We all know those people who consistently make our days better. Lori Durieux is one of them. 

As business manager for the University of Vermont’s Department of Family Medicine, her work is critical for daily operations but often unseen by the public. Durieux is the steady hand amidst the chaos of managing financial budgets that span multiple academic and clinical programs. She coordinates the department’s hiring searches and aids scholars with the application and oversight of federal grants. And she is known by her colleagues for the gentle way she makes everyone—students, fellows, and emeritus faculty—feel valued.

“I am a behind-the-scenes person,” Durieux says from her office in the Larner College of Medicine.

Her screensaver glows with the college’s statement on professionalism. Hence the legal pad on her desk filled with tasks in various stages of completion. She ensures everyone in the department has what they need, whether it’s the right forms and requirements for grant applications or the keys to meeting room doors. No job is too small for her to-do list.

“I don’t want anything to fall off for any reason,” Durieux says.

Her colleagues notice the care she takes with her job managing the Department of Family Medicine. In 2025, they nominated her for one of UVM’s Our Common Ground awards, which honor staff members who embody values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility.

“During this difficult time in our country, Lori maintains her eye on health equity, inclusion for her staff and employees, and presents a calm leadership style amidst distress,” wrote Laura McCray, M.D., vice chair of academics and faculty development, in her nomination letter. “… Lori is forward-thinking and creative when exploring innovative ways to fund ground-breaking projects and ideas in the department.”

Over the past decade, Durieux’s understanding of endowed funds supported new teaching efforts and the hiring of the department’s first dental and pharmacy faculty members. As her colleagues noted in their letters of support, Durieux’s smooth management of the department enables everyone to thrive. 

“Lori has been a truly critical member to my own success at UVM, as well as the success of our whole department,” wrote Associate Professor Maija Reblin, Ph.D. in her letter of support. “She is an exemplar of professionalism values and shows the utmost respect and kindness for members of our community while maintaining excellence, taking on critical tasks and sharing her expertise. She does this without expecting (and often receiving) praise.”

In 2015, Durieux started as a temp in the department and “had no idea what I was getting into,” she says. A decade later, she runs the operation side of the department. This involves heavy coordination between UVM and the University of Vermont Health—two separate institutions on two different fiscal calendars.

“It’s a lot of paperwork,” Durieux admits.

But it’s paperwork that can make the difference – from hiring new family medicine practitioners to overseeing grants that support physician visits to homebound patients. Durieux is proud of the work they do in family medicine, from research in the Vermont Conversation Lab to the new culinary medicine course developed by UVM medical students with Assistant Professor of Family Medicine Whitney Calkins, M.D. 

“Just being a small part of that is quite an honor,” she says.

In his letter of support, Bob Gramling, M.D., vice chair for research in the department, noted some of the challenges over the past eight years: a pandemic, a cyberattack, and weathering financial strains. Durieux was a steady partner through it all. 

“[Her] approach consistently buoys those of us around her with a feeling of confidence and an unspoken reminder that we, too, are doing good work that matters,” he said.

Outside of work, Durieux is a tennis player.

“I’m obsessed,” she says with a smile.

It’s a sport she got into during Covid-19 when a friend assembled a group of nearly a dozen women who needed to move. Playing tennis cemented new friendships when she needed it most—the empty-nest phase of her life. All three of her children (all UVM graduates) are pursuing graduate and doctoral studies out of state. 

Durieux is also a world traveler and has visited more than 50 countries—so far. Before kids, she and her husband backpacked across much of Europe and South America and spent months traveling across eastern and southern Africa. Durieux also worked for the U.S. Merchant Marine, where she was often the only woman in the room. While the experience allowed her to travel, Durieux knew raising a family and being out at sea wasn’t in the cards. But she and her family continued to travel whenever possible. The experiences are reminders that many different perspectives exist.

“We live in a world, not just a country,” Durieux explains.

But the advice she tells her children is that “being in service to others is the secret to a happy life,” she says.

It’s advice Durieux lives by.  

The Our Common Ground awards come with a $1,000 prize. Durieux gave hers to a family friend who outlived her retirement fund.

“Easy come, easy go,” Durieux says. 

Though she did keep the glass plaque noting the achievement. As the interview winds down Durieux admits she doesn’t like to be the center of attention. 

When an email requesting a chat arrived, she considered not responding, she says. “But that wouldn’t be professional.”