The 2019 Jim Davis Staff Council Award for Meritorious Service has been awarded to longtime Staff Council representatives Nancy Shane and Gina Urias-Sandoval.
Nancy Shane (Precinct 22) is a program evaluator in the Program Evaluation, Education and Research Department in the School of Medicine. She has been on the Staff Council since 2015 and is the long-time chair of the Staff Council Rules and Election committee. Shane said she’s particularly proud of coordinating the first Staff Research Expo in 2017, as well as working to improve the documents and election process, and supporting resolutions to increase hiring and improve conditions for people with disabilities.
“It is an honor to serve on Staff Council and in its committees. I have met some very wonderful people. I have learned so much about so many aspects of campus life. It is also a lot of fun and laughter,” Shane said.
Gina Urias-Sandoval (Grade 14) is program director for the academic programs at the Executive and Professional Education Center at the Anderson School of Management. On the Staff Council, she chairs the Student Success Committee and has been on the Staff Council for more than 10 years.
She cited several projects in which she takes particular pride, including Staff as Student events twice a year, when over 200 staff register before classes are open to the rest of the UNM community and public, and Staff as Graduates, where all staff who have obtained their degrees while employed at UNM are recognized.
“We have many, many great staff members working in Staff Council that were deserving of this award. I am honored and humbled by this as I am well aware of the caliber of the work my colleagues are involved in. It is an honor to sit on UNM’s Staff Council. My experience both on the council and within various committees has been invaluable,” Urias-Sandoval said.
“I can't think of two people more deserving of recognition on the current Staff Council than Gina and Nancy. It's clear to me why they were chosen to receive this award. Each of these outstanding women has dedicated valuable time, serving multiple terms on the council, having membership on multiple committees, and expending considerable effort to further the initiatives and help achieve the goals of the UNM Staff Council,” said incoming Staff Council president Ryan Gregg (Precinct 12),a data manager in Enrollment Management.
The Jim Davis Award is presented each year, during the month of April, to current or former Staff Councilors serving as representatives on standing committees, University-wide committees, or ad hoc committees. Recipients are presented with a plaque during the April Staff Council business meeting, which coincides with Volunteer Appreciation Week.
The Jim Davis Staff Council Award for Meritorious Service was established in 1999 and recognizes the significant contributions of an individual to the Staff Council. The award is named in memory of the late Jim Davis who served as a Staff Councilor for more than five years on numerous committees and was the Council’s Speaker for four years. Davis was the first recipient of this award.