Early Bird

Congrats to our Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week winners

These exceptional faculty, staff and student employees are shining examples of dedication, innovation and excellence.

By Josie Lavender

May 6, 2021

Nominations continue to roll in for Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week awards, highlighting the excellent and important work happening at all levels of the University. This week, we celebrate three members of our University community who inspire students and their colleagues.

“These employees truly understand the value of teamwork, but they have also set a great example by taking personal initiative to make our campus healthier and to support some important functions,” said George Middlemist, Ph.D., associate vice president of Administration and chief financial officer, who selected this week’s winners.

Faculty winner – Diane Ream, DNP, lecturer, Nursing

Nominated by Steve Monaco, executive director, Health Center at Auraria, who wrote:

“On April 16, when the 5th Street Garage Covid-19 vaccine clinic was short-staffed, Diane Ream, R.N., a member of the MSU Denver Nursing faculty, responded to a call for assistance and immediately hopped into her car and was quickly on-site to support Friday’s operations.

“Diane did not hesitate to offer her assistance and immediately began administering vaccine upon arrival, staying until closing on Friday. Her presence enabled us to open an additional lane to increase throughput, which really had a positive impact on the day.

“This was such a nice example of institutional teamwork, going beyond the call of duty and responding at a moment’s notice.”

Diane, thank you for tirelessly working to keep the Auraria Campus community safe and healthy. MSU Denver is lucky to have a Roadrunner, and a leader, like you.

Staff winner – Laura Snyder, Accounts Payable specialist, Office of the Controller

Nominated by Jacque Williams, director of operations, Strategy, Marketing and Communications, who wrote:

“You can’t run a large, state-assisted institution like MSU Denver without the help of those in the Accounts Payable department, due to the enormous amount of knowledge of state purchasing rules, procedures and best practices. Laura is one of those people who takes her job seriously as someone who doesn’t just tell you the ‘what’ but also helps you understand the ‘why’ as well. During our recent pivot due to Covid-19, Laura understood that things were not ‘business as usual,’ so she took the time to help our office transfer duties across the area and spent extra time to make sure we understood what the best practices were to fulfill our workload and our goals. Laura will take Teams calls when she knows you just need a helpful tip on how to do things right. From a customer-service perspective, it’s so nice to have someone to call. And she makes that extra step to share her screen to make sure you understand what is needed and expected. Thank you to Laura for her friendly and helpful demeanor! Her efforts help us all do better for our students and for the University.”

Not all educators use a classroom. Laura, your drive to help, train and empower others makes you an invaluable member of the MSU Denver team.

Student-employee winner – Chasity Gentry, fitness instructor, Campus Recreation

Nominated by Diane Yee, director of Campus Recreation, who wrote:

“Chasity’s work ethic, positive attitude and wealth of knowledge have inspired students and staff to stay persistent with their own health and wellness. Her involvement as the instructor of both Power Barre and Tabata and as the content expert behind the Roadrunner Rally (10-week fitness challenge) has noticeably increased engagement with Campus Recreation, especially through these unprecedented times.”

Chasity, your “go get ’em” attitude is contagious. Thank you for lifting up your fellow students and co-workers as we learn to grow from life’s challenges. You are a Roadrunner rock star.

To nominate outstanding employees for the Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week award, please complete the form on the Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week webpage. Tell us how your nominee is making an impact through great teaching, service to students or innovation. Winners will be selected each week and profiled in the Early Bird on Thursdays. Winners will also get a shoutout on social media.