Employees Honored for Excellence

Tuesday’s campus awards countdown was full of applause and laughter as 47 employees were recognized during the 2012 University Awards for Excellence reception. The event featured winners from all 17 colleges and units who were vying to be a University Awards for Excellence winner.

During the program, attendees celebrated transformational staff members and anxiously waited for the overall winner announcement. The five campus winners are submitted to the Office of State Personnel for consideration in the Governor’s Awards for Excellence program.

Congratulations to all. Our 2012 University Awards for Excellence winners are:

Horace Blue
Grounds Supervisor/Grounds Management

Blue ensures that his campuses always look their best for students, faculty, staff, business partners and guests. A number of times he has been seen directing his staff while holding two telephone conversations at once – one cell phone at each ear. Blue volunteers to help with the university’s annual Stop Hunger Now project and volunteered to salvage wood supplies at the conclusion of the forestry department’s Southern Forestry Conclave. He is always smiling and can lighten anyone’s day and believes that he is making the campus a better place to work and live every day.

Lisa Eberhart
Dietitian/Dining and Catering Operations

Eberhart has contributed to the welfare and overall happiness of the WolfPack community by her outstanding service and innovation within the nutrition program in Dining Operations. She has brought national recognition to NC State through articles in national publications and by being a part of the National Award Athletic Meal Program. She designed and implemented online food allergen information stations using iPads in dining halls across campus. As a diabetes counselor, Eberhart often arranges for free test strips and glucometers for employees who may otherwise struggle to pay for these items. She is constantly creating new initiatives to improve the health and quality of life for others.

Jimmy Helfert
University Program Specialist/Dining and Catering Operations

From football to basketball season, Helfert does everything from stocking stands to running them, traveling from one event to the next, all hours of the day, several days a week, regardless of weather or situations that may arise. Helfert started his career at Carter Finley Stadium and has always had a smile on his face and an eagerness to please. When the president visited campus, Helfert was able to secure bottled water within a day and deliver it to Reynolds Coliseum for attendees. His passion for his work is still alive after 38 years and he has a reputation that proceeds him. His professionalism, respect and incredible work ethic are stellar.

David Perryman
Human Resources Consultant/HR Employment

Perryman joined the Employment Services team in December 2009 and has been instrumental in raising the customer service bar for his colleagues ever since. A colleague stated, “David is someone who is building bridges,” not in terms of architecture but bridging the different aspects of Human Resources and campus customers. Perryman led a cross-functional team to identify campus needs and module interfaces in a new hybrid employment and position management system. His customers look to him for guidance and leadership. It is this unwavering dedication to customer service that makes him a valued asset to his customers.

Steve Nettles
Facilities Planner/University Housing-Facilities

Nettles is described as an easygoing, down-to-earth, creative problem solver. In his 23 years in Housing, he has responded to too many facility issues to count, made renovations to buildings that are being renovated AGAIN, and has left his handprint on student lives and the department. Nettles understands that students are the reason for his work and is sensitive to their schedules and prioritizes their need to study and sleep when planning facilities work. When the postal service decided to no longer deliver mail to residence halls, Nettles provided the solution: His staff took on mail delivery responsibilities in addition to their workload.

In photo at top, Awards for Excellence winners (from left) Steve Nettles, David Perryman, Jimmy Helfert, Lisa Eberhart and Horace Blue with Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business Charles D. Leffler.