Each year UCSD honors the contributions of some of its most dedicated staff with the Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year Program. Nominees come from a wide spectrum of work areas; however, they are each distinguished by their outstanding service to campus and community. David Miller, acting senior vice chancellor, Academic Affairs, recognized this year's awardees on Tuesday, May 18, at the UCSD Faculty Club.

Mamie E. Gonzalez was named principal exemplary staff employee for 2003-2004 at the nineteenth annual ceremony. Exemplary staff employees honored were Susan (Suzi) M. Dandos, Bobbie J. Gray, Marcelle J. Hawkins, Ann Marie Malo, Emily Marx, Robert Newman, Robert J. Patterson, Jennifer Ann Scholl and Annie W. Townsend. Gonzalez received a $2,500 cash award while the other honorees were awarded $1,500 each. All exemplary staff employees collected framed certificates of recognition and an assortment of gifts donated by various campus organizations.

As associate director for the UCSD Human Research Protections Program (HRPP), Mamie Gonzalez administers complex federal regulations, state law and university policies regarding UCSD research on human subjects. She coordinated the transition from thousands of paper documents to a secure Web-based document management system. A recent audit by the UC Office of the President lauded UCSD's HRPP as a model operation for other UC campuses. Her efforts on the job are complemented by activities that enrich the campus, such as chairing the Multicultural Women's Network, acting as president of the Chicano/Latino Staff Association for three terms, and volunteering for programs such as Reading Across America.

When the UCSD campus joined in the recent celebration of the 100th birthday anniversary of Theodor Seuss Geisel, Suzi Dandos stepped up to orchestrate a slate of related activities on campus. As associate director of Special Events & Protocol, Dandos garners glowing reviews for countless high-profile events, including the Seussentennial, La Jolla Chamber Music Summerfest, UCSD Alumni Awards Gala and Open House 2003 where she served as entertainment chair.

Generous with her time and talents, Bobbie Gray is a career networking coordinator and 36-year veteran of UCSD. Gray's leadership led to the creation of the annual Afternoon With the Stars event that brings Black alumni back to campus to network with current students. She also spent three years as president of the Black Staff Association, a group dedicated to creating a supportive campus environment for Black staff, faculty, and students.

Marcelle Hawkins has been instrumental in making connections with Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) alumni, establishing a comprehensive alumni database that includes every graduate back to 1907 and managing the SIO alumni chapter. Dedicated to facilitating the success of those around her, she has organized student participation in governing, social and community activities; founded the SIO Toastmasters group; and volunteers on numerous SIO committees.

During the October 2004 wildfires, Ann Marie Malo helped ensure every critical burn patient treated at the UCSD Regional Burn Center had a nurse providing expert care. Throughout the disaster, Malo, the assistant nurse manager, kept the staff focused to minister to patients and their families, opening her home as a place for nurses to rest. Her work in this crisis highlights a career serving burn recovery patients.

A force for student involvement, Emily Marx started the Alternative Spring Break Program at UCSD. Last year, she and 35 students built an addition for an orphanage in Tijuana. She also founded the UCSD Cares Campaign, which brings together 60 student organizations and campus departments in civic engagement and charitable projects. An inspiration to the students she advises in the UCSD Volunteer Connection Office, Marx leads by example volunteering her own time as a Big Sister.

Thanks to the work of Robert Newman, research projects at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics have compelling Web-based materials and interactive visualizations. In his quest to provide superior learning tools, he assembled and maintains the Geowall visualization system. His volunteer activities include working with Habitat for Humanity, an organization addressing sustainable fisheries and seafood called Passionfish, and an aquarium outreach program that raises scholarship funds for disadvantaged youth.

Noticing students left on campus over Thanksgiving without dining options or companions, Robert Patterson took action founding the Take a Student Home for Thanksgiving Program, which partners students with host families for Thanksgiving dinner. His sharp eye for the needs of others also spurs his involvement with the PTA, his Community Council and the Black Staff Association. A maintenance mechanic for Housing and Dining Services, Patterson is routinely commended for his first-rate customer service.

Jennifer Scholl's creative stewardship of ArtsBridge has helped put performing and visual arts students in more than 300 local classrooms within under-served schools. She developed an innovative proposal funded by the National Geographic Society called Mapping the Beat, which teaches geography through the indigenous culture and music. Faced with funding cuts, she reduced her ArtsBridge position to 50% time applying funding from her former salary to student scholarships and classroom materials.

Annie Townsend manages what may be the world's largest collection of marine zooplankton, containing over 110,000 plankton samples from disparate ocean regions. Townsend has devoted evenings and weekends to giving tours of the collections to scientists, administrators and private donors. On a volunteer basis, she teaches a night class on invertebrate taxonomy and recently coauthored an important research paper regarding the response of euphausiid crustaceans (krill) to climate change in the California Current.

Media Contact: Colleen DeLory, 858-822-3566 or cdelory@ucsd.edu