In a year unlike any other, Brock employees gathered virtually in celebration of their dedication and hard work over the past year and to welcome the holiday season.

For the first time, the annual President’s Holiday Celebration was held over the video conferencing tool Lifesize. Brock President Gervan Fearon kicked off the celebration welcoming employees and commending them for their commitment and collaborative work this year.

“This has certainly been a year when we have all needed to rethink how we sustain and deliver the kind of scholarly and community-building experiences that make Brock a special place,” said Fearon. “Today’s holiday celebration is itself an example of how many members of the Brock community will always rise to overcome any challenge, and in fact, create new opportunities.”

Five employees were honoured with distinguished staff service awards and 21 employees were recognized for their long-service dedication to the University.

Lauryn Carrick, Co-ordinator, Communications, Marketing and Recruitment, Graduate Studies, was one of the recipients of the President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award for Outstanding Contributions.

“With the year we’ve had, I feel very blessed to be a part of the Brock community,” she said. “Brock has been really good to us as employees, so I have tried to do my part to be a good team player. To win this award is beyond an honour.”

Irene Palumbo, Science Stores Assistant, Receiving and Waste Management, Math and Science, echoed Carrick’s excitement of being a Distinguished Staff Service Award winner.

“It was a nice surprise and a great honour to win the award,” said Palumbo. “I work with some pretty great people. It’s so nice to be appreciated.”

John Simone, Accounts Payable Assistant, Finance, was also a recipient of the Distinguished Staff Service Award for Outstanding Contributions. He thanked all of his co-workers for their support.

“I am just doing my job and trying to help people the best I can,” said Simone. “This award wouldn’t be possible without the help of the great team I work with and the enjoyable encounters with my fellow Brock employees.”

Judith Brooder, Manager, Student Accessibility Services, is this year’s winner of the Human Resources Distinguished Service Award for Leadership.

“I am touched that my colleagues, my Brock family, think of me this way,” Brooder said. “I am grateful for the privilege of working with and learning from some amazing colleagues and students. I believe that modelling a positive attitude, staying kind, valuing each other and always taking the time to listen and understand others’ perspectives is the foundation for creating and maintaining Brock’s culture of inclusion, collaboration and teamwork.”

The celebration closed with President Fearon thanking all staff and faculty members for their perseverance through these unprecedented times.

“This celebration is one of the most important events that we do each year, because it is a time when we pause to remember that people are really the most critical element of the University and it really is our team that makes Brock such a special place,” he said.

President’s Distinguished Staff Service Awards

The President’s Distinguished Staff Service Award for Outstanding Contributions recognizes employees who have excelled in demonstrating exemplary service and have provided outstanding contributions to the working environment and culture at Brock. This year’s award recipients are:

• Diane Leon, Academic Advisor/Seminar Co-ordinator, Political Science
• Irene Palumbo, Science Stores Assistant, Receiving and Waste Management, Math and Science
• John Simone, Accounts Payable Assistant, Finance
• Lauryn Carrick, Co-ordinator, Communications, Marking and Recruitment, Graduate Studies 

Human Resources Distinguished Service Award for Leadership 

Judith Brooder, Manager, Student Accessibility Services, is this year’s award winner. The Human Resources Distinguished Service Award for Leadership is awarded to recognize a staff member who has a proven record of leading and working collaboratively, engaging fellow employees, building strong partnerships and furthering the development of a respectful work and learning environment.

Quarter Century Club

Several faculty and staff were recognized for their long-standing commitment to working at Brock. This year, 11 employees were honoured and welcomed into the Quarter Century Club, joining 256 others who have worked at Brock for 25 years:

• Irene Blayer, Professor, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Donald Cyr, Professor, Finance, Operations and Information Systems
• Cheng Luo, Associate Professor, Applied Linguistics
• Ingrid Makus, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences
• Rick Manning, Groundskeeper, Facilities
• Daniel McCarthy, Associate Professor, Earth Sciences
• Pina McDonnell, Academic Advisor, Faculty of Education
• Michael Ripmeester, Professor, Geography and Tourism Studies
• Paul Scarbrough, Associate Professor, Accounting
• John Sorenson, Professor, Sociology
• Teena Willoughby, Professor, Psychology

35 years of long-standing service

Nine employees were recognized for 35 years of service at Brock:

• Linda Buys, Academic Records Assistant, Registrar’s Office
• John Clutterbuck, Manager, Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Complex, Asset Management and Utilities
• Gregory Finn, Special Advisor, Office of the President
• Ann Holtby, Bibliographic Assistant, Library Collections
• Derek Knight, Associate Professor, Visual Arts
• Murray Kropf, Associate Professor, Visual Arts
• Klara Kross, Student Financial Services Officer, Student Financial Services
• Caroline Lidstone, Assistant Secretary to The University, Office of the University Secretariat
• Ernesto Virgulti, Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

50 year of long-standing service

After beginning her career with Brock in 1970, Sharon Odell, Finance and Administration Assistant, Facilities Finance Supports, is celebrating 50 years of service at the University.