Kayla Sappington, left, a systems analyst in UHV Information Technology, receives a plaque from UHV President Bob Glenn after being named the university’s 2020 Employee of the Year on Tuesday during the UHV Faculty & Staff Recognition Virtual Event.

A University of Houston-Victoria Information Technology staff member who has helped the university adapt to online learning during the pandemic was named the 2020 Employee of the Year on Tuesday during the UHV Faculty & Staff Recognition Virtual Event.

Systems analyst Kayla Sappington was given the honor during the event that also recognized faculty and staff celebrating employment anniversaries at the university.

“Kayla is an outstanding member of the UHV team, and her commitment to excellence is part of what makes this university great,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “This award is well deserved, and I applaud her for all her efforts that helped UHV continue to move forward and serve the needs of our students, faculty and staff during this difficult time.”

Sappington joined the university in 2007 as a Help Desk specialist. Since then, she has moved up within Information Technology to her current role. She also does some adjunct teaching for UHV. In her nomination, Sappington was applauded for her dedication to helping others adjust to the move to virtual learning and her willingness to spend extra time focusing on the university’s technology needs.

Randy Faulk

“Kayla has been successful in every position she has occupied at UHV,” said Randy Faulk, senior director of UHV Information Technology. “However, she really stepped up to deliver a valuable service to this university throughout the events of the past year. Although the success of remote working and learning was a group effort, much of the smooth and speedy transition can be attributed to Kayla’s efforts and dedication to our students, faculty and staff. On behalf of the IT crew, I congratulate Kayla for a job well done!”

UHV employees choose the Employee of the Year by casting votes on an email ballot listing each 2020 UHV Employee of the Month.

“This is an unexpected honor, and I am so grateful for this acknowledgement,” Sappington said. “This past year has been a difficult one for everyone. Receiving this award feels like all the struggles, stress, successes and hard work have been recognized and appreciated by UHV, my friends and colleagues. Getting through this past year was a major team effort, and I want to give credit to the entire ‘Can-Do Crew’ of UHV Information Technology.”

In addition to Sappington, others listed on the ballot were:

• Tracey Moore Sweeney, grant facilitator, University Advancement
• Bev Hoerig, senior instructional designer, Curriculum & Student Achievement
• Stuart Sherman, emergency manager and assistant fire marshal, Emergency Management
• Oscar Torres, student recruitment manager, Student Recruitment
• Kristy Holly, instructional technology coordinator, School of Arts & Sciences
• Angela Garcia, admissions assistant, Admissions
• Camilla Sutton, assistant director, Residence Life
• Mary Borden, instructional technology coordinator, School of Business Administration
• Kendra Matthews, executive administrative assistant, Provost
• Eric Chacon, web content management system manager, Marketing & Communications
• Angela Hartmann, grants and contracts director, Research Administration & Sponsored Programs
• Mary Field, administrative assistant, School of Business Administration

Sappington received a $500 check, a UHV T-shirt and a plaque. Her name also will be engraved on an Employee of the Year plaque displayed in UHV University West.

Employees who have worked at the university for five, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years also were recognized on Tuesday. Each employee’s name, title and department is listed below.

Five Years

• Roger Almaraz – maintenance technician, Facilities
• Janelle Bouknight – assistant professor, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Julie Buchhorn Wardi – manager, Testing Services
• Lizbeth Cardoza – academic advisor, School of Arts & Sciences
• Enkeleta Dervishi – web designer, Marketing & Communications
• Brittany Gleinser – business operations coordinator, Residence Life
• Claudio Gonzalez – senior admissions and records analyst, Admissions
• Melissa Guerrero – student receivables coordinator, Business Services
• Fallon Hare – senior secretary, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Ludmi Herath – director, International Programs
• Denise Hernandez – assistant registrar, Registrar & Student Records
• Joseberto Hernandez – assistant editor, School of Arts & Sciences
• Richard Kameitjo – lead groundskeeper, Facilities
• JoAnna McCulley – catalog librarian, UHV Library
• Kelsey Mills – web developer, Marketing & Communications
• Karen Parsonson – assistant professor, School of Arts & Sciences
• Jesse Pisors – vice president for advancement and external relations, University Advancement
• Andrew Rubio Sr. – groundskeeper, Facilities
• Courtney Middleton Sides – senior director of corporate and foundation relations, University Advancement
• Wayne Smith – associate professor, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Jacob Snyder – lecturer, School of Arts & Sciences
• Camilla Sutton – assistant director, Residence Life
• Lauree Tomas – HR Services manager, Human Resources
• Raymond Tucker – associate professor, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Debbie Vardaman – senior applications programmer and analyst, Information Technology
• Sharron Varghese – coordinator of international student recruitment, International Programs
• Liping Wei – associate professor, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Daniel White – assistant professor, School of Arts & Sciences
• Tami Wisofsky – eResources librarian, UHV Library

10 Years

• Rose Brett – administrative secretary, Student & Judicial Services
• Rafael Castorena – senior coordinator of student recruitment, Student Recruitment
• Wei-Chih Chiang – associate professor, School of Business Administration
• Paul Ebner – sports information specialist, Athletics
• Massomeh Hajilee – associate professor, School of Business Administration
• Mary Lasater – interim associate dean, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Megan Ann Perez – Help Desk manager, Information Technology
• Adrian Rigby – head soccer coach and assistant athletic director, Athletics
• Ernest Solis – groundskeeper, Facilities
• Ricardo Teixeira – associate professor, School of Arts & Sciences
• Becky Townsend – admissions and records analyst, Admissions & Student Recruitment
• Mark Ward – associate professor, School of Arts & Sciences

15 Years

• Shawn Brett – campus solutions director, Enrollment Management
• Warren Diprose – web developer, Marketing & Communications
• Mary Field – administrative assistant, School of Business Administration
• Lawrence Nelson – user services administrator, Information Technology
• Lashon Williams – director, Financial Aid

20 Years

• Mary Borden – instructional technology coordinator, School of Business Administration
• Zoeann Byerly – financial aid specialist, Financial Aid
• Dee Dee Canion – senior secretary, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Peggy Cloninger – professor, School of Business Administration
• Greg Garcia – circulation and shelving supervisor, UHV Library
• James Garcia – telecommunications analyst, Information Technology
• Nancy Gresham – special events coordinator, Special Events
• Shirley Jung – facilities events supervisor, Facilities
• Vangie Kolesar – account services coordinator, Finance
• Teresa LeSage Clements – professor, School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development
• Ashley Walyuchow – athletic director, UHV Athletics

25 Years

• Catherine Perz – associate professor, School of Arts & Sciences

30 Years

• Wayne Beran – vice president for administration and finance