Employee Recognition

Employee recognition acknowledges employees for exemplary performance or service. Recognizing your colleagues goes a long way in creating a positive working environment. At Smith, we have a few formal ways of recognizing and appreciating our employees.

Benefits of Employee Recognition

  • Increased productivity
  • Job satisfaction
  • Better employee retention
  • Better networking opportunities
  • Positive employee-employer relationship
  • A healthy, positive environment

Staff Spotlight Award

The Staff Spotlight Award recognizes employees whose contributions go above and beyond the normal expectations of their role. Each recipient is awarded $200 and celebrated for making an exceptional impact on the Smith College community in the areas of: 

  • service excellence
  • process improvement or development
  • problem solving
  • fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment
  • other (to be described by nominator).

This award is reserved for actions that significantly exceed an employee’s regular responsibilities. Examples include:

  • Initiating improvements that save time, money, or resources.
  • Delivering exceptional service that creates a positive, lasting impact for students, colleagues, or the broader community.
  • Taking initiative to solve problems, streamline processes, or support others in unexpected situations.
  • Demonstrating creativity, leadership, or commitment that results in meaningful change or innovation.

While we deeply value employees for fulfilling their day-to-day responsibilities, the Spotlight Award is not intended to recognize routine excellence. For example:

  • Completing tasks that are part of the normal job description.
  • Meeting deadlines, providing standard support, or performing reliably in one‘s assigned role.
  • General praise such as “always helpful,” “friendly,” or “a great team player” without a specific, extraordinary example.

  • Eligibility period: April 1, 2025–March 14, 2026
  • There are two nomination periods annually:
    • October 12–December 19, 2025: Paid out in December 27 paycheck.
    • January 5–March 21, 2026: Paid out in March 27 paycheck.
  • Employees may receive a maximum of one award per year.
  • Employees may not nominate their supervisors.
  • Students are not eligible to participate.

What is a Staff Spotlight Award?
The Staff Spotlight Award recognizes staff for going above and beyond the everyday scope of their responsibilities.

Why is it important to have a Staff Spotlight Award?
Employees feel more connected to the workplace culture when they receive recognition for service excellence. Through a nomination system, the Staff Spotlight Award celebrates achievements and reinforces values and behaviors. Recipients receive a monetary gift shortly after their nominations and are invited to a special Staff Spotlight Award celebration in the spring.

How will nominees be categorized? 
Nominees will be categorized by the following:

  • Service excellence
  • Process improvement/development
  • Problem solving
  • Fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment
  • Other (to be described by the nominator)

How to Nominate

Employees are encouraged to nominate colleagues—inside or outside of their departments—by submitting a Staff Spotlight Nomination Form. Human Resources will review all nominations, which should clearly describe:

  1. The specific action or project the nominee undertook that was outside their typical role.
  2. The measurable or visible impact of this contribution.
  3. Why this effort stands out as “above and beyond.”

Providing clear, detailed examples will help the selection committee evaluate nominations fairly and highlight the true spirit of the award. Please note that this program is specifically for regular or fixed-term staff members.

Years of Service

Smith College recognizes and honors employees who have reached certain service milestones. Awards are presented to employees in recognition of years of service beginning at 10 years and every five-year milestone through 35 years and beyond. Each spring, a special event is held in their honor.

After addressing the honorees, the president presents a special gift to staff reaching their 25th year of service with the college, thereby inducting them into the Twenty-Five Year Club.

All honorees are presented with a certificate signed by the president of Smith College.

10 Years of Service

Mandy Anderson 
Precollege Programs

David D. Avard 
Facilities Management

Alexander Barron 
Environmental Science and Policy

Ben Baumer
Statistical and Data Sciences

Christopher Charles Barcomb
Facilities Management

Tim Cary
 Information Technology Services

Anthony R. Charter 
Facilities Management

Andrew Cox 
Dining Services

Jaz Dand 
Music

James E. Dawson 
Facilities Management

Jennifer DeClue 
Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality

Gretchen B. Herringer
Registrar's Office

Kristin Marie Hughes 
Athletics

Niveen Ismail
Engineering

Valerie A. Joseph 
Clark Science Center Administration

John Arthur Kennedy 
Dining Services

Stephanie Jean Lastowski 
Facilities Management

Caitlyn Patricia Lawrence 
Athletics

Ciara M. Lawrence 
Athletics

Adam Lueb
Dining Services

Katie Moore 
Athletics

Jessica Moyer 
East Asian Languages and Cultures

Joshua Nietupski 
Facilities Management

Sheri Lyn O'Donnell 
Facilities Management

Stephen Francis Tapp 
Facilities Management

Lu Yu 
East Asian Languages and Cultures

Mariyana Zapryanova
Economics

15 Years of Service

Adam E. Camp 
Facilities Management

Kelly G. DeForest 
Provost/Dean of Faculty

Cristina Fox 
Counseling Services

Daniel Gougeon 
Dining Services

Danny L. Hescock 
Libraries

Rhonda Leiphart 
Events Management

Karen H. Sise 
Registrar's Office

Katherine Toone 
Museum of Art

Kate Wallen
Provost/Dean of Faculty

20 Years of Service

Michael Barresi 
Biological Sciences

Ibtissam Bouachrine 
Spanish and Portuguese

Daniel J. Driscoll 
Facilities Management

Kelly-Jean Huard 
Information Technology Services

Henriette Kets de Vries 
Museum of Art

Suleiman Mourad 
Religion

Jessica F. Nicoll 
Museum of Art

Scott A. Rubeck 
Dining Services

Maria Rueda 
Spanish and Portuguese

Fraser Stables 
Art

Maria Succi-Hempstead 
German and Italian

Molly Twarog 
Information Technology Services

Paul Voss 
Engineering

Rebecca L. Washut 
Alumnae Relations & Development

Sujane Wu 
East Asian Languages and Cultures

25 Years of Service

Lia Bischoff Brassord 
Admission

Greg Coccoluto 
Information Technology Services

Dawn Fulton 
French Studies

Suzanne Gottschang 
Anthropology

Marguerite Harrison 
Spanish and Portuguese

Rene C. Heavlow
Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center

Josephine Hernandez 
Mail Services

Gaby Immerman
Biological Sciences

Patricia M. Kingston 
Alumnae Relations & Development

Nancy A. Krueger
Center for Early Childhood Education

Borjana Mikic 
Engineering

Katwiwa Mule
World Literatures

Jeffry Ramsey 
Philosophy

Amy Rhodes 
Geosciences

Joyce C. Roske 
Facilities Management

Nathan J. Saxe 
Botanic Garden

Kevin Shea 
Chemistry

Xinh Spangler 
Controller's Office

Michael Thurston 
English Language and Literature

Susan Voss 
Engineering

MJ Wraga
Psychology

30 Years of Service

Richard J. Korzeniowski 
Finance

Marc S. Nichols 
Dining Services

Cheryl A. Obremski 
Capital Projects

Barbara L. Pliska 
Information Technology Services

35 Years of Service

Julio Alves 
Jacobson Center

Donna A. Gingras 
Athletics

Richard Lim
History

Angie Musiak 
Facilities Management

Paulette Peckol 
Biological Sciences

Katherine Schneider
Art

Janet L. Spongberg 
Libraries

Arthur T. Usher 
Facilities Management

40 Years of Service

Amy Moscaritolo 
Development

Shelly Cotnoir 
Student Financial Services

Craig Davis 
English Language and Literature

Michelle L. Daley 
Dining Services

Rich Gilbert 
Dining Services

Jeff Heath 
Information Technology Services

Patricia A. Hentz 
Dining Services

Carol L. Kelly 
Dining Services

Louise M. Krieger
Museum of Art

James Lucey 
Facilities Management

Eileen K. Young 
Dining Services

45 Years of Service

Douglas Patey 
English Language and Literature

Daniel Mahoney Russell 
Facilities Management

25-Year Club

The 25-Year Club was established in 1958 by Grace Asserson, the college’s employment manager, as a means of recognizing and expressing the college’s appreciation to those staff members—retired and still employed—who had completed 25 or more years of service. Grace retired in 1971 after 30 years of service; she passed away in 1983.

Although we now formally recognize employees with fewer than 25 years of service, this club has a special significance for employees simply by its uniqueness and by the number of years required for membership.

The symbol of club membership is a gold pin that is a replica of the Grécourt Gates (in front of College Hall), with a diamond in the center of the pin. Formal recognition and club membership is accomplished at the Years of Service Awards, held each year.

A group of employees holding signs that say "25" in front of a Smith College backdrop during the 2025 Years of Service reception

Informal Recognition

Besides these formal ways of recognizing people, here are some examples of Informal recognition that you can use to share your appreciation for a colleague’s contributions to your team:

  • Email on a job well done
  • Treat the department to lunch
  • Bring in a special treat (fruit dish, cake, donuts) “just because”
  • Coordinate a team event (bowling, etc.) 
  • Gift card for lunch at the campus center 

Take the time to acknowledge your colleagues today and tomorrow for a stronger future!