UNC staff were honored during the 53rd annual Staff Recognition Celebration and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 6. 

President Andy Feinstein joined Classified Staff Council Chair Ethan Mondy and Professional Administrative Staff Chair Audry Stutler in welcoming the staff. During his remarks, Feinstein thanked all the talented and dedicated staff members for their commitment in supporting UNC's mission. 

"Each of you is part of making UNC a place where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome," Feinstein said. "And you help create an environment of possibility where our students are supported in achieving their dreams, and every member of our university is encouraged to thrive."

Feinstein pointed out several successes linked to the hard work of UNC's employees, including achieving designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, seeing an increase in enrollment and achieving R2 status.

RELATED: UNC Achieves Carnegie's Prestigious R2 Research Activity Designation

"It is truly an honor to work alongside such talented, caring and passionate individuals," Fesinstein said. "Let's remember the strength of our collective efforts and the bright future we are building together."

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The Professional Administrative Staff Council (PASC)'s Employee of the Year and the Classified Staff Council (CSC)'s Employee of the Year are recognized below.

• Classified Staff of the Year

  Roni Secord

  IT Support Specialist, Information Management and Technology

• Professional Staff of the Year

  Savana Estrada

  Advising and Retention Specialist, NHS Advising Center

The event also celebrated the following milestone Years of Service for staff awardees:

• Five-Year Service Awards

  Pi'i Aiu

  Wayne Angel

  Hanna Blount

  Troy Burbidge

  David Camacho

  Oliver De La Cruz

  Kelly Decker

  Abby Depperschmidt

  Heath Eigenberg

  Louise Espinosa

  Hailey Gertner

  Dorian Green

  Schawn Hardesty

  Junna  Holderfield

  Payne  Kesler

  Christopher Lance

  Kara LaSota

  Ashley Leggewie

  Sean Markus

  Rick McNair

  Andrew Meyer

  M'lyn Miller

  Mary Nguyen

  Blaine Nickeson

  Ann Norton

  Ana Ortega De Villa

  Victor Perez

  Julia Riley

  Tina Rockwell

  Christina Rufatti

  Stormie Sickler

  Harold Simmons

  Katelyn Spooner

  Tish Thompson

  Jacob Zanetell

• 10-Year Service Awards

  Juana Batrez

  Scott Bellendir

  Karen Benton

  Eryka Charley

  Rosanne Fulton

  Troy Nickerson

  Nickolas Perez

  Erica Preston

  Roni Secord

  Colleen Sonnentag

  Cheryl Sparks

• 15-Year Service Awards

  Adam Alirez

  Pam Balzer

  Jason Bradford

  Morgan Gray

  Donald Jones

  Scott Kellogg

  Steven Klatt

  Berry Kroeger

  Deborah Lewis

  Shane Mares

  Penny Mascarenas

  James Medina

  Heath Moore

  Lori Riley

  Brenda Rodriguez

  Jenny Shoop

  Alec Stumbaugh

  Susan Swanson

• 20-Year Service Awards

  Wade Bumgarner

  John Clark

  Jeanette Miller

  Cynthia Mitchell

  Robert Myers

  Jason Raehal

• 25-Year Service Awards

  Tim Barrera

  Geri Landwehr

  Jennifer Lieber

  Bill McCartney

  Betty Rutt

  Michael Stadler

• 30-Year Service Awards

  Jim Doerner

• 40-Year Service Awards

  Jimmy Mock

The following classified and professional staff were honored for their contributions to students and the university:

• Classified Staff of the Year Nominations

  Joseph Galvan

  Davion Henderson

  Josh Kolb

  Lupe Lujan

  Mary Rangel

  Tina Rockwell

  Brenda Rodriguez

  Roni Secord

• Professional Staff of the Year Nominations

  Rhonda Anderson

  Annie Ashcraft

  Jennifer Ayers

  Chad Bebee

  Shane Borah

  Danica Brown

  Kayla Cain

  Teresa Castro

  Ken Clavir

  Savana Estrada

  Leanne Frisinger

  Sara Gisi

  Kazi Jestribek

  Paige Johnsen

  Savanna Johnson

  Stephanie Jones

  Meghan Kattner

  Pamela Keener

  Alyssa Miles

  M'lyn Miller

  Devin Million

  Woody Myers

  Scott Newkirk

  Brenna Rhiness

  Janice Riegel

  Becca Romine

  Katie Runkel

  Melissa Salazar Hoffner

  Matthew Sanchez

  Mary Seik

  Riley Sparks

  Katelyn Spooner

  Bernadette Wiemers