Staff News July 2023
July 7, 2023
New Hires
- Dione Booker, finance associate, Finance
- Noah Branch, custodial services supervisor, E&G Custodial Services
- Nerva Chacon, custodial services worker, E&G Custodial Services
- Zhangchi Chen, student worker, Geospatial Engineering Services
- Dacota Dean, senior pipefitter/steamfitter, Utilities
- Sean Oehmke, instrumentation & controls technician, Automation Services
- Victoria Villers, landscape & grounds worker, Landscape Services
Transfers & Promotions
Positions listed are the employee's new position.
- Amanda Coleman, quality assurance inspector, E&G Custodial Services
- Shikrya Dordzhieva, custodial services worker, Housing Custodial
- Todd Gibson, zone maintenance electrical supervisor, HSPP Zone 1 South
- Shawn Anderson, asbestos abatement supervisor, Construction & Renovation Services
- Logan Hoelscher, IT systems engineer, Technology & Innovation
- Fiona Hogan, sustainable labs project associate, Office for Sustainability
- Dustin Watson, construction administration manager, CC&R Administration
Educational & Professional Accomplishments
UVA accepted into U.S. Dept. of Labor Apprenticeship Ambassadors
The UVA Apprenticeship Program is honored to be among 98 organizations selected by the U.S. Department of Labor as the second cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors. These ambassadors, along with the 200 organizations in the 2021 inaugural cohort, have committed to promoting Registered Apprenticeships as a high-quality workforce development strategy to meet the needs of employers while expanding equitable opportunities for workers from historically underserved and underrepresented communities.
The Apprenticeship Ambassador initiative creates a national network of employers, labor organizations, industry associations, program sponsors, educators, workforce intermediaries, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to serve as champions for expanding and diversifying Registered Apprenticeship. UVA Apprenticeship has committed to ongoing outreach and education efforts, including local job fairs and school visits, as well as hosting interested students on Grounds for a chance to Experience FM.
As an ambassador, UVA Apprenticeship will be able to make our voice heard at the national level, as well as learn best practices from our partners in apprenticeship around the country.
Compliments from Customers
Ryan Taylor, Hubba Wood, Randy Spencer, Dave Roberts and all who supported Reunions: I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge some extraordinary members of your team who, as always, went above and beyond to provide support for Reunions. Our Alumni Association staff is consistently blown away by how thoughtful, hardworking, kind, and supportive they are, especially during such a stressful and busy time. Special thanks to Ryan Taylor, Hubba Wood, Randy Spencer, Dave Roberts, and the countless others who made Reunions possible. We could not be more appreciative! —Lily West, UVA Alumni Association
Alvin Hensley: Thank you so much for your excellent help in trouble shooting our difficult lock on the nutrition cabinet, first adjusting then replacing the lock with another, then looking for a more appropriate one that will allow the key to be removed and put away when the cabinet is opened. You took the time to determine a better, more reliable lock for our needs and that would help us secure the keys better than the first one you replaced it with. You had come in early in the day and returned to tighten cabinet handles that you had noticed to be loose, when you asked if there was anything else we needed fixing and we showed you the problems we had with the nutrition cabinet lock. We certainly appreciate your expertise and support. —Patty Berkin, PACU Extended Stay Unit
Blake Amos and Ryan Thompson: We sure appreciate your looking at the thermostat situation that our night nurse had reported to see if we could better adjust the temperature in one of the rooms. You were able to determine and let us know that we could control it from a different thermostat. You were all so kind and professional, and we sure appreciate your work! Thanks so much. —Patty Berkin, PACU Extended Stay Unit
Best Wishes to FM Retirees
Kelly Branch, zone manager of Health System Physical Plant Zone 1 North, retired June 29 after 46 years of service. Branch first joined UVA as a storeroom clerk right out of high school, later entering the UVA Apprenticeship Program as an HVAC apprentice. He was among the third class to graduate the program in 1988 and started his career in the UVA Health area as a HVAC mechanic. Over the years he was promoted up the ranks to senior, then HVAC supervisor of HSPP Zone 1 and his most recent role as zone manager when Zone 1 was split in 2019. He was known for his thorough background knowledge of the hospital's mechanical systems, often providing much-appreciated guidance to project managers during renovations and maintaining a wall of post-it notes in his office full of detail and important reminders. Check out photos from Kelly Branch's retirement gathering.
Noted with Regret
Christopher W. Deane, a former employee of Facilities Management, died June 14. He worked as a mason plasterer for more than 30 years before leaving the University in 2011.
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