On Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, Randolph-Macon recognized nine dedicated staff members during the College’s semi-annual Yellow Jacket Awards ceremony in Birdsong Hall.

President Robert Lindgren expressed his gratitude for the dedication of staff members across campus, whose hard work has contributed to another outstanding academic year at the College.

“It is important to remind ourselves that virtually all achievements at RMC contain some element of your accomplishments,” President Lindgren said. “I am so very grateful for the important role that each of you play in helping us provide such a meaningful educational experience for our students.”

Yellow Jacket Awards were given to staff members who were identified and nominated by their peers as exceptional employees. Each award recipient received a certificate and a cash award. Remarks for each employee, shared by President Lindgren, are excerpted below.

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. Three staff members were presented with this award.

Brooke Crump

Data Integrity Technician

“Brooke is an invaluable member of the Advancement team, known for her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to confidentiality. As the Data Integrity Technician for the Office of College Advancement, she ensures the accuracy, traceability, and accessibility of all data.

Understanding the critical link between accurate data and the College’s fundraising efforts, Brooke ensures that gift officers have the most up-to-date information for their work. When key data is missing, she proactively tracks down addresses, phone numbers, emails, employment details, and relationships.”

Jackie Smithers

Financial Aid Operations Assistant

“Completing her third year at RMC earlier this summer as the Operations Assistant in financial aid, Jackie has been a steady force and plays a significant role in our success. Jackie reviews and codes the hundreds of Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant applications we receive each year. When outreach is needed, she contacts students and their parents to make sure they do not miss this very important funding opportunity.

When the US Department of Education announced we would not have access to batch corrections for our enrolled student’s records, Jackie jumped in and assisted with the manual correction of each record. At our busiest time in the recruitment cycle, we got those corrections done in three weeks while still completing our standard processing. We could not have disbursed funds without this, and Jackie played a key role.”

Tim Davis

Lead Tradesman

“The summer shuffle work begins as soon as students move out of the buildings. Tim leads his team through each dorm room to ensure no major work is needed. If repairs are required, Tim ensures they are completed in preparation for the summer camps and our SURF students. This is an enormous task completed by a small team.

This summer, several special projects increased Tim’s workload. Tim took on the request to reconfigure the football VIP suite seating, adding much-needed rows to the seating for our special guests. Taking on this project in-house saved RMC $30,000 over the quoted price from a bleacher manufacturing company.

In addition to this work, Tim took on duties in our summer treehouse [residence hall] project, making sure all final details were addressed to gain the final occupancy permits on each building.”

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

Nadine Brown

Mail Services Coordinator

“Nadine has long been a positive fixture on campus in her roles for Physical Plant. Her positive outlook brightens the day of everyone she comes in contact with. Nadine started her service to the RMC community as a custodian. Now as the mail services coordinator, she brings that same positive attitude to many places on campus. She is a hard worker and an asset to the College.

Nadine is always willing to step in and lend a hand. She has helped in preparing for large events on Campus and has even come in when called to address housekeeping issues.

The RMC community is grateful for Nadine’s commitment to provide quality support when needed, and always with a smile and a kind word.”

Heather Blake

Accounts Receivable Clerk

“Heather provides excellent customer service to parents, students, and coworkers. She is diligent in finding answers. Heather has the reputation for developing a deep understanding of all surrounding circumstances as she works to resolve issues. She constantly provides suggestions for improvement in processes.

Heather’s job requires significant attention to detail, and the details are important to the RMC community member Heather works with. From processing student refunds, completing horse barn billing and collections, reconciling billing for meal plans, and troubleshooting access issues for students, Heather is always focused on providing excellent service.”

Elizabeth Simmons ’21

Senior Coordinator of Student Life

“Her dedication is evident in every aspect of her work, as she consistently goes above and beyond in serving students, campus stakeholders, and the broader community with care and kindness.

Elizabeth is the sole advisor to the SERVE Committee. Her efforts have strengthened community partnerships, as evidenced by the annual SERVE Expo, which continues to grow under her leadership.

Elizabeth’s work also extends to organizing the Big Event each fall, a campus tradition where hundreds of students volunteer to support the Ashland community. Elizabeth’s meticulous planning and management of these events have been instrumental in their success.”

Natalie Byrnes

Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

“Natalie Byrnes is the epitome of a team player who provides excellent service to any and all. Whether a coworker in Advancement, a staff member from a different department, alumni, faculty, or the parent of a prospective student who wanders into the Dalton House, anyone who meets Natalie will be greeted warmly, helped to the utmost of her ability, and treated with competence and kindness.

Whether she is helping the Event Management Team print hundreds of nametags, stuffing envelopes with Advancement Services, drafting the monthly alumni newsletter, helping with Boydton Society trips and events, coordinating the details of events on or off campus, Natalie gives each assignment her utmost effort.”

The Excellence as a Team Member award is given to an employee who exhibits outstanding teamwork and cooperation, both in their own department and with others. Two staff members were presented with this award.

Mariah Payne

Assistant Director of Disability Services

“Mariah is the primary contact for students registering with Disability Services and she conducts the majority of initial meetings with students. This area of practice is challenging, as the flow of each meeting is different depending on the individual student and their needs.

Mariah is an expert on DS policies and procedures and assists our prospective and new students, families, and faculty with learning what they need to know about the office. 

When Mariah observed that our students were struggling with executive functioning, she took steps to learn more about this area and shared her considerable knowledge with others on campus through presentations to students, faculty, and staff.”

Leslie Bax

Graphic Designer

“In her role as Graphic Designer in the Office of Marketing and Communications, Leslie Bax juggles requests with varying timelines, communicating with partners on campus and off. She possesses a deep knowledge of production that allows her to make important suggestions that have saved the college significant money. And she is dogged in making sure that Randolph-Macon gets what we need—her diligent, comprehensive communications make her valued by colleagues and vendors alike.

That Leslie is part-time only makes her commitment more remarkable. She is often online at odd hours to keep projects moving. She adjusts her schedule to be where she is needed throughout the work week.”