Katie Maynard, a UCSB Sustainability Coordinator working under the aegis of the Department of Geography, is the recipient of a 2008 Staff Citation of Excellence Award. The annual award is limited to 10 UCSB staff members who demonstrate job excellence, a significant impact of their work or performance, strong interpersonal skills, and extraordinary achievement: “The purpose of the program is to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding achievements and meritorious service of career staff,” according to Kim Summerfield, co-chair of the campus Staff Assembly unit. Each of the 10 staff members will receive a plaque and $500 during the UCSB Staff Celebration barbecue on May 9.
Katie has had a major impact on sustainability at UCSB, as well as within the entire University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. She has helped to organize the UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conferences for the past three years; she has successfully prepared and submitted major proposals to The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UCSB – including the campus program known as Laboratory Assessments for Research Sustainability (LARS) and its Laboratory Research and Technical Staff (LabRATS) network which was co-founded by Katie and recently featured in the journal Science; she has inspired, trained, and overseen a multitude of volunteers; she personally implemented the campus vermicomposting and the TGIF-funded “Zero Waste in Ellison Hall” projects; and she constantly works with donors and foundations to garner funding for sustainability efforts on campus.
Perhaps Katie’s major asset is her sheer dedication to sustainability. To quote from some of the nominations Katie received, “I suspect Katie works closer to 90 or 100 hours per week as she is so passionate about what she does here at UCSB;” “Katie’s dedication is truly remarkable, her efforts far exceed any reasonable expectations, and her passion has proven infectious;” “In summary, Katie is the type of employee we all like to work with and hope to be ourselves: committed, passionate, and inspirational.” Congratulations to Katie for her well-deserved award – and thanks to Katie for trying to make the world a better place for all of us.
