DUNMORE, Pa. — Penn State Scranton Chancellor Marwan Wafa has announced that Jo Ann Durdan, education program assistant for the campus' Center for Business Development and Community Outreach, is the July Employee of the Month.
In her nomination, Sue Fitch, CBDCO outreach and training specialist wrote: "Using a sports metaphor, Jo Ann not only stepped up to the plate during this time of pandemic and my retirement transition, she hit it out of the park! Grand Slam, Home Run! With all her duties registering students and coordinating our public programs, she transitioned our corporate clients over to virtual programs and she did this with ease. This was so successful they have asked for more! I could not have done it without her.”
Lecturer in Business Administration Frank Sorokach said: “Jo Ann is a very positive person who always has the best interests of Penn State at heart, and balances that with a very open and approachable demeanor. I often get to work with her on initiatives for the Center for Business Development and Community Outreach, and she approaches every task with a 'can do' attitude and a smile. Jo Ann is always an absolute pleasure to work with and gives every task her best effort.”
Joan and Al Guari, real estate program adjunct instructors, stated: "The education community, like all others, has experienced unprecedented times. The transition for the learning settings was thrust upon administration/staff without prior preparations. Jo Ann rose to the challenge and provided invaluable service to both students and instructors to allow classes and learning to proceed without interruption. She even provided technical and computer assistance with the applications Zoom and Canvas.
"Jo Ann’s normal tasks for assistance with our classes were altered and she seamlessly took whatever steps necessary to assure that both we and our students were able to continue with a meaningful educational experience," they added.
The Employee of the Month recognition was initiated in 2016 by Wafa as a way of distinguishing staff members who "go above and beyond the call of duty" in serving Penn State Scranton.
Campus staff, faculty and students are encouraged to nominate staff members that deserve to be recognized for “going above and beyond.” The link for nominations is: https://scranton.psu.edu/form/employee-month-nomination-form.
Congratulations Jo Ann!