Building Service Worker Yokasty Owens has been named the 2022 Employee of the Year at the University of Illinois Springfield. She was honored during a reception on Jan. 19, 2023, in the UIS Student Union.

Before announcing the winner, UIS Chancellor Janet Gooch thanked the eleven Employees of the Month who were nominated for the award.

Owens, who was the May 2022 Employee of the Month, is known for going above and beyond her responsibilities to help people in need.

Ashley Hall has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for December 2022. She is the director of the UIS Student Union.

Hall’s nominator praises her for covering the workload of multiple vacant positions within the Student Union staff for more than a year and learning new skills to make sure work was completed.

David Hecht has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for November 2022. He is the production manager for UIS Performing Arts Services.

Robert Weis has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for October 2022. He is the coordinator and advisor for Engaged Learning and Partner Initiatives in the UIS Office of Engaged Learning (OEL).

Weis’ nominator calls him “an amazing collaborator” who is able to work across campus and in the Springfield community to support the professional development of UIS students through internships and other employment opportunities.

Bea Bonner has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for September 2022. She is the Community Voices Editor/Co-Host at NPR Illinois.

She began working at UIS in 2016. According to her nominator, Bonner represents the university well as she interviews campus and community members on Community Voices.

Gary Anderson has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for August 2022. He works as a business administrative associate for UIS Online, Professional, and Engaged Learning (OPEL).

After 24 years of management in the private sector, Anderson began working for UIS in the Center for Academic Success in September 2018 before joining OPEL in August 2019. According to his nominator, he played an important role when multiple offices merged to form OPEL.

Samaryia Magee has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for July 2022. She has worked as a program/student advisor for the UIS Diversity Center since 2018.

Magee’s nominator calls her a “passionate advocate and mentor for students at UIS.” Magee coordinates a variety of programs, including those that specifically support first-generation college students.

Paul Pinneo has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for June 2022. He has worked as Web Specialist III for the UIS Office of Web Services since July 2019.

Pinneo’s nominator describes him as “a great team player, always helping the office/campus as a whole with his contributions outside of his day-to-day duties.”

Yokasty Owens has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for May 2022. She is a building service worker who has worked at UIS since 2019.

Her nominator said she always “brings a positive attitude to her job.” Her supervisor, Patty Meyer, adds she “goes above and beyond and is eager to assist when covering for others.”

Joint statement from the University of Illinois Springfield Administration and the UIS United Faculty: 

“The University of Illinois Springfield and UIS United Faculty have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a four-year contract (Aug. 16, 2021-Aug. 15, 2025) for the UIS United Faculty collective bargaining unit, representing 134 tenure and tenure-track faculty.