be a member of the Technical Careers Division safety group, providing his expertise and knowledge to the division's other programs.
He has participated in the initial drafting of division procedures, leveraging the processes he undertook in Aviation to develop a best-practice guide for all Technical Career programs." - Nominated by Mark Bathurst

Awarded to the employee who demonstrates outstanding best practices and a commitment to diversity which has resulted in the enrichment of the learning or work environment during the fiscal year. The employee promotes a campus environment that is welcoming, supportive and nurturing of cultural, ethnic, racial, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and all other human differences.

Linnea Knapp

Records Information Specialist

"Linnea has unlimited potential, is a self-starter and always volunteers for additional responsibility. She has emerged as a rising superstar of boundless ability as she explores all facets of records management with a professional approach to customer service, personal integrity and leadership. Linnea presents a model image to the college and inspires the LCC core values of respect, integrity, community and quality to everyone she meets." - Nominated by Paul Schwartz

Awarded to the individual who consistently goes above and beyond without failure. The employee fills in when and wherever needed, performs job duties at a high level, takes initiative to solve problems and improves work situations without being prompted; demonstrates reliability, perseverance, and focus on results; and/or helps others by sharing knowledge of the College's practices and resources or job-related skills.

Brad Latuszek

Carpenter

"Brad is involved in so many projects around the college and always gets things done effectively and efficiently. He is willing to do whatever it takes to build the greatest thing, to fix something around the college, and find ways to make things work. In any project I am undertaking at the college, he is who I would want on my team." - Layne Ingram

"Brad goes above and beyond to ensure the campus is managed and taken care of. In addition he uses his expert skills to coordinate, secure, build and maintain specialty projects that make the campus extraordinary." - Tonya Causley

Awarded to the student employee who has demonstrated continued exemplary performance during their period of employment. This is a reliable employee who possesses great work habits, knowledge of work, quality and quantity of work, judgment, initiative, and adaptability.

Alyssa Hartley

Student Access Department

"Alyssa has consistently shown a willingness to work hard, think creatively and provide leadership to other student staff. She has developed rapport with even the most challenging students and has devised creative solutions to complex and difficult problems. With no formal training, she has taken it upon herself to learn how to create tactile graphics for visually impaired students, familiarizing herself with complex software and equipment and working with both faculty and students to provide the most useful materials." - Nominated by Andy George

Awarded to the full-time or part-time employee in a support role whose commitment to the values and goals of the college improves the learning and working environment. This employee consistently and clearly surpasses performance requirements of the position and exhibits a high level of engagement and cooperation in working with students and/or other employees while taking initiative to create a positive work environment, which enhances the image of the department and college.

Laurie Kinne

Instructional Assistant

"Laurie works behind the scenes. Without her work, registration for students, syllabi entry for faculty, and numerous other details that directly impact the student and faculty experience would not connect. She is a critical part of student success because she recognizes her role in creating a positive student and faculty experience." - Cheryl Garayta

"A faculty member said the other day he has recently discovered that "Laurie actually runs the division". I have to agree. The work she does is connected to most of the vital processes of the college. Laurie works with staff and faculty to build the schedules for each semester, which is a daunting and complicated task. Not only that, but, once the schedule is built, Laurie and our division office team handle every update that happens." - Andrea Hoagland

Awarded to the employee who demonstrates outstanding best practices and a commitment to diversity that has resulted in the enrichment of the learning or work environment during the fiscal year. The employee promotes a campus environment that is welcoming, supportive and nurturing of cultural, ethnic, racial, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and all other human differences.

Brandon Lawler

Federal Loan Technician

"Brandon Lawler is the chairperson of the SafeZone committee through LCC's Prism Alliance. As of today, about 60 LCC employees have attended at least a partial SafeZone training (with more trainings/employees scheduled in the future), which brings about increased awareness and understanding of issues related to people within the LGBTQ+ community. Brandon is passionate, well organized, and has taken the lead on this initiative on his own time despite being an extremely busy college employee (and student) because this topic and training is so important to him." - Sarah Garcia-Linz

"Brandon also serves as the co-advisor for SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Acceptance), a student organization at LCC. Using this position and SafeZone knowledge, he is working to collaborate with other registered student organizations at LCC to offer SafeZone training to promote a more inclusive and welcoming learning environment for current and future members." - Jennifer Hatt

Awarded to the individual who leads others with honesty, openness, and compassion. The employee develops trust and credibility through open, respectful communication and personal accountability; provides a sense of purpose, vision and mission for all areas of oversight; positively influences others to build consensus in a group, department, and/or College setting; manages and/or champions change effectively through formal or informal leadership; and helps others develop by investing time and effort in coaching and/or mentoring.

Jennifer Fenning

Technical Careers Program Improvement Manager

"She has a passion for the programs and students in the Technical Careers Division and this is shown every day in the time that she takes to meet with students; collaborate with faculty and staff; and improve the culture, climate and programs at West Campus." - Sydney Glasscoe

"Jen has worked diligently with staff, faculty and students at West Campus to improve program offerings, services to students, and provide dynamic tours to all who visit West Campus. Jen's efforts in helping to promote, organize and plan for the Center for Manufacturing Excellence were crucial." - Tonya Causley

Awarded to the teaching faculty whose distinguished and lasting service to the college is consistent with its mission, vision and strategic plan. This employee will exemplify a demonstrated track record of classroom management; innovative and effective teaching practices; and of participation in activities that support student success, retention and an enhanced learning environment.

Kabeer Ahammed-Sahib

Faculty of Biology

"I have come to know Dr. Ahammad-Sahib as a very thoughtful, insightful and imaginative instructor who utilizes many creative and useful methods and analogies in conveying to students many aspects of physiology that are inherently difficult for many of them to mentally conceptualize or visualize. In his lessons, he is able to make abstract concepts come to life, which makes a great difference in the success of students seeking his classes as foundations and stepping stones for many health careers.
With his approach, Kabeer has been able to transform the notoriously difficult and competitive human physiology course into one of the most interactive, collaborative and friendly classes students say they have taken. He inspires students to want to help each other and see each other succeed. He uses real-life examples and applications of physiology to show students how the science bears upon real-time situations or those in daily life." - Nominated by Steve Klimecky

Awarded to the academic professional whose distinguished and lasting service to the college is consistent with its mission, vision and strategic plan. This employee will exemplify a demonstrated track record of breaking down barriers; supporting student growth; and of participation in activities that support student success, retention and an enhanced learning environment.

Eva Menefee

Faculty Advisor

"As an academic advisor, Eva is the first point of contact for many LCC students. Her approach to advising always includes a conversation about the student's goals and suggestions on programs that will help the student achieve those goals. Eva also helps students recognize the time required for success in college. In her advising appointments, she focuses not only on course selection but on the time required for successful completion of the course.
Eva was instrumental in operationalizing the cohort advising model that was implemented in 2012-2013. She has been a strong supporter of Guided Pathways and helps students to map their goals by identifying their Pathway. Eva's knowledge of LCC and of transfer institutions' requirements has made her an invaluable resource for LCC students." - Nominated by Cheryl Garayta

Awarded to the employee whose accomplishments have a significant impact on the college's pursuit of excellence in achieving its mission and strategic goals. This employee's accomplishments will outlive their tenure and the employee will be a lasting example who participates on committees and/or mentors others, serves as a role model, uses originality and creativity to enthusiastically and collaboratively develop strategies that enhance their department, and supports the college's goals by improving and/or modernizing current practices.

Marc Smyth

Coordinator of Telelearning Services

"Marc's mindset is "student centric" with everything he does. He understands our students are top priority, so all the day-to-day work he does as classroom services manager focuses around how we can help students succeed and have an awesome classroom experience at LCC.
Recent campuswide accomplishments include the planning and implementation of the Gannon Building Conference center, Grow with Google event, and the clock tower. Marc was also involved with the successful planning and opening of the CME at West Campus. He was instrumental in the "redo" of the West Campus conference facility and he supports high-profile events. Marc and his team do what it takes to get the job done, always with originality and creativity. Marc and his team work tirelessly nights, weekends and over-time to help ensure our customers (students, staff and community) receive high-quality experiences at Lansing Community College." - Nominated by Brenda Young