Dennis Jones is EOM for May

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Dennis Jones didn't give much thought to his meeting scheduled in the PAC restaurant on Monday afternoon...until he was on his way. Then, he said, he caught on to the fact that there was a surprise in store for him.

Dennis was honored on Monday as he was named the Employee of the Month for May. Dennis works as a network specialist in the information technology services department, which is responsible for the planning, management and direction of technology initiatives in support of both academic and administrative operations at UIS.

Upon being surprised after arriving at the PAC restaurant, Dennis admitted he was suspicious about why he was traveling with a large group to the restaurant and why one of his escorts was carrying his IP phone.

"I felt like I was being dragged down to my last dinner," he said with a laugh.

Regardless, he was extremely pleased with the honor, and his coworkers praised his work over the last ten years of his employment at UIS.

"Dennis has been on my team for less than a year, but he's quite the asset," said Pam Rodgers, Dennis' supervisor. "I'm very happy to have him; he's very thorough in his work."

"It's been a pleasure working with all of you over the years," Dennis said. "You're a great group of people; I couldn't ask for a better group. Thank you for doing this."

"I'm happy I caught on to this a few minutes before to prepare this wonderful speech," he added jokingly.

Tammy Craig is April EOM

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It took longer than usual to get the surprise planned for Tammy Craig, but on Wednesday, May 14, the campus community celebrated Craig being named as the April Employee of the Month.

As the director of the Career Development Center, Craig assists students in preparing for their lifelong careers and works to improve the resources offered at the center for all members of campus. Her continuous involvement with the campus community, her work ethic and her friendliness to everyone she comes across make her the perfect choice for the Employee of the Month for April.

Craig was honored with a reception in the Student Center.

"For those of you who work with Tammy, you know how quickly she moves," said Dr. Marya Leatherwood, associate vice chancellor and director of enrollment management. "But as a result of that fast movement, we have had to reschedule this Employee of the Month celebration not once, not twice but three times!"

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced all of you," Tammy joked.

The Employee of the Month award is well-deserved by Tammy, Marya said.

"She is doing so many things and really has a vision for the Career Development Center," she said. "It's most deserving, and we're delighted."

Tammy commended all of the staff she has worked with at the Career Development Center and others throughout campus for being supportive and nice to work with.

"Coming into the Career Development Center in 2001 was really probably the best part of my career so far," she said. "The staff that has worked there over the years - current staff, retired staff - it's just been a pleasure, and I couldn't have done anything with you. And as far as all of the other departments that collaborate with us, I just want to thank you as well. Everyone has been wonderful to work with all of these years."