University Life Technology Services Team wins Models of Excellence
The Models of Excellence Award program celebrates the extraordinary achievements of full- and part-time staff across the University’s schools and centers. The program helps Penn staff feel more connected to the University’s successes. It positively affects not only those who are recognized, but also their fellow nominees, those who submit nominations and references, the people who work with the honorees, and the honorees’ families and friends—all of whom are invited to the springtime award ceremony and reception.
New for 2021 only, the Sustaining Penn Through COVID-19 Award will shine a light on those individuals or teams that contributed directly to creating extraordinary outcomes for the Penn community. They may include those who serve in roles maintaining life-sustaining on-campus services and support, delivering mission-critical programs and services from their homes, finding new ways to work safely onsite, and improving the morale and well-being of students, staff, and faculty at a time of need.
The University Life Technology Services Team—working on behalf of the larger Penn community, in addition to its divisional obligations—securely administers the COVID-19 tests that enable Penn to keep students, staff, and faculty as safe and healthy as possible. The University Life Technology Services team’s support of the departments in University Life allows students to receive seamless care and support with minimal disruption to their student experience.
The Technology Services Team consists of:
- Charles Bears
- Eric Bowden
- Robert J. Butler
- Weining Guo
- Gregory Kinter
- Nasrin Mani
- Steven Rosato
- Mary Spada
- Jordan Springer
2021 Women of Color at Penn Awards
On March 19, the Women of Color at Penn honored the award winners whose work has promoted education, cultural diversity, and positive change on campus and in the world. The Staff award went to Sherisse Laud-Hammond from the Penn Women’s Center.
Sherisse Laud-Hammond is the director of the Penn Women’s Center (PWC). In this role, she supports students, staff, faculty, and all Penn community members through counseling and innovative programming related to women’s support and advocacy, gender equity, and interpersonal violence. Her exceptional leadership has transformed the physical space and the branding of the PWC to make it feel more welcoming. Her distinguished service has enabled her to positively affect the lives of students, faculty, and staff throughout the Penn family through increased programming.
Ms. Laud-Hammond has a longstanding record of being an effective collaborator at Penn, spearheading a Hurricane Katrina relief initiative, participating on the search committee for Open Mind for Africa, and advising students in multiple dual degree programs. A Philadelphia native, she is a longtime member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a board member of Inspiring Minds Greater Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage, inspire and empower youth to reach their full potential through education. Because of her contribution to the Penn and Philadelphia community, we recognize her with the Women of Color Staff Award.