The Department of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management would like to congratulate Desiree Stonesifer and Christopher Moss on receiving this honor.
Desiree Stonesifer, Business Services Specialist in Financial Services, has been selected as the Non-Exempt Employee of the Quarter for October-December of 2023. Desiree started her career at UMBC as a temporary employee in the Career Center in 2017. She accepted a full-time position in August 2017 as the Executive Administrative Assistant in Financial Services. Desiree was promoted to her current position in January 2023.
Desiree was nominated by Kristy Michel, the Associate Vice President of Financial Services. In describing her work Kristy Michel says, “Des possesses outstanding customer service skills and boasts an impressive depth of expertise in her field. Her extensive network of positive working relationships with colleagues’ campus-wide simplifies the scheduling of meetings, transaction processing, and the coordination of collaborative endeavors. Her exceptional efficiency permeates every aspect of her work, and she consistently exceeds expectations in her commitment to precision and excellence.”
“Desiree’s role has evolved significantly over the past year, and she has excelled in her new responsibilities. Most notably, our office has assumed the crucial task of providing shared services for the President’s Office, Government and Community Relations, and the Office for Institutional Equity. Throughout this process, Des has played a pivotal role. With minimal supervision, Desiree successfully handled all the necessary paperwork to establish the Shared Services Center. Moreover, she willingly volunteered to work in the Shared Services Center until we could fill the full-time positions required.”
“In addition to her regular duties, Des has taken on responsibilities such as managing payroll, handling purchasing tasks, and managing HR paperwork for these units. Her expertise in these areas allowed for a seamless transition of these units into the Shared Services Center. I have consistently received positive feedback from the President’s Office regarding Desiree’s exceptional work and expertise. She has also gained a reputation as a subject matter expert in various accounting, procurement, and HR processes. Other staff members frequently seek her assistance and guidance when processing transactions and completing forms. Des’s contributions have been invaluable, and she has truly excelled in her evolving role.”
“Des serves as the President of NESS and through that work has become significantly more engaged with various campus events and activities.”
Desiree was presented with her award at a surprise celebration with her Financial Services colleagues. She was proud to be selected as EOQ and was grateful for the recognition.
Christopher Moss, Assistant Director of Client Services in the Division of Information Technology Department, has been selected as the Exempt Employee of the Quarter for October-December of 2023. Chris began his career at UMBC in 2010 as an IT Support Specialist for University Commons. He was promoted to Acting Coordinator and then Manager under the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs in 2020. Chris transferred to the Division of Information Technology in February 2022 to serve in his current role of Assistant Director.
Christopher was nominated by Pamela Raley, and Business Services Specialist in the CoEIT SSC, and Constance Pierson, Associate Vice Provost in IRADS. In describing his work, Pamela Raley says, “I just wanted to give a “Shout Out/Kudos” to Christopher Moss. I called Chris through Webex to see if he could help an employee that was relocated to a new cubicle and was unable to hook up the computer due to the absence of an Ethernet outlet. Chris informed me that he was on his way in and would stop by to check on it once he arrived. Chris came straight to the SSC and began working his magic. He was able to hook her computer up to an existing Ethernet connection along with her phone connection. He took the time to explain each step of the process and even took the time to complete all of the updates on employee’s computer. Chris also took time out to assist another employee with a question.”
Pamela continues, “Chris has such a great personality and demeanor. He checked with each of the SSC Team Members to see if we needed anything before, he left. You don’t often get the pleasure of talking to your colleagues firsthand and receiving this type of informative information. It was a pleasure to see this type of service being offered and I did not want it to go unnoticed. Chris demonstrated excellent customer service and for that we are truly grateful.”
Constance Pierson, Associate Vice Provost in IRADS stated, “I would like to recommend Christopher Moss for Employee of the Quarter designation based on the exemplary customer service – in some cases sanity saving help- that he has provided to me and other IRADS staff members. I’ve worked with Chris for many years, starting with his time in Student Affairs, and have always found him to be conscientious and hard working. In the past few years, with his move to DoIT and role leading the desktop support group, I’ve found him to also be incredibly responsive to requests for assistance and extremely patient. This started a few years ago, during the pandemic, when my computer completely crashed and locked on a Saturday night before a major mandatory project was due to the Provost Office on Monday. A frantic phone call to Jack Suess resulted in Chris contacting me early on that Sunday morning and patiently providing a 40 digit code I needed to input to get things running again. And then talking me through bringing my computer back online. And he’s saved me several times since, either in person or virtually. My computer is critical to the work that I do. Without it, I’m dead in the water. Chris has always been willing to jump in when needed. And always with a smile on his face and a kind and patient attitude.”
“Not only does he competently and efficiently respond to my computer issues, he also takes the time to see how I’m doing personally. He truly cares and that comes through in every interaction. And I know he has provided the same level and quality of support to others in my office. I recommend him as a most-deserving recipient of Employee of the Quarter – if not Year or Decade – award.”
“While I’ve always appreciated the support from DoIT, I’ve seen a noticable change in the emphasis on customer service and follow through by Chris and his team since he took over. I know he has been working to adjust some processes, but the follow through, and the focus on making sure my problem is really fixed and that I understand the issue and that any further questions are answered has been great to see. His positivity and genuine care for everyone he comes into contact with is evident, and he embodies the kind of supportive, dedicated colleague that we all hope to be, and is a model for UMBC.”
Chris is a proud alum of UMBC graduating with a degree in Information Systems.
Christopher was presented his award at a surprise celebration with his DoIT colleagues along with Pamela Raley and Constance Pierson. He modestly accepted the award stating that he wants to acknowledge the entire desktop support team.
Recipients receive $500, a special parking space, one day of administrative leave, a certificate, his/her/their name on the Employee of the Quarter plaque and an invitation to the annual Service Award Ceremony.
Human Resources offers special thanks to everyone that nominated an employee for the award. Previous nominations received will be eligible for consideration for one year from the date received. The next Employee of the Quarter recipients will be selected in January.