Star Performer Awards are presented annually to University Services employees and teams of employees who have provided exceptional service to the University of Minnesota over the past year. Awards are given to those who exemplify the University Services values of stewardship, integrity, and respect.
Star Performers also exhibit the following:
- Exceed Expectations—Star Performers go above and beyond the call of duty of their day-to-day tasks. They pay attention to details, seek solutions to problems, and provide a high level of commitment in their duties.
- Customer Service—Star Performers take the time to understand the needs of the students, staff, and visitors to the University and to meet their needs consistently and effectively.
- Initiative—Star Performers find innovative ways to save time, money, or other resources, either through new ideas or new ways to do ongoing tasks. They often act to solve a problem before it becomes a larger issue.
- Reliability—Star Performers demonstrate a consistency in getting the job done right, on time, the first time. Star Performers don’t let their customers, or their coworkers, down.
All University Services people and teams are eligible for an award, and any member of the University community is invited to submit nominations.
Nominations
Nominations for the 2026 University Services Star Performer Awards will open in the fall.
Recipients
2025
- George Beatty
Energy Management
Facilities Management - Damon Chrun
Delivery Service Driver
U Market Services - Peter Church
Building and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Calvin Cross
Stores Specialist
M Food Co. - Philip Driscoll
Team Manager
Facilities Management - Deborah DuBois
Senior Building and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Austin Dufault
Senior Campus Currencies Manager
U Card Office - Nick Dunn
Mechanic
Facilities Management - Tobias Fimpel
GIS Developer
Management Services - Michael Gunther
Mechanic
Facilities Management - Linda Jasinski
Food Service Worker
M Food Co. - Paul Kline
Senior Gardener
Facilities Management - Nick Mabee
Interim Assistant Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Management Services - Ruthann Manlet
Associate Director, Health Sciences District
Facilities Management - Brandon Melby
Senior Laborer
Facilities Management - Connie Monnier
Clothing Department Head
Bookstores - Jeff Novak
Food Service Worker
M Food Co. - Jessica Pavelka
Delivery Project Manager
Capital Project Management - Kevin Ross
Senior Delivery Project Manager
Capital Project Management - Amina Sahal
Building and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Shari Sayles
Facilities Manager
Planning, Space, and Real Estate - Jonathan Schwartz
Landscape Designer
Facilities Management - Ahnika Seifert
Recycling Coordinator
Facilities Management - Mustafa Sharif
Cook
M Food Co. - Ashley Suchomel
Program and Project Manager
Management Services - Dave Ward
Print Production Manager
Printing Services - Richard (Rick) Wieber
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Charles (Chuck) Wuollet
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Zhencheng (William) Zhang
Food Service Worker
M Food Co. - Facilities Management Order Desk Team
Marie Berndt, Emily Oberfoell - University Services Human Resources
Abby Le, Sanjana Zavala - Water Utilities Crew
Sean Brennan, Pete Daszkiewicz, Chuch Roberts, Tim Troje, Troy Troje - Space and Facilities Analytics Team
Ian Baebenroth, Reagan Nelson, Greg Wold - Space Planning and Management Team
Kim Anderson, Nicole Daidala, Kelly Litecky, Rich Swedberg
2024
- Lauren Adamski
Student Conduct Coordinator
Housing and Residential Life - Gutema Yohannis Aliko
Senior Building and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Greg Berger
Associate Director, East Bank District
Facilities Management - Tiara Bolin
Cook
Dining - Diana Boyd
Senior Cashier
Dining - Tahir Buta
Senior Buildings and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Kyle Farrington
Delivery Service Driver
U Market Services - Michelle Germain
Buildings and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Brian Ketchum
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Kristen Kleppen
Addressing and Mailing Coordinator
Printing Services - Katie LaPlant
Carpenters General Foreman
New Construction - Darryl Lund
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Zoey Martinez
Customer Service
U Market Services - Nouci Moua
Payroll Analyst
University Services Finance - Andrew Munsch
Land Records Program Manager
Planning, Space, and Real Estate - Elliot Redmann
Landcare Supervisor
Landcare - Tanner Reed
District Admin Manager
Facilities Management - Carl Rehbein
Painter and Union Steward
U Construction - Paul Reiland
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Steve Roland
Mechanic 3
Facilities Management - Bryn Rose
Stores Specialist
U Market Services - Angela Selb-Sack
Project Manager
Capital Project Management - Darrin Smith
Carpenter
Facilities Management - Travis Stensrud
Store Manager
U of M Bookstore - Rochester - Housing Security Enhancement Team
Heather Winkler, Todd Larson, Daniel Elliott, Ann Hahn, Jessica Gunzburger, Jie Zhao, Danesha Shelton, Mark Weber, Ryan Mullaney, Nick Raymakers, Jeremy Evenson - Energy Management Controls Engineering Team
Dan Bellows, Mike Reeves, Mark Hawkins, Brad Jacobsen, Dave Juelich, Joel Wagner, Doug Korus, Alex Buermann, Roman Podrezov
2023
- Roger Christen
Construction Laborer
U Construction - Blake Hagberg
Finance Professional
Finance and Systems - Daniel Hansmann
Carpenter Foreman
Facilities Management - Matt Hefty
Facilities Support Manager
Housing and Residential Life - Francisco Iglesias
Catalog Administrator
U Market Services - Sarah Jones
Administrative Manager
Energy Management - Cody Jorgenson
Stores Specialist
University Bookstores - Sysouk Khambounmy
Graphic Designer
Printing Services - Emily Marin
Landcare Operations Supervisor
Facilities Management - Candelario Moralez
Building and Grounds Supervisor
Facilities Management - Peter Muoghalu
Delivery Service Driver
U Market Services - Carly Petersen
Senior Planner
Planning, Space, and Real Estate - Bill Rinehart
Team Manager
Facilities Management - Emily Roland
Project Manager
Capital Project Management - Emily Stewart
Electrician Forewoman
Facilities Management - Whitney Taha Frakes
Leadership and Talent Consultant
University Services Human Resources - Natnael Tecleab
Senior Buildings and Grounds Worker
Facilities Management - Kassaye Teklu
Attendant
M Food Co - Conference and Event Services Team
Katie Olson-Williams, Anne Ozbun, Michael Sanders - West Bank Districtwide Buildings and Grounds Project Crew
Tsegaye Bedane, Michael Bigelbach, Adem Omar, Evan Savat - Digital Printing and Finishing Production Team
Tim Barber, Ted Schefelbein, Brandelynn Spurbeck, Gerald Wagner
2022
The Star Performer awards program did not accept nominations in 2022.
2021
Recognizing the incredible effort, ingenuity, and creativity that all U Services employees demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, U Services leaders recognized the contributions of all employees during the past year.