Employee of the Quarter
Wanda Soares Nottingham, Administrative Assistant II for the Africana Studies Department, has been named UMBC’s Non-Exempt Employee of the Quarter effective April 1 thru June, 2018. Wanda began her career at UMBC in the spring of 1997 as an Administrative Assistant II in the Center for Health Program Development & Management. In 2005, Wanda moved to her current position in the Africana Studies Department.
Wanda was nominated by Shawn Bediako, Associate Professor in Psychology and Africana Studies, JaQuon Epps, an Africana Studies Major, and former Africana Studies faculty members Dr. Ama Boakyewa and Dr. Kibibi V Mack-Shelton. They offer the following testimonials to her service:
“I have had the opportunity to closely observe Mrs. Nottingham’s work performance in my capacity as a member of the CAHSS Black Faculty Committee and as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Africana Studies. Her administrative and organizational skills are the common denominators that contribute to the Department’s consistency and stability. She is highly knowledgeable about university policies and procedures; her technical expertise is trusted and respected by colleagues both inside of and beyond her Department. She brings a diverse set of management skills that allow her to operate beyond her typical job description" (Shawn Bediako Ph.D.).
“During my time at UMBC Africana Studies (2012-2014), I found Mrs. Nottingham to be a consummate problem-solver. Without her help throughout my first days and months, I would have failed miserably. She helped me set up my office, introduced me to colleagues, and schooled me on all of the systems pertinent to working there as a teacher and colleague. I developed not only a respect for her proficiency and professionalism, but a fondness for her ability to effectively communicate with all people who crossed her path from students in need of guidance to department heads and distinguished guests" (Ama Boakyewa Ph.D.).
“I have spent the last twenty-five years teaching in various academic institutions in the U.S. and, to this day, I have never witnessed an administrative assistant, let alone an administrator, to be as giving of their time without extra compensation as I have seen with Mrs. Nottingham. This “unsung hero”, as I am affectionately calling her, displays an unrelenting level of commitment in every capacity imaginable in the building, maintaining, financing, and growing of Africana Studies at UMBC” (Kibibi V Mack-Shelton Ph.D.).
Congratulations Wanda!
Posted: May 23, 2018, 5:18 PM
