Ruben Monroe, left, accepts his award on March 22 for 2021 UHV Employee of the Year from UHV President Bob Glenn. Monroe was honored during the annual UHV Faculty & Staff Recognition Luncheon, which also honored employees celebrating employment anniversaries at the university

A member of the University of Houston-Victoria Facilities staff was recognized Tuesday as the 2021 Employee of the Year for his positive attitude and dedication to doing his best to get the job done every day.

Ruben Monroe, senior maintenance technician, was given the honor during the UHV Faculty & Staff Recognition Luncheon. The event also recognized faculty and staff members who are celebrating employment anniversaries at the university.

“Every university is made up of individuals who keep things running smoothly from behind the scenes, and Ruben is one of the best,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “He is known around campus for his positive attitude, welcoming smile and can-do approach to any challenge. This award is well deserved.”

Monroe was hired in April 2014 as part of the maintenance team and now is in charge of distributing keys for offices and other rooms as well as part of the team that performs preventative maintenance around the university including the air conditioning, heating and plumbing systems. He approaches every task as a challenge, whether it is simple or complicated, and he learns something from those experiences every day.

Monroe’s work ethic is much like a quote from President Abraham Lincoln, said John Burke, UHV director of facilities services.

John Burke

“‘Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.’ Ruben does just this every day,” Burke said. “He has never worried about recognition, but his work ethic and attention to detail is what is and has been noticed, and this is the reason why he was selected by his peers to be the Employee of the Year. I am very grateful to work with Ruben and have him on the Facilities Services team.”

UHV employees choose the Employee of the Year by casting votes on an email ballot listing each 2021 UHV Employee of the Month.

“I am so grateful for this unexpected honor,” Monroe said. “This university is full of wonderful, dedicated people, and any one of the other Employees of the Month would have been just as deserving of this award. At the end of the day, I and everyone else are here to do a job, and we do it well. I just try to treat everyone how I would like to be treated. You never know when being nice to someone can turn their whole day around.”

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

• Marie Rayos, admissions and records analyst in Admissions
• Sara Thurmond, student success coach in University College
• Tracey Fox, director of administration & student services in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Larzell Cowan, manager of enrollment creative services in Enrollment Management
• Cathy Coronado, student recruitment coordinator for UHV Katy in Enrollment Management
• Leonard Buckner, facilities events technician in Facilities
• Desiree Rodriguez, student recruitment coordinator in Student Recruitment
• Mary Borden, instructional technology coordinator in the College of Business
• Courtney Bosier-Hawthorne, student success coach in University College
• Rafael Castorena, senior coordinator of student recruitment in Enrollment Management
• Rosemary McCusker, manager of student recruitment and community outreach in the College of Business

Monroe received a $500 check, a UHV T-shirt and a plaque. His 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, 30 or 35 years also were recognized on Tuesday. Each employee’s name, title and department are listed below.

Five Years

• Michelle Bates – senior accounting analyst in Finance
• Owen Campbell – manager of campus operations at UHV Katy
• Fred Cantu – assistant director of student diversity and inclusion in Student Life
• Sheryl De La Garza – senior secretary in College of Education & Health Professions
• Karla DeCuir – senior director of enrollment management and external relations at UHV Katy
• Ali Dogan – assistant professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Allan English – mail services clerk in Business Services
• Rita Flores – recruitment assistant in Enrollment Management
• Daniel Galindo Sr. – senior maintenance technician in Facilities
• Angela Garcia – admissions and records analyst in Admissions
• Ke’Andre Green – manager of student recruitment in Enrollment Management
• Norma Hinojosa – manager of nursing student services in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Kimberly Hohlt – budget analyst in Budget
• Saidat Ilo – assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Donald Jirkovsky – director of the Center for Regional Collaboration
• Gen Kaneko – assistant professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Hilary Kofron – director of Student Life
• Rebecca Lake – senior director of equal access, Title IX and equal opportunity coordinator
• Chang Woock Lee – assistant professor in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Anthony Madrid – assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Daniela Martinez – recruitment coordinator in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Hannah Moss – academic advisor in the College of Business
• Nadya Pittendrigh – assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Marci Ross – instructional technology specialist in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Stuart Sherman – director of emergency management
• Kaitlinn Smith – instructional technology specialist in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Prabha Todai – administrative secretary in UHV Katy Operations
• Ian Webb – PC specialist in Information Technology
• Michael Wiblishauser – assistant professor in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Christopher Wisofsky – senior systems administrator in Information Technology
• Qiao Xu – assistant professor in the College of Business

10 Years

• Mai Abo Shakra – lecturer in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Casey Akins – senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Justin Bell – associate professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Jeffrey Blodgett – professor in the College of Business
• Leticia Briones – senior administrative secretary in the Small Business Development Center
• Armando Chavez-Rivera – associate professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Yolanda Delgado – accounts payable specialist in Finance
• Xiaobo Dong – associate professor in the College of Business
• Paula Edging – administrative assistant in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Hashimul Ehsan – assistant professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Vikki Fitzpatrick – senior administrative secretary in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Albert Gonzales – senior maintenance technician in Facilities
• Hongyu Guo – professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Shengsheng Huang – associate professor in the College of Business
• Rachana Kalelkar – associate professor in the College of Business
• Yingxu Kuang – associate professor in the College of Business
• Kendra Matthews – executive administrative assistant to the provost
• Tim Michalski – director of business services
• Amjad Nusayr – assistant professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Jang Woo Park – associate professor in the College of Natural & Applied Science
• Thomas Pribyl – head athletic trainer in Athletics
• Carmen Rodriguez – certification analyst in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Jeffrey Sartain – associate professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Sara Skinner – computer labs supervisor in Information Technology
• Jean Smith – training coordinator in the Small Business Development Center
• Debbie Thurmond – transfer credit specialist in Admissions
• Oscar Torres – associate director of enrollment management
• Delores White – visiting lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Lindsay Young – director of the Small Business Development Center
• Farnaz Zand – visiting lecturer in the College of Natural & Applied Science

15 Years

• Andrew Baerg, professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Eric Chacon, manager of web content management in Marketing & Communications
• Eden Gonzalez, UHV Library support technician
• Amy Hatmaker, director of Career Services
• Terry Puhl, UHV’s head baseball coach
• Claire Fletcher, senior institutional research analyst in Institutional Research & Effectiveness

20 Years

• Vera Adamchik, associate professor in the College of Business
• Harry Bashaw, instructional technician coordinator in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Dyana Cochrum, administrative assistant in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Elizabeth Corte, business operations manager in Information Technology
• Jianjun Du, associate professor in the College of Business
• Angela Hartmann, grants and contracts director in Research & Sponsored Programs
• Kristy Hennessey, senior academic advisor in the College of Business
• Yong Lee, professor of accounting in the College of Business
• Tracey Moore-Sweeney, grant facilitator in University Advancement

25 Years

• Michael Guion, library associate in the UHV Library

30 Years

• Estella De Los Santos, professor in the College of Education & Health Professions
• Massoud Metghalchi, professor in the College of Business

35 Years

Horace Fairlamb, professor in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences