"Go-to," coworkers win COE Staff Member of the Year Awards

COE faculty and staff members in Norman Hall have long known Libbie Richardson and Ric T’Felt as their “go to,” people for some of the thorniest problems in college administration. Now COE staff have made their appreciation official by selecting both Richardson and T’Felt for this year’s Staff Member of the Year Awards.

Both Richardson and T’Felt were presented with their awards at the Staff Appreciation Luncheon March 20.

Libbie Richardson, an accountant in the Business Office, is known to staff members throughout the college as the guru of all things financial. Whether you are wondering how to get a purchase order number, trying to navigate PeopleSoft, or trying to work out a sticky question about the proper use of a purchasing card, Richardson seems to always have a well-researched answer on hand. In letters of nomination, fellow staff members praised Richardson for training them on important tasks and technologies, responding quickly to any and all requests for help, and being “one of the most organized people I’ve ever worked with.”

If Richardson is COE’s in-house sage on business matters, then Ric T’Felt, senior programmer in the Technology Office, is the resident oracle of computing at Norman Hall. Fellow staffers are accustomed to running to him whenever they are mystified by e-mail slowdowns, PC/Mac compatibility problems, upgrades to existing software and questions about how to get rid of that annoying “your mailbox is over its limit” message. (Hint: archive your e-mail.) In their nomination letters, co-workers cited T’Felt’s willingness to work during lunch or after hours to solve emergency problems, his patience and calmness, and his creative approach to problem solving.