The semi-annual Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jacket Awards were announced on March 31, 2020 via an email from President Robert R. Lindgren.

“Today has always been a special day for the Lindgrens,” he wrote. “For the past 14 years, Cheryl and I have very much enjoyed inviting RMC staff members to a special breakfast at the President’s House in honor of springtime, spring break, and most of all, your spectacular service to the college. Suffice to say, we greatly missed seeing you today. Words cannot describe just how much I miss our campus rhythm of life, celebrating our campus traditions, and just seeing you every day! But the Cabinet and I simply did not want to miss the opportunity to recognize you, our extraordinary staff, for your dedication, exemplary work, effectiveness, and spirit of ingenuity. Your recognition is so deserved, even more notably, in this unprecedented time.”

Yellow Jacket Awards were given to nine staff members who have demonstrated distinction in one of four categories: Excellence as a Team Member, Excellence Behind the Scenes, Excellence in Service, and Excellence as a Manager. Each award recipient will receive a certificate and a cash award.

The Awards
The Excellence as a Team Member award is given to an employee who exhibits outstanding teamwork and cooperation, both in his/her own department and with others. Five staff members were presented Excellence as a Team Member awards.

Sergeant Renee Booker, Campus Safety 

“Sgt. Renee Booker is known by her colleagues in Campus Safety and across our campus for her outstanding commitment to the safety of everyone in our campus community,” said Lindgren. “Highly dedicated, Sgt. Booker consistently demonstrates excellent skill and judgment as well as positive energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail. Renee was promoted to the role of Sergeant in 2019, and she has established herself as a leader in Campus Safety. Her colleagues appreciate her leadership and her clarity in communication and actions. She is well-respected as a wonderful example for others. Thank you, Sergeant Booker, for your dedication and commitment to our college.”

Sara Collier, Physical Plant Office Supervisor

“Sara is a valued leader in Physical Plant,” said Lindgren. “She exudes calm professionalism and inspires the trust of others with her friendly and courteous manner. Sara has also been instrumental in keeping track of budgetary issues in the Physical Plant. In addition, she is a key player in helping to prepare residences for our incoming students and was instrumental in implementing the new work order system for the department. She is on the front lines of handling many issues that arise unexpectedly and is trusted for her superior ability and insight in making sure each and every problem is addressed in a timely way. Sara, thank you for your excellent efforts to keep our campus beautiful and running well, and for your help in keeping Physical Plant running smoothly.”

Hillary Diehl, Admissions Counselor

“Hillary is doing a fantastic job recruiting prospective students as an admissions counselor focused on the mid-Atlantic and Northeast territories,” noted Lindgren. “She has also been particularly active in cultivating programming and making new connections in Pennsylvania. Hillary has also taken a leadership role in social media and video production focused on prospective students. Her initiative and productivity have put the college in a stronger position, and when the COVID-19 crisis hit, her work has been—and is—instrumental in helping the Admissions Office pivot quickly and enhance its recruiting efforts. We applaud all that you are doing for our prospective students and their families and for the college, Hillary!”

Margaret Dodson ’17, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

“Margaret is an invaluable member of the Office of Alumni Relations,” said Lindgren. “She brings a positive—infectiously so—excitement to everything she does. Margaret successfully manages hundreds of volunteers, and effectively works to activate a diverse group of alumni to become energized about college projects and events. Her responsibilities are incredibly varied, and she works very hard without hesitation in every instance. From becoming a wiz at social media, to recruiting volunteers to serve on the Young Alumni Board, to getting a hundred volunteers to write postcards for admitted students, Margaret can always be counted on to exceed her set goals. Margaret, we are so appreciative of all you are doing for RMC!  Keep it up!”

Jessica Weiss, Head Field Hockey Coach

“Coach Weiss finished her fourth season this past fall as the Head Coach of the RMC field hockey team,” said Lindgren. “Her work as coach, and as a leader of our student athletes, has been remarkable. Under Coach Weiss, RMC has returned to the ODAC Tournament and has seen its first All-Region selection, 12 All-Conference selections, and 26 All-ODAC Academic Selections. Always willing to lend a hand on and off the field, Coach Weiss makes it a priority to support her fellow coaches and other RMC teams and student-athletes. She is known for her proactive partnership with Academic Affairs to support student-athletes in their academic work, and Jess has been a campus leader and in the region in working to make RMC and Division III teams more inclusive. Coach Weiss, you are such a valuable part of our RMC athletics and academic community, and I thank you for all you have done, and are doing, for our students and student-athletes.”

The Excellence Behind the Scenes award is given to a staff member who provides excellent service behind the scenes, showing initiative and drive, and making Randolph-Macon a better place for work and study. Two staff members were presented this award.

Dylan Hollinden, Senior Web Coordinator

“As Senior Web Developer for RMC, Dylan has managed, with grace, his demanding workload both as a member of the college’s staff and as a student completing his B.S. degree in Computer Science,” said Lindgren. “He makes himself available to respond to technical issues on the RMC web site around the clock, including weekends. Dylan’s technical skills have helped the college save a significant amount of money on labor costs associated with our Sitefinity CMS that was previously outsourced prior to Dylan’s hire. As a direct outcome of Dylan’s work, the RMC website is running stronger, faster and better than at any point in recent history. Thanks, Dylan, for your hard and excellent work to keep our website running smoothly!”

Angus McQueen, Systems Engineer, Technology Services

“Angus has demonstrated excellence behind the scenes in so many ways,” said Lindgren. “His work to streamline the ITS computer and hardware inventory to more easily schedule maintenance and replacement has been very helpful. Furthermore, his critical leadership, both before and now during the COVID-19 crisis, in helping to manage and support classroom and meeting room technology required to deliver instruction and host meetings is deeply valued and appreciated. Angus is known for his excellent customer service, ability to listen, and for his thoughtful approach to diagnosing acute and long-term issues, even in difficult situations. Angus can always be counted on to provide creative and insightful technical solutions for ITS and its customers. Angus, thank you so much for your dedication, expertise, and terrific attitude that helps all of us better maximize our technology.”

The Excellence in Service award is given to an employee who provides excellent service to students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni, or visitors. One staff member received this award.

Cassandra “Sandy” Anderson, Housekeeping Team Leader

“Sandy was promoted to lead housekeeper last year, after five years of outstanding service to the college,” noted Lindgren. “She has worked literally all over campus and is so appreciated for her excellent work and warm and friendly personality. She consistently receives positive comments from students, faculty and staff for her quality of work, high standards, and friendliness. Sandy is a valued leader in the housekeeping department. She is well-respected by her colleagues and all who know her. Always willing to pitch in and lend a hand in any area where assistance is needed, Sandy leads by example. Thank you, Sandy, for all you do to make our campus so beautiful for our students, faculty and staff.” 

The Excellence as a Manager award is given to a mid-level manager who provides excellence in personnel and department leadership to include employee development, innovative ideas, time management or use of college resources. One staff member received this award.

 Tennille Brown, Director of Enrollment Operations

“Tennille is recognized across our campus as an outstanding leader and manager of the Admissions Office staff, as well as for her exceptional management of the complex Customer Relationship Management recruitment database,” said Lindgren. “Her expertise, combined with her calm demeanor and professionalism, are well-known and highly valued in the demanding and often stressful work of recruiting and admissions. She also leverages technology extremely well, helping her team to work both intensively and intelligently. Tennille’s work as a liaison on the Retention Committee has also been lifted up as exceptional. She fosters an understanding within Admissions of the ways in which campus support offices work, while helping the Retention Committee to understand the unique characteristics and needs of each year’s entering class. Tennille’s remarkable ability to provide and maximize vital data analysis skills and support for new students has been an essential part of the Retention Committee’s efforts and considerable success.  Her work has played a key part of helping the college achieve and maintain record retention results. As the Admissions Office, and our campus, has transitioned completely in the past three weeks to going digital and online, Tennille has been a leader in implementing critical adaptions to reach prospective students and their families more effectively. Tennille, Thank you for all your notable efforts in the critically important areas of Admissions and Enrollment, at this critical time.  It is very important and valued.”