When Terri Jones has an opportunity to take a leadership role, she relishes it. Whether it’s leading her children’s Girl Scout troop, chairing the administrative staff committee in the School of Dentistry or starting a weight-loss group for dental school students and employees, Jones wants the responsibility. 

Terri Jones in prosthodontics is January’s Employee of the Month.

Jones’ drive, dedication and determination are a few of the reasons why the office services specialist in Prosthodontics is January’s Employee of the Month.

Jones supports Sandra O’Neal, D.M.D., chair of Prosthodontics, and other department faculty and ensures junior and senior students are meeting the requirements needed to graduate. She could be aiding a faculty member with a PowerPoint presentation one minute and guiding a student through their course requirements the next.

Colleagues rave about Jones’ commitment to the faculty, staff and students.

“She always is willing to go beyond the call of duty and always is happy to assist our faculty, students and her fellow co-workers with whatever it is that they need,” says Robbie Burrell, business officer in the School of Dentistry.

“I have witnessed the care and concern she has shown for our students. There is something special about Terri.”

Others see that demonstrated as well, including Madelyn Coar, D.M.D., associate professor of endodontics, and O’Neal. They see her skills in the relevant software applications — from Word and Excel to PowerPoint and WebCT — and appreciate her desire to seek challenges, learn new skills and hone old ones.

Because Jones can provide solutions, O’Neal and Coar encourage her to take additional responsibilities, including those chairing the SOD’s administrative staff council.

“She has made improvement of morale and recognition of others the main thrusts of her leadership,” Coar says. “She has instituted interactions among administrative staff, such as the ice cream social she coordinated and sponsored, and the Employee of the Quarter award for the SOD.

“Terri takes her leadership role seriously and works to enhance the sense of camaraderie among her fellow staffers and improve communication and information-sharing.”

Most recently, Jones was charged by O’Neal to start a weight-loss group for dental school students and employees. The group holds lunchtime meetings, and Jones has invited guest speakers to highlight nutrition and fitness ideas.

Jones used Weight Watchers and Scale Back Alabama as a guide to create a motivational award system for the most successful participants. Seventeen people are involved in the 10-week group, which started just before Thanksgiving.

“You can imagine trying to get people to sign up to participate in a weight-loss group before the holidays,” Jones says. “But a number of people signed up, and everyone has been successful on some level — even through the holidays. People were more conscious about not overeating, and they were surprised how well they were able to at least maintain where they were.”

Many say their success in the program is due to Jones’ leadership and ownership of the group, complete from the structure of the program to the unique team-name: Team SOD (Slimming On Down).

“I appreciate the opportunities to take on these leadership roles,” Jones says. “I enjoy and want to come up with creative ways to make people enjoy their job more. I always try to put a smile on somebody’s face.”