It's easy to send a DFA Hurray! A simple note of praise goes a long way.

Do you have a DFA colleague you would like to acknowledge for a job well done? Please take a moment to send a message of appreciation to your colleague by completing this brief form, and we will send a note  on your behalf.

Click here to send a DFA Hurray!

 

Amy Keene, Project Manager, Capital Planning and Development

"It was very refreshing and encouraging to see Amy's professional, direct approach to solving a recent construction issue. Her dedication to solving problems and advocating for OSU (both units and the campus as a whole) is commendable." - Rebecca Houghtaling

John Gremmels, Director of Capital Planning

"John is instrumental as the lead preparer of the capital projects dockets for each board of trustee meeting. He works collaboratively with the project manager and department to ensure that information received includes the necessary components to accurately fill in the sections of the docket. John works diligently to meet the deadlines prepared by others..." - Keahi McFadden

Lanling He, Analyst Programmer, Enterprise Computing

"Lanling is a terrific representative for her department and an excellent OSU employee. She is very responsive to requests for assistance - especially when there is a critical business stop that involves a programming issue with the technical tools that are used. She consistently has a positive attitude and is willing to help find a solution.' - Charlotte Rooks

Brittany McDonald, Associate Director, Human Resources

"Brittany continues to go above and beyond in representing the entire university HR office in the ESM project. Brittany has done an excellent job representing HR, taking the lead on workstreams, and bringing excitement to the project. She does an amazing job of balancing issues/needs while also pushing the units and project team to be creative in solving them too." - Danny Hough

Angel Silkbaron, Human Resources

"Just wanted to give a huge shoutout to Angel for helping us figure out how we can support some of our grad students for fall term who have unusual academic and/or funding situations. She has answered about 10,000 questions from both myself and other CEOAS faculty and coordinators as we work last minute to make sure all our grads are set up for Fall term." - Kelsey Herman

Lewis Walker, Class and Compensation Consultant, Human Resources

"Lewis has a willingness to partner with us. The myriad of questions and circumstances that he assists us with are always met with an attitude of "How can we get you to where you want to go." He is dedicated to resolving issues and working through barriers. He genuinely wants us to succeed." - Keahi McFadden

Ruth Nelson, Retirement Officer, University Human Resources

”Ruth received compliments and recognition from an employee she met with for providing excellent customer service by going the extra mile to help them with the steps in their retirement process. They said "that’s the kind of person I would want/like on my team. That person that goes the extra step. HR is fortunate to have someone like you on their team!" Thank you, Ruth!"- Bonny Ray

 

Lake C. Larsen, Fiscal Coordinator, Financial Strategic Services

”Lake continues to go above and beyond in helping us find better ways to report on our large volume of housing and dining data. He takes the initiative in creating and improving user-friendly reports and useful charts. He has been instrumental in helping us have meaningful information at our fingertips. He is professional, friendly, positive and endlessly helpful at answering all my questions."- Debra Perry-Guetti

 

Lake C. Larsen, Fiscal Coordinator, Financial Strategic Services

”I want to give a shout out to Lake for his efforts in creating a new dashboard for the accounts within student affairs. The upgrades and changes he made have significantly increased my understanding of the status of our financial situation and projections for the remainder of the fiscal year, allowing our team to make more educated and efficient decisions with our funds. In addition, I always appreciate how responsive and helpful Lake is any time I have a request. Thank you, Lake!"- Brad Young

 

Matt Stoye, Information Technology Consultant, Finance and Administration Information and Technology

“Each year Matt Stoye posts the OSU Annual Financial Report to the Controller's Unit website for me. This year, for the FY23 report, due to a request to have the report posted as soon as possible, I asked Matt to post it the same day of my request if he could. Not only did Matt get the report posted the same day, he did so within an hour of my request. Given how busy I know that he and the DFA-IT team are, I was impressed and wanted to express my sincere appreciation for Matt's excellent customer service.."- Mark Fryman

 

Kevin Christman, Trades and Maintenance Coordinator, Facilities Operations and Maintenance

“Kevin is responding to several unexpected property damage events related to the ice storm timely and thoroughly, keeping me informed and up to date with a positive attitude. His response is night and day and in freezing conditions - way to go Kevin and all of Facilities!!"- Aliesha Milligan 

 

Dwight David Brimley, Accounts Receivable Manager, University Business Services 

“Dwight has been instrumental in helping me and CLA leadership navigate the fee structure for PRAx, by walking us through the process step-by-step and making himself available. We really couldn't have done it without him."- Christina Saechao 

 

Angel Silkbaron, Graduate Student Employment Specialist, University Human Resources 

“Angel has done a tremendous job helping UHR move forward with our website update project. Over the past 5 months she worked tirelessly to identify needed website corrections and helped move us forward with new design ideas. Angel quickly updated over 120 items over the weekend that were updated on the live site but not yet updated in the Dev site so that we could move to the next version of Drupal. Without her effort the transition would have been delayed. Thank you, Angel!"- Bonny Ray 

 

Christina E.B. Schaaf, Work Life Coordinator, University Human Resources 

"Christina assisted with the contracting process and the launch planning for our new mental health resource through Lyra Health. She went above and beyond helping to resolve challenges to putting everything in place to provide this incredible new benefit to OSU employees. Christina drafted communications, set up informational sessions for employees and supervisors, provided presentations, assisted with needed contract items across OSU departments and assembled website updates. Thank you, Christina!"- Bonny Ray

 

Rhonda Thomassen, Executive Assistant, Controller's Office Administration 

“Hi Rhonda, I truly want to thank you for taking the time to connect with Kacey so we could launch our OSRAA Outreach Webinars. I appreciate you taking the time to partner and share your learnings with my team! Thanks for being a great partner.”- Jenn Creighton 

 

Andrew Cadotte, Director of Technology Solutions, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

“I want to express my gratitude to Andy for assisting me to send an email to a large number of recipients. He assisted in getting my limit temporarily increased and patiently walked me through the process of how to send the email. He also helped me out after hours when, after reaching my limit, I had emails that needed to be sent stuck in my out box. I really appreciate Andy's outstanding customer service!"- Heidi Sann 

 

Rebecca Houghtaling, Senior Planner, Capital Planning and Development 

“Rebecca is the definition of lead by example and is a vision of teamwork. Rebecca's efforts are such a standout for me that I never want to forget how meaningful this is for OSU, CPD, but also for myself to make sure these efforts aren't taken for granted. Unselfish leadership is one of the most meaningful things for an organization to have and Rebecca walks this walk every day to a level I can't help but appreciate and look up to. Thank you Rebecca and I appreciate all you do!"- Scylise Little 

 

Angel Silkbaron, Graduate Student Employment Specialist, University Human Resources 

 “Angel was instrumental in the successful launch of the new UHR website. Her tireless work for the past six months has resulted in a newly aligned, migrated website that serves user needs. Angel took on the massive work in making sure that the development site and the production site were aligned, of utmost importance when it comes to the operational and legal issues present in the HR website. Really, the site could not have launched without her help steering the project and making sure the content was aligned. Thank you so much, Angel!"- Erin Martin 

 

Katy Lee Ahlvin, Senior Training Specialist, University Human Resources 

“Katy's excellent project management skills were key in delivering a successful UHR website redesign. Her ability to communicate with leadership and keep the project on track was unparalleled and, beyond that, she is just a joy to work with. Thank you, Katy!!"- Erin Martin 

 

Melissa Medina, Training Coordinator, University Human Resources 

“KUDOS to Melissa Medina, who did a spectacular job at organizing and participating in our Learning & Development booths at both University Days and the Benefits Fair this year! These were the first events that our unit has participated in, so there was a lot to coordinate! Melissa's meticulous planning and comprehensive approach ensured that everything ran seamlessly, start to finish - she had thought of every aspect! Her ability to engage with the crowd and effectively communicate the value of our programs and learning opportunities was remarkable - and she left a lasting impact on everyone who visited our booth. Melissa's dedication to our success sets a high standard that is truly inspirational - I am so grateful for her exceptional work and the positive energy that she brings to Learning and Development!."- Katy Ahlvin

 

Sandra M. Larsen, Grants and Contracts Coordinator, Financial Strategic Services 

 “Sandi helped the FSS-Forestry office by uploading our signed PAR forms into OnBase. I really appreciate her taking the time to finish this task that had been pending for so long. I appreciate her teamwork!"- Christina Fierro 

 

Manmeet Singh Khetarpal, Academic Wage Appointment, Vice President of Finance and Administration 

“I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for Manmeet's invaluable assistance in streamlining my calendar using Microsoft Power Automate to add buffers to my calendar after a meeting has been scheduled. This thoughtful and innovative approach has profoundly impacted my daily schedule, allowing me to attend meetings more punctually and significantly reducing the stress of rushing from one meeting to the next. I am genuinely grateful for his expertise, which has improved my professional effectiveness and efficiency. Manmeet was excited to share how this new technology can positively impact our work lives. His innovative use of this software has been transformative for me, and I can't wait for Manmeet to share what else Power Automate can do."- Kayla Campbell 

 

Candice L. Vasallo, Recruitment Specialist, University Human Resources 

"You were a great partner helping me navigate the process so that we could get the formal offer letters out to the candidates quickly. I really appreciated your help and responsiveness to my questions and the efficient way you processed the necessary information to move forward with the recruitments."- Bonny Ray 

 

Melissa Stuart, Payroll Services Manager, Central Payroll Office 

“Melissa always shows patience and understanding to her team. She's extremely helpful when we need extra support and as a new member to her team, having her there to always share my thoughts on a new process is very appreciated. Payroll is very intricate and complex so having such an amazing person to help learn the ropes from is exactly what makes a great boss. I feel that I can go to her for any kind of issue and she will do her best to help me work through it and help me learn how to figure up with the answer. Our team is like a family and I feel very privileged to be a part of it."- Alison Means 

 

Courtney Seton, Financial Services Manager, Financial Strategic Services 

Tricia Olson, Senior HR Strategic Partner, University Human Resources 

Stephanie Pearse, Financial Services Manager, Financial Strategic Services

Erica Dodson, Associate Director Financial Strategic Services, Financial Strategic Services

“Shout out to HR and the Financial department for supporting all the departments in Student Affairs. We couldn't do it without you!"- Erin Wirkkala 

 

Rebekah Pike, Communications Specialist, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

“Hurray! for the excellent job Rebekah did on the DFA Veterans of DFA project. Conducting the interviews and developing unique web pages and quotes to highlight each person was no easy task. The result is a very positive representation of what veterans are doing in and for DFA and the university."- Michael Bamberger 

 

Shain Panzeri, Project Manager, Vice President of Finance and Administration 

“Shain has done an extraordinary job to project manage the RFP processes for AMP consultants. He has gone the extra mile in leading teams through the process in a thoughtful and organized way. He has been inclusive of folks' perspectives and has put in whatever effort and time it takes to help us meet our deadlines while having a thorough process. I have had many leaders and community members comment on his calm, thoughtful and comprehensive work to make AMP successful. He is truly a rockstar and we are grateful to have him on our team."- Heather Riney 

 

Shain Panzeri, Project Manager, Vice President of Finance and Administration

“Shain's project management work for RFP's is going to set him apart as the go-to guru for all technology formal procurements! His work to improve and utilize lessons learned from previous RFP's is helping us mature as an institution and build this muscle so that we contract with the right vendors for the right reasons."- Polly Harrell 

 

Scylise Little, Construction Manager, Capital Planning and Development 

“Scylise has made us in the Keyshop feel like we are all on the same team working together instead of 2 departments dealing with each other. She has made us feel seen and heard and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!"- Joseph D. Tibbits

 

Cole B. Hansen, Program Representative , University Business Services

“Cole is in charge of the communications for our group and has been very timely and efficient with the constantly changing communications that have been sent related to our part of the Student Financial readiness project. This has been a huge help in this changing environment. Thanks Cole!!"- Gregory Balck 

 

Katie A. Vorderstrasse, Assistant Director, Insurance and Risk Management Services

“I want to express my gratitude to Katie Vorderstrasse. Katie's worked with a team from FSS to collect documentation for OSU's FEMA and SAIF Worker Safety Fund claims relative to COVID. Katie came to the team with an ask and she made a heavy lifts seem doable by standing up a process and providing clear, concise instructions on what she needed. She showed patience, perseverance and professionalism during a stressful time and over a sustained period. Her hard work paid off and OSU recently recovered just over $1.5 million. Thank you, Katie!"- Heidi Sann 

 

To The Controller's Unit Team: Andrea Hykes, Britney Dewberry, Christina Fierro, Christina Saechao, Courtney Seton, Gwen Frye, Jim Nightengale, Jonah Koerner, Jonathan Rosa, Kira Lueck, Mark Nash, Renee Lyon,  Virginia Kestler, Wenjie Xu,  Dana Ainsworth, Rob Schellenger, Natasha Gaspar, Meaghan Deitz, Financial Strategic Partner, Ethan Monie

“I want to express my gratitude on an amazing group effort. During a stressful time, this team came together to support our partners in Insurance & Risk Management Services to collect documentation for OSU's FEMA and SAIF Worker Safety Fund claims relative to COVID. This team showed patience, perseverance, and professionalism during a stressful time and over a sustained period. Their hard work paid off and OSU recently recovered just over $1.5 million. Good job all!"- Heidi Sann

 

Matt Stoye, Information Technology Consultant, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

 “Matt has been an enormous help to UHR during the rollout of the Professor of Teaching website! Every time we needed a change in response to evolving needs, Matt acted quickly and accurately - and communicated clearly. Matt took information I gave that was pretty vague (e.g., "please make it look good") and created a structure for the page that helps users find information quickly and easily. Thank you so much!."- Carolyn Warfield 
 

Paul J. Odenthal, Senior Associate Vice President of Administration, Vice President Finance and Administration

”I was walking down the block and witnessed Paul having an interaction with a young student and his family. He took their photo in front of an OSU monument; it looked like he gave them directions somewhere. And then the family and Paul just chatted for a bit (longer than I had time to observe). I imagined how a moment like this could really assure a family that this institution has their best interests at heart. Thank you, Paul, for exemplifying the values that we share at OSU, and extending yourself to help people feel like they belong here."- Melanie Rose 
 

Tracy Elmshaeuser, Executive Assistant to Senior Associate Vice President for Administration, Senior Associate Vice President Finance and Administration 

“I regularly appreciate and am grateful for Tracy's willingness to help no matter what the task. Recently, we welcomed the incoming class of Freshman and transfer students during OSU's Convocation processional. Tracy consistently shows up for this event and enthusiastically welcomes new students to OSU. In addition, following the event Tracy helped me clean up and carry a table, banner, etc. back to my car. This definitely made my afternoon easier, and I greatly appreciate her help and collaborative nature!"- Andrea McDaniel 

 

William S. Gardner, Accountant, Accounts Payable and Travel

Gwen Frye, Program Representative, Student Billing and Receiving 

Laura A. Frye, Fiscal Coordinator, Accounts Payable and Travel 

“On my first day back on campus (and in our new office location!), Bill, Laura, & Gwen helped me find my way around, helped me set up my technology, and checked in on me. I really appreciate their help and their friendliness."- Jessica King

 

Karen Ahonen, Program Representative, University Business Services 

 “Karen has singlehandedly processed the returns of the Perkins loan back to the US Department of Education. She has a great attention to detail and has been a huge asset in this challenging process."- Gregory Balck 

 

Emma Bramwell, Lifecycle Specialist, University Human Services 

“Emma worked tirelessly to track down documentation late on the Friday before the July 4 holiday, so that a graduate fellow could be paid as soon as possible to meet living expenses. Emma communicated skillfully with the person, reassured them that she understood and empathized, but kept the work moving forward. The fellow felt cared for despite the difficult situation and really appreciated Emma’s communication and efforts. Way to go, Emma!”- Carolyn Warfield 

 

Tracy Elmshaeuser, Executive Assistant to Senior Associate Vice President for Administration, Senior Associate Vice President Finance and Adminstration 

"I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Tracy for her work coordinating the inaugural DFA Emerging Leaders Program. Tracy dedicated her time, talent, and amazing organizational skills to help ensure this program was successful. We could not have made it happen without the many things Tracy took care of - thank you Tracy!"- Heidi Sann

 

Katrina L. Robson, Police Officer, Oregon State University Police Department 

“I witness the kind and very compassionate way Katrina dealt with a person involved in a single care accident. Her compassion for the individual to ensure that they were ok to leave the scene was amazing. The person did not want medical help, but she kept telling them that she was concerned about him, and eventually he allowed medical help. Katrina had a great command on the scene but lead with pure compassion. Thank you for being you and showing that you care."- Machelle Bamberger 

 

Jamie Bridenstine, Business Manager, College of Forestry 

“I was on 2 weeks vacation to take care of a family crisis, right after graduation and there were still many lose ends on some accounting issues happening. While my OSII called me and texted me daily, I would ask her to reach out to Jamie and Christina to get assistance and guidance. Jamie was amazing in helping to get things accomplished and moving along which allowed me to not have to log on to my computer while out. This break was what I personally needed. Knowing Jamie would be there to help keep things on the rails and going was a relief."- Coleen Keedah 
 

Christina Saechao,Financial Strategic Partner, Financial Strategic Services

“I was on 2 weeks’ vacation to take care of a family crisis, right after graduation and there were still many lose ends on some accounting issues happening. While my OSII called me and texted me daily, I would ask her to reach out to Christina to get assistance and guidance. Christina is always amazing in everyday, but it was year end and she was very busy. She still went the extra mile in helping to get things accomplished and moving along which allowed me to not have to log on to my computer while out. This break was what I personally needed. Knowing Christina would be there to help keep things on the correct policy and procedure path was a great comfort to me. Honestly, I couldn't be successful in my job on a daily basis without Christina. She is always responsive, helpful, kind, knowledgeable, and amazing.."- Coleen Keedah 

 

Jamie Bridenstine, Business Manager, College of Forestry 

“Jamie was a LIFESAVER while my supervisor was on vacation. Jamie, thank you for guiding me through everything in these last two weeks and for supporting my department throughout the year!"- Samantha Ramirez 

 

Owen Taylor Markley, Analyst Programmer, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

“Owen worked closely with me to update a form on the Campus Recycling website and went above and beyond to meet our needs. He faced many hurdles with our pesky form, but he persisted and stayed an absolute joy to work with. He even took the time to guide me through making edits myself so I can teach my team moving forward. Thank you, Owen!"- Kaylee Smith 

 

Emma Bramwell, Lifecycle Specialist, University Human Resources 

“Emma has been an excellent partner throughout the Summer Academic Wage process. We've worked together in helping a college that has struggled substantially in completing administrative processes correctly. Emma has been patient, helpful, and very responsive throughout the process despite the fact that the problems have created substantial re-work for Emma. When we've found errors, she has been proactive in getting corrections submitted quickly to payroll so that we can make sure our faculty are being paid correctly and quickly. Her collaboration and partnership have exceeded my expectations throughout this process."- Kadie Powell 

 

Virginia Kestler, Financial Services Manager, Financial Strategic Services 

Alex Sims, Director Vendor Payment Strategies, Accounts Payable and Travel 

Zachary Bishop, Information Technology Consultant, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

“Virginia, Alex and Zach have gone out of their way to figure out why my Benny Buy permissions weren't working correctly. They worked together to figure out that conflicts were occurring on the back end of this program. I'm thankful for these experienced colleagues!"- Mealoha McFadden 

 

 

Morgan E. Hatch, Payment Accounting Comply Coordinator, Central Payroll Assistant 

“Morgan provides outstanding customer service! I reached out for assistance in providing payroll documentation for a claim. I wasn't sure the best way to gather and present the documentation that was needed; but Morgan, through her expertise, provided me with several options that we had available through OSU's reporting systems. She went above and beyond what I asked for. Not only did she provide the documentation I needed for the claim, but she also created a summary sheet of rates for ease of viewing. Every time I seek assistance from Morgan she is approachable and so helpful. A big thank you to Morgan for identifying the best way to provide the documentation in this circumstance and for the excellent service she reliably provides!"- Katie Vorderstrasse

 

Russell Brown, SIS AR Analyst, Finance and Administration Information and Technology 

Gregory Balck, Student Accounts Receivable Manager, University Business Services 

“Greg Balck and Russell Brown have contributed their time and expertise the Student Financial Readiness project. The project includes providing students with more timely and relevant information about their student account. On August 1st a major milestone was reached. OSU students can now view their tuition and fees, and anticipated aid a full five weeks before the start of each term. This means students have more time to pay their account and have more information about any gaps in their aid packages. This took significant effort and collaboration across the Controller's Unit, DFA-IT, Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid, and UIT. Greg lead the collaboration and the cross-training for the student-facing staffs, and Russell provided keen system and data analysis support for design, development and testing. I'm proud of their contributions to the project and for helping OSU realize these important improvements to the student experience."- Lissa Perrone 

 

Carrie Trant, Project Manager, Capital Planning and Development 

Scott A. Bond, Coordinator Capital Construction Project Manager, Capital Planning and Development 

Scylise Little, Construction Manager, Capital Planning and Development

“Scott, Carrie and Scylise are instrumental in creating a meaningful learning experience for our CPD student interns. Thank you for making the time for teaching our students!"- Monika Watkins 
 

Rebekah Pike, Communications Specialist, Finance and Adminstration Information and Technology 

“Rebekah is a true team player. She not only checks the boxes for how CPD interacts with her and her group, but goes above and beyond to do the best she can. She doesn't simply receive and share information, but analyses it and communicates back to us. The care she takes with her position is greatly appreciated."- Scylise Little