Dear colleagues,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve had this year and express my deepest gratitude to each of you. Your dedication, hard work, and commitment have been the driving force behind our successes.
This year has brought its share of challenges, yet we have navigated them with resilience and a spirit of collaboration that truly sets our team apart. Each of you has contributed in unique and meaningful ways, and for that, I am profoundly thankful.
In this spirit, I would like to recognize the outstanding work of a few teams and individuals. Thank you for your contribution to the OF&S division and congratulations on winning the Operational Excellence and Excellence in Customer Service awards.
FY 2024 Operational Excellence Award
The Budget Transformation Team received the Operational Excellence Award for FY24 for their strong commitment to operational excellence. Throughout the project, they prioritized collaboration and engaged with stakeholders across campus to shape a budget model that will meet Rice’s needs for years to come.
- Alexis Melendez
- Armi Cahoy
- Donna Gilberg
- Gerilyn Gordon
- Josh Sosa
- Kathleen Fabiny
- Keaton Kinstley
- Kevin Yuen
- Pamela Marut
- Roxie Woodward
Excellence in Customer Service Awards for FY 2024
HR’s Talent Acquisition Team earned the Excellence in Customer Service Award for FY24’s Spring Semester for their excellent work on the Hiring Collaboration Hub—a guided, collaborative approach to enhance the hiring process. The Hub offers managers and administrators a space to share ideas, address challenges, and access resources, enhancing the experience for hiring teams and applicants alike.
- Ally Slaughter
- Diana Garcia Acero
- Michelle Potoczniak
- Wiley Bennett
Donna Gilberg received the FY24 Summer Semester Excellence in Customer Service Award. Donna’s deep expertise and commitment to assisting colleagues, even amidst a demanding workload, embodies the best of our customer service values.
With the end of the fall semester quickly approaching, I encourage you to review our different award categories and consider nominating any of your colleagues who meet the criteria.
Welcome to Our OF&S Interns
I’d also like to introduce you to this year’s OF&S interns. As you may recall, OF&S is piloting a central intern program to offer Rice students meaningful, project-based experiences that contribute to our strategic goals. We’re grateful to the Student Intern Committee and Intern Managers for launching this impactful program.
Anoushka Dasgupta
Operational Excellence Intern
An MBA candidate at Rice, Anoushka is focusing on creating an engagement strategy to enhance our student interactions and feedback channels.
Enzo D’Amato
Office of Information Technology Intern
A sophomore with a strong background in networking, Enzo will work with our OIT team to optimize network performance and gain hands-on experience.
Lucy Cai
Strategic Sourcing Intern
Lucy, a Business major with a focus on Finance and Data Science, will assist our Strategic Sourcing & Procurement team to identify new value opportunities
Henry Pu
Facilities Intern
With a dual major in Computer Science and Economics, Henry will support data analysis for our Deferred Maintenance Assessment program and contribute to our Capital Improvement Budget planning.
Finally, as we all look forward to a well-deserved Thanksgiving break, I hope you’ll take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with loved ones. Please also consider participating in our new Season of Sharing program. Your unit lead will provide more details soon on how your team can support OF&S members who have recently faced hardship.
I also hope to see you all at the OF&S New Year Celebration on January 16. It will be a nice way to kick off 2025 together.
Wishing you and yours a joyful Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for all that you do!
With sincere gratitude,
Kelly
