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Working@Duke Is Thankful For Kathy Peterson

Duke employee is among most dedicated readers

Kathy Peterson checks to see what's new on Duke Today. Peterson is one of Working@Duke's most dedicated readers. Photo by Bryan Roth.
Kathy Peterson checks to see what's new on Duke Today. Peterson is one of Working@Duke's most dedicated readers. Photo by Bryan Roth.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, Working@Duke is thankful for readers like Kathy Peterson.

She reads every print issue of Working@Duke and visits the Working@Duke section on Duke Today at least twice a day. She's the most active member of the Working@Duke Facebook page with more than 60 comments or "like" posts in recent months. And she's even submitted a nomination for an employee to feature as part of our regular series, "Blue Devil of the Week." 

An administrative assistant in the Office of Divisional Deans, Arts & Sciences, Peterson said Working@Duke helps her better understand health benefits, how to clear her desk of clutter. And alternative transportation programs. Most of all, she said, the print and online publication make her feel more connected to Duke.

"I feel like I can go up to senior administrators I read about because I feel like I know them," Peterson said. "I've already been introduced to so many people through Working@Duke."

And co-workers count on Peterson because she is so well-informed.

When Peterson recently received a call from friend Deborah Ungerleider  about WeCar, Duke's new car-sharing program, she knew exactly where to send Ungerleider on the Parking and Transportation Services website. That's because Peterson had read a story about WeCar in Working@Duke.

"I was confused about where to find information," Ungerleider said. "So I called Kathy because I call her with all my university questions. She's my own personal Duke encyclopedia."

The reason why Peterson is so well-versed in all things Duke is simple: she stays informed through Duke's employee news channels.

"People always say `nobody told me about this,' " Peterson said. "If you read Working@Duke or Duke Today, you have an idea of what's going on."

Through Working@Duke and Duke Today, Peterson has learned about and signed up for a sustainability leadership workshop, planned trips to Duke's farmers market and found out when to get a free seasonal flu shot. She also reads the Working@Duke news feed on Facebook to ensure she doesn't miss updates or breaking news.

"Working@Duke has the news first, and with Facebook, it introduces it right there, immediately," she said.

And we're thankful that Working@Duke introduced us to Kathy Peterson.