Carolyn Neitzke is December EOM

It's not easy surprising Carolyn Neitzke. After all, she's the director of conference services and in charge of knowing what events are happening where on the UIS campus. However, when she walked into a conference room last week, she was stopped in her tracks when she saw friends, family, and co-workers waiting to congratulate her for being named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for December 2013.

Her nominator says Carolyn "epitomizes everything that an Employee of the Month should be: she's incredibly organized, efficient, and thorough as she plans and executes the many events for which she's responsible." In addition, she's friendly and kind and maintains those qualities regardless of the kind of workday she's experiencing. "It cannot be easy to maintain her welcoming nature and good humor in the midst of the chaos in which she often finds herself and yet Carolyn somehow finds a way to do so," her nominator writes.

Her colleagues are not the only ones to notice Carolyn's friendliness, humor, and dedication to doing a good job. The public have also chimed in by contacting her supervisor after events to express how much they appreciated the attention they received from Carolyn and her staff.

"Carolyn is a GREAT lady with a wonderful work/life outlook and is an invaluable ambassador for UIS," writes her nominator.

Chad Athey is November EOM

Cool, calm, and collected are words that describe Chad Athey, a stationary engineer at UIS and the university's Employee of the Month for November 2013.

His nominator commends Chad for doing such a great job of keeping operational "the creature comforts in campus buildings." He has tended to ceiling leaks, sewer pipe spills, and room temperature issues, all while keeping an upbeat and can-do outlook that inspires others, including his nominator. "In a time where customer service is going the way of the proverbial Dodo bird, it is refreshing to see him in action each and every day," his nominator writes.

Not only does he work hard and demonstrates a good attitude while doing it, he also does it with minimum supervision. "Chad is a person that all supervisors would like to have on their team. He is a team player and can get it done," his supervisor writes.