Some people have a knack for being wherever they are needed at the time they’re needed most. JoeAnn Kennedy is one of those people in the School of Nursing, her co-workers say.
Kennedy is a program administrator II for the doctoral programs in the School of Nursing, a position she has held since 2008; she has been with UAB since 2001.
“I have been impressed with her performance from day one. She embodies all the characteristics of an ideal employee,” said Linda Moneyham, Ph.D., senior associate dean for Academic Affairs.
She’s thorough, efficient, pleasant, reliable and brings out the best in others. For these reasons and more, Kennedy was nominated and selected UAB’s Employee of the Month for January.
In her role, Kennedy is responsible for scheduling faculty meetings and taking minutes, ensuring various forms are distributed and maintained, coordinating large functions such as orientations and intensives, assisting students and creating and maintaining program databases and more.
Kennedy says the best part of her job is giving people what they need. “I like to see a smile on a student or faculty member’s face when they get the assistance or answer they are looking for from me,” she said.
“JoeAnn is a true asset to the UAB School of Nursing and she needs to be recognized for her outstanding contributions to not only the DNP program, but to the SON in general,” said Assistant Professor D’Ann Somerall, DNP.
“Along with exceptional performance, Ms. Kennedy is kind and considerate… She brings out the best in all of us, and makes it look easy,” said Linda Roussel, Ph.D., professor and DNP program coordinator.
“Her attitude and love of the work she does is inspirational,” said Lauren Antia, program manager, Office of Research and Scholarship. “JoeAnn is the kind of colleague who serves as an example of what we all can aspire to be.”
| Each month, UAB recognizes an outstanding employee for their dedication, hard work and contributions to the university’s success. If you know of a great employee, you can learn how to nominate them for this recognition at uab.edu/humanresources. |
Asked to share secret to her success, Kennedy says simply, “I love what I do, so I don't consider it work.”
“One of the many qualities about JoeAnn that really stands out is her incredibly patient, professional and kind attitude,” said Karen Buckner, director of operations. “Her work with our joint DNP and PhD programs has required that she balance a demanding workload while providing support to a population of students who have busy lives and need TLC when it comes to navigating their return to academia for their terminal degrees.
SON graduate Grace Grau, DNP, agreed. “She was always professional and very patient when answering my questions (for both the Ph.D. and DNP programs); in fact I cannot remember a time that she didn’t project respect and a willingness to go the extra mile.”
“No matter the circumstance, JoeAnn always seems to have everything under control, never losing her smile or her positive attitude,” Buckner said. “Ms. Kennedy is definitely an impact player on the SON team.”
Maybe that role will grow even larger. This mother of two and grandmother of one is also a UAB student. She’s pursuing a degree in accounting and hopes to complete it by 2018 and put it to use here.
