Human Resources
Since 2018, the Outstanding Staff Award annually honors two individuals for their achievements, service, leadership, and dedication to Southern Oregon University. Recipients are honored in-person at the annual End of Year Celebration Breakfast. Each recipient receives a $750 honorarium and glass trophy. Awardee names are also engraved on a perpetual plaque displayed in Churchill Hall. [Note: Faculty positions are ineligible for this program as they are recognized via the Distinguished Teaching, Distinguished Service, and Distinguished Scholarship awards.]
The nomination period for 2024 closed March 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm. We look forward to your nomination next year. Please direct questions to staffaward@sou.edu or by calling 541-552-8110. In the meantime, please see all of our previous years’ recipients and nominees highlighted below.
Criteria and Eligibility
All current staff with a minimum of three years of continuous service at Southern Oregon University in a regular non-faculty position may be nominated. Previous recipients of the Outstanding Staff Award are ineligible for nomination (reference recipient section below).
Award recipients will be selected on the merit and strength of the following contributions:
- Goes above and beyond to build relationships and assists colleagues and customers enthusiastically
- Dedication and loyalty to work
- Exhibits expertise in job performance
- Demonstrates creativity, resourcefulness, and initiative
- Displays consistent demonstration of one or more of the University’s values:
- Well-being and success of all learners
- Critical thinking, discovery, and engaged learning
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Creativity and collaboration
- Excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability
- A healthy, safe, and civil campus
- Economic vitality and environmental sustainability
- Improving our community, region, and world
- References who can support the nominee’s accomplishments, characteristics, and experience.
2024 Recipients
Karinda Decker
Financial Aid Director
Karinda began her SOU career in January 2015, as a Program Rep 1. She was promoted to assistant director of Financial Aid in July 2019, and to director of Financial Aid in November 2023. She is “an example of excellence” and “doesn’t know how to do a subpar job,” according to two of her references in the Outstanding Staff Award process. Karinda always considers the needs and point-of-view of her customers – SOU students – and won’t hesitate to tackle difficult situations to lighten the burden on financial aid recipients. Her job became more complicated this year with the federal government’s updates to FAFSA, but she is creative in using the limited resources of her office and has made the necessary adjustments to make the FAFSA process understandable for students.
Jennifer Jones
University Coaching & Academic Mentoring (UCAM) & Disability Support Coordinator
Jennifer was hired at SOU in July 2012 as an academic coach and mentor, and has held positions including co-director of the Office of Disability Resources and University Coaching & Academic Mentoring. She has served since February 2023 as coordinator of Disability Resources and UCAM. She has built the UCAM program from the ground up, and it has grown and flourished, providing the accommodations that students in the program need. Jennifer has put SOU on the map for students with different learning styles, and involves both students and their families when making presentations about SOU in her travels around Oregon and the West Coast. She is an eager collaborator, has built solid relationships with instructors across campus and is always “a welcoming force” in her office, one of her references said.
2024 Nominees
Staci Buchwald
Director of University Housing
University Housing
Angela Decker
Senior Producer
Jefferson Public Radio
Iain Graalum
Campus & Mail Operations Supervisor
Facilities, Management & Planning
Michael Greata
RVTV Operations Manager
Digital Media Center
Javier Hernandez
Locksmith
Facilities, Manangement, & Planning
Aaron Hettman
Locksmith
Facilities, Management, & Planning
Greg Martin
Senior Graphic Designer
Marketing & Communications
Brian Nordahl
Officer
Campus Public Saftey
Zac Olson
Executive Director
Admissions & Recruitment
Lisa Sherrill
Division Coordinator/Administrative Program Assistant
School of Science & Business
Patrick Smith
Human Resources Generalist
Human Resource Services
Miranda Stiles
Associate Director of Outreach & Engagement
Admissions & Recruitment
Past Recipients & Nominees
2023
Recipients
Ashley King
Service Center Manager
Stacy Shaver
Academic Resource Officer
Nominees
- Kim Andresen
Marketing & Box Office Manager
Oregon Center for the Arts - Mark Badowsky
Assistant Coach
Athletics – Track & Field - Michele Barlow
Assistant Director
Human Resources - Staci Buchwald
Director
University Housing - Anita Caster
Program Advisor/Education
Education - Todd Doriguzzi
Campus Public Safety Officer
Campus Public Safety - Michael Greata
RVTV Government Meeting Operator
Digital Media Center - Bobby Heiken
Associate Athletic Director/Development & Marketing
Athletics - Paige Jensen
Administrative Program Assistant
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - Connie Lynn
Administrative Program Assistant
Pre-College Youth Programs - Angel McDonald
Office Specialist 2
Psychology - Karen Menzie
Library Tech 3
Hannon Library - Taliah Mortensen
Administrative Program Assistant
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - Brian Nordahl
Campus Public Safety Officer
Campus Public Safety - Linda Powell
Administrative Program Assistant
Small Business Development Center - Matt Roberts
Sergeant
Campus Public Safety - Chelsea Rose
Director
SOU Laboratory of Anthropology
Ulrich Sommerauer
Operating Systems/Network Analyst 2
Information Technology - Matt Stillman
Associate Vice President/Registrar
Enrollment Management - janelle wilson
Associate Dean of Students
Office of the Dean of Students - Christopher Young-Hammond
Assistant Director
University Housing
2022
Contact HR
1250 Siskiyou Boulevard
Ashland, OR 97520
Email: hrs@sou.edu
Phone:(541) 552-8553