From left to right: Natalia Fierro Marquez (Administrative Assistant to the Chair), Kristin Allen (Acting Departmental Administrator) Erin Johnston (Graduate Administrator), Nika Linseman (Programs Support Officer), and Murray Richardson (Chair)

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to share with you our enthusiastic appreciation for the recently announced award of the Sheila McCallum Leadership Award to Erin Johnston.  This award is given out annually to recognize exceptional contributions of staff members within the Faculty and to promote innovation and collaboration among staff.  When I read the selection criteria, which state that awardees will have

“demonstrated consistently excellent service with a spirit of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.  The Selection Committee will look for evidence that the nominee’s excellent service has created a significant, positive, and lasting impact on their unit and/or the Faculty as a whole.”

I knew that Erin fits these criteria extremely well so I quickly asked some of you if you would support a nomination, and I got very enthusiastic responses and ensuing support letters.  We wrote about the excellent care and guidance Erin provides our graduate students, and highlighted the elevated efforts she delivered to help them through the COVID years.  We talked about how she has navigated and steered us through all the changes to graduate studies while she has been the DGES Graduate Administrator.  We explained that her compassion is not limited to the students in her care – that she is a sounding board and a shoulder to lean on for many of her other DGES colleagues, too, and we highlighted, among other examples, all that she did to help Natalie through her health care challenges, including acting as a go-between for all of us during those sad times.

Thanks to all who provided supporting letters; I know we are all extremely pleased but not surprised that she was selected to receive the award.

Erin is actually not here today because of her care for us – she is worried she is coming down with a virus and didn’t want to spread it!  Well, Erin, I know you are probably secretly relieved you didn’t get embarrassed by Murray and I announcing this at the holiday party, but we agreed that we can’t let you completely off the hook, so I hope you feel better soon and that you can feel your DGES family’s appreciation from afar.

Best wishes to all,

Scott, Chair of the Erin Appreciation Working Group, and Murray, Chair DGES