Administrative Support Award
The Outstanding Staff awards are chosen by nominations received by the Awards Committee from all faculty, staff, and students at VIMS. They are awarded in the categories of Facilities/Safety/Trades, Technical Support, and Administrative Support.
The winner of the 2022 Outstanding Employee for Administrative Support is Carol Birch.
Carol is known by many across VIMS as a “go-to” colleague who consistently goes “above and beyond.” She works in the background, often without credit or acknowledgement, yet she plays a vital role in keeping the VIMS research and advisory machine running. Carol juggles many types of orders and goes the extra mile to make sure equipment and supplies are received on time.
Carol is always quick to respond to queries and explain what actions and documentation are needed, and often stays beyond normal working hours to complete purchase transactions – for example, she has purchased train tickets on weekends when staff are traveling and have changes in plans and paid for food and supplies after hours when needed for events.
Carol is known for her patience, and she never ignores a request or tells faculty or staff to “figure it out.” She is responsive and provides shortcuts to save time when they exist. The fact that we were able to sail so smoothly through COVID is due in large part to the effectiveness with which Carol worked on our behalf.
Carol is reliable and knowledgeable and always willing to help, and her contributions to VIMS are valued by many.
Congratulations, Carol!