Staff Employee Recognition Program recipients named

President Gonzalez has named this quarter's Staff Employee Recognition Program recipients. They are: Mery Ali-Sastra, Dining Services; Priscilla Gandy, College of Continuing Education; and Heather McGowan, Outreach, Admissions and Records.

Mery Ali-Sastra works in the Dining Commons for Dining Services. She is responsible for processing meal plans for the students living in the residence halls as well as making the meal cards for those students. Her nomination said she does so with "great accuracy and professionalism," and always has a kind word for students. The majority of students in the residence halls are freshmen, and Ali-Sastra meets each one and always makes them feel welcome.

Priscilla Gandy is in the College of Continuing Education, and recently volunteered to spearhead the reorganization of the Registration Services unit in order to improve the quality of customer service. Her nomination indicated that Continuing Education is already seeing "improved customer service and financial savings to the organization." Gandy was also described as "a model employee that genuinely cares about the success of the organization and that of its employees."

Heather McGowan has boosted employee morale tremendously in Outreach, Admissions and Records by initiating the CARE Committee, which recognizes employees’ accomplishments and milestones, according to her nomination. McGowan is Veterans Affairs coordinator, and provides empathy and concern to soldiers and reservists being shipped overseas, as well as giving them peace of mind that they can return where they left off when they come back to school. McGowan’s nominator also indicated that she organized a display honoring Sac State student veterans, and that this project "allowed all of us to honor this segment of our campus community for their service."