The Classified Personnel Council is pleased to announce the latest round of Everyday Hero Award recipients.
Shannon Archibeque-Engle
Archibeque-Engle is new to her role as the director of assessment and strategic initiatives in the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, but she previously spent 13 years in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
It was in her role in Ag that she earned the respect of her coworker, Malia Michel, who works as an analyst for strategic initiatives there. “Shannon goes above and beyond for everyone she meets,” Michel says. “She continuously goes the extra mile to help students, faculty, and staff feel welcome at CSU. She is a mentor to me and many others.”
Archibeque-Engle is a longtime CSU Ram who has three degrees from CSU, including a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health, a master’s degree in Toxicology, and a Ph.D. in Education. She is involved in the National Task Force on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and said that her involvement – and now her job — came about because “talking about diversity happens to people of color, whether they ask for it or not,” and because of that, she really wanted to learn more and be as knowledgeable as possible. In her free time, Archibeque-Engle spends time shuttling her kids to their various activities and cooking special dishes for her friends and family.
Karen Guy
Guy has worked in her current position as a human resources tech support specialist for three years. She said that transitioning to CSU from her previous role at a community college in Nebraska has been a very positive change and she has loved working with her coworkers.
Chelsey Lane, who is the HR operations manager in the College of Business, nominated Guy for the Everyday Hero Award.
“Karen exemplifies what it means to provide phenomenal customer service,” Lane says. “She takes time to explain things thoroughly and follow up on issues. She has a positive attitude and never makes those calling on her feel that they are a bother.”
Since moving to Colorado, Guy has enjoyed traveling up and down the I-25 corridor with her family and exploring places where she vacationed as a child, like Estes Park and Pikes Peak. Guy said it was very nice to be recognized for her work from someone she doesn’t work with on a daily basis, and that it is good to know people appreciate her work.
Megan Skeehan
Skeehan has spent just over a year in the role of program assistant for the Department of Accounting in the College of Business and has been at CSU for a total of five years. Having come from a very intense job in the restaurant industry, Skeehan praised CSU’s commitment to work/life balance, continuing education, and the general happiness of employees.
Karissa Stolen, the administrative coordinator for undergraduate programs in the College of Business, nominated Skeehan because “Megan is one of the best humans that I know. I can go to their office and immediately know that I have a safe space to find support and brainstorm any issues … Megan makes people feel good and like they are meant to be where they are.”
In addition to program assistant tasks, Skeehan stays incredibly busy and involved as the secretary for the Classified Personnel Council, and serves on the President’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, the Feminist Fight Club’s Intersectionality Committee, Visible Voices, and the Campus Climate Committee. Skeehan is also taking advantage of the Employee Study Privilege by earning a double major in Ethnic Studies and Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts, and hopes to complete a graduate degree in law or student affairs in higher education down the road. When asked what fellow employees should know, Skeehan responded, “Get involved, check out the awesome professional development opportunities on campus, and make new friends! Most importantly, be the person that you needed when you were younger (or new to a job) – that is my personal and professional life philosophy.”
Paul Newman
Newman has worked just over a year as a custodian in the College of Business, but he has been at CSU for 15 years. Upon receiving the Everyday Hero Award, Newman said that it means so much to be nominated by someone in the building he works in – he’s glad that his customers are happy.
Theresa Todd, senior manager of accounting and fiscal operations, nominated Newman.
“Each day Paul takes ownership of the Rockwell buildings and makes sure they are cleaned to his quality expectations,” she says. “Earlier this month, one of our bathrooms had a sewer backup. Paul cleaned up the bathroom for the college staff to continue using it, and he followed up by checking the bathroom and steam cleaning the carpet.”
This above-and-beyond action prompted Theresa to nominateNewman.
During his time serving in the Army, Newman took classes on the locksmith trade. When he’s not working at CSU, he runs his own business called Paul’s Locks. When he retires from CSU someday, he hopes to run this business full-time. With his twinkling sense of humor, Newman says he’d like his fellow CSU employees to know that despite his white beard, he’s not Santa Claus!
Stephanie ‘Mo’ Moreira
Stephanie “Mo” Moreira has been in her current position as assistant director of curricular leadership in the SLiCE office for about a year and a half, but has been at CSU for 10 years. She started as a resident director in Ingersoll Hall right out of graduate school at the University of Vermont. She said she loves CSU, the students, and employees, but freely admits to preferring the easy drivability of the East Coast to the vast expanse of land that is Colorado.
Moreira’s coworker, Jess Dyrdahl, the program coordinator for leadership development in the SLiCE office, nominated Moreira because “she challenges and supports me and doesn’t stifle my creativity. She is great at acknowledging my ideas but helping me fit them into the bigger picture, and she genuinely wants to help me grow personally and professionally. She’s always willing to support people and students all over campus.”
In addition to pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership (“Rick Miranda – watch out!” she says, jokingly) and planning her December 2018 wedding in New Orleans, Moreira loves spending time with her cranky dog, Rio. Rio hates other people so much, Moreira says, that her future mother-in-law gifted her a session with a dog medium to learn more about Rio’s secret thoughts. Moreira wants people to know that she’s aware that everyone is simply trying to live their best lives, and she wants to be a proponent of “everyone being real with each other.”
The Everyday Hero Award is sponsored by the Classified Personnel Council to recognize the day-to-day achievements of all CSU employees (state classified, administrative professionals and faculty). To nominate someone, visit the CPC website.
