RSENR staff Carl Waite, Shari Halik, and Rose Feenan were honored for 40, 30, and 15 years of service to UVM during the University’s Staff Appreciation Week in September. The Rubenstein School held a reception to celebrate and thank our staff, and President Tom Sullivan and Leslie Black Sullivan hosted a dinner to honor staff across the campus.

Carl Waite joined the UVM staff in 1972, after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management.  He has been a Senior Researcher/Analyst since 1991 and is currently the Program Coordinator for the Vermont Monitoring Cooperative, an initiative that has benefited from Carl's work since its inception in 1990. Carl was a long-time member of RSENR's Lands Committee, and was part of a core team that led the "Greening of Aiken" project for over a decade. He is currently a co-principal investigator of the green roof project at the Aiken Center supported by McIntire-Stennis funding and is assisting Assistant Professor Carol Adair with her climate change research at the Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Asked about his most memorable UVM experience, Carl replied watching his son and daughter graduate from UVM together in 2006.

Shari Halik began working in Professor Emeritus Dale Bergdahl's forest pathology lab immediately after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in forestry in 1983.  She went on to complete her Masters of Science in 1990 while working full-time for Dale. Shari rose through the ranks of Research Field Technician working with Dale up through his retirement in 2006. She currently helps Kate Baldwin (a 29-year UVM staff member!) with the management of Theme One—“Sustaining productive forest communities: Balancing ecological, social, and economic considerations” —of the Northeastern States Research Cooperative and is a Communications Professional with RSENR, in charge of this enewsletter and the School's website, along with other outreach communications. One of Shari's most memorable UVM experiences was her 1983 UVM School of Natural Resources graduation ceremony at which she created and presented a slideshow (using real slides!).

Rose Feenan started at UVM in 1998 as an analyst for University Financial Analysis and Budgeting. She later was the Administrative Director for the Pathology Department in the College of Medicine and was team leader for the sponsored programs Catalyst project. Rose is currently the Assistant Dean for Business Operations in the Rubenstein School where she manages School budgets, human resources, and other School business operations. Rose is a leader amongst Assistant Deans around campus, working through the many recent transitions to new budget, hiring, and administrative procedures of the university. A memorable experience for Rose was co-chairing the campus-wide "Mastering the Maze" in 2000, an annual training and professional development event at UVM.

Thank you and congratulations to Carl, Shari, and Rose for their many years of service. The Rubenstein School currently has over 35 staff members who collectively have devoted over 250 years of service to UVM and the Rubenstein School. Thank you to all staff who make our community such a vibrant place to work, learn, and change the world for the better.