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Duke Honors Top Employees With Presidential Awards

Employees make a difference through their caring efforts

Last week, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead honored four employees with the Presidential Award, the university highest employee honor. Each of the recipients received a plaque and a check for $1,000.

"The Presidential Awards celebrate a handful of employees whose service shows in the highest degree the qualities Duke values in all employees," Duke President Richard H. Brodhead said. "It was exciting to read the many nominations and difficult to choose among them. I will be honored to meet each winner at the luncheon at the end of the month. Duke is the better every day for the work of people like these."

Below are stories on the four winners:

Susan Havrilesky: An Advocate for Neurobiology

Susan Havrilesky's first job at Duke was illustrating animal brain slices. That may seem a long way from her current job as business manager for the Department of Neurobiology, but for Havrilesky, it's another way she can show her creativity and attention to detail.

Havrilesky's career at Duke began in 1979 when she was hired as an artist/illustrator for Dr. Irving Diamond in the Department of Psychology. She also took dictation, typed, worked in the darkroom, and even helped with the animal colony in the basement.

Soon, she began to direct finances and became an administrative coordinator. Shortly after the neurobiology department was established in 1989, Havrilesky became the department's business manager and has been there ever since.

This month Havrilesky was selected to receive a 2004 Presidential Award for that outstanding service.

Havrilesky feels that one of her best contributions to the department came early on when she organized the documentation of faculty grant support. At least half of the department's faculty salaries are paid for by grants, and Havrilesky quickly became an expert on each faculty member's grant status. She developed a one-page grant report that showed each faculty member's funding with projected outcomes to the end of each grant project period.

She said faculty members were then better able to see the total picture "in a nutshell" and manage their funds when making decisions, such as whether to apply for additional funding or to support a new graduate student or postdoctoral fellow.

"Susan is the person to go to for an answer, and this aids everyone in being a more productive part of our department at Duke," said Erich Jarvis, Ph.D., associate professor for neurobiology. "If she can't personally solve a problem for someone she most likely knows someone who can and is more than willing to put you in contact with the right person."

Colleagues also credit Havrilesky with creating a supportive and productive environment in which everyone can contribute.

"The Department of Neurobiology has the best staff of any organization with which I have been associated," said Ann Sink, an associate in research. "The credit for building this staff goes to Susan Havrilesky. It's a great staff because she is a great manager. Susan makes the department a wonderful place to work."

"No one could ask for a better supervisor -- one who tells you what she needs and then leaves you alone to perform the task, but also is available for questions or guidance along the way," adds Terry Jones, business manager for the Center for Neuroengineering.

Havrilesky describes the staff as loyal, hard workers, who are not just interested in the pay. "The thing that makes the job interesting is great staff and smart faculty," she said. "Where else could I work around such smart people?"

She credits being the mother of three children for helping her be a good business manager. "You are forced to deal with many issues as a parent, especially a working parent," Havrilesky said. "It allows you to be sympathetic with staff who have these same issues, even times ten."

Administrative Coordinator Irene Lofstrom said she admires Havrilesky for her persistence. "Her ability to get things done, and done right, is legendary among the faculty," Lofstrom said. "She does not give up, even after other business managers, myself included, have thrown up ours hands in despair."

Havrilesky feels that she should share the honor of receiving the Presidential Award with other business managers. "I realize how hard it is to advocate for so many factions while being an advocate for the department," she said. "I am so honored to receive the award. I have a wonderful and caring staff. I have worked with two wonderful chairmen, Dale Purves and Jim McNamara. To work with chairs who care as much about their faculty as they do makes coming to work a good thing."

Kim Burrucker: Hard Work With a Smile

Kim Burrucker rises at 4 a.m. each day, even on Sunday. Working early hours is just part of doing the job she is paid to do, she says.

But to her colleagues and law school students, Kim Burrucker is exceptional. She has been selected to receive the Duke University & Health System Blue Ribbon Presidential Award for exceptional service.

Burrucker is coordinator of the law school's Public Interest and Pro Bono program, which matches volunteer law students with people in need of legal assistance. The popular program provides law students with important skills and experience while providing access to the legal system and legal advice to many who need it.

"I'm flattered and honored," said Burrucker, who credited her supervisor, Associate Dean Carol Spruill. "Carol is so busy, but she is one of those people who will take the time to show appreciation (of your work)."

"I was thrilled to hear that Kim won, and it was very gratifying that someone I thought was so special was recognized by other people," Spruill said.

To showcase Burrucker's work ethic, Spruill recounts her dedication to getting the job done under any conditions. During the December 2002 ice storm, Burrucker was on the only one in the office to show up to work. For Burrucker, it was just another day at work.

"It's the way I've always been," she said. She said in her last job before Duke, she managed three shifts. "I'd go into work whenever I woke up. If it was one o'clock in the morning, I would head down there."

Burrucker has worked with the Public Interest and Pro Bono program for nearly three years. The assistance the program's students provide to the community is a great source of pride for her, she said.

Working with a 40-member student panel, Burrucker helps oversee programs such as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). VITA students help local residents with their income tax forms. Their advice saves residents thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes. Burrucker cites one story where a working Hispanic family came to them with five years worth of W2 forms, owing thousands in back taxes. The help of a volunteer law student enabled them to report all qualified dependents and reduce their tax burden to $700.

"Most of my energy comes from the students," Burrucker said. "My biggest thing is that no matter where you work, or who you work for your work is a direct reflection of you, so you must do your best."

For Burrucker, doing her best means working hard and helping out wherever she is needed. From greeting every person she meets to conquering a fussy fax machine, Burrucker said it's important that she does it with a smile.

As an example of Burrucker's generosity, Spruill noted that Burrucker and her husband annually holds a group of students at their home for Thanksgiving. It started out with four and has grown to six. Burrucker said she would have 20 students to dinner if she could still maintain the intimate feel of a traditional home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

"Kim lights up everyday for me and for the students. She is beloved to them and motivating to them," Spruill said. "It's a combination of a work ethic that won't quit, a joy of people and of sharing."

In between her schedule, Burrucker said she enjoys traveling with her husband and visiting family members. Her daughter, who just completed a tour of duty in Iraq, will be at her side when she receives the award.

Mitzi Scarlett: On a Mission to Help Others

Before Mitzi Scarlett heads to work each day, she says a prayer. She prays to be able to help patients and show them there are people at Duke who care.

With what others have described as unfailing good cheer, Scarlett has made it her personal mission to help others. Her goal: to run an office that delivers the best patient care and research possible.

Scarlett, a staff assistant to Dr. Michael Blazing in the Duke Division of Cardiology, has been in health care for eight years. She ensures that day-to-day operations run smoothly and that each patient's needs are met on a timely basis. Last year, Blazing treated more than 1,700 patients, one-tenth of the department's outpatient clinic volume.

Scarlett's regular responsibilities include processing nearly 1,800 notes a year; rescheduling clinic appointments when conflicts occur; fitting urgent return or new appointments into a tight clinic schedule; sending follow-up letters to primary care physicians; and following up on outstanding labs and studies.

In spite of a heavy workload, Scarlett maintains a sensitive, positive and balanced demeanor, colleagues say. They add that Scarlett has especially been sensitive to the needs of patients under hospice care.

Those are just some of the many reasons why Scarlett was selected to receive a 2004 Presidential Award for outstanding service.

Blazing says patients often comment on how Scarlett is pleasant, reliable and empathetic. "She routinely takes on the task of helping patients navigate through the Duke system to set up tests, make referrals or find information. During phone conversations she takes the extra steps necessary to make sure she understands patients' needs, difficulties or problems," he said.

Former patients and their family members have often written to inform Blazing of the excellent care and support that Scarlett provided.

"Mitzi made me feel like there was nothing more she wanted to do but help me. She took on ownership despite some anger I may have had in my voice," wrote the son-in-law of a former patient.

"Not only did she see that questions were answered, prescriptions filled and appointments made, she also had Dr. Blazing call us promptly when necessary. Her unfailing good cheer buoyed our spirits during those difficult times," wrote the husband of another former patient.

"Customer service is the key to making the office work," Scarlett says. "It is very important to be involved in patient contact. Patients who are sick need answers, and they need understanding. It is my mission to make sure that they get the help they deserve."

Helping to improve clinic workflow also played a role in her receiving the Presidential Award.

Scarlett designed and implemented a tracking system to help physician extenders and nurse practitioners follow up on lab work and studies, providing them with more time to focus on patient care rather than paperwork. E-Sig, an "editor by proxy," reduces the demands on physicians by allowing physician staff assistants to make approved, non-clinical changes and corrections to clinical documentation.

Scarlett will soon be the primary staff assistant trainer in introducing a digital dictation system across the Division of Cardiology. She also is taking courses in business writing and medical terminology with the goal of becoming a certified administrative assistant.

"To me, Mitzi Scarlett is much more than an assistant or colleague. She is a partner," Blazing added.

"I enjoy coming to work each day," Scarlett said. "This office is a team. There are two physician assistants, Dr. Blazing and myself. We work together to get the job done for patients. Dr. Blazing is great at letting us know that he values us as a team.

"I was in total shock when I received the award," Scarlett said. "I come to work every day and just try to do the right thing. I try to treat people and patients the way I would want to be treated. I have great people to work with, and we have great patients."

Sylvester Murray: A Cook for the Marine Lab

While on vacation in Mexico, Dominick Brugnolotti stopped by a bank in Cozumel wearing his Duke Marine Lab t-shirt. The bank's vice president, a Duke alumnus, spotted the t-shirt and asked, "Do you know Sly?"

Sly would be Sylvester "Sly" Murray, the head cook at Duke's Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C., and if it's stretching the truth to say he's world-famous, it is true that he's well known for making the lives of Marine Lab employees and visitors better, one meal at a time. This year Duke recognized his contributions by conferring on him the Presidential Award. Brugnolotti, assistant director of auxiliary services on the Beaufort campus, was among those who nominated Murray for Duke's highest award.

"He's an institution here," Brugnolotti said.

Murray, who has lived all his life on the eastern shore of North Carolina, said the international community of visitors at the Marine Lab have kept him there for the past 30 years.

"When you grow up in an all-black background, and you're used to seeing things from one point of view, you miss out on a lot of stuff," Murray said.

He started work at the Marine Lab part time while he took classes at a community college. Through interacting with the international students and researchers, he said, "All of a sudden, I was in a mixed-culture situation where I was involved with people from all over the world. I was seeing things from another point of view, experiencing how other people think and live their lives. I knew there was a chance to learn and grow from that. It made a big impact on me when I was 18."

Murray's first position at the lab was in housekeeping, but when the dining hall opened full time, the head cook needed an assistant. Murray, who had worked in restaurants in high school, was offered the job.

"It was the last thing I thought I'd be doing after high school," he said. But he was a quick study, and learned how to take over any task from the cook, who had health problems. The first time the cook wasn't able to make it in, staff and students stopped by the dining hall, offering to help.

"I thought, 'Nobody thinks I can do this.' They were looking at a kid alone in the cafeteria, and they were worried about me," Murray said. "I love challenges, so as soon as it turned into that, I snapped to it."

The lasagna dinner he fixed turned out just fine, and his culinary career was launched.

Over the years, the challenges kept coming. Murray might have only 13 people to cook for at one meal and 130 the next. At times, he has had the kitchen polished down and be on his way out the door when he received word that a tour group of 70 would arrive for dinner in 20 minutes.

Once, a tour group arrived at 7 a.m. for breakfast, though the dining hall doesn't open until 8. Murray, just walking in the door to start his day, never let on they were early. Within 10 minutes, he had the coffee brewing and the first of the breakfast items on the table.

Another time, having received word mid-morning that a group wanted box lunches to take to the field, he hustled to get them ready. No sooner had he packed the last one than he learned the group decided to eat in instead. Murray had a sit-down luncheon ready by the time they filed into the dining hall.

"That's one of the things I've always loved about my job," he said. "I never really know how the day is going to unfold."

Murray researches recipes for vegetarians and adjusts his baking to accommodate vegans. He has taken courses at different culinary schools and said he has learned from every chef who has passed through his kitchen. Dietary needs, culinary styles and available ingredients change continuously.

"A doctor never stops learning new things," he said. "I approach cooking the same way. I don't look at it as a job; I see it as taking care of people."

One of his co-workers estimated that Murray has cooked 38,800-some-odd meals over the past 30 years. He takes it as a point of pride to cook a meal that will take the stress off students and researchers at the end of the day.

"I don't look at what I'm doing as work," Murray said. "I don't sit around figuring out how to take sick days or skip out early."

When he's not in the kitchen, Murray is penning short stories and novels. His cookbook, "Home Boy Cookbook," has sold more than 10,000 copies.

He said the surprise announcement of the Presidential Award is one of the highlights of his life. When Brugnolotti told Murray the news, he said, "My mouth dropped opened, my mind went numb, then I was all to pieces."

Receiving the award won't change the way Murray does his work.

"[The award] is motivation to keep on doing what I do, day in and day out," he said.

In addition, 20 employees won Meritorious Service Awards, five for each of the four categories. These employees will receive a certificate and a check for $100.

The Meritorious Service Award winners are:

Managerial

Kenneth L. Bridges, Facilities Management Department (FMD); Delphine D. Goines, Workers' Compensation; David B. Jackson, FMD Grounds; Diane M. Riggs, Department of Computer Science; Seth Vidal, Department of Physics.

Clerical/Office Support

Janet M. Bennett, FMD Grounds; Bonnie J. Hughey, Office of the University Secretary; Bettie B. McDade, Department of Medicine; Virginia M. Skinner, Office of Public Affairs & Government Relations; Katie L. Lenhard, Information Science & Information Studies.

Clinical/Professional - Non Managerial

Maureen C. Butts, Post Anesthesia Care Unit; Dennis Novack, FMD; Lana M. Regan Ambulatory Surgery Center; Evangeline Polly Weiss, Institutional Equity; Racquel L. Williams, Career Center.

Service/Maintenance

Kimberly R. Anderson, Food Services; Keith W. Davis, FMD; Anthony Scotty Jones, Medical Center Engineering & Operations; Kenneth R. Persinger, FMD; Eric L. Terry, FMD.