Outstanding Classified Staff Award
The Outstanding Classified Staff Award recognizes an individual who exemplifies a positive and creative approach to problem solving and innovation. Their work significantly advances departmental goals and/or the university mission through initiative, leadership, or creative problem-solving. With the support of the President, the two classified staff unions on campus (WFSE and PSE) together select members to receive this award.
Selection Criteria
To be considered, the individual must demonstrate contribution to the work unit, department, college or university that furthers the university's mission and strategic goals through any of the following ways:
- Excellence in job performance.
- Personal initiative and leadership that supports and builds a positive work environment.
- Innovative approach to problem-solving that enables sustained improvement
- Commitment to student success, critical thought, creativity, and sustainability.
- Commitment to equity and justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of others.
Award/Recognition
Award Administration
Nomination Process
- Nominees must be a permanent classified staff member who has completed one year of service by January 31, 2024.
The nomination process for the 2024 award is CLOSED. Thank you for taking the time to nominate a collegeague!
2023
Carrie Annett - Chemistry
Chemistry Department Manager Carrie Annett leads her department’s administrative office team with a professional, collegial, and friendly approach. As one faculty member put it, “She is undeniably the heart and soul of the Chemistry department.” Annett started working at Western in 1995 as a fiscal technician in the Viking Union and has worked in several areas across campus, including Administrative Computing, Elementary Education, and Chemistry (on two separate occasions) where she began as manager in 2013.
In 2021, Chemistry experienced an unprecedented period of staff vacancies, with six of nine staff positions turning over. Annett remained positive and worked many extra hours to avoid disruption of department operations. She offered creative solutions to hire exemplary people and went above and beyond to train multiple new team members simultaneously.
Annett is an innovative leader with a wealth of institutional knowledge. Her accomplishments over the years include key contributions to the development of flow charts for summer student hiring, onboarding the Chemistry Stockroom as a Banner Store, and serving as mentor to multiple new CSE department managers. One previous mentee stated, “Carrie is an inspiration and someone you can count on to show up and go above and beyond in every situation.”
Ryan Cullup - Facilities
Ryan Cullup has spent 13 years at Western serving as a custodian, a roofer, and now Facilities Services coordinator – all while working toward his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Cullup has continually contributed to Western from a servant leadership mindset while holistically assisting Facilities Development & Operations in developing the planned maintenance and asset management portfolio. Most recently, he has honed his project management skills on public works projects with a combined construction value of nearly $2 million. He is a member of Western’s Confined Space Rescue team and a former union president.
Outside of Western, Cullup spends time in Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties fishing, officiating high school wrestling matches, and raising a family. He is extremely dedicated to a life filled with learning and supporting his fellow employees while serving our customers, our students, and the citizens of Washington state.
Jimmy Perigo - Facilities
Jimmy Perigo has been a critical member of the Western’s Academic Custodial Services team since November 1998, performing higher level duty assignments in a majority of the construction trade shops at WWU. He has extensive knowledge of the university and knows how much harm building-related emergencies can cause.
Now supervisor of the Water Damage Response Team, Perigo responds to any emergency where water has intruded into our buildings by either a leak, an overflowed sink or toilet, or an emergency flooding event. He and his team are usually one of the first WWU staff members on location to assist in eliminating the cause of the leak and in creating the clean-up plan. Perigo leads his team in evaluating whether they are able to dry the building material or if it’s better to remove the damaged or contaminated material and replace it. Perigo and his team have minimized unnecessary costs and disruption, especially in large emergency floods, and demonstrate a high level of care to those whose routines were upended by these stressful, unexpected events.
Meanwhile, Perigo has continued to lead and care for the custodial teams assigned to him to ensure the highest level of cleanliness and health for the university community.
Kate Stevenson - Honors College
Kate Stevenson’s involvement at Western began in 1996 as an undergraduate student employee on the Viking Union Set Crew. Cultivating relationships with staff, faculty, students, and community throughout the years provided her the opportunity to continue her career at WWU. She taught in the Dance Department for three years before starting her career as a classified staff person. Stevenson returned to the Viking Union Operations team as the Event Services manager, then to New Student Services/Family Outreach as the Family Outreach manager, and currently serves as the program manager in the Honors College.
Stevenson’s colleagues overwhelmingly praise her enthusiastic energy, positive outlook, collaborative and supportive spirit, and ability to get things done. In addition to the great work she does for the Honors College, she is also a popular instructor in the WWU Wellness Program, whipping faculty and staff into shape and making workouts fun. One stated: “In a sea of chaos and anxiety, Kate is an island of tranquility. She is in command without being at all commanding, she exudes competence, and she is simply a delight to work with. She adds luster to any endeavor with which she is associated.”
Past Awardees
4 awardee(s) for this year
2022 Awardees
Chase Macomber - Woodring College of Education
Chase Macomber has been an invaluable addition to Woodring College of Education since he joined in 2008. Before, but especially during, the COVID-19 pandemic Chase has gone above and beyond to ensure the needs of Woodring faculty and staff are met. Whether that is helping to loan out equipment, picking up deliveries from Central Services, packaging and shipping necessary equipment to folks who were working remotely, and/or providing computer support in both an online and face-to-face capacities.
Woodring staff and faculty know that they can always ask Chase any question about technology, no matter how silly or small, and he will always answer (more than likely with a smile on his face). As a caring and dedicated employee, he is always willing to assist in all areas of need at the college, with a calm and positive attitude. Chase's prompt solutions to technology issues empowers Woodring College of Education to fulfill its Mission and Vision Statements. In particular, he enables the staff and faculty to be able to foster community relationships and develop collaborative partnerships.
Chase looks forward to many more years of working with all his friends and colleagues at Woodring and the University.
Luke Mason - Viking Union Operations
Luke started at Western as a gardener in 2011 and moved through the campus community as a utility worker, irrigation specialist, building mechanic, and carpenter. In 2017, he moved to the position of Maintenance Services Coordinator in the Viking Union. During the pandemic, he helped to find ways for his staff to work remotely by providing educational opportunities to work towards certifications based on industry best practices as well as a deeper sense of cultural humility relevant to our increasingly diverse student body. He led his staff in taking on special cleaning and restorative projects that could not have been completed during typical cycles of building activity. He also developed and executed a plan based on pandemic safety recommendations and operational needs for people to move throughout the building safely.
Luke has worked cross-campus to help create a sustainable environment, including creating the Campus to Compost program at Facilities Management that eliminates tons of waste by returning it to campus landscape. Some of his favorite projects during his time at Western have been helping to preserve the Burn’s cabin by Fairhaven College, watching the many campus trees he helped plant grow, and working to create and maintain the student union as a fun, safe and engaging space.
Megan Brown - Elementary Education
Megan started working at Western in 2015 as an Office Assistant in the Elementary Education Department. Presently, she is a Program Coordinator in the same department, with specific focus on the Early Childhood Education Program.
Megan strives to diversify the teaching workforce by recruiting and retaining pre-service teachers that are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first generation, as well as other underrepresented groups within the teaching profession. Megan’s office is frequently occupied with students, which speaks to the trust she has built with them, and the safe, supportive space she provides. Students highlight the knowledge that Megan provides to them about the program, university and community resources that have been critical for their success in the program. One student shares, “She is always willing to make time for anything I need, whether that is degree related or mental support.”
Outside of her department work, Megan is also a member of Woodring’s Equity and Diversity Committee, and works closely with Woodring’s Office of Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to review practices and advocate for strategies that promote equity and honor diversities.
Megan graduated cum laude from Western in 2014, receiving a B.S. in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Economics.
Scott Wilkinson - College of the Environment
Scott is a lifelong learner and sees his success at WWU as a product of time spent in both the Chemistry Department (from 2001-2009, as an undergraduate, graduate student, and General Chemistry Lab Coordinator) and the College of the Environment (CENV), where he has served in the role of Lab and Classroom Support Technician since 2009. Over the last 13 years he has seen the College grow substantially and this expansion has afforded opportunities to serve students and faculty who are engaged in ever more interesting projects in disciplines like nanomaterials, the cryosphere, microplastics, restoration, marine science, and more. With help and mentoring from colleagues in CENV, EH&S, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, AMSEC, and SciTech he now has the experience and institutional knowledge to effectively serve as the College’s Safety Officer, Lab Coordinator, Stockroom Attendant, and Purchasing Agent. One of Scott’s mottos is “The show must go on,” and he does his best to provide seamless support for the College’s many research projects, classes, and field trips. Accomplishments over the years include cultivating positive working relationships across campus, maintaining a strong safety record, serving as a Site Supervisor through the pandemic, and helping acquire ~$100,000 in STF funds for CENV.