Vanessa Ferguson, Community Voices producer at NPR Illinois, has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for March 2025.

“Vanessa is a model employee. She’s personable, attentive and gets the word out about NPR Illinois,” her nominator said.

Her nominator also highlighted how she consistently goes above and beyond in producing Community Voices.  

“She also co-hosts the program conducting insightful, fun and informative conversations helping interesting people in the community tell their stories,” her nominator said.

Ferguson’s supervisor, Beatrice Bonner, praised her strong work ethic.

“She is the first person to volunteer to represent the station. She volunteers to mentor and help our student workers. She has a lot of wisdom and skills and they respect her instruction and opinion,” Bonner said.

Ferguson’s influence extends beyond her core responsibilities, as she actively boosts the morale of her co-workers.

“After working from home during the pandemic and gaining a set of new staff members, the station felt disjointed. Vanessa jumped right in to make everyone feel welcome and at home. I think our department has become famous around campus for our daily walks. Vanessa was behind this,” Bonner said.

In addition to her professional duties, Ferguson volunteers at the Hoogland Center for the Arts and often moderates events in the community. She also supports others who are trying to start their own podcasts by sharing her expertise for free.