Collegiate Recognizes Staff Member for Excellence

This year’s Class of 1977 Anne Jones Staff Award winner’s time at Collegiate can best be summed up in a quote by writer, William Arthur Ward, “Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character” and this year’s Anne Jones award recipient is humble, embodies all that is good; she is one whose service to the entire Collegiate community is unparalleled and is a human being of great character. She greets every person - big and small - with a warm hello and genuine, “how are you doing?” People who come into contact with her feel she is sincerely interested in them and in meeting their needs. A couple of years ago, when working with the Physical Plant staff to get new uniforms, she individually met with every member of the Plant team and helped them choose styles and sizes. Several on the plant staff later remarked that they made a new friend because of her kindness and individual attention. Several regularly stop by to see her to this day.

A consummate professional, this year’s recipient always goes the extra mile to make sure she can best meet the needs of her varied audiences and always seeks to do what is in the best interest of the School. A Collegiate senior administrator said of this year’s recipient that, “her boundless knowledge and her willingness to do whatever it takes to support our instructional programs make her an important partner for the academic programs at Collegiate. You can count on her to find the answers to all of your questions and maintain her cheery encouraging attitude throughout the process.” 

This year’s recipient is diligent in ensuring textbooks are ordered in ample time and that students’ and faculty needs are met – that’s her first priority. For Upper School Summer Quest courses this summer, she literally drove all over Richmond delivering books to students’ homes so they would be prepared for the first day of class.  Another senior administrator remarked that “what I appreciate most about this year’s recipient is that she is a problem solver who tries to do everything she can to make the textbook buying process as easy and seamless as possible for our families. When something does go wrong, she is dogged in her efforts to make it right as quickly as possible. Her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty is appreciated by the teachers, students and parents. She never gets flustered and she always has a plan to make it better the next year. She is a delight to work with in every regard.”

What a lot of people don’t know about this year’s recipient, is that she spends countless hours each year - during her busiest time, and on her own time, purchasing textbooks for Collegiate’s neediest students so that they have all the instructional materials they need to start the school year right. Her commitment to the student experience is second to none.

Comfortable, welcoming and joyful are words often used to describe one’s impression of the Cougar Shop. It’s pleasant décor and inviting presentation is part of this year recipient’s purposeful attention to detail, approach to aesthetics and pride in all she does – it is in fact, a reflection of who she is and her creativity and innovation are evident in everything she touches. When she came to Collegiate, she brought with her experience as a store manager, product specialist and visual merchandising coordinator. Collegiate was lucky to land this talented retailer and now ten-year Collegiate veteran, first as a co-manager and now manager of the Cougar Shop.

While this year’s recipient certainly lives by the axiom, “Customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude,” for her, customer service is not just an attitude, it is what drives her, how she works, and the approach she takes in everything she does, each and every day.