OHIO Business Service Center Premier Employee Partners

We know that to do great work at the university, it takes all of us. To recognize contributions from our colleagues who have helped the OHIO Business Service Center grow and thrive, the OHIO Business Service Center staff have nominated and selected Premier Employee Partners who have been and continue to be instrumental in our success through continued feedback, ideas for process improvement, and/or use of our services.

Chad Burkett - Service Owner, Custom Solutions

Chad Burkett, Senior IT Product Manager, Office of Information Technology

“Having known Chad for over 20 years, I can confidently say that he is not only a trusted partner but also a person of integrity who consistently goes above and beyond to provide support and solutions. Chad’s ability to navigate challenges with clarity and efficiency makes him an invaluable asset in any situation. His willingness to assist and ensure that the right answers are found exemplifies his reliability and dedication. I am grateful for the partnership we have built over the years and look forward to continuing to work alongside him in the future.” -- Renee Perry

“Chad is committed to the university and to effecting positive change. I hear from my staff all the time that he is a great colleague and helps by providing innovative ideas and solutions. Thanks, Chad, for being such a good colleague!” -- Heather Krugman

Imants Jaunarajs, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, VP For Student Affairs

“Imants is one the kindest most patient individuals that I have ever worked with. He is always positive and provides great insight into issues from an operational point of view that I truly appreciate. I am currently leaning on him to provide historical information into Career Services that has recently arrived back in VPSA. This has been very beneficial to me as it helps me to move forward from a finance and budget perspective. Thank you Imants for being a fantastic partner!” -- Mindy Colburn

“Imants Jaunarajs was one our earliest purchasing partners from student affairs. His leadership demonstrated a willingness to collaborate and work together toward the best service possible to our student organizations.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Imants has been a great partner. He provided strong leadership to his unit when converting purchasing processes to the business service center. He is thoughtful and receptive to new ideas and initiatives. I appreciate his continued willingness to work with the BSC.” -- Heather Krugman

Corinne Nielsen, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences

“Corinne Nielsen consistently provides the OHIO BSC with constructive and actionable feedback. We rely on partners like her to make sure we continuously improve.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Corinne is great to work with and is a wonderful partner. As busy as she is, Corinne is always kind and responsive. I appreciate and value her support of the BSC.” -- Karen Keesey

“Corinne is a fantastic partner. I continue to be impressed with not only how open she is to change but also her willingness to provide constructive feedback when needed. She has embraced the BSC and has offered multiple times to share with and/or train her faculty colleagues in the Department of Biological Sciences. On a personal note, I have really enjoyed getting to know her better and appreciate her time and perspective.” -- Heather Krugman

Robert Ross, Dean of University Libraries, Library

“As the new Dean, Rob was interested in learning more about what the BSC had to offer. He offered valuable support to the Employment Coordination team while learning the nuances of the hiring process. His professionalism, teamwork, and sense of humor are greatly appreciated!” -- Jennifer Tate

“Rob has been a pleasure to work with. He’s smart, energetic, and enthusiastic. I feel like having him as a partner has already improved the service center, due to his willingness to provide meaningful feedback. I look forward to working with him for years to come.” -- Heather Krugman

Alicia Sweeney, Director of Space Planning, University Planning

“Alicia has been a great partner. She is always a big help with signage and spaces for the BSC. I really appreciate her prompt responses to questions and her efficiency in making sure things run smoothly.” -- Amanda Sheets

“Alicia has been instrumental in creating a good physical working environment for our staff. She is a good collaborator and helps us find reasonable solutions to space challenges. I also appreciate her support and assistance in procuring resources for flex spaces. She has spearheaded the building signage project which has provided a professional look to the building.” -- Heather Krugman

Previously Recognized Premier Employee Partners

Ashlee Bevan, Interim Audit Director-CFE, Office of Audit, Risk, and Compliance

“Ashlee embodies the true spirit of partnership! She is willing to listen and understand other's perspectives, openly exchange ideas and reasoning, and look for ways to reach common goals.” -- Kelly Broughton

“We love working with Ashlee. She is committed to helping us improve the BSC. She is creative, hardworking, and extremely collaborative.” -- Heather Krugman

Ruth Blickle, Administrative Services Associate, University College Dean's Office

“Ruth Blickle has entered more than 65 requests, used our live chat feature 11 times, and consistently provides quality feedback that helps us improve.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Ruth has shown a willingness to experiment and provide feedback that is second to none. She was our first live chat user and continues to use it today. Ruth could have chosen to be resistant to change, but instead she embraced new technology and thought about how these new processes could help with her unit’s operations. Thanks, Ruth, for your willingness to try new things and help refine the process.” -- Heather Krugman

Emily Chapman, Chief Finance & Administrative Officer, Scripps College of Communication

“Emily Chapman has been a great partner to work with during the Scripps transition to the BSC and ever since. She is responsive, understanding, and helpful no matter what the question or issue might be!” -- Ann Bennett

“Throughout our collaborative partnership, Emily’s contributions and feedback have had a substantial impact across the entire university. The pillars of our shared success are rooted in her commitment to excellent service and streamlining efficiencies university wide.” -- Kelsea Bolin

“Emily and Scripps were some of the BSC’s earliest adopters. Emily helped work with the service center early on to refine processes that could then be shared with other units across campus. We greatly appreciate her thoughtful contributions.” -- Heather Krugman

Kathy Fahl, Dean of Students, Student Affairs

“Kathy is one the kindest humans that I have ever met and is the epitome of Dean of Students. She is a fantastic partner to the OHIO BSC. Kathy is always responsive and is always receptive to recommendations to help her areas perform more efficiently.” -- Mindy Colburn

Jneanne Hacker, Executive Director of Housing & Residence Life, Division of Student Affairs

“Jneanne and the HRL staff have been amazing partners during the transition of the budget and transactional accounting processes to the BSC. They are always open to new ideas and process improvements. Their collaborative trusting approach allows for cross communication between both areas that has really laid groundwork for a long successful working relationship.” -- Mindy Colburn

“Jneanne's leadership during the transition of Housing & Residence Life to the BSC demonstrated compassion and conviction in support her staff while championing flexibility and a commitment to continuous improvement.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Jneanne’s flexibility and professionalism has been instrumental to effective change management. I greatly appreciate the insights she has shared and her passion for process improvement.” -- Heather Krugman

Tia Hysell, Director of VPFA Auxiliary Services

“I have worked with Tia since she assumed oversight of Logistics. Tia is very inquisitive and loves to know the details behind the numbers. She is always looking for ways to grow her areas while at the same time creating efficiencies that improve productivity and impact process improvement. Thank You Tia for being a fantastic partner!” -- Mindy Colburn

“Tia has been working with us on budget and operational accounting since long before the existing BSC initiative. We have worked together to restructure Parking & Transportation’s financial model, which has provided strategic concepts that can be repeated with other areas across the university. Despite juggling many different hats, she has been incredibly patient during transition times and willing to work with whomever she needs to. Tia is a very collaborative partner and is always open to discuss different ways of doing things. She has a broad perspective and always wants to do what is best for the university as a whole. I greatly appreciate her passion for what she does and her commitment to OU.” -- Moriah Hudspeth

David Ingram, Professor, Physics and Astronomy

“David knows his stuff and is a straight shooter! His expectations are high, but reasonable. Using his thoughtful feedback and suggestions, we have been able to really prioritize positive change to help everyone on campus.” -- Kelly Broughton

“I appreciate how supportive David has been to the BSC and also to me as an individual. He is prompt, logical, and insightful. David is committed to making purchasing better at the university and has worked toward this goal for years. I am grateful that he is willing to discuss issues and provide feedback on how we can improve processes. I wish him the best in retirement, but we will miss him!” -- Heather Krugman

Zaki Kuruppalil, Professor and Chair, Engineering Technology and Management

“I had the honor of working with Zaki during the initial phases of planning for the BSC. Zaki is committed to process improvement and doing things in the most efficient way possible. He has been a great listener and person to bounce ideas off of. I have really appreciated hearing his unique perspective.” -- Moriah Hudspeth

“As co-chair of the OHIO Business Service Center's (OHIO BSC) Advisory Committee initiated by President Hugh Sherman in 2021, Zaki provided a voice for faculty and staff as well as his expertise in process improvement to help formulate the structure and initial service offerings of the OHIO BSC. Zaki benchmarked other institutions and systems used to advise the OHIO BSC as it developed and grew. Zaki continues to be an effective advisor by providing an objective perspective as the OHIO BSC considers next steps and growth opportunities, and we value his willingness to continue to collaborate with the OHIO BSC to bring enhancements and efficiencies to the institution.” -- Sylvia Mickunas

“Zaki has been instrumental in helping set up the existing OHIO Business Service Center. He has been an excellent advisor and advocate. He consistently goes the extra mile to move the center forward. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work and learn from him and for his willingness to co-chair the advisory group with me.” -- Heather Krugman

Beth Meiser, Senior Director of Financial Systems and Solutions, Finance

“Beth has been instrumental to the success of BSC Purchasing’s implementation of a system that not only streamlines our work, but also the work of everyone on campus who uses our services.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Beth has always been a great colleague! Whenever we have a problem or a need, she is always willing to talk things through and work to arrive at a thoughtful solution.” -- Moriah Hudspeth

“Beth was and continues to be an instrumental partner in the success of the OHIO Business Service Center (OHIO BSC). During the formation of the OHIO BSC, Beth consulted on the design and development of our service request forms. She continued to support the OHIO BSC by creating an application with our partners in OIT that facilitates the ease of reviewing and adding account numbers for requestors using our forms. Beth pulls and provides data from various OHIO systems (e.g., Concur, BobcatBUY, etc.), as well as provides key analysis, to assist the OHIO BSC in baselining metrics for continuous process improvement efforts. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Beth to facilitate system enhancements and integrations for automation and efficiency gains.” -- Sylvia Mickunas

“Beth is one of those people who is a genius in her field. She’s incredibly bright and has a strong work ethic. I rely on Beth when I want to brainstorm ideas. She is creative and capable. I am in awe of how much she knows! I appreciate all she continues to do for the BSC whether it is pulling data, mocking up new ideas, or creating an app to facilitate account numbers in our ticketing system. She’s the best!” -- Heather Krugman

Wendy Merb-Brown, Chief Financial and Operations Officer & Senior Assistant Dean of First-Year and Student Transitions, University College

“Wendy consistently fosters a positive and productive environment, encouraging open communication and mutual respect for all. Her dedication to achieving collective goals and her willingness to support and uplift all of us makes her an invaluable asset to our initiative.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Wendy was one of the earliest adopters to the BSC. She always comes to the table with a collaborative mindset and is a joy to be around. We would not be this far along in the BSC without her!” -- Heather Krugman

Polly Mitchell, Director of Payments, Accounts Payable

“The Contracts Team and the Accounts Payable Team (Polly) went above and beyond to make miracles happen with OIT orders and grants.” -- Renee Perry

“Polly is a stellar collaborator who demonstrates a remarkable blend of reasonableness, sound judgment, and an unwavering composure even in the most demanding situations. She is patient and giving with her expertise and this has been foundational to our success.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Polly is a wonderful partner who helps us solve problems and do the absolute best we can for our BSC partners. I appreciate her insights and partnership.” -- Heather Krugman

Beth Novak, Associate Professor; Interim Dean of Honors Tutorial College

“Beth was new to her Interim Dean position in Honors Tutorial College, while I was also new to working with them on budget and financial oversight. She has been incredibly patient and understanding while we have worked together to fill in any missing gaps that we may have had. Beth is a fantastically collaborative partner, providing feedback where needed, and is committed to helping the BSC reach its full potential.” -- Moriah Hudspeth

“Dean Novak has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the BSC's partnership with HTC. She always makes the time to provide us with detailed feedback for process improvement and always does it with a collaborative spirit. Additionally, she works with her faculty, staff, and students to enable them to make the best use of our services, too.” -- Kelly Broughton

Gwyn Scott, Associate Vice President for Auxiliaries

“I have worked with Gwyn and Culinary Services for nearly 10 years!! They are hardworking, knowledgeable, and amazing stewards for ��. Gwyn and her team work extremely hard running a very complex operation. They are presented challenges and obstacles every day that they maneuver with grace. Thank you, Gwyn and Culinary Services, for allowing me to be your Finance Director and friend.“ -- Mindy Colburn

“Gwyn’s change management leadership in the BSC partnership with her units was critical to our forward momentum.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Gwyn has been a fantastic partner to the BSC. She provided leadership as we brought new areas onboard. She has a way of providing feedback that is always helpful and her collegial personality makes you WANT to always make her happy! I’m incredibly grateful for her partnership and friendship.” -- Heather Krugman

Cody Sigmon, IT Product Owner/IT Service Owner, Office of Information Technology

“Cody stepped into a new role after we had launched our pilot for our request intake platform (My Bobcat Business). He quickly came up to speed, coordinated all parties, and provided needed structure to our continued development of the platform and our working relationship with OIT. We have matured our relationship through open communication and feedback, which Cody fosters and facilitates extremely well. We appreciate all he does for the OHIO BSC, including brainstorming customer-focused solutions, and look forward to our continued partnership!” -- Sylvia Mickunas

“Cody's commitment to helping the BSC deliver premier customer service is foundational to our success.” -- Kelly Broughton

"Cody is inquisitive and always eager to learn!" -- Moriah Hudspeth

“Undertaking an initiative of this scale requires flexibility and skill. Cody has worked diligently to help the BSC accomplish its new ticketing system. Cody always comes to the table with an attitude of how we can make things better, and I greatly appreciate his contribution.” -- Heather Krugman

Sandy Smith, Executive Assistant, Dean, University College

“Sandy has her hands full but always has the time to respond quickly to my team’s messages. Her selflessness, willingness, dedication, and hard work to help others is inspiring. Thank you for going above and beyond in your efforts for the students and our office. I greatly appreciate it!” -- Lori Collins

“Sandy has been so great to work with. I know the BSC was a big change, and I appreciate how flexible she has been. Her feedback to help us improve processes has been invaluable. The BSC actually adopted a student payment form that was used by Sandy which has really helped with our customer experience for students across campus.” -- Heather Krugman

“Sandy consistently demonstrates an exceptional willingness to assist with any inquiries or follow-ups, particularly when it comes to account numbers and documentation needed. Her dedication to finding necessary information and ensuring that all details are accurately addressed is truly commendable. Sandy’s proactive approach and unwavering commitment make her an invaluable partner in our collaborative efforts.” -- Renee Perry

Eric Stinaff, Professor and Chair, Physics & Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences

“As chair of physics and astronomy, Dr. Stinaff is a frequent user of a variety of the BSC services - everything from purchasing goods and services to travel, PCard substantiation, and invoice submissions. He is always polite, considerate, and helpful.” -- Kelly Broughton

“Eric is setting an example for others on how to efficiently move the university’s purchasing efforts forward. He has been a great partner – willing to try new things, communicate potential issues and provide critical feedback regarding the process. I wish we had 100 Erics!” -- Heather Krugman

Megan Vogel, Chief of Staff, Student Affairs

“Megan has been a strong advocate for the OHIO BSC since day one. Her support and kindness are very much appreciated. She is always quick to respond and help with historical DOSA questions and ideas for process improvements. Her support is unwavering! Thank You!” -- Mindy Colburn

“Megan has been a staunch supporter of the BSC, and I appreciate her insights, sound council, and encouragement. She is a fantastic partner, and I greatly value working with her.” -- Heather Krugman

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